ALEX Salmond has insisted the Alba Party are not running in the General Election to split the independence vote and instead want to “mobilise” independence supporters who have moved away from the SNP.
Launching the party’s manifesto in the Yes city of Dundee on Wednesday, the former first minister cited polling figures which he said suggest a “huge gap” of around 20% between those who support Scottish independence and those who back the SNP.
Salmond said Alba have fielded 19 candidates to ensure that section of the population do not end up voting for the Labour Party or stay at home out of “disillusionment”.
However, throughout the manifesto, Alba repeatedly state their main focus is on the 2026 Holyrood election and that they are using the General Election to simply “signpost” the way forward for independence.
At one stage during his launch speech, Salmond said the party's "final document" would be released in two years' time, insisting at that stage that Alba would "sweep the country".
Asked by The National why Alba were then bothering to stand in the General Election, Salmond said: “Well we care about it [the General Election] a great deal and that’s why we’ve analysed it.
“As you know we offered the SNP an electoral pact by which one independence supporting candidate would stand in each constituency and they turned it down time after time.
“Now as we saw the SNP vote slipping and the independence vote stable, or some would argue even rising, so independence is at 50% whereas SNP is at 30%, it was quite clear there is a huge gap that’s opened up between independence supporters and the SNP and therefore we decided we would drive into that gap because what’s going to happen to these people without Alba?
“They’re either going to stay at home, disillusioned by the lack of progress to independence, or they are going to vote for the Labour Party which would be worse than that.
“So we’re standing explicitly to mobilise that section of the population, people who are dissatisfied with the lack of progress to independence and want a radical alternative.”
🗣️ 'We're standing explicitly to mobilise people who are dissatisfied with the lack of progress to independence' We spoke with Alba leader Alex Salmond as he launched his party's manifesto in Dundee today pic.twitter.com/wrbMVV30cj
— The National (@ScotNational) June 26, 2024
Alba’s 38-page manifesto sets out how the party believes every national election should be treated as a test of the desire for independence, with a majority resulting in negotiations for the country to separate from the rest of the UK.
In contrast, the SNP have said a majority of seats for their party should result in talks to deliver a second referendum on the issue, but Labour leader Keir Starmer – who looks likely to become prime minister - has said he will not engage in such negotiations.
Salmond has insisted the SNP have “lost heart” when it comes to independence and were engaging in “mad behaviour” by “doing the same thing time and time again and expecting a different outcome”.
Salmond added in his speech at Caird Hall: “We didn’t intervene in this election to split the independence vote. We intervened in this election to mobilise independence support, to give people encouragement and hope that there is a party that intends to deliver Scottish independence."
His message at the start of the manifesto adds: “Scotland stands at a pivotal moment in its history.
“For too long Westminster governments have been allowed to veto the expressed democratic wishes of Scots.
“Eight separate national elections have come and gone since the referendum of 2014, including two mandates at Holyrood and three Westminster elections, all with an independence majority.
“But little or no action has been taken to move the dial on independence. We have the opportunity at this election to make our votes count for independence.”
The manifesto also outlined a pledge to save the Grangemouth oil refinery from closure as well as proposals to increase staffing in the NHS, protect women’s rights and provide an annual £500 payment to households receiving the council tax reduction at a cost of £250 million as well as increasing the Scottish Child Payment – controlled by the Scottish Government – to £40 per week.
