Labour's Iain Gray and the SNP's Alex Salmond were on the election trail
|
The political parties have focussed on the economy and defence, as the UK election campaign in Scotland continued ahead of polling day on 6 May. Former Tory defence secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind said Labour had starved the armed forces in the last 13 years. Labour launched an anti-David Cameron poster campaign, while the Lib Dems accused their rivals of failing to back small businesses. The SNP outlined its policy priorities in the event of a hung parliament. Sir Malcolm launched an armed forces manifesto, while campaigning in Stirling with local candidate Bob Dalrymple. He said a Tory government would not cut the Ministry of Defence budget "in the current year" but savings would be made to support frontline services. "What has been extraordinary about the Labour Government under Blair and Brown is that for most of the last 12 years we've been at war in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.
 |
CAMPAIGN TRAIL - 30 APRIL
|
"If that's the foreign policy they wanted to pursue, they should have ensured our armed forces had the resources, capability and equipment to do that job to the maximum of their ability." Meanwhile, Scottish Labour focused their latest campaigning on what they believe is the "shallowness" of Conservative Party leader David Cameron. A poster showing Mr Cameron and UK Labour leader Gordon Brown with the words "only one will be prime minister" was unveiled in Aberdeen. Iain Gray, Labour's Scottish leader, said: "People in Scotland will be asked to make an important choice. "They will be asked who they want to run the country and who they want making the important decisions that face us over the next five years. "The reality means that, on May 7, only one of two people will walk into Downing Street and become prime minister - Gordon Brown or David Cameron." Failing to lend Scottish Lib Dem leader Tavish Scott took to the campaign trail in Glasgow North with candidate Katy Gordon, saying the SNP government had overseen hikes in business rates, while Labour-backed banks were failing to lend to local firms. Mr Scott said his party would break up the banks, set new, binding lending targets and bring in a transitional relief scheme to shield businesses from this year's rates rises. "Scotland's small businesses are facing the toughest of times," he said.
Lib dem Tavish Scott and Tory Malcolm Rifkind were on the election trail
|
"Now more than ever they need government on their side, and that's what the Liberal Democrats offer - a fair deal for Scotland's small businesses." In London, SNP leader and Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond and Plaid Cymru chief Ieuan Wyn Jones joined forces to say there would be a "massive opportunity" in the event of a hung parliament in Westminster following the election. The two parties have already signed an agreement setting out areas where they aim to make gains, including securing fair funding and protecting services against cuts. In Scotland, said Mr Salmond, the SNP had sought support from Lib Dems to abolish tuition fees, got more police on the streets with the help of the Conservatives and worked with Labour to deliver more apprentices. Outlining how the two parties' had already joined forces to voice their opposition to the renewal of Trident, the SNP leader said he believed they could also be the voice of voters in England on such issues. "As parties of government in Scotland and Wales, we also hope to be parties of principle in Westminster," he said.
|
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~09~RS~)
E-mail this to a friend
Printable version
© 2012
Bookmark with:
What are these?