THE SNP have warned that Tory politicians cannot seek to deny the people of Scotland basic democracy, and said that the people of Scotland “must have the right to choose” their future in a post-pandemic referendum.
Commenting ahead of the Tory manifesto launch, SNP depute leader Keith Brown said that the Tories’ opposition to giving the people of Scotland a choice over their future “betrays the weakness of their position”.
Brown said: “The Tory strategy for trying to block a referendum on independence is utterly undemocratic.
“It’s clear that Douglas Ross and his party have no route through the pandemic, no vision for recovery, no ambition, no intention of setting out a detailed plan on how they would run Scotland and offer no leadership.
“That is irresponsible and disrespectful to voters, who deserve better from the Tories than a long list of things they are against and virtually nothing about what they are for.
“That lack of clarity betrays the weakness of their position, and their panicked obsession with the SNP shows they are running scared of the verdict of the people of Scotland in this election.
“They know that their behaviour is anti-democratic and that it will not hold.
“People in Scotland must have a right to choose their own future, and no single party or politician has the right to dictate what that future should be.
“If there is a mandate for a referendum at this election then Boris Johnson has no democratic or moral authority to try and block it.
“This election will shape Scotland’s future for years to come – and every single vote will count. The decisive way to ensure there is a re-elected SNP Government, led by Nicola Sturgeon, which is in a position to deliver a referendum is to give both votes to the SNP on May 6.”
Meanwhile, Scottish Tory leader Ross (above) is to pledge a £600 million fund to help clear the NHS treatment backlog as the party launches its manifesto today.
The Tories are promising a one-off boost of £600m, managed by an independent task force rather than government, to deal with the backlog exacerbated by the pandemic.
They say this is on top of the extra £2 billion they have already pledged for the NHS over the course of the next parliament.
The Tories say the task force should be led by clinicians and focus on making sure those with the greatest need are treated first.
Ross is due to launch the manifesto in Glasgow today, setting out plans for 15 bills during the next session of the Scottish Parliament.
Speaking ahead of the launch, he said: “Unlike the SNP, we are not setting out a fantasy wish list. Their manifesto could easily cost in excess of £100bn in a single year.
“The Scottish Conservatives fully-costed manifesto will focus on what matters most – rebuilding our economy and our NHS after the Covid pandemic.
“Treatment times were already too long under the SNP and Covid has turned a problem into a crisis.”
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He continued: “It may require difficult choices and sacrifices in some other portfolios but we will be advocating for £600m of targeted support to tackle the treatment logjam.
“This one-off cash injection, over and above our plans to increase the health budget by at least £2bn, would give a task force of clinicians the resources they need to get treatment times under control.
“While the SNP spend the next 12 months focussing on how to get another independence referendum, the Scottish Conservatives would fixate on substantially reducing treatment wait times by the end of next year.”
The Scottish Tories have also said “neglected” rural communities must not be left behind during the coronavirus recovery.
Ross has pledged £550m of community investment deals worth up to £25m each in the party’s rural manifesto.
And the Tories additionally said they will end uncertainty for farmers by consulting on a blueprint to replace the Common Agricultural Policy within 100 days of the election.
They also want to review sentencing and penalties for rural crime.
Ross added: “Scotland’s rural communities have been neglected by the SNP for too long.”
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