THE leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats has said Nicola Sturgeon's refusal to rule out a second independence referendum before 2020 risks harming the Scottish economy as he urged people to "vote intelligently" next month to keep out the SNP.

 

Willie Rennie drew parallels with Quebec, where decades of constitutional uncertainty was widely seen to have hit the economy, and accused the First Minister of "a straightforward betrayal" after her recent statements contradicted her claim in the run-up to the referendum that the independence vote would be a once in a generation event.

Launching his party's manifesto, he also appeared to advocate tactical voting among pro-unionists, saying that only his party could stop the SNP in the 11 Scottish seats which the LibDems won in 2010.

The Liberal Democrat manifesto launch, which included pledges to invest in the NHS, increase childcare provision and decriminalise drug possession, was held in South Queensferry, part of the Edinburgh West constituency where LibDem Mike Crockart won with a majority of almost 4,000 five years ago. The party, polling at around four per cent in national Scottish polls, is focussing almost exclusively on retaining seats where there believe the local reputations of their MPs offer the best chance of averting the disaster many have forecast.

Mr Rennie accused his opponents of producing "irresponsible plans" by making unfunded spending commitments, but said his party had applied a 'Kipling test' - "to keep your head when all about you are losing theirs." He said the Lib Dems' Scottish manifesto was a route map for a "careful, responsible, liberal way ahead."

Speaking about Ms Sturgeon's decision not to rule out seeking a mandate for another independence referendum in the SNP's manifesto for the Holyrood elections next year, he said: "I think that's a straightforward betrayal and she needs to be very careful in trying to redefine what her position is. We saw what happened in Quebec when they had long periods of constitutional uncertainty and that created economic difficulties... We think she needs to stick to what she said before the referendum, which was once in a lifetime. A lifetime is more than five years, I would hope."

Mr Rennie added: "In the 11 seats that we hold it's very clear that if you were to stop the SNP the Liberal Democrats are best placed to do that. We will be the firmest voice in that battle. People will use their vote intelligently and I would encourage them to do so."

Meanwhile, Labour and the SNP continued to battle over left wing votes, with Nicola Sturgeon turning her sights onto the Tories as she made a pitch to trade union activists while talking up areas of common ground with Ed Miliband.

Speaking at the Scottish Trades Union Congress annual meeting in Ayr, said her MPs will "vigorously and loudly" support Mr Miliband in the "many areas" where the SNP and Labour had similar priorities, singling out improving working conditions, increasing the minimum wage and cracking down on zero hours contracts as examples.

It follows a series of efforts to reach out to left wing voters, as the SNP seeks to reinforce a commanding lead in the polls which has largely come as a result of thousands of traditional Labour supporters switching their allegiances to the nationalists.

Membership of a new Scottish nationalist trade union group has swollen from 800 to 14,000 since the referendum, providing further evidence of the erosion of Labour's traditional support, while Ms Sturgeon recently launched an "SNP guarantee" to former supporters of her main rivals at Holyrood.

However, she said she was disappointed that Labour was "determined to continue with a failing cuts agenda - not because it's necessary but because they want to be seen as tough as the Tories."

She added: "The Tory policy of austerity and cuts have failed and when a policy is failing you don't continue it, you decide to change it and put in its place something better.

"The SNP will never, ever, ever in a month of Sundays support a Tory government but we will use our influence, if the Scottish people choose to give us that influence, to make sure the Tories are replaced not by a Tory-lite government but by something that is better, bolder, and more radical."

However, Labour, which explicitly sought to present itself as to the left of the SNP at the launch of its Scottish manifesto last week, said the nationalists' words did not match their actions.

Margaret Curran, shadow Scottish secretary, said: "The SNP's record on workers' rights simply doesn't match their rhetoric. They are a party whose very existence is to divide the Labour movement on these islands, and we know when the left is divided it is the Tories who win."