A relentless focus on the economy won Bill Clinton the 1992 Presidential election.

We need the same focus on the economy in Britain in 2010

The Truth? Do you think you can handle The Truth?

Alex Salmond is campaigning for the SNP on a pledge to protect the Scottish economy from cuts in the budget for England and Wales. He doesn't have a hope in Hell. Any changes in the budget for the rest of the UK are passed on through the Barnett Formula.

In the Barnett Formula, Scotland gets a higher per person share of the UK budget. This is necessary to offset the extra cost of providing services to a smaller population spread over a greater area.

Successive Labour/Lib-Dem and SNP Governments in Holyrood have left Scotland with an unsustainable proportion of the work force in public service.

Any budget cuts in England will have a greater impact in Scotland.

English and Welsh cuts will mean larger Scottish cuts.

Neither Labour, the Conservatives nor the Lib-Dems have addressed the state of the British economy. They are all skirting around the elephant in the room. Hoping that we will be distracted by what their wives are wearing or the debate performances.

Gordon Brown does not understand economics. He was Chancellor during a period of economic growth and convinced himself that he had eliminated boom and bust. He hadn't. The economy turned and in October 2008, he panicked and poured £178 Billion into the bank vaults.

Most of the money is still there.

The banks haven't lent it out. It is not being used to support British industry and British businesses. It is being used to support the obscene bonuses and wage rises that the bankers are paying themselves.

The projected deficit for next year is almost the same as the amount of tax payers money gifted to the banks.

Take the money back.

Remove most of the deficit. Get the money working for British industry and businesses.

Get the economy moving again.

Reduce the deficit, improve the economy, maintain front line services

Gordon Brown wants another five years in charge of the country. His record?

Gordon Brown and New Labour

Gordon Brown sold off the British Gold Reserves at the bottom of the market and cost the country billions.

Gordon Brown raided the pension funds and ruined the retirement prospects of millions.

After the banking crisis, the banks should have been Nationalised. They weren't which means that we now own the banks without any effective control of their activities.

Gordon Brown poured billions into a welfare scheme for rich bankers.

Gordon Brown diverted Lottery Funding to support The London 2012 Olympic Games. Any financial benefit to Scotland will be minimal. Scottish Charities have suffered from the reduced level of funding available as a result of the diversion.

When Tony Blair became Prime Minister he decided that he really wanted to be President of Britain. The Cabinet Office was expanded to support his new role and now employs 3,000 people. Parliamentary democracy has been sidelined and the taxpayer gets to pick up the wage bill for the extra 3,000 which must be over half a billion pounds.

Gordon Brown decided to close British airspace in face of the volcanic ash threat and cost the airlines and the travelling public billions. The knock on effect will last through the summer and beyond.

(I lived in Portland, Oregon when Mt St Helens was erupting from 1980 through 1991. I don't recall any concern about the safety of air travel in the Pacific Northwest. Ash from the original eruption in March 1980 reached as far as Edmonton, Alberta.)

Can David Cameron and The Conservatives do better?

Not on the basis of the available evidence. There are vague promises to reduce the deficit in their manifesto. They promise to ring fence essential services however this means larger cuts in other areas. The other areas aren't mentioned.

The Lib-Dems and the Clegg Dead Cat Bounce?

Vince Cable has been the leader in economic matters for the Lib-Dems. However he is against immediate cuts in public spending in case this stops the economic recovery.

There is merit in continued spending on public works programmes that will improve the infrastructure of Britain. The only large scale public works programmes are in London preparing for the Olympic Games. Other public spending on inefficient or ineffective programmes is a waste of taxpayers money.

If you happen to be living beyond your means and you go visit The Citizen's Advice Bureau, do you think they will tell you to keep spending since you don't want to change your life style?

They will tell you to cut up your credit cards, work out a budget and stick to it.

Why should national economic policy be any different?

If we are living beyond our means, we need to make the painful adjustments now.

Delay is not going to solve the problem.

MP's Expenses.

After a year of scandal about the MPs expenses, the three leaders have failed to properly address the problem. They have set up an expensive and complicated audit and review system which will cost the taxpayers even more money.

They should have agreed on an amount of money necessary for an MP to carry out his or her duties in Westminster.

There is no need for audit committees or reviews of expenses with the associated flunkies and minions feasting at the public trough.

Pay the basic sum and let them live on it!