Conservatives a “busted flush,” says Kennedy
Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy told Scottish members on Saturday his party would pose a “credible threat” to Labour at the next general election.
Speaking at the Scottish Lib Dems autumn party conference in Glasgow, an upbeat Mr Kennedy said the Conservatives were a “busted flush” and urged delegates to scoop up floating pro-nationalist votes.
“They are reduced in the minds of voters, when given the opportunity, to near-irrelevance and they have been comprehensively rejected every time the voters are asked to return a new MP,” said Mr Kennedy.
“That’s Michael Howard’s Conservative Party for you – it is a busted flush, and it’s a busted flush because the Liberal Democrats are seen to be the effective opponents and challengers to Labour at Westminster.”
But the MP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West warned delegates to remain vigilant as the Conservatives could not be ignored “completely”.
Turning his attack on the Scottish National Party, he accused them of equivocation on whether to embrace devolution in a Scottish Parliament or seek independence from Westminster.
“Do they want devolution to work, do they want to contribute to that process in a responsible, constructive way, so that Scotland steps out that bit taller, sharper and better?
“Or do they want this parliament, once described by their recycled leader as a pigmy parliament, to fail so that people lurch in a more extreme direction?” Mr Kennedy stated.
Separately, Scottish Lib Dem leader Jim Wallace announced yesterday that Iain Smith MSP would head the Scottish party’s campaign at the next general election.
Speaking on the eve of the conference, Mr Wallace said: “With ten Westminster seats, the Liberal Democrats are currently the second largest Scottish party at Westminster.
“Despite the reduction in Scottish seats from 72 to 59, I am confident that the Scottish Liberal Democrats can win more seats from the Highlands to the Borders in next year’s general election”.
