27 April 2007
Labour's battle to retain power at Holyrood and prevent a Scottish National Party victory received a much-needed boost this week when leading personalities, including top business figures, declared their support for the continuation of the Union.
The decision of 150 of the 'great and the good' to back the Union publicly came just 24 hours after the SNP published its own list of business backers. Both come in the wake of opinion polls showing that the nationalists could overtake Labour as the largest party in the Scottish Parliament at the May 3 election. The initiatives highlight the extent of the division in the business community over whether Scotland's economy would be best served by independence or by remaining in the Union.
The list of personalities supporting the Union, including major figures in academia, sport and music as well as finance and industry, was published in a newspaper advertisement on April 25, the day Chancellor Gordon Brown addressed a business breakfast in Edinburgh.
Brown is believed to have been involved with the organisers in persuading the personalities to put their names forward. He has launched several strong attacks on the SNP, claiming the party has refused to answer key questions on the economics of independence.
Those publicly named this week as backing the Union include David Reid, the chair of Tesco, and Peter Balfour, the chief executive of Scottish & Newcastle breweries. Several former top executives in banking were also involved, including Sir Peter Burt, the former Bank of Scotland chief who chaired the committee of inquiry into local government finance. The advert was funded by John Milligan, founder of Atlantic Power and Gas.
Their statement did not endorse Labour but declared: 'Scotland's best future for investment, jobs and prosperity is being part of Britain, as we believe that the break-up of Britain would damage Scotland.'
The SNP listed 100 business backers, including Sir George Mathewson, former chief executive of the Royal Bank of Scotland; Sir Tom Farmer, founder of the Kwik-Fit car accessories firm; and Brian Souter, chief of the Stagecoach transport group.
Labour is drafting its political 'big guns' into Scotland in the final days of the campaign in an attempt to stem the nationalist tide. With 50 of the 129 seats, Labour has led a coalition government in partnership with the Liberal Democrats since the Parliament was set up in 1999.
But opinion polls have consistently suggested that the SNP will win the largest number of seats, though one survey at the weekend, a Populus poll for The Times, showed an upsurge in support for the Liberal Democrats.
If the SNP became the largest party, it would need to enter into a coalition deal with another party to govern. Its most likely partners would be the Liberal Democrats, but the main stumbling block to such a deal is the LibDems' strong opposition to a referendum on independence. A 'rainbow' coalition of anti-independence parties is another possibility.
PFapr2007
