Scots leaders in 2009 predictions

Annabel Goldie, Iain Gray and Tavish Scott issued New Year messages

Scotland's opposition party leaders have predicted 2009 will be a momentous but challenging year.

Tory leader Annabel Goldie said the likely recession should not be allowed to dominate the political landscape at the expense of other needs.

Iain Gray, Labour's Holyrood leader, said people should not flinch from the big challenges of the coming year.

And Lib Dems leader Tavish Scott declared his party was now on a war footing for an early UK election.

Delivering her New Year message, Miss Goldie said 2009 would be just as momentous as 2008 - a year which included Barack Obama's US election win, Great Britain's success at the Olympics and the credit crunch.

'Banking crisis'

She said 2009 must be the year when rhetoric became reality.

She added: "The year when council tax gets cut, when our hospitals get cleaner and our classrooms and our streets are made safer.

"The year when we start to mend our broken society and our broken economy."

Mr Gray said his party had learned lessons during 2008, including picking itself up from the loss of the Glasgow East by-election to hold onto the Westminster seat of Glenrothes.

He added: "The campaign came against the background of the banking crisis and the credit crunch.

"The prime minister, along with chancellor, has given a lead and taken radical action in the global banking crisis, something that has been widely recognised both at home and abroad."

Mr Scott said UK unemployment was now at its highest for more than a decade, while thousands of Scots faced losing their jobs in 2009.

"I am putting our party on a General Election war footing", said the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader.

He added: "Liberal Democrats will be ready with a positive programme to protect jobs, cut taxes for ordinary people and stop people losing their homes."