Labour and the Tories are full of talk – it’s the SNP who will stand up for rural Scotland
Whether it’s Dumfries or Dingwall, Cromarty or Castle Douglas, the story is the same. Westminster parties come and go, but voters always get sold the same old deal.
Scotland’s rural communities have been let down countless times by Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Tories. As a Highland MSP, I’ve seen first hand what this abysmal record has done for my constituents, and rural communities the length and breadth of Scotland.
This Tory government and its merry-go-round of prime ministers have enforced a needlessly hard Brexit on an unwilling Scotland, driving up prices for hardworking families and unleashing a myriad of challenges on our nation’s businesses. And Labour offers no alternative, despite the promise of change. Any policy remotely resembling change was dumped as soon as Keir Starmer felt he could turn his back on the Labour members who had voted him leader.
Gorgeous day to join SNP members and @MareeToddMSP as we work night and day to elect @liusaidhbeattie as the next MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross! pic.twitter.com/F03xcmj0n4
— Kate Forbes MSP (@_KateForbes) May 25, 2024
Rural Scotland has been hung out to dry by an uncaring crowd of Westminster politicians. Tory policies in the North East have created an uncertain future for Scotland’s cherished industries, and communities from Aberdeenshire to Angus can expect nothing but five years of absence from a Conservative MP uninterested in standing up for them. Farmers and crofters face an uncertain future thanks to food exports being constrained – the result of a bitter and divisive Brexit that Labour, the Tories and the Liberal Democrats all happily support.
And in the south of Scotland, where the Conservatives have taken voters for granted since time immemorial, the legacy of this reckless Brexit also casts a long shadow. Tourism is facing an uphill battle and the small businesses that are the backbone of rural communities feel left behind by Westminster – a bubble that is a world away from the daily realities these towns and villages face.
From millions of pounds in clean energy investment for the Highlands to backing measures to guarantee a vibrant future for tourism in Dumfriesshire and the Borders, the SNP Scottish Government is a champion for the rural communities Westminster has only ever ignored. We have a track record of delivery that we’re proud to stand on, and SNP MPs will take that determination to deliver all the way down to Westminster.
Lovely day for @KateForbes to visit Birchwood Croft and highlight how only @theSNP can be trusted to put rural Scotland first.
From Brexit to the cost of living crisis – Scotland’s rural communities have been failed by Westminster.
Vote SNP to put Scotland’s priorities first. pic.twitter.com/zHXNJ88oU5
— Sarah Masson (@_sarahmasson) May 24, 2024
The Conservatives have only six seats left in Scotland. Each one is a rural constituency where voters have been failed by a government that is out of ideas and out of time. The SNP is the main challenger in every single one – we’re within a whisker of ousting the Tories in every corner of Scotland.
But we need to unite to ensure we can defeat this rotten Tory government. To win for Scotland and guarantee a strong team of SNP MPs who will put Scotland’s interests first – whether it’s fighting for urban areas like Glasgow or countryside communities like my native Dingwall.
📢 Westminster has inflicted austerity, Brexit and a cost of living crisis on Scotland.
📈 These decisions have pushed up household costs, trashed the economy and cut vital public services.
🏴 Vote SNP to protect our NHS, tackle the cost-of-living crisis and escape Brexit. pic.twitter.com/JdzUyGAeR8
— The SNP (@theSNP) May 27, 2024
SNP MPs make sure Scotland’s voice is heard. We punch above our weight; speaking up for WASPI women, putting a spotlight on the Horizon scandal, fighting to ban unpaid trial shifts, condemning the rape clause, the two child cap and the bedroom tax. We’ve been indefatigable in our scrutiny of a reckless hard Brexit and we’ve led the calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.
My SNP MP colleagues know how to fight for Scotland’s interests. Neither the Tories or Labour are interested in making Scotland a priority. Labour have even parachuted in candidates from Canterbury and London. They’ll use a victory for them to kill independence stone dead and silence Scotland’s voice.
The Westminster parties will do whatever they can to silence Scotland’s voice because they don’t care about Scotland – especially our precious rural communities.
On July 4, the choice in Scotland is clear. Vote SNP for an MP who will be a champion for you, your family, your community and for Scotland. Make your voice heard.