It often takes a few days to digest the impact of Budgets and Autumn Statements, and yesterday it was the turn of the Gaelic broadcasting industry to realise it was a loser.

Chancellor George Osborne didn’t actually announce to Parliament his intention to slash all UK Government funding to Gaelic broadcasting – it was left to supporters of the Welsh language to work it out - but the fact remains that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will no longer provide the £1m a year to the broadcaster as it has done for some time.

In financial terms, this contribution was relatively small – 95% of all Gaelic broadcasting funding comes from the Scottish Government and the BBC. But the fact that this represents a 100% cut in UK Government funding of the language cannot be overlooked. The £1m was, if nothing else, a recognition that Gaelic exists, that it matters.

Back in late 2013, with less than a year to go until the referendum, Tory Culture Secretary Maria Miller had nothing but praise for Gaelic and its contribution. The language, said Ms Miller at the time, was “an integral part of our incredibly diverse culture”. So, what has changed? Is it now somehow less integral to Scottish or British culture?

Those of a cynical disposition may suppose that the No vote in the referendum may have played a part in this decision – perhaps there is now less need to keep Scottish voters “on side”. Others may surmise that in austere times, culture always ends up topping lists of proposed cuts.

But let's be honest - a million pounds is a drop in the ocean. This silly political decision on the part of the Conservatives simply bolsters existing SNP accusations that Scotland does not get value for money when it comes to public service broadcasting. Was it really worth it, Mr Osborne?