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| The parties - April 21 Conservatives
Annabel Goldie, Scottish Conservative leader, said that in addition to abolishing business rates for most small businesses in Scotland, Tories would establish a Town Centre Regeneration Fund, worth £20m every year, to provide
a timely boost not only to struggling Scottish towns, but the nation's prosperity.
Libdems
Nicol Stephen said they would invest in 100 new local health centres and introduce a new Total Waiting Time Guarantee. This will mean new local health facilities with more facilities, staffed by 2000 more nurses.
SNP
The Nationalists commandeered Oloroso, the rooftop restaurant in Edinburgh, to set out how they would seek to raise Scotland's growth rate, at first to UK levels and then to those of other successful countries, and make a better job of running the country. Alex Salmond revealed one of Labour's biggest backers in recent years was endorsing him for First Minister.
Labour
Jack McConnell published a mini-manifesto on skills policy, setting out how to get people of all ages involved in lifelong learning and in command of globally useful skills, particularly those youngsters who slip through the net of employment or training. Tony Blair urged voters not to treat May 3 as a by-election, wrongly accused former Royal Bank chief Sir George Mathewson of having once been an SNP candidate, and accused business supporters of the SNP of being bizarre and ridiculous.
Others
The Scottish Socialist Party paraded a giant rail ticket at Haymarket station in Edinburgh to symbolise their plans for free public transport, which leader Colin Fox described as the most radical proposal of the election campaign.
The Greens argued for speeded-up procedures to approve alternative energy projects.
12:27am Saturday 21st April 2007  Print  Email this
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