The GSD has this afternoon said that the Government “keeps on repeating nonsense hoping that some of it sticks.”  This time, says the party, it says that the GSD voted in favour of the Budget and that somehow that detracts from the validity of its arguments about “out of control” Government spending and the use of the Gibraltar Savings Bank to fund Government expenditure and projects.

The GSD says that such a move does not affect any of its arguments and that “anyone who gives this any thought” will see why it voted in favour of the estimates of revenue and expenditure.

A statement from the party concluded: “The reality is that our criticisms and concerns were raised during the debate but there is a tradition of not voting against estimates of revenue and expenditure so as not to deprive the Government of the ability to fund its expenditure.  If we had voted against, no doubt Mr Picardo would be saying we did not want the wages of Civil Servants paid.  That is the kind of absurd political discourse we are dealing with.”