Salmond aims to silence ‘cheating’ claims as he launches debut Alba manifesto
ALEX Salmond will today launch the first manifesto for his list-only Alba Party, citing a new poll which shows voters don’t believe it is “cheating” the Holyrood system.
The former first minister will also insist his plan for immediate independence negotiations with London after the election is not a distraction from the economic recovery, but integral to it.
He will say: “Independence is not an alternative to recovery. It is essential to real recovery.
“We simply can’t wait several years for a referendum and several more for independence.”
Mr Salmond’s party is aiming to create a “supermajority” of Yes MSPS at Holyrood – a number he has yet to define – in order to heap pressure on Boris Johnson to grant a second independence referendum, or legitimise other, more controversial options if he refuses.
Alba last night released a single finding from a Panelbase poll which asked voters if it was “cheating” for multiple pro-independence parties to stand for Holyrood on the list, or whether it should be up to voters to decide who to vote for.
Three-quarters said it should be up to voters, with a quarter regarding it as cheating.
However the question also said “many other parties in Scotland will contest only seats on the regional list”, something that is not true of any party currently at Holyrood.
Mr Salmond is expected to say: “If Scotland wants to have all the powers required to recover from the coronavirus in the way we choose, we simply can’t wait several years for a referendum and several more for independence.
“That would mean crucial decisions that need to be made right now will be made by Boris Johnson, not the people of Scotland.
“It means that weapons of mass destruction will be renewed on the Clyde instead of that money being spent on infrastructure projects.
“And it means that if we want to mobilise capital to transform Scotland’s recovery we will be stymied by Westminster.
“Only by delivering a supermajority for independence will we be able to hold Boris Johnson’s feet to the fire and progress our independence with the urgency that is required.
“A supermajority will lead to a super recovery.”
Under the Holyrood list system, Alba would need around six per cent of the vote to get MSPS elected.
Meanwhile former SNP MP Tasmina Ahmed-sheikh, now the top-ranked candidate for Alba in Central Scotland, has accused the Scottish Greens of “actively working against” the independence cause by standing in a dozen constituencies.
She said the Greens could help Unionists win by taking votes from the SNP, as in Edinburgh Central in 2016, when the Greens got 4,644 votes and then Tory leader Ruth Davidson beat the SNP by 610.
The Greens said: “Alba might want to get a record of delivery and some policies before claiming to understand the voting public.”