UK NEWS

SNP SUPPORT IS GROWING BY THE DAY, SAYS CONFIDENT STURGEON

Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon

Wednesday July 23,2008

By Kerry Gill

SCOTTISH National Party activists last night insisted they were optimistic about overthrowing Labour in the Glasgow East by-election tomorrow (Thurs).

And the party’s deputy leader Nicola Sturgeon said voters were switching from Labour to the SNP.

“Our support is strong and motivated and it’s growing by the day,” she said.

“We detect in Glasgow East a very strong mood to send a message to Labour - a message that says people are very unhappy with a London Labour Government that is deeply out of touch and is doing absolutely nothing to help individuals with the rising cost of living.”

Ms Sturgeon said: “This is a very close-run election and all of the movement is towards the SNP.”

Asked if her party would win, she said: “We are very optimistic and we certainly intend to win.”

Our support is strong and motivated and it’s growing by the day

SNP deputy leader Nicola Sturgeon

Actress Elaine C Smith joined the campaign trail for the SNP and said she wanted to represent people from her own area.

Ms Smith, who was brought up and lives in the area, teamed up with fellow actor James Cosmo to help SNP candidate John Mason.

But she said she was hoping for the chance to win her own seat.

She said: “I would possibly consider running, to give something back. I would run on an anti poverty agenda.”

She said: “The level of cultural and economic poverty here is massive. What Labour has given is not good enough. I’m from here and my kids grew up here and I’m one of the fortunate ones.

“There isn’t even a university here. It is too little, too late from Labour.”

Mr Cosmo said voters should send a strong message to the London government by sending an SNP MP to Westminster.

He said: “The election of John Mason will send a message from Glasgow East to the UK Government that it’s time for action on the rising cost of living, on energy, fuel and food prices.”

First Minister Alex Salmond said the by-election would be “an earthquake for Labour.”

He said: “They will get the shock of their lives on Thursday. We have the ability to send the most powerful message.”

Labour’s campaign included a visit to a hi-tech employer in Glasgow East with the aim of promoting a positive vision of the area.

Candidate Margaret Curran said: “I will never, ever talk the East End down.

“The people in this community are sick and tired of being talked down - from the Nationalists comparing the area to the Gaza Strip to sneering Tory commentators deliberately ignoring the improvements of recent years.

“Nowhere is this more true than in the case of employment in the area, where local employers are bringing high-skilled jobs to the east end.

“What we need to do is get more people off benefits and into work at places like the one I am visiting today.”

Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie said her party was making sure voters realised they did not have to settle for “the failure of Labour or the risk of the SNP”.

Meanwhile, bookmakers William Hill yesterday shortened the price of a Labour victory in the Glasgow East By-Election from 2/5 to 1/3.