Could the SNP block a Labour Budget? No.
Interesting post about the constitutional limits on the ability of the SNP to influence UK budget setting.
The SNP are claiming they can ‘block Labour budgets’, ‘end austerity’ and ‘stop Trident’. Their problem however is simple – most of what they say is based on assuming that Westminster works the same way as Holyrood does for budgeting – and it doesn’t. There are huge ‘constitutional’ and practical obstacles to implementing the sort of radical challenges to Government tax and spend decisions that the SNP and others seem to be mooting. The first set of problems is that in the Westminster parliament only the Government can propose taxation or spending measures. These can be defeated, or amended, but only by cutting spending or lowering or removing taxes – not by increasing either.
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In the Dark 
April 26, 2015 at 4:56 pm
The SNP don’t need to get the policies they want. On each issue either they get what they want, or they don’t and pressure mounts to leave the UK. For them it’s win-win.
April 26, 2015 at 6:35 pm
Seems to me like an excellent argument for increased separation of legislature and executive a la Tom Paine!