They are just three of the many who have decided to leave NewLabour and join with the SNP in seeking to build a better Scotland,where prosperity and social justice go hand in hand. Three peoplewho come from different political backgrounds, but now share acommon passion and enthusiasm for a free and independent Scotland- where everyone will be equal Scottish citizens, instead of unequalUK subjects.

The decision to leave a party to which you have given many yearsof commitment cannot be easy for anyone. But I am sure that therewould have been more than a few private nods of agreement amongLabour supporters when Mr Bhatti said "The events of the pasttwo years have led me to the conclusion that New Labour offersnothing for the people of Scotland". He also said that he could"no longer support a party whose leaders are prepared to sacrificethe interests and the aspirations of the Scottish people in favourof an unprincipled pursuit of votes in Middle England".

Last summer, Tony Blair, without discussion with Labour membersin Scotland turned his party's devolution policy on its head byannouncing that there would require to be a referendum with twoquestions before Labour would fulfil its promise to deliver aScottish Parliament. Before this U-turn, we had been told thatdevolution was the "settled will" of the Scottish people and thatthe General Election would provide the mandate for Labour to setup a Parliament. What had changed? Had there been a fall in supportfor constitutional change? No. The real reason for the devolution U-turn had nothing at all to do with Scotland and everythingto do with Tony Blair's fear that the Tories' tartan tax campaignwas costing him votes in Middle England. A perfect example ofhow easily New Labour will sacrifice Scottish interests in orderto win votes down south.

And then , a few short weeks ago, came yet another betrayal. Theshadow Chancellor Gordon Brown announced that a new Labour governmentwould stick to Tory spending policies for the next two years.In particular, Labour will provide no more money for ScottishCouncils forced into crisis by the Tories. No more money to reversethe cuts in education, housing, library services, home help provision,or any other local service. And all of this in a country which- by the Tories own admission - has subsidised the rest of theUK by £27 thousand million since 1979.

Readers could be forgiven for wondering if there is any differencebetween the Tories and New Labour. The answer is, not really.We all know that the Tories are anti-Scottish. But Scotland cannottrust New Labour to be any different.

Scotland needs change. The SNP's fully-costed Programme for Governmentdetails how that change can be brought about. By using Scotland'swealth for the good of all our people, we can create jobs, improvehousing, increase pensions, and create opportunities for our young.

people. More and more people in Scotland agree that the SNP isBest for Scotland and that, in the words of Adil Bhatti, "a betterScotland is something worth campaigning for".

Nicola Sturgeon
prospective parliamentary candidate for Glasgow Govan
Vice-Convener for Youth Affairs

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.