An opinion poll last week in 'The Herald' newspaper showed that the Scottish National Partyare winning the argument over Scotland's future against Michael Forsyth and his band ofanti-Scottish Tories. Since the Scottish Secretary of State decided to concentrate hisattention on the SNP, we have won the first round of the pre-election battle, and intend togo on winning for Scotland right through to the General Election. But the Tories'anti-Scottishness is their fundamental weakness north of the Border, and we will beemphasising this as part of our overall 'SNP - Best for Scotland' campaign in the weeksleading up to the General Election.

The Tories are going down in Scotland, because their anti-Scottish policies are bitterlyresented by the people. At the same time as local government services are being decimated byTory cuts, the British Treasury has been forced to admit that Scotland has generated a£27,000 million budget surplus since 1979.

Scotland has bankrolled the Tories, but they have pursued a whole raft of anti-Scottishpolicies throughout their period in office. The imposition of the Poll Tax, VAT on fuel, theclosure of the Rosyth naval base, water quangoisation, the refusal to pursue a Scottishpolicy over BSE, cuts in local authority services, and the theft of £120,000 million ofScottish North Sea revenues since 1979 are just some of the Tories' anti-Scottish policies,for which they will be held to account come the General Election.

Since becoming Scottish Secretary, Michael Forsyth has intensified the Tories' anti-Scottishrecord - abusing his position in order to fight an hysterical Tory campaign on theconstitution, while destroying the nation's social and economic fabric. In Forsyth, we haveJohn Major's man in Scotland instead of Scotland's man in the cabinet, a man who isincapable of understanding where party politics ends, and where working for the good ofScotland starts. While Michael Forsyth fiddles, Scottish local authority jobs and servicesare burning. And of course in New Labour's hands, Scotland would fare no better.

New Labour are incapable of squaring up to the Tories' anti-Scottish record, because theyhave aped the Tories in so many areas of policy. A Labour Government would follow exactlythe same spending plans as the Tories have set - and therefore impose exactly the same cutsin education and other areas of local government. Labour are unable to defend Scottishservices against Tory attacks because in power they would do exactly the same. And as theLondon-imposed policy switch on the referendum shows, Tony Blair's New Labour can't betrusted either. They are increasingly guilty of the same anti-Scottish attitude which hasinflicted so much damage on the Tory Party north of the Border over the past eighteen years.

Unlike the Unionist parties, only the SNP can be trusted to put Scotland first, which is whythe SNP and Independence are 'Best for Scotland'.

Alex Salmond MP
Leader
Scottish National Party

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Alex Salmond is the Member ofParliament for Banff & Buchan and is leader of the SNP. An economist aged 42 , he is widely regarded as one of the most effective Scottish politicans of his generation.

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If you would like to know more about the SNP and HELP SCOTLAND contact snp.hq@snp.org.uk or visit the official the Scottish National Party web site.

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