SNP ‘set for May victory’
The Scottish National Party (SNP) is on course to become the biggest party north of the border after next May’s Holyrood elections, a new survey finds.
An ICM poll for the Scotsman finds that if there was an election tomorrow, the nationalists would have 43 MSPs, Labour would have 38 and the Liberal Democrats 25. The Conservatives would lose four to hold just 14 seats.
The survey finds the SNP has gained two percentage points since October to take 34 per cent of the constituency vote, and is also up three points in the regional list to 31 per cent.
By contrast, Labour has dropped one point in the constituency vote and now stands at five points behind the SNP on 29 per cent. In the regional list vote, it receives just 26 per cent of support.
The Lib Dems are set to do fairly well, registering 17 per cent of support in the constituency vote and 19 per cent in the regional list vote. Translated into MSPs, this would see a SNP-Lib Dem coalition heading the executive from May next year.
SNP leader Alex Salmond welcomed the results, particularly as they came after a weekend in which Labour ministers lined up at the Scottish Labour party conference in Oban to condemn his party.
Tony Blair began the assault on Friday, saying he “detested” the “narrow nationalism” that the SNP stood for, and home secretary John Reid – himself a Scot – went on to warn that they were “unfit for purpose in the modern world”.
Another minister from north of the border, Scottish and transport secretary Douglas Alexander, said the nationalists were failing to rise to the challenge of globalisation.
And chancellor Gordon Brown yesterday repeated his argument that Scotland benefited economically from being part of the UK.
However, a poll for the Sunday Telegraph yesterday revealed that 52 per cent of Scots and 59 per cent of English backed an independent Scotland. In addition, 68 per cent of English and 58 per cent of Scots thought England should have its own parliament.
“Labour’s tactic of sending in the heavies from London to work over the SNP has not only totally compromised [first minister Jack] McConnell’s election strategy but it has demonstrated that they, like him, lack confidence in his ability to lead,” Mr Salmond said.
“It has also been spectacularly ineffective. Their assault has just fallen flat on its face.”
He added: “More and more Scots are saying that it’s time for an SNP government, committed to success for Scotland, a growing economy and a decent society.”
However, Duncan McNeil, chairman of the Labour group in the Scottish parliament, said: “The most consistent thing about polls at the moment is their inconsistency and, as our successful conference in Oban has shown, as soon as the SNP’s policies are put under scrutiny they start to crumble.”
