Lib Dem voters 'joining Labour'

The first signs of a major shift in British politics have seen Labour receive an unprecedented surge of new members eager to oppose the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition.

21,000 have joined the Party since the General Election in what acting Labour leader Harriet Harman described as an "emerging political movement happening amongst progressives in Britain".

Lib Dem voters see a "big difference between what they thought they voted for and what they ended up with - and they just aren't comfortable with it."

Half of the new members were Labour voters now even more determined to get us back into government, but almost one in three recruits were Lib Dem voters let down by that party's partnership in power with the Tories - making deep spending cuts and setting the wrong priorities for the country.

Since 2007, we have seen SNP councillors leave their own group in Glasgow disenchanted with their party. Perhaps Lib Dem elected representatives will now take a similar route to make a positive difference for their own communities.

Scotland 'faces £42bn funding cuts'

The public spending squeeze in Scotland is likely to be worse than first projected following the recent UK Budget.

Figures published by the Scottish Government's chief economic adviser Dr Andrew Goudie, project spending cuts of £42 billion over the next sixteen years. A similar study in April estimated reductions of £25-35 billion over 12 to 15 years. The latest report predicts six consecutive years of cuts in real terms, up from the previous assessment of five years.

The Tory-Lib Dem UK Government's Comprehensive Spending Review in October will outline more details of allocations for Scotland's devolved budget. The onus will then be on SNP ministers to set the right priorities for services they are responsible for.