As the Scottish Election race approaches polling day Prime Minister David Cameron writes exclusively for today’s Courier on the Conservative Party’s vision for Scotland.
In two weeks Scotland votes, and I am in Inverness today with a simple message if you want common sense for the common good, vote Conservative.
This election isn’t about Alex Salmond and Iain Gray, no matter what they think. It’s far more important than that.
It’s about the future of Scotland and its place in the Union, it’s about jobs, prosperity and who’s got the right ideas to make Scotland a richer, fairer and safer place.
And when you’re in that polling booth thinking about who’s up to the job, remember that it’s the Conservatives who really get things done.
Whether we’re in government at Westminster or in a minority Parliament at Holyrood, we have shown we deliver for Scotland.
Take Westminster. Less than a year in and we’ve capped immigration, doubled the operational allowance for our troops and abolished ID cards; we’re reforming the welfare system so work really pays, restoring the earnings link to pensions making Scottish pensioners £15,000 better off over their retirement; and we’re also rebating fuel duty for people in the Highlands and Northern Isles.
And Conservative MSPs are delivering in Holyrood too, securing more police on the streets, the regeneration of town centres, a council tax freeze, a new national drugs strategy and more help for first-time buyers.
All these thing will help make Scotland and the UK stronger. But ask us what our priority is, and it’s this delivering a growing economy and high-quality jobs in Scotland.
How we are doing that? First, we’re getting to grips with the deficit. Fail to do this, and there will be no growth, there can be no new jobs.
They will all be undercut by higher interest rates and a loss of confidence in our economy.
So we have acted without delay, setting out a plan to balance the books in four years. And we’re doing the responsible thing in a fair way too making sure spending cuts in Scotland are less than anywhere else in the UK.
Second, we’re unleashing a new spirit of enterprise right across our country, so new businesses start, grow and take people on.
So we’ve cut corporation tax, scaling back the regulation that’s heaped on small businesses and brought in a New Enterprise Allowance.
This provides a package of support worth up to £2000 to help unemployed people start their own business.
And here in Scotland Annabel Goldie has been fighting the corner for Scottish enterprise too, securing £10 million of help to start-ups which will help create thousands of new jobs.
This is a good start but it’s just a start. Conservatives recognise government needs more to help business grow.
We’ve got to make sure they have the infrastructure they need to succeed, and that new, high-value industries that can create thousands of jobs have the space to grow.
That’s why even though money is tight, we’re investing in superfast broadband, connecting every part of Scotland to the rest of the world.
And we’re creating a new green investment bank, with £250 million ring-fenced for projects in Scotland, setting this country on a course to being a world leader in renewable energy.
What does this all add up to? I think it just shows Conservatives can really deliver and get things done for Scotland.
So remember a vote for the Scottish Conservatives is a vote for a more confident and more prosperous Scotland right at the heart of our United Kingdom.
David Cameron picture used under Creative Commons licence courtesy of the World Economic Forum on Flickr.