By David Scott
22 April 2010
A hung Parliament would offer Scotland better opportunities and protect public services, the Scottish National Party has claimed.
First Minister Alex Salmond said the presence of more nationalist MPs in what he described as a ‘balanced’ Parliament at Westminster would allow Scotland to extract concessions and save it from the brunt of spending cuts.
Launching the party’s election manifesto in Glasgow on April 20, he said the prospect of a balanced Parliament had become increasingly likely and was a ‘welcome’ development.
‘It is with a balanced Parliament that Scotland’s greatest opportunity exists. The more SNP MPs, the stronger Scotland’s hand will be,’ he said.
The SNP leader outlined policies that guarantee the protection of frontline services such as free personal care for elderly people, concessionary travel and the Scottish Government’s £1.25bn investment in new schools.
The party also pledged to press for a new phase of capital spending aimed at creating 5,000 new jobs this year. It would demand the scrapping of Trident nuclear missiles and a halt to their replacement.
Salmond said: ‘We will offer an alternative to the London parties’ agenda – an alternative that sees spending cut on the things that don’t matter at all.’
Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray accused the SNP of ‘saying nothing new on most issues that matter’ and of failing to deal with the economic crisis.
‘Salmond’s claim that more [nationalist MPs] mean less cuts doesn’t convince people,’ he added.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Liberal Democrats’ manifesto, published on April 21, claimed that a vote for them would be a vote for a fairer Scotland. They offered a ‘fairer tax system’, ‘a fairer start for every child’ and ‘cleaner’ politics.
The manifesto proposed a block grant increase that would provide Scotland with an extra £240m in the current year. It also called for the abolition of the Barnett Formula, the system that calculates Scotland’s share of UK spending. The LibDems want to replace what it describes as an ‘out-of-date, 30-year-old method’ with a needs-based formula.
Scottish campaign manager Alistair Carmichael said: ‘We are offering a vision that no other manifesto has managed – a one-way ticket to a fairer Scotland.’
The Scottish Tories, announcing details of their manifesto on April 19, gave a commitment to safeguard health spending and said they would press for a two-year council tax freeze.
22 April 2010
A hung Parliament would offer Scotland better opportunities and protect public services, the Scottish National Party has claimed.
First Minister Alex Salmond said the presence of more nationalist MPs in what he described as a ‘balanced’ Parliament at Westminster would allow Scotland to extract concessions and save it from the brunt of spending cuts.
Launching the party’s election manifesto in Glasgow on April 20, he said the prospect of a balanced Parliament had become increasingly likely and was a ‘welcome’ development.
‘It is with a balanced Parliament that Scotland’s greatest opportunity exists. The more SNP MPs, the stronger Scotland’s hand will be,’ he said.
The SNP leader outlined policies that guarantee the protection of frontline services such as free personal care for elderly people, concessionary travel and the Scottish Government’s £1.25bn investment in new schools.
The party also pledged to press for a new phase of capital spending aimed at creating 5,000 new jobs this year. It would demand the scrapping of Trident nuclear missiles and a halt to their replacement.
Salmond said: ‘We will offer an alternative to the London parties’ agenda – an alternative that sees spending cut on the things that don’t matter at all.’
Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray accused the SNP of ‘saying nothing new on most issues that matter’ and of failing to deal with the economic crisis.
‘Salmond’s claim that more [nationalist MPs] mean less cuts doesn’t convince people,’ he added.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Liberal Democrats’ manifesto, published on April 21, claimed that a vote for them would be a vote for a fairer Scotland. They offered a ‘fairer tax system’, ‘a fairer start for every child’ and ‘cleaner’ politics.
The manifesto proposed a block grant increase that would provide Scotland with an extra £240m in the current year. It also called for the abolition of the Barnett Formula, the system that calculates Scotland’s share of UK spending. The LibDems want to replace what it describes as an ‘out-of-date, 30-year-old method’ with a needs-based formula.
Scottish campaign manager Alistair Carmichael said: ‘We are offering a vision that no other manifesto has managed – a one-way ticket to a fairer Scotland.’
The Scottish Tories, announcing details of their manifesto on April 19, gave a commitment to safeguard health spending and said they would press for a two-year council tax freeze.
