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Talking of a no-deal cliff edge...here's a thing about the Scottish budget. Sorry to bang on about it, but, y’know, it’s actually quite important. 1/8
Now that Holyrood has the power to set income tax rates and bands, MSPs pass a "rate resolution" each year in addition to a budget bill. It has to be passed before the stage three (final) vote on the budget bill, so usually comes the day before or the same week. 2/8
If MSPs don't pass a budget bill, they can come back and have another go - theoretically forever. If a budget bill isn't passed by the start of the next financial year we just revert to the spending plans from the previous budget, until a new one is agreed. 3/8
This doesn't happen with a rate resolution. They can try again, but it *has* to be passed by the start of the tax year. There isn't parliamentary procedure for them not doing it - so it seems that if it doesn't happen by 5 April, then *there is no Scottish rate of income tax* 4/8 
That’s the theory, anyway - in practice, it would basically be down to the government to find a way out of that particular hole. One possibility would be emergency legislation at Westminster to change the existing rules. 5/8
What does this mean? It means MSPs essentially have no choice but to pass a budget – or at the very least a rate resolution – by 5 April. Because if they don't, they don't get to levy income taxes. That’s a real no-deal cliff edge. 6/8
For all the talk about elections if the budget is deadlocked, there wouldn't be time to hold one and have a new govt pass a rate resolution. The only way it could realistically happen would be if MSPs passed stages 1 & 2 of a budget, then the SRR, then voted down stage 3. 7/8
(that is, of course, making the assumption that a majority of MSPs want to avoid blowing the entire system up; the majority of parties certainly have tax policies) 7.5/8
This may well all come to naught; the SNP and Greens may well announce a deal for all three stages tomorrow morning. But it's indicative of the immense pressure on these talks, for both sides. To resort to a Brexit cliche, the stakes are rather high and the clock is ticking. 8/8
