‘SCOTTISH SECRETARY LEADING CAMPAIGN OF SUBTERFUGE AND SPIN’.

‘SCOTTISH SECRETARY LEADING CAMPAIGN OF SUBTERFUGE AND SPIN’.



SNP ONLY PARTY TO OFFER SCOTLAND A STRONG VOICE IN EUROPE

SNP MSP and European Campaign Convener Joe FitzPatrick said has hit out at
the Scottish Labour Party's European election promises and said their
campaign leaflet which show activists posing as “concerned ordinary
families” is yet more evidence of a party out of touch with the concerns
of ordinary people.

Mr FitzPatrick said:

“Labour should spend less time attacking the SNP and more time protecting
jobs. Their economic credibility is in tatters.

"While London Labour insist on budget cuts which will lead to the loss of
9000 jobs in Scotland, the Scottish Government is accelerating European
funding to secure 8000 jobs and create 75 000 apprenticeships.

"There is only one team which stands up for Scotland's communities in
Europe and that is the Scottish Government working with SNP MEPs.

“This is why the polls in recent days show the people of Scotland are
increasingly putting their trust in the SNP as the party which will speak
up for their communities in Europe.”

Commenting on Labour’s European election leaflet which shows a former
Labour candidate and her family posing as “an ordinary family” supporting
Labour, Mr FitzPatrick said:

"This is the kind of dishonesty we have come to expect from Labour.

"Having a former candidate pose as a concerned householder is truly
deceitful. Voters, already disillusioned with the debacle at Westminster
in recent days, will be deeply disappointed with this charade.

"Labour are clearly so out of touch with the concerns of families in
Scotland, the only people that will speak to them are former candidates!

“Over the next two weeks, while Labour are preoccupied with subterfuge and
spin, the SNP will be working hard to win the trust of the Scottish people
to ensure Scotland has a strong voice in Europe."


1. The Yougov poll commissioned for the Sun can be found here.
Asked voting intentions for the European election the result was:
SNP - 40%
Labour - 21%
LibDem - 14%
Tory - 13%

2. In a previous YouGov Poll for the Sunday Times conducted on the 7-8
May, and with a Scottish sample of 224 European voting intentions were
SNP - 37%,
Labour - 25%
Tory - 23%
LibDem - 8%
Others - 7%

3. A poll conducted for the SNP by Yougov questionning 1020 people on 21
and 22nd April 2009 asked: thinking about the performance of the UK Labour
Government and the Scottish SNP Government over the past year which do you
think cares MOST about the needs and interests of you and your family?

Scottish Government - 44%
UK Government - 22%
Neither - 26%
Don’t know - 7%

4.During Q1 2009, official unemployment in Scotland was 5.9% (157 000)
compared to 7.1% (2 215 000) in the rest of the UK.