UK faces ‘seismic moment’ as nationalists target election wins, says John Swinney | Scotland
John Swinney said England was facing “an absolutely shocking moment”; There is a possibility that first ministers will be elected in May in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which are all committed to the dissolution of the Union.
Speaking at the Scottish National Party’s campaign conference ahead of the Scottish parliament election, the first minister told delegates: “There could be no clearer sign to people watching around the world that Westminster’s time is up.”
With nationalist parties likely to win in the Welsh Senedd and the Northern Ireland assembly as well as Holyrood, and with support consistently around 50% in Scottish independence polls, Swinney said Scotland could “lead this big wave of change”.
Ahead of the SNP campaign, in which Swinney vowed to put independence front and centre, although this strategy could backfire in the 2024 general election, he said: “We are closer to independence than ever before. Support for our cause has never been at higher levels.”
Praising the “sense of community” shown by Glaswegians following the devastating fire that destroyed a historic building in the city center last Sunday, Swinney told the conference: “We will stand with our greatest city in its time of need.”
His council announced a £10m recovery fund to support businesses and institutions and said the Scottish government would also cover the £1m cost of cleaning up the fire-damaged area, adding that the money “should not come from the public services that Glaswegians rely on”.
Framing a series of voter proposals as “the building blocks of an independent country,” Swinney promised that if re-elected, his government would offer subsidized child care based on family income for every child from nine months to the end of primary school, and would be provided 52 weeks a year.
The SNP leader also said he would create a £100 million First Homes Fund, which would provide up to £10,000 in deposit support for first-time homebuyers, to get young people out of the “rent trap” in Scotland and help “a generation let down by Westminster”.
Opposing Westminster parties who have criticized his government for speaking openly about world events, Swinney told viewers: “We will not remain silent while the world burns,” before calling on the US and Israel to end their war against Iran.
“The Iranian regime terrorized its own people. Now those same civilians are dying at the hands of American and Israeli bombs. So let me be clear: the illegitimate actions of the United States and Israel have no basis in international law. They must stop.”
