Election update: Reaction to SoS poll | Tavish's frustration with Clegg | Harvie takes readers' questions

Published on Monday 18 April 2011 13:30

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: John Swinney of the SNP (left) and Labour's Andy Kerr took part in a debate on the Scottish economy at the BBC studios in Glasgow last night. Picture: PA

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL...

• The SNP campaign will be in Aberdeen as Alex Salmond visits the city's Dental School. Mr Salmond is expected to underline the party's commitment to a healthier Scotland with protected investment in the NHS and a 30m fund for Early Detection of Cancer.

• Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray will start the campaigning in Dumfries before heading north to Perth. He begins a three-day jobs tour and will highlight the 10,000 Scots who joined the dole queue this year while launching Labour's plan to get people back into work. He will then travel north to Perth to campaign with Labour candidate Tricia Duncan.

• Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Tavish Scott will join Sheila Thomson, candidate for Aberdeen Central and John Sleigh, candidate for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine as they visit the CLAN cancer support centre.

• Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie will be joined by Highlands & Islands candidates Mary Scanlon, Douglas Ross, Edward Mountain and Kerensa Carr at a hairdressers in Inverness to launch their Common Sense on Tax manifesto.

• The Green party has pledged to invest 940 million in affordable housing over the next session of the Scottish Parliament. The party, which will launch its manifesto tomorrow, would also invest in new social housing across the country.

ELECTION WEBCHAT

Patrick Harvie of the Scottish Greens took part in an online webchat today on scotsman.com. You can read what he had to say on a wide range of policies, and find out how he'll be celebrating the Royal Wedding, by replaying the live blog.

Our next election webchat is with Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray on Friday at noon, so get your questions ready.

IN THE PAPERS...

SoS poll puts SNP ahead

ALEX Salmond is on course for a second term in office with an exclusive poll today revealing that the SNP is stretching ahead of Labour in the 2011 election race. The YouGov poll for Scotland on Sunday shows that the Nationalists have surged ahead of their main opponents in the first stage of the campaign and currently stand to win a six-seat victory over Labour on 5 May. (Scotland on Sunday)

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We must be more positive - Labour

SENIOR Labour figures say they will not be panicked into changing election strategy despite the Scotland on Sunday poll showing a slump in support and internal criticism of the campaign. But one senior Labour figure said: "We don't need a miracle - a message would do. The raw data shows that our vote is there but we need to give our voters a reason to come out with either a strong policy initiative or a positive leadership message. At the moment both are lacking." (The Times)

SNP 'out of touch on crime'

LABOUR justice spokesman Richard Baker has accused the SNP of being "out of touch" on law and order - after he was forced to drop plans to end more short term prison sentences. Baker said: "The SNP aren't just soft touch, they are out of touch with hardworking, law-abiding Scots." (Daily Record)

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Cosla: All four parties' manifestos 'unambitious, irrelevant'

THE head of Scotland's local government body has dismissed the manifestos of the main political parties contesting the Holyrood election as "unambitious, largely irrelevant and financially unsound". (The Scotsman)

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Tavish Scott reveals frustration with London

TAVISH Scott, the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, has revealed his intense frustration at the effect Nick Clegg's deal with the Tories is having on his own campaign for Holyrood. In an interview with the Sunday Herald, Scott admitted his party was suffering because of a widespread voter backlash against the LibDems. (Sunday Herald)

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Labour volunteers set to tackle marginal seats in wake of SoS poll

LABOUR is set to scramble thousands of volunteers to campaign in key marginal seats after the latest election poll gave the SNP a commanding lead. The head of Labour's campaign said the party will flood key seats with activists in a bid to overturn its poll deficit. (The Scotsman)

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Lib Dems: Coalition 'for Scots to decide'

SCOTTISH Liberal Democrat leader Tavish Scott yesterday said his London colleagues will play no part in deciding whether the party will enter a coalition in Holyrood, should the option arise. Mr Scott said a decision on any coalition deal would be taken by Scottish MSPs, without any input from the Lib Dems at Westminster or the party's ministers in the UK coalition government. (The Scotsman)

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Candidates clash over justice issues

SCOTLAND must fight to preserve the integrity of its legal system in the face of the UK Supreme Court's ruling on the Cadder case, former justice secretary Kenny MacAskill told the first hustings hosted by the Law Society of Scotland. (The Scotsman)

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IN BRIEF

• Scots Tory leader Annabel Goldie yesteday said a council tax freeze can be offered only for the next two years. She said there were question marks over how further freezes – beyond 2012-13 – could be afforded.

• The Greens have vowed not to compromise on three key issues should they be involved in post-election coalition talks. They are nuclear or coal-fired power stations, student funding and cuts to services that worsen inequality.

• Entrepreneur Jim McColl has backed the SNP for a second term in government. Mr McColl, head of Clyde Blowers Capital and one of Scotland's wealthiest people, said Alex Salmond was the "best man for the job".

• The British National Party has been reported to the election watchdog over a leaflet that falsely claims there are more Muslims than Scots in the UK. A BNP pamplet also warns of "a flood" of east Europeans arriving in Scotland.

TODAY'S CARTOON

By Iain Green

• All the latest news, comment and analysis

• Who is standing in your area? Find out on our Scottish Election Map

• Visit The Steamie, our Scottish politics blog

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