Election update: Cameron heads north | Connery leads SNP celebrities | Galloway admits to 'hyperbole'

Published on Wednesday 20 April 2011 12:27

Our round-up of all the stories from the Holyrood election campaign trail, plus the picture of the day and political cartoon.

PIC OF THE DAY: George Galloway encounters a presentational glitch when a campaign poster comes unstuck during his manifesto launch at the Hillhead Library in Glasgow yesterday. Picture: Robert Perry

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL...

• Prime Minister David Cameron will join the Holyrood election trail to campaign in Scotland today. The UK Tory leader will be making a speech in Inverness.

• The Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) has today warned of a growing backlash against policies which "pamper the rich" in the election campaign. Co-convener Colin Fox said the SSP is the only party proposing "to make the rich pay their fair share" in order to maintain jobs.

• SNP leader Alex Salmond, the First Minister, will address the Scottish Trades Union Congress in Ayr. In his speech he will defend the Scottish Parliament's legislation which grants compensation for the condition pleural plaques.

• Scottish Labour Leader Iain Gray will meet with young musicians in a recording studio in Eastwood, East Renfrewshire to highlight Labour's manifesto pledge to deliver a new musical instrument fund for schools and get more school pupils involved in music.

• Liberal Democrat MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey Danny Alexander will join local candidates Christine Jardine and Alan MacRae to visit Harry Gow's bakery in Inverness to highlight the party's proposals to support small businesses across Scotland.

TODAY'S POLL

Which party has the best plan for Scotland's economy?

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IN THE PAPERS...

Greens go it alone with tax plans

THE Scottish Greens have become the only main political party to pledge to increase tax rates in Scotland to counteract UK government spending cuts. Launching its manifesto in Edinburgh yesterday, the party set out plans to add 0.5p to income tax, using Holyrood's existing tax-raising powers. (The Scotsman)

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Connery leads SNP's celebrity charge

SIR Sean Connery last night led a host of celebrities in backing Alex Salmond's SNP in the race for power at the Scottish elections. The Bond actor spoke for a growing army of fellow stars which now includes actor Martin Compston, comic Elaine C Smith and chef Andrew Fairlie, as well as artist Jack Vettriano, businessman Sir David Murray and pop veteran Midge Ure. Last night Connery said: "It's no wonder successful Scots ... want him (Salmond] re-elected. So do most Scots. Alex and his team are more popular now than they were in 2007 - a real achievement for any government." (The Sun)

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Vote Salm, help Cam

Alex Salmond was yesterday branded David Cameron's stooge after The Sun newspaper backed the SNP leader in the battle of Holyrood. Labour's former spin chief Alastair Campbell said the Nationalists' new slogan should be: "Vote Salmond, help Cameron". He continued: "Have the Murdoch empire changed their view of nationalism? Of course not. But they know what David Cameron wants out of this election and that is not a Labour win." (Daily Record)

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Galloway foresees SNP win

POVERTY in Glasgow ensured that what was once "the second city of the empire" now had worse health outcomes than overseas territories which have been ravaged by war, George Galloway declared yesterday as he launched his manifesto to become an MSP. (The Scotsman)

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SNP ditches 'soft-touch' image

Alex Salmond yesterday made the extraordinary boast that the SNP is Scotland's new party of 'law and order' - a title more traditionally associatied with the Conservatives. The First Minister claimed his touch stance on crime was his 'great strenth' in the Holyrood election campaign. (Daily Mail)

Labour's claim on knife crime 'a deception'

A CLAIM by Labour Party leaders that knife crime costs the NHS 500 million a year was described as a "deception" last night, as it emerged the figure was based on an estimate for the cost to hospitals of all violence in Scotland, not just those attacked with a blade. (The Scotsman)

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Force merger 'would cut police numbers'

THE police chief looking into how force mergers would work has rubbished politicians' claims that they would not lead to a cut in officer numbers. All four main party leaders told the Scottish Police Federation conference that they would maintain the 1,000 extra officers put on the streets. (The Scotsman)

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No cash pledges for arts quango

NO GUARANTEES were offered on the future budget of the Creative Scotland yesterday, with Labour and the SNP's culture spokeswomen side-stepping any outright pledges to protect the arts quango's funding. Fiona Hyslop, the SNP's culture minister for the past 18 months, said the coming spending review meant there could be no promises on Creative Scotland's budget beyond 2011-12. (The Scotsman)

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OPINION

Be ready for an SNP-Tory coalition

A deal between the Nationalists and the Scottish Conservatives would offer positives for both parties, writes John McTernan

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Welcome to Cloud Cuckoo Land...

Scottish voters looking for tough talk in election manifestos will find almost none. Maybe Crawford Beveridge can help, says Iain McLean

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Scottish voters looking for tough talk in election manifestos will find almost none.

TODAY'S CARTOON

By Frank Boyle

AND FINALLY...

George Galloway has agreed to temper his criticisms of Scotland's MSPs. "You know that hyperbole has sometimes been a fault of mine," he confessed during his manifesto launch. He then went on to describe Iain Gray as "Labour's John Major", Nicola Sturgeon as "not exactly Miss Charisma", before noting of John Swinney that he "is so wooden that birds have been known to nest in him". Good to see Mr Galloway's new-found humility lasting all of five minutes.

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