The future of Scotland is "on the line" in the General Election, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
On a visit to St Andrews on Saturday, the First Minister said that the decision over whether Boris Johnson or the people living in Scotland should decide the country's future would have consequences for the long term.
Speaking on St Andrew's Day, the SNP leader also said that a vote for her party would be a vote to put "Scotland's future in Scotland's hands".
"All elections are important - but this one really matters," said Ms Sturgeon.
"The future of Scotland is on the line. At stake are the opportunities and life chances of this and future generations.
"In this election people in Scotland are being asked a fundamental question: Who should decide our future - the people who live here or Boris Johnson?
"The answer to that question will have long-term consequences for the kind of country we will be.
"It seems right that on this, the day of Scotland's patron saint, we ask ourselves how we can build that better, fairer Scotland that we know is possible.
"So today I want to talk about the SNP's vision for Scotland and the practical action we are taking to improve people's lives - and contrast that with the future the Conservatives have in store for us.
"We have right now a Westminster system that leads to Tory governments we in Scotland don't vote for - imposing policies, like Brexit, that do us harm.
"A vote for the SNP in this election is a vote to escape Brexit. It is a vote to put Scotland's future in Scotland's hands."
The First Minister also gave warning over the potential for a post-Brexit trade deal between the Conservatives and US President Donald Trump in selling off parts of the NHS.
"Make no mistake - Brexit is the biggest threat to Scotland's NHS since it was founded just over 70 years ago," said the SNP leader.
"It is a real and present danger to our precious, publicly run health service.
"Brexit will make it harder to attract NHS staff from Europe. The economy will slow down, putting increased pressure on NHS budgets."
Ms Sturgeon suggested that US drugs firms are seeking full market access to the NHS which would raise prices the health service has to pay, adding: "The NHS will never be safe in Tory hands."
The SNP leader also set out the case for Scotland having full control over immigration and tax policy, as well as employment laws in order to protect people's working rights.
"People in Scotland are facing two very different futures," said Ms Sturgeon.
"A future in which Westminster is in control of our lives. Where a Tory government in the grip of ultra-Brexiteers seeks to impose an ever more unequal society.
"Or a future as an independent country in which the people of Scotland are in charge.
"A country that offers a fresh start - free from the Westminster chaos and the dangers of right-wing anti-European governments we don't vote for.
"Never have those different futures for Scotland been so stark. So never has it been so important for people in Scotland to have the opportunity to choose between them.
"And that's why it is so vital for people in this election to protect their right to decide their own future. The way to protect that right is to vote SNP."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel