Edinburgh West is clearly the place to launch your election manifesto these days. However, when Willie Rennie, Mike Crockart and Jo Swinson launch the Scottish Liberal Democrat manifesto it won’t be in a massive venue surrounded by an audience of cheering party supporters, it’ll be in the heart of the community, in a small business, in South Queensferry.
Ironically, it’ll be almost exactly opposite the spot across the Firth of Forth in North Queensferry where he gave his first interview as Scottish leader in May 2011.
Last year, Willie talked about a “sunshine strategy” and it looks like he’ll be getting plenty sunshine and 15 degree temperatures for the launch.
Willie said:
Liberal Democrats are driven by our ambition of creating opportunity for all.
Our prospectus to the people of Scotland is proudly Liberal Democrat. Standing on the record of progress in government and vision of the future.
In just five years we have got the economy back on track and done so fairly. We are now closer to our ambition of creating opportunity for everyone. But with wins for the Liberal Democrat in this election we can make it a decade of opportunity.
With Liberal Democrats we can create opportunity for children by investing in education especially in the early years.
With Liberal Democrats we can create opportunity for everyone by investing £800million in our NHS and bring mental health care to the fore.
With Liberal Democrats we can create opportunity for workers by creating even more jobs and cutting their taxes too.
With Liberal Democrats we can create opportunity for Scotland by delivering more powers to the Scottish Parliament.
These are Liberal Democrat ambitions because they build a stronger economy and a fairer society, in a stronger Scotland.
It is a positive offer to create a decade of opportunity for everyone in our country.
The manifesto can be read here.
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings. You can find her on Bluesky at caronmlindsay.bsky.social
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5 Comments
I suppose the offer of being the heart of the Conservatives and the brain of Labour does not really work in Scotland?
How about being the liver of the SNP today? or maybe just a kidney?
The mixed grill approach to politics does not seem to work in London either.
So it was a bacon sandwich for all for today’s election breakfast. It is nutritious and it reminds us of how disastrous the Conservative attempt at character assassination by trivialisation has been.
It might be useful for Willie Rennie to point out that there were 11 Lib Dem MP,s in Scotland parliament,that we are the main challenger to the SNP in these seats and that if the other parties lend us their votes and vote for us tactically we can dramatically reduce the likely number of SNP MP,s.This message could also be used nationwide in the debate about the most stable coalition.
Additionally it is worth Willie reminding Scottish Voters that if the referendum had given the Scots independence,the Scottish nation would be facing savage austerity and even bankruptcy as a result of the huge drop in oil prices.
What we actually need to be doing is finding a way to appeal to those people who have moved from us to the SNP. Effectively get back the moderate nationalists with a strong Home Rule campaign. If we don’t do this no amount of tactical voting is going to save some of our MPs who are finding the SNP polling 45%+ in their constituencies. Tactical voting might save Jo and possibly NE Fife and Edinburgh West but the the SNP vote is simply too high for this to work in many other seats.
I would like to read the whole of the Manifesto but you seem to be hiding it. Where can I read it?
Right here. http://www.scotlibdems.org.uk/manifesto2015