PLEASE NOTE "THE ANDREW MARR SHOW" MUST BE CREDITED IF ANY PART OF THIS TRANSCRIPT IS USED On Sunday 24th April Andrew Marr interviewed SNP group leader at Westminster, Angus Robertson MP ANDREW MARR: First, in both Scotland and Wales devolution's given the Nationalist Parties the taste of power. They've been in government alone in Holyrood and in coalition with Labour in Cardiff, but both the SNP and Plaid Cymru still send MPs to Westminster and the SNP group leader there, Angus Robertson, joins me now, lucky man, from Morayshire in Scotland. Welcome Mr Robertson. Your party, if the polls are right, seems to be doing pretty well at the moment in the Scottish election campaign, but there's a curious paradox that people seem to be perfectly content with Holyrood but no longer want to go any further. And I wonder if the SNP isn't really a Nationalist Party any longer? ANGUS ROBERTSON: Well first off a very Happy Easter, Andrew … ANDREW MARR: Thank you. ANGUS ROBERTSON: … and welcome from sunny Speyside. You're right, the polls are showing that the SNP is performing very well. I don't know if in your newspaper review in a moment, you'll be reviewing any Scottish newspapers. But if you were, if you were to turn to one of the nation's leading newspapers, you'd see that the SNP is polling currently at 45%. In a Labour supporting newspaper today, the SNP is polling at 46%. And the percentages that want the re-election of the Scottish government stand at 52% and the re-election of Alex Salmond as First Minister at 56%. So the SNP is in a very …. (interference/inaudible) We're winning lots of new voters, particularly from the Liberal Democrats, but also Labour supporters and from other parties, and it is in part because we want Scotland to have the powers to make the best decisions to grow our economy and to create jobs. And I think when people look across the piece at our team, at our record and our vision, they're saying the SNP is the best party to govern Scotland. ANDREW MARR: Right, well I certainly don't need to review the paper now that you've done it for me. But let me ask about some of these extra powers, for instance, because the Scotland bill will give the Scottish parliament the power to borrow more money, the power to raise income tax. And given the extreme difficulty of the financial situation, are those powers that you actually want to use? ANGUS ROBERTSON: Well you're right, there is a Scotland bill still going through Westminster. And that is one of the very important issues in this devolved Scottish election because the stronger the SNP vote is, the stronger our hand will be in making that better legislation because, frankly, it's pretty anaemic. For example the bill doesn't … ANDREW MARR: (over) Sorry, you're not answering the question. ANGUS ROBERTSON: … contain powers. The bill does not contain powers over corporation tax, which is being considered for Northern Ireland. We want to create jobs in Scotland, we want to grow the economy, and that's why leading business people like Jim McColl, one of Scotland's most respected business leaders, has said that it is the SNP agenda of more powers to help our economy improve that is the best option for people in this election. And that's why, one of the many reasons why the SNP is doing so well. ANDREW MARR: (over) Okay, well let's try again with the question, shall we? Would you want to raise borrowing, as this bill allows you to do, and raise income tax, as this bill allows you to do, in order to fund the extra spending that you want for Scotland? ANGUS ROBERTSON: Well I think borrowing powers are something that all normal nations have, and that is something we certainly should have within our armoury. I'm actually more interested in corporation tax powers, so we could reduce them and give business a competitive advantage. This part of the world is a really good example, with strong performing industries - whether whiskey or whether the food and drink sector as a whole - and I think if they had a lower corporation tax rate and were able to do that across the country, that would be an economic boost. That's what most economic commentators in Scotland, that's what business figures in Scotland are saying is what we need, and that is why the SNP, one of the reasons why the SNP is doing so well. ANDREW MARR: Looking at the opinion polls, do you think that in the next parliament at Holyrood, you will be able to implement legislation for a full-scale independence referendum? ANGUS ROBERTSON: Well our manifesto has pledged to give the people the choice, and that is very popular. The majority of people in Scotland want to be able to decide over the nation's future. But the only way we're going to do that is by maximising … ANDREW MARR: (over) You couldn't get it through last time, could you? ANGUS ROBERTSON: Well we couldn't because the other parties, believe it or not … ANDREW MARR: (over) A Unionist. ANGUS ROBERTSON: … for some strange reason didn't want the people of Scotland to be able to decide on their future. But what's going to be important on 5th May is - and we have PR in Scotland and we have two votes in Scotland - is that people use both of their votes: the list vote to help elect Alex Salmond as First Minister, and their constituency vote to maximise the number of SNP MSPs. And if we do that, it will allow us to grow Scotland's powers and give the people a choice on a referendum. That's a very, very popular proposition. ANDREW MARR: Alright, Mr Robertson, for now thank you very much indeed for joining us from Morayshire. INTERVIEW ENDS
|  |
|
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
Bookmark with:
What are these?