Scotland is leading the way with progressive policies, says Sturgeon
SCOTLAND IS leading the UK with its “progressive policies”, Nicola Sturgeon insisted, as the SNP marked the “milestone” of 10 years in power at Holyrood.
A decade on from the nationalists first coming to power in Edinburgh, the First Minister claimed the country had “come a long way”.
She hailed it as a “special day” for her party, as she marked the 10th anniversary of her predecessor Alex Salmond becoming first minister on May 16, 2007.
“Over the past 10 years we have worked every day to make Scotland a better country,” she stated.
Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson said the SNP’s 10th anniversary in power marked a “missed opportunity”, as she insisted ministers could have achieved much more “if they hadn’t spent so much time trying to rip Scotland out of the UK”. Ms Sturgeon claimed Labour’s manifesto “directly lifts policies that the SNP is already delivering” including free university tuition, ending hospital parking charges and the abolition of the so-called Bedroom Tax.
Meanwhile, she said the Tories “who for years have mounted ideological attacks on policies as diverse as free prescriptions and council house building have now – albeit belatedly and with little credibility – decided that they are both a good thing”.
The SNP leader said: “Scotland has come a long way over the last 10 years – but the next few years will be hugely important in determining the kind of country we become. In the face of an uncertain world and an increasingly right-wing Tory Government, now more than ever it is vital to have the SNP standing up for Scotland.”