Salmond bullish about prospects for exercising ‘huge influence’
FORMER first minister Alex Salmond said a coalition of pro and anti-independence voters will back him in the General Election as he dismissed suggestions that tactical voting could put an end to his plans to return to Westminster.
The former SNP leader is contesting the Gordon constituency in Aberdeenshire in next month’s ballot, hoping he can win the seat f rom the Liberal Democrats.
With his party tipped to win dozens of seats across Scotland, Mr Salmond said voters in the area were excited by the prospect that Scotland could have a “huge influence in the next parliament” if no party wins an outright majority.
With this year’s campaign being so tightly-fought, he said: “There’s a great deal of excitement about it and that’s all to the good, that’s just how it should be.”
The former first minister said: “We’re looking for a coalition of people to vote SNP, people who voted Yes in the referendum, certainly, but there’s also people who voted No on the basis Scotland was promised more powers – these people are very anxious that Scotland gets these powers.
“People are very excited in Gordon about the possibility that Scotland, if the people of Scotland so wish, will have huge influence in the next parliament.”
He claimed “many millions of people” in both Scotland and the rest of the UK backed the move away from austerity that the SNP is proposing, with plans to increase public spending by at least £140 billion over the course of the next parliament.
“Many, many people are looking for an alternative to Tory/Liberal economics, not a substitute for it,” Mr Salmond said.
He also dismissed suggestions that Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat supporters could join together and vote tactically against him.
He said: “People vote in the north-east of Scotland for parties on a positive programme of what they can do for their constituency and for the country, what they can do for Scotland.
“This negative stuff is not going to cut any ice in the north-east.”
The Liberal Democrats won the Gordon constituency in 2010 with party elder Sir Malcolm Bruce; he has been replaced in this year’s contest by candidate Christine Jardine.