THE Liberal Democrats have pledged to block indyref2 if they win next month’s general election.
In the party’s manifesto, published yesterday, they explicitly promised to “oppose a second independence referendum and oppose independence”.
The SNP described the vow as “undemocratic” and “unsustainable”.
Launching the manifesto Jo Swinson said stopping Brexit would be at the heart of her offer to voters, and she said revoking Article 50 would bring with a £50bn Remain bonus.
There were also promises to add a penny on income tax for the NHS, generate 80% of electricity from renewables, a new tax on frequent flyers and the introduction of a legal, regulated market for cannabis.
READ MORE: Our ‘voices of Remain’ are the SNP and Greens, not the LibDems
The party also said they would deliver a higher minimum wage for people working on zero-hours contracts, and resettle 10,000 refugees a year.
Other Scottish promises included a vow to introduce a “written, federal constitution” and “practical steps to ensure that Scotland and Wales both have strong voices in the future of the family of nations.”
They also said they would “build on the recommendations of the Smith Commission by extending the accountability of UK-wide bodies such as the BBC and Ofgem to the Scottish Parliament.”
Swinson said the manifesto shows it isn’t a “one-trick” anti-Brexit party.
She told the PA: “We have got ambitious plans for free childcare.
“We have ambitious plans to tackle the mental health crisis.
“We have bold plans to deal with the climate emergency.
“And significant investment in schools to give children the best start in life.
“All of those things, absolutely, become much easier to do if we stop Brexit and have the benefits of remaining in the European Union.
“There is a whole Liberal Democrat agenda which is a plan for a brighter future for our country.”
Swinson insisted that she and the party would do better than the opinion polls predicted.
While the LibDem vote share has surged since the European Parliament elections in May, the candidate for East Dunbartonshire is struggling to connect with voters.
According to YouGov data released yesterday, her “detractors” have grown in number far faster than her “fans”.
READ MORE: General Election analysis: The SNP can retake Edinburgh West
A poll from July 23rd and 24th – just a day after Swinson became leader – found that 21% of people had a favourable opinion of her, and 29% an unfavourable one. A significant number of people were unaware of her or had no opinion.
While the number of voters aware of her has risen, last week the unfavourable figure had also risen by 19 points to 48%, while the favourable figure was at just 24%.
Swinson told PA: “There has obviously been a bit of a squeeze, but at this point in the 2017 election the polls weren’t a very good indicator to what actually happened in the final outcome.”
The SNP’s candidate for Aberdeen North Kirsty Blackman said the LibDems would struggle to escape their coalition legacy.
She said: “With Jo Swinson pledging to deny the people of Scotland a choice over their future in their manifesto - as well as failing to rule out going back into coalition with the Tories - it’s clear that old habits die hard with the LibDems who are happy to jump back into bed and follow with the Tories.”
She added: “Just like the Tories, the LibDems’ position on a second independence referendum is undemocratic, unsustainable and will crumble under scrutiny.
“The reality is that people in Scotland won’t be fooled by the LibDems who have sold out on their principles before and they’ll do it again – previously inflicting a decade of devastating austerity, trebling university tuition fees for students in England, scrapping the Education Maintenance Allowance, and introducing the Bedroom Tax.”
The legacy of the coalition is still damaging the party today.
In 2017 the LibDems won just 12 MPs, but increased that number to 21 by the end of the last parliament.
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 hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel