Alex Salmond launched the SNP's Glasgow East by-election campaign today and said the party is set to pull off a "political earthquake".
Alex Salmond launched the SNP's Glasgow East by-election campaign today and said the party is set to pull off a "political earthquake".
Scotland's First Minister joined Nationalist candidate John Mason at a community centre in the heart of the constituency and took a dig at Labour's delay in selecting a candidate.
He also warned that the by-election will be a judgment between his Scottish Government in Edinburgh and Gordon Brown's Westminster administration - and welcomed the contrast.
"If you look at the statistics for housing, for poverty, for health in this constituency, then it's a condemnation of 50 years of Labour Party representation and Labour Party failure," the First Minister said.
"This campaign is a chance to compare and contrast the track record of the Scottish Government, the SNP Government in Scotland and London Labour and the Labour Government at Westminster.
"We welcome the contrast and we welcome the comparison because we think it's a winning contrast and a winning comparison for John Mason and the SNP."
Mr Salmond said the large presence of media organisations from around the UK at today's launch was indicative of a shock.
"There's a political earthquake on the way in Glasgow East," he said.
"The fact that we are in with a chance is a comment on how far things have moved in Scottish politics."
Mr Salmond was also out campaigning in the constituency over the weekend and said the rising cost of living and fuel prices were the key issues on voters' lips.
"Perhaps we are moving to a situation where a third of Scotland will be in a position of fuel poverty amid the energy plenty of our country.
"Perhaps in this constituency that figure will be approaching 50% - half of this constituency will come within the definition of fuel poverty - so it's hardly surprising that's an issue on everyone's lips."
Fuel poverty is where a household spends more than 10% of its income on fuel.
Labour is expected to confirm Scottish Parliament MSP Margaret Curran as its candidate to fight the seat at a meeting later tonight, although it remains unclear if and for how long she would then remain at Holyrood.
"If Margaret Curran succeeds and becomes the candidate, it will be either the fourth, fifth or sixth choice for the Labour Party depending on which paper you read and which paper you believe," Mr Salmond said.
"John Mason is the first choice for the SNP and that will be an effective contrast in this campaign."
The by-election is expected to be a two-horse race between the Nationalists and Labour, although the latter holds a majority of 13,500.
Mr Mason, a Glasgow councillor, said today that it was a huge privilege to be selected for the seat, adding that he would be a "full-time voice" for the area.
"This by-election is the chance for people in Glasgow East to elect an MP who is on their side but not out of touch like Labour.
"By electing an SNP MP, voters will put Glasgow East on the map and force action from Gordon Brown."
He added that Nationalist MPs had voted against changes to the 10p tax rate.
"Labour MPs are so out of touch they voted to increase tax by another 10p."
Meanwhile, David Cameron arrived in Glasgow today and vowed anyone convicted of knife crime should expect a jail sentence.
The Tory leader said anyone convicted of knife crime should expect a jail sentence.
He was speaking at the launch of his party's campaign in the Glasgow East contest, which he described as "the broken society by-election".
Mr Cameron's speech spelled out a hard line on knife crime.
"We are proposing that anyone convicted of knife crime should expect to go to jail," said the Tory leader.
"I don't believe that the Government's 'presumption to prosecute' is enough.
"It doesn't send a strong enough signal.
"We need a 'presumption to prison'."
Mr Cameron also set out to claim the moral high ground in politics, claiming that society had become "far too sensitive" to say what was right and what was wrong.
He argued that, both in that contest and in elections to come, Tories would make it their "mission" to repair the broken society -"to heal the wounds of poverty, crime, social disorder and deprivation that are steadily making this country a grim and joyless place to live for far too many people".
Mr Cameron set out his party's position in a church in Barlanark in the east end of Glasgow.
The church is dedicated to St Jude, patron saint of lost causes, but Mr Cameron, whose party came fourth in Glasgow East in the 2007 election, denied this made it an appropriate venue.
