SNP calls for 'alternative vision of future'
Updated on 12 April 2010
The Scottish National Party has kicked started its election campaign promising Scottish voters an alternative to the "decade of despair" offered by a Labour or Conservative government.
Launching the party's election campaign in Edinburgh today, SNP leader Alex Salmond touted an "alternative vision of the future".
He also warned supporters that "cherished" public services, initiated by the SNP, were at risk if a Labour or Tory government was to take control on May 6.
The SNP offers the electorate a "champion for Scotland, he said, with candidates that will fight for the Scottish communities and the country.
The launch came as the Scottish Conservative leader hit out at her rivals for a "dishonest" election campaign.
In a letter to Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy, Annabel Goldie accused the Labour party of "utterly disgraceful distortions of the truth" which targeted the elderly electorate.
Labour leaflets have hit doormats across Scotland claiming that the Tories will cut winter fuel payments, and scrap free bus passes and TV licenses.
The Scottish first minister meanwhile outlined six principles which underlie the party's promises during the election campaign.
He pledged to spell out what he said was the "real and present danger" that Whitehall poses on Scotland's public service, and said the SNP would "champion" an economic policy to recapture lost growth and prosperity.
Salmond repeated his pledge to form a parliamentary alliance with the Welsh nationalists Plaid Cymru to address the key issues for Wales and Scotland in the next Westminster parliament.
Alex Salmond said: "Our nation deserves more, much more than a decade of dismal cuts from Tory and Labour."
Salmond claimed the two big parties of Westminster were fighting a "phoney" election, and attacked the two main parties for harbouring policies that will include economic cuts.
He further criticised Labour and the Conservative party for not outlining in full exactly which public service areas would be directly affected.
He concluded: "Our message is clear, on May 6 don't just vote for another politician, elect another champion with the SNP."
A spokesman for the party said the SNP's manifesto would be announced next week, but the date is yet to be confirmed.
