BALANCED PARLIAMENT NOW MORE LIKELY THAN EVER

BALANCED PARLIAMENT NOW MORE LIKELY THAN EVER

"ICEBERG ELECTION" CAN BE TIPPED IN WALES AND SCOTLAND'S FAVOUR

The TV leaders’ debates have made the likelihood of a balanced parliament
stronger than ever, giving Scotland and Wales the chance to exert more
influence at Westminster than for many years, SNP leader and First
Minister Alex Salmond said today.

At a joint press conference in London with Plaid Cymru leader Ieuan Wyn
Jones, Mr Salmond said the election was a chance for the people of both
nations to help protect themselves from the massive cuts agenda of the
London parties.

Mr Salmond said:

"When we launched our joint platform at the start of this campaign, we
said a balanced parliament was a possibility.

"That possibility then became a probability. And now, if many of the
opinion polls are accurate, it has become all but a certainty.

Ieuan Wyn Jones said:

“If the TV leaders’ debates have confirmed anything, it is that there is
no great appetite from the electorate for any of the London parties to be
given a free hand to do as they please at Westminster.

"In such a climate, the voices of the SNP ands Plaid carry more weight
than ever in a UK context as we head into the last few days of the
campaign."

Alex Salmond said:

"And this could be the most significant Westminster election in a
generation or more for our parties. In a balanced House of Commons, every
single vote will count, and that means we will do everything we can to
exert our influence by protecting Wales and Scotland from the savage cuts
agenda of the London parties.

“The SNP will not enter a coalition with any of the London parties. We
will vote on each matter on an issue by issue basis in the best interests
of Scotland.

"This campaign is the Iceberg Election because of the conspiracy of
silence between Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems on the massive hidden
cuts lurking beneath the surface."

Ieuan Wyn Jones said:

"They talk only about the small tip of that iceberg - the cuts they are
prepared to argue amongst themselves on. While all of them agree about
the huge cuts they would all implement, but are not prepared to talk
about.

"The SNP and Plaid Cymru have been proved 100% right on the cuts issue. We
have been warning of the scale of the cutbacks the London parties are
planning, and the Institute of Fiscal Studies has now backed up our
warning with its devastating critique of Labour, the Tories and the Lib
Dems.

“We say cut the things that don’t matter – like the proposed £100 billion
on new trident nuclear missiles – and protect the things that do matter,
like schools and hospitals.

Alex Salmond said:

"The SNP and Plaid Cymru are the only parties which are being honest with
the electorate in this election.

"And just as we have been vindicated on the cuts issue, we are
increasingly confident we will also be proved right in our prediction of a
balanced parliament.

"That balanced parliament is the best outcome for Scotland and Wales,
because it is the outcome that will protect our nations from those savage
cutbacks. If people in Scotland want to see a balanced parliament they
should vote for SNP local and national champions, and tip the Iceberg
Election decisively in our nation's favour."



The ‘4 Wales, 4 Scotland’ agreement is a four point pledge to secure a
fair deal for Wales and for Scotland.

We are pledging a strong bloc of Plaid and SNP MPs

- To Fight for fair funding for Wales and Scotland

- Protect local services and the most vulnerable from the cuts agendas of
the London parties

- Press for action to help the green economy

- And work to support business growth across Scotland and Wales

These are the 4 priorities which represent the values and the interests of
the people of our nations in this election.