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 with Scottish first minister Jack McConnell in Glasgow and defended the benefits of the union with England in a speech in the city.
“What I am more interested in doing, instead of explaining the disbenefits of separation, is trying to get across the fantastic benefit of being together,” the prime minister said.
“If you take the financial service sector to give one example, there is no doubt Scotland is one of the leading centres in Europe.”
And the prime minister met criticism from SNP leader Alex Salmond head on.
“What has Alex Salmond delivered for Scotland other than personal insults about me – as if all the issues could be boiled down to one issue?” he said.
“People can agree with Iraq or not agree with Iraq but it is not decided by the Scottish election.
“However, what is decided is whether Scotland remains part of the UK, whether the right health and education and law and order policies are made for Scotland.
“Alex Salmond often asks me questions in the Commons but I don’t think he ever asks me about health or education or law and order or the economy or pensions or child poverty.
“On policy, we win and in the end that is why I believe we can have confidence.”
A recent ICM poll for the Scotsman indicated the SNP has 33 per cent of the vote with Labour running at 31 per cent of the constituency vote and 27 per cent of the list vote.
If these figures were transferred into votes, the SNP would win 44 Holyrood seats, Labour would win 41 and the Liberal Democrats 23. This would allow the Lib Dems and the SNP to form a coalition government, but would mean a Labour-Lib Dem coalition would not have a majority.
On his last visit to Scotland in November, the prime minister said it would be a constitutional “nightmare” if the SNP won power on May 3rd.
