analysis

There was some strange vegetation-themed imagery doing the rounds in Holyrood yesterday about the Scottish Greens leader.

Patrick Harvie, the kingmaker for the SNP’s budget, was dubbed a lentil-munching leftie by the Tories on account of convincing the government to impose an even greater burden on better-off Scots taxpayers than their English counterparts.

Then Labour weighed in to say Mr Harvie has settled to be the “fig leaf” for Finance Secretary Derek Mackay’s council-bashing budget. A stark vision.

In a rambunctious first budget bill debate, it was no surprise that the Scottish Greens would be pummelled by both sides of the political spectrum, especially given the manner in which they bailed their pro-independence partners out.

Finance Secretary Derek Mackay required the help of one other Holyrood party to see his tax and spending plans for 2017/18 reach the statute book. A collapse at this stage would have been in unprecedented in Holyrood history and could have prompted another trip to the ballot box.

Mr Mackay has been courting both the Greens and the Lib Dems over the past few weeks for their support to allow his minority administration to push the £30bn budget through. Willie Rennie, the Scottish Liberal Democrats leader, had set a £400m price tag – or £80m for each of his MSPs’ votes – for his party’s support. A high price which Mr Mackay only met with a reported extra £70m for mental health and pupil funding.

Then the Greens stepped up. Eyebrows were raised when on Wednesday Mr Harvie effectively guaranteed his party’s support for the SNP budget without nailing down the concessions he sought.

Yesterday, the Glasgow MSP declared the deal amounted to the “biggest budget concession” Holyrood has seen. If his gains are to be measured against his aim of a more progressive tax system, that claim seems wildly inflated.

The Greens have got the SNP to freeze the higher rate 40p threshold at £43,000 from April.

The SNP, who had rejected giving the richest a tax break by following the UK level of £45,000, would have previously have allowed the threshold to rise by inflation to £43,430. Small fry from the party that wants the top rate increased from 45p to 60p. Along with cash from a central slush fund, that deal amounts to an extra £160m for councils. That will stave off some of the worst cuts, but for the Greens the price of their support may prove costly to their own fortunes.