Sturgeon: My vow is to make Scotland stronger at Westminster
Nicola Sturgeon’s introduction doesn’t need much explanation. Under the SNP Scotland will be stronger in Westminster, she says.
This will please the Conservatives who have decided that Nicola Sturgeon is their chosen stick to beat Labour with. David Cameron is in Crewe this very morning warning of the dangers of SNP control in England.
Nicola Sturgeon’s introduction references a “real alternative to the paid of austerity” pointing to an end to the bedroom tax and a higher minimum wage – both of which put them on the same page as Labour.
However she is clear on trident, one of the places Labour and the SNP are likely to diverge. Sturgeon says that “the previous resources of our country” should be “invested in building a better future for our children, not on a new generation of nuclear weapons.”
She also places herself at the centre of a possible “anti-Tory majority” after the election which could work together to keep the Conservatives out.
This is the other side of the coin that the Conservatives are campaigning on. They warn that voting Labour will give you a SNP controlled left wing government with an influential sector bent on independence.
The SNP say that voting for them is the only way to keep the Tories out and to keep Labour to the left. Labour will be wanting to distance themselves from this argument, but they are currently struggling. They can’t completely rule out some sort of power sharing deal with the SNP as it is possible that the only way they could manage a majority after May 7 is to join forces.
So they stick to parroting out the “we are fighting for an overall majority” line and try and keep their distance.
In her speech Nicola Stugeon is carrying on her theme of a pitch for Westminster – she has been ever present on Britain’s tv screens and Debates, interviews and most recently the Andrew Marr show – although she and David Cameron would not share a sofa.
She tells the gathered SNP supporters she wants to make a pledge to people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Even though you cannot vote SNP, “your views do matter to me.”