General Election 2010: Electorate 'rejecting SNP and its policies'

Published on Tuesday 4 May 2010 22:57

FROM its campaign slogan to its core belief of independence, the SNP was facing a wholesale rejection by voters last night.

• Mr Salmond in Falkirk yesterday. Picture: TSPL

Just one in five said they believed the SNP's general election slogan "more Nats means less cuts", according to today's YouGov poll of 1,500 voters for The Scotsman, while more than twice as many, 43 per cent, disagreed.

The rejection was summed up by the SNP's drop to third place in the overall voting intentions, on a mere 20 per cent.

Mr Salmond's personal rating has also slipped, with only 38 per cent believing he has done a good job, compared with 36 per cent who think he is doing a bad job.

The party was only the third most trusted on health and law and order and fourth on schools, even though an SNP government is responsible for these areas.

Even the more unpopular Tories were more trusted.

Meanwhile, there was a resounding rejection of independence, with 58 per cent saying they would vote No, while just 28 per cent would vote Yes.

SNP campaign co-ordinator Stewart Hosie last night claimed the other parties had more to worry about.

He said: "Labour are clearly finished and the Tories want to slash Scotland's budget, counting Labour and Lib Dem votes to concoct a Scottish mandate."