Scots urged to take Holyrood election seriously
Tony Blair has headed to Scotland to join Scottish Labour leader Jack McConnell on the election campaign. It is the prime minister’s third trip north of the border since the campaign began a week ago and comes as all but one recent opinion poll gave the SNP a comfortable lead over Labour. As commentators increasingly […]
SNP say ‘it’s time’ for power at Holyrood
The SNP launched their manifesto today, amid increasing optimism that the pro-independence party could take power at Holyrood. Touted under the banner “it’s time”, flagship policies include a commitment to abolish council tax and instead fund local services through a three pence income tax rise – the maximum allowed by the devolved government. The SNP […]
Lib Dems promise a ‘brighter’ Scotland
The Scottish Liberal Democrats have outlined their 12-month plan to lay the foundations for a “brighter future for Scotland”. Launching the party’s election 2007 manifesto in Edinburgh today, Scottish leader Nicol Stephen set out a “bold and ambitious” agenda for Scotland. The Liberal Democrats in Scotland will be pro-education, pro-environment and pro-economy and above all […]
SNP and Tories battle it out over union
The SNP leader Alex Salmond and Conservative leader David Cameron managed to reach some consensus on Scottish politics today, while vehemently disagreeing over the future of the union. Both party leaders agreed English issues should be decided by English MPs, although clashed over how this would be conducted. Writing in the Telegraph, Mr Cameron reject […]
Blair & Brown risk ‘own goal’ for Scots campaign
The prime minister Tony Blair and chancellor Gordon Brown travelled to Scotland today to defend Labour ahead of next month’s Scottish election. With successive opinion polls showing a strong lead for the SNP, Mr Blair has been forced to defend the place of Scotland within the union and attack the SNP’s calls for separation. However, […]
Tories’ Scottish pledges do little to rattle SNP
The Scottish Conservatives have unveiled their manifesto ahead of the forthcoming Scottish parliament election. However, their policy pledges, billed as the most family-friendly of any party campaigning in Scotland, have been overshadowed by the increasing poll lead of the SNP over Scottish Labour. And the Scottish manifesto launch lacked the scale of events in Wales, […]
SNP gain strong lead over Labour
The SNP have achieved a ten point lead over Labour ahead of the upcoming Scottish election. With a lead in both constituency and regional polls, SNP leader Alex Salmond could be appointed first minister of the Scottish parliament after May 3rd. The Populus poll, commissioned by the Times, puts the nationalists comfortably ahead of the […]
Blair takes the fight to SNP
Tony Blair was in Scotland yesterday campaigning against the SNP ahead of the Scottish parliament elections in May. It was the prime minister’s first visit to the country in the run-up to the Holyrood elections, and he will be hoping his visit helps overturn the SNP’s lead in the polls. Mr Blair met Labour campaigners […]
Tories head north to woo Scots voters
David Cameron is taking the shadow cabinet to Scotland today, as the Conservatives unofficially kick-off their campaign for May’s Scottish elections. The Tory leader yesterday admitted his party had failed to provide a centre-right alternative for voters north of the border, letting the Scottish National Party (SNP) take a lead on traditional Tory issues. But […]
Labour minister quits over Trident
Malcolm Chisholm quit his role as communities minister in the Scottish parliament last night after voting against the government. Hours after supporting the SNP in a vote on the future of the Trident nuclear weapons system, Mr Chisholm handed his resignation to first minister Jack McConnell. “It is with deep regret that I found myself […]
