GOLDIE BRUSHES OFF SCOTLAND IN KEYNOTE ADDRESS – PRE-ELECTION GAFFE

GOLDIE BRUSHES OFF SCOTLAND IN KEYNOTE ADDRESS – PRE-ELECTION GAFFE

ONLY SNP WILL CHAMPION SCOTLAND’S INTERESTS

SNP Westminster Leader Angus Robertson MP has seized on comments by
Scottish Conservative Leader Annabel Goldie, who tonight (Wednesday)
dismissed the importance of Scotland in the General Election, and said
that the phoney war between the Conservatives and Labour was all that
mattered.

In her speech, Ms Goldie said:

“And that is why the 2010 British General Election is a two horse race
between the Conservatives and Labour. It is about who can win and bring
about change – who can get most seats from all over the UK - not about who
can come third or who can loom largest in Scotland. This is a British
General Election and simple arithmetic shows that only David Cameron’s
Conservatives can replace Labour in Government.”

Commenting, Mr Robertson said:

“For Annabel Goldie to say that the way Scotland votes in a general
election doesn’t matter shows the Tories cloaked in their old
anti-Scottish colours.

“Whoever forms the next Government – Labour or Tory – plan to slash the
Scottish budget. Scotland needs champions who will speak up for Scottish
services. The General Election has never mattered more north of the
Border – and SNP champions have never mattered more to Scotland.

“Ms Goldie’s speech is a return to the Tories’ North British roots – which
were out-of-time decades ago – and will be enormously damaging to them in
the election campaign in Scotland. This is a pre-election blunder –
another gaffe by Annabel – which also concedes that they are set to remain
on the fringes of Scottish politics.

"The reality is that the General Election in Scotland will be a two-horse
race between the SNP and Labour - and the most recent Scottish poll for
Westminster put the SNP ahead, at 34 per cent, compared to 32 per cent for
Labour, 15 per cent for the Tories, and 12 per cent for the Lib Dems.

"And an analysis of all elections held throughout 2009 - totalling nearly
1 million votes from the European Parliament, and Westminster and local
by-elections - showed that the SNP secured the most votes of any party in
Scotland, achieving a 10 per cent swing from Labour on a 4-way party
split.

"The real fight in 2010 is not the phoney war between Labour and Tory -
the tweedledum and tweedledee of politics. The real fight is for
Scotland, and only the SNP will champion Scotland’s interests at
Westminster.”