LABOUR LEADER REMAINS THE "INVISIBLE MAN"

FEWER THAN 40% OF LABOUR VOTERS WANT “INVISIBLE MAN” FOR FIRST MINISTER

Labour leader Iain Gray has admitted that he has not connected with the public and the voters are not connecting with Labour as polling shows the SNP maintaining a lead in opinion polls and that fewer than 40% of Labour voters think Iain Gray would be a good First Minister.

In an interview with the Scotsman Gray accepts that people do not know who he is, despite having held the leadership of Labour for 12 months - ignoring the fact he was also a minister in the previous Scottish Executive.

His comments support recent polling by YouGov which showed First Minister Alex Salmond was three times as popular as all other Scottish party leaders combined and that Iain Gray was supported by only 12% of those polled – only 1% more than Scotland’s Conservative leader Annabel Goldie.

Even amongst Labour voters the poll shows fewer than 40% want Iain Gray to be First Minister.

In his interview Mr Gray states: “There’s no hiding the fact I need to raise my profile.”

Commenting on Iain Gray’s interview and the poll figures SNP MSP and Convener of the SNP group Gil Paterson said:

“Far from being new Iain Gray has had a year as Labour leader in the Scottish Parliament to get known and to win support. He also had four years as a Government Minister. If he cannot make his mark now, when will he?

“Instead of winning new voters fewer than 40% of his party’s voters want Iain Gray as First Minister.

“It will be deeply disturbing for Labour that their leader is Scotland’s invisible man.

“And as performances and polls in the last week have shown Iain Gray has failed to make a positive impact on Scottish politics. In contrast the Scottish Government has taken tough decisions and set out a forward thinking agenda for Scotland with the continued support of the Scottish people.

“Instead of carping from the sidelines Iain Gray might make more progress with a positive approach to the SNP Government and a willingness to give the Scottish public their constitutional say over Scotland’s future.

“It is a stark contrast for Labour to consider that after a year of Iain Gray’s negative efforts at leadership Alex Salmond’s ratings are three times higher than those of the Labour or Tory leaders in Scotland, and as a poll this weekend shows the SNP is maintaining an 8 point lead over
Labour in the Holyrood polls. "

SNP POLITICIANS UNITE TO FIGHT FOR DIAGEO JOBS

COFFEY WELCOMES FIRST MINISTER TO KILMARNOCK

SNP MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun Willie Coffey today (Wednesday) welcomed First Minister Alex Salmond to Kilmarnock as the First Minister put his name to the Save Johnnie Walker petition.

At Westminster, SNP MPs will raise the concerns of Scottish workers in an adjournment debate in the House of Commons tonight .

SNP MP Pete Wishart and other members of the Scottish Affairs Committee heard from Diageo officials earlier today.

Commenting, Mr Coffey, who along with trade union representatives and East Ayrshire Council, joined the First Minister in Kilmarnock town centre today, said:

“This visit is a sign of the Scottish Government’s absolute commitment to fight for these jobs and to support the people of Kilmarnock.

“The First Minister joins the thousands of people across Scotland who have signed this petition and shown their support.

“Diageo are custodians of Johnnie Walker and they are failing in their duty to preserve and cherish this valued product.

“Johnnie Walker may be on Diageo’s balance sheet but in Kilmarnock it’s in our blood.”

Glasgow SNP MP John Mason,whose constituency borders the Glasgow North East constituency containing the Port Dundas distillery and who will attend this evening’s debate in the Commons added:

“There is no doubt these are tough times for businesses and households across Scotland – now, more than ever, we must fight to save these vital jobs in both Kilmarnock and Glasgow.

“The battle to keep the Port Dundas distillery open must be fought as a united front with all parties, the trade unions, the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and Glasgow City Council working together to save the 200 jobs which are under threat in the city.

"Tonight's debate is an opportunity for the Westminster Parliament to add it's voice to the efforts of those in Scotland to show Diageo the error of their ways."

SNP AHEAD FOR WESTMINSTER, HOLYROOD AND EUROPE

YOUGOV POLL SHOWS SNP SUPPORT SOARS

The SNP have hailed the latest opinion poll by YouGov published in the Sunday Times today which shows that support for the SNP has almost doubled from 18% to 31% since 2005. The poll of more than 1,000 Scottish voters also shows that support for Labour has slumped and would see the party lose nearly a third of its 41 Scottish MPs, with Scottish secretary Jim Murphy and Scotland Office minister Ann McKechin struggling to hold their seats.

Coming just a week after the SNP won the popular vote in the European Elections, SNP Westminster leader and party Business Convener Angus Robertson MP seized on the poll which shows the SNP, for the first time, ahead for the Scottish Parliament, Europe and Westminster.

Mr Robertson said:

“This is a fantastic poll result for the SNP. For the first time ever, we are in the lead for Westminster, Holyrood and the European Parliament all at the same time, and on the back of last week's historic election victory.

“It shows that the people have confidence in the Scottish Government and its assured performance in stark contrast to the chaos, infighting and meltdown at the heart of Gordon Brown’s Downing Street.

“Scottish Labour MPs will be looking at these results fearfully, with the party set to lose more than a third of its MPs, while the Tories’ talk of making inroads is looking more like a dead-end. Lib/Dem support has also collapsed, showing all the Calman parties all in trouble.

“Increasingly, it looks as though the SNP may well hold the balance of power at Westminster, and that the Tories and David Cameron will have no mandate in Scotland, regardless of how they perform elsewhere.

“With Labour and the Tories making no secret that they plan to make damaging cuts to Scottish spending, people know that SNP success at the General Election can stop these cuts completely and ensure we are well placed to recover strongly from the recession.

“SNP success is taking Scotland forward, and we will continue to make the case for independence and equality as the best future for our nation.”