The SNP has launched its general election manifesto in Glasgow this morning.
The emphasis, quite rightly, was on which party would put Scotland first. "None of the London-based parties are interested in Scotland. They will inflict serious cuts which will affect our front-line public services."
It was a low-key speech which offered the people the choice of voting for a party which cares only about Scotland or a party which will enjoy our oil money and the power we produce but give us no consideration. With a UK party we all know Scotland is a necessary evil in the great plans for the UK. Only yesterday David Cameron insisted he wanted to "be prime minister of Britain" and would fiercely defend any attempt Scotland made to government itself. Pompous.
Gordon Brown thinks much the same but for different reasons. He knows, without his west of Scotland powerbase, labour would never win in a general election.
I can't assess Nick Clegg's opinion because he hasn't said much, if anything, about Scotland. The one time I saw him interviewed here in Scotland he looked slightly bemused and was unable to offer anything of substance.
Alex Salmond's right - and I don't always agree with him - but if you want a party which will fight only for Scotland and its interests, then vote SNP. The London-based parties insist voting SNP is a wasted vote because we could never be in power in Westminster. That's their way of ignoring Scotland's biggest political party and its people during this campaign.
The more SNP MPs we have in Westminster the louder Scotland's voice will be. The choice is yours.
Update: You can read or download the SNP manifesto here.
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10 comments:
Rosie, an interesting piece. However your assertion that Brown would not win without the Scottish vote is actually not correct. I covered it recently in my post 'Is the "porridge wog vote" the reason Labour is elected' available at http://tinyurl.com/yyh5bo4.
And if anyone just wants an easy look at the text of the manifesto, I've distilled it to a more happily accessible text here:
http://lallandspeatworrier.blogspot.com/2010/04/that-snp-ge2010-manifesto-in-full.html
Ta-ta,
LPW
I sit corrected DL. Hope others note your link and my apology. :)
Many thanks for the link LPW. Much more accessible.
The SNP website just isn't user friendly.
The wasted vote argument is one of the 'herrings' that Westminster has never allowed a quota on. One that the Scots have often been landed with and never gained from - the peculiar red variety.
The purpose of voting SNP in a Westminster election is to mitigate the power Westminster has to manipulate Scotland as a useful pliant minority.
In truth the only votes wasted in Scotland are those for the unionist parties.
The Liberal Democrats support the war in Afghanistan, so they won't be getting my support.
The SNP opposes the war in Afghanistan, so they certainly do have my support.
I note that the spooky people who run much of the media are promoting the Liberal Democrats; does Nick Clegg work for MI6?
Paddy Ashdown has admitted to working for MI6.
- Aangirfan.
I would agree with you there RA. Perhaps it's time that point was pushed further home? Of course the unionists should be asked for figures too, just in the name of fairness.
Aangirfan, you know even better than I do, Nick Clegg's background. If he worked for any M department it wouldn't surprise me in the least.
There's probably 45 million who wish someone would put "England First"
Joe Public - you could well be right.
But for that to be implemented you will have to stop the shenanigans of Westminster.
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