 | 'Scottish politics has been adrift for years. Devolution has led to
widespread disillusion. The only way the political culture of Scotland can be revived by political
organisations is with ideas and principles - and politicians willing to lead them with imagination and flair.' Iain MacWhirter in the Sunday Herald, 15 th August 2004. |  |
The three candidates vying to become
leader of the Scottish National Party are
making their final pitches in the last few
weeks of the campaign.
Alex Salmond, Roseanna Cunningham and Mike
Russell have told BBC News Online Scotland why
they should be leader.
Ms Cunningham said she would deliver a more
focused and less confused message.
Mr Salmond said he would get the SNP back into
"fighting form" and Mr Russell said he could offer
the fresh start the party needs.
The outcome of the election to replace John Swinney
as leader will be declared on 3 September.
Ms Cunningham said it was unthinkable that
"Scotland's party" could chose a leader from outside
the Scottish Parliament.
She added: "We need to deliver a more focused and
less confused message about the benefits of
independence, a clearer vision of how we can use
the Scottish Parliament to improve Scotland."
That statement was a reference to Mr Salmond and
Mr Russell, neither of whom are currently
Holyrood members.
Mr Salmond, MP for Banff and Buchan, was an
MSP until 2001 when he stepped down to
concentrate on his Westminster career.
He said: "We need to earn the trust and respect of
the electorate and get the SNP back into fighting
form.
"Our prescription for success is clear. It involves
the heart, the head and soul of Scotland."
Mr Russell was an MSP until last May when he
failed to make it back into the parliament.
He has called for a new vision for the party.
He said: "We need a clear strategy to move from where we are to where we must be if we are to win a
national election victory - our first in our 70-year existence."
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