NICOLA Sturgeon will today look to Scotland’s future as she unveils her party’s “manifesto for the next generation”, setting out her blueprint for power with a key pledge to increase NHS spending by an extra £500 million over the next five years.
About 1,400 guests, including SNP activists, members and candidates, are expected at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre to hear her set out plans for a “better, fairer Scotland”.
Her party is seeking a historic third term in government and Sturgeon is keen to be elected in her own right as the First Minister on Thursday, May 5, following the resignation of her predecessor Alex Salmond after the independence referendum.
Reflecting on new powers being devolved to Holyrood under the Scotland Bill she will lay out what she will describe as the “most ambitious programme for government” ever put before the public at an election.
“We have achieved a huge amount since taking office in 2007, and Scotland is a better country today as a result. But there is so much more still to achieve, and the SNP will never stand still in seeking to make Scotland an even better nation,” she is expected to say.
“Our manifesto is a document brimming with ideas and policies to move the country forward and use new powers to create a fairer, more equal society – it is the most ambitious programme for government that we have ever published ahead of a Scottish election.”
She will add: “The job of the government and first minister elected on May 5 will be to stand up for Scotland at every turn, make our public services fit for the future, grow our economy and create opportunity for every child regardless of their background.
“The manifesto we are publishing today is bold, ambitious and reforming. It sets out a clear plan for government and a clear path to a better future. It is, above all else, a manifesto for the next generation.”
As revealed by The National’s sister paper the Sunday Herald at the weekend, the SNP manifesto will also address the issue of a second independence referendum.
In words used in the manifesto, Sturgeon wrote her party still believes passionately in independence as the best future for Scotland, but admits it will only happen when the mood of the country supports it, not simply because the SNP are in power. “In the next parliament, we will work hard to persuade a majority of the Scottish people that being an independent country is the best option for our country.
“We will listen to the concerns of people who voted No in 2014 and seek to address them.”
The increase in NHS funding by £500m more than inflation over the next parliament will be announced as part of a package of investment and reform to equip the service for the future.
The policy is being funded by freezing the higher income tax threshold of 40 per cent for annual salaries over £43,000, rather than implementing Westminster plans to raise it to £45,000.
“We had already pledged – and planned – to protect the NHS budget in real terms in every year of the next parliament. However, by making the decision not to give higher-rate taxpayers the tax cut proposed by the Tories, we are able to go further. I am confirming today that over the next parliament, a re-elected SNP government will increase investment in the NHS by £500m more than inflation,” she is due to say.
Polls suggest the SNP will form a majority government, while Labour and the Conservatives have been left fighting over which party will form the main opposition.
There has also been considerable discussion about how well smaller pro-independence parties such as the Greens and the left-wing alliance will do if some SNP voters back them on the list vote – a tactic the SNP leadership, with its “BothVotesSNP” slogan, is firmly against.
In a quip to her opponents, Sturgeon will go on to say: “The decision voters will take in just 14 days is a simple one: Who should form the next government of Scotland and who should be the next first minister.
“That is what this election is about. It is not a phoney battle for second place or a game of chance with the electoral system. It is about choosing a government and a first minister to lead the country forward for the next five years and into a new decade.”
The National view: Make the case for independence to build a fairer Scotland
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here