A chance for something different

You have a choice at this election. A choice to back a government in Westminster that will do what’s right for Scotland, for young people, and for you. You can sit back while Labour and the Conservatives fight over whose turn it is this time, continuing the same old red-blue, blue-red politics. Or you can demand something different. You can be part of something better.

That means getting behind a party that’s prepared to do things differently. The old style—of the two establishment parties—doesn’t work. Look at what it has done to the economy. Labour and the Conservatives, both dazzled by the bright lights of London, allowed our big banks to grow ever more reckless, and in the end, they gambled us into an economic crisis we’ll be cleaning up for years. Around 50,000 young people in Scotland are now looking for work. That’s a quarter of the total number of people who are unemployed.

The SNP can’t fix that because they don’t have any influence in Westminster, and it’s still Westminster where the economy is managed and taxes are set. They’re not even doing their job in Holyrood properly: more people are applying to university, but under this SNP Government—who broke their promise to dump student debt—many students are still struggling to get by.

Don’t put up with it. You have a right to expect a government in Westminster that will help you find a job, will make sure the taxes you pay when you’re earning are fair, and that will put your future first. That means taking action to protect the environment too.

Liberal Democrats will do that. In our first year in office, Vince Cable and I will invest £3.1 billion (from making cuts elsewhere in government) in a jobs package, helping young people here. We’ll also create 80,000 paid internships in Scotland so that, if you can’t find work, you can carry on developing your skills and experience.

We’ll also make sure that when you are working, less of your money goes to the taxman. We know university can be an expensive time, so the Lib Dems in the Scottish Parliament are fighting for a Minimum Income Guarantee of £7,000, starting with the poorest students first. But after university, the last thing you need is a tax bill you can’t afford. Under our plans, the vast majority of people won’t pay a penny of tax on the first £10,000 they earn, saving you £700. We’ll pay for it by closing loopholes at the top so the very wealthy pay their share.

But the economy isn’t our only challenge. Climate scientists tell us that the next Westminster parliament is the last one that will be able to make sure Britain plays its part in averting runaway climate change. But we’re only going to do that if we make the most of Scotland’s enormous potential to go green – with a quarter of Europe’s wind and tidal potential and 10 percent of its wave potential too.

So our jobs package will be green – refurbishing ports like Leith so they can manufacture offshore wind turbines. In government, Scottish Liberal Democrats committed to renewable energy, and the share of Scotland’s electricity from green energy nearly doubled. So you can trust us when we say we’ll act on green energy. And we’ll create a programme to insulate homes around Britain, cutting bills as well as carbon.

Action on climate change. Fair taxes. Jobs. That’s the choice we’re offering. If you like it, it’s up to you to make it happen. Don’t wake up on 7 May to a government in Westminster that won’t stand up for you. Choose the Liberal Democrats, and be part of something better.