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| Scottish Lib Dems look to Charles Kennedy as inspiration for fightback | Scottish Lib Dems look to Charles Kennedy as inspiration for fightback |
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| The Scottish Liberal Democrats are invoking the memory of the UK party’s former leader Charles Kennedy in an attempt to distance themselves from the deeply unpopular leadership of Nick Clegg. | The Scottish Liberal Democrats are invoking the memory of the UK party’s former leader Charles Kennedy in an attempt to distance themselves from the deeply unpopular leadership of Nick Clegg. |
| Willie Rennie, the Scottish Lib Dem leader, is battling to prevent a rout in the Holyrood elections next month. He said his party’s manifesto was a return to the “positive, uplifting” and higher taxation agenda championed under Kennedy’s leadership, with a commitment to raise income tax rates in Scotland by 1p to spend on improving education. | Willie Rennie, the Scottish Lib Dem leader, is battling to prevent a rout in the Holyrood elections next month. He said his party’s manifesto was a return to the “positive, uplifting” and higher taxation agenda championed under Kennedy’s leadership, with a commitment to raise income tax rates in Scotland by 1p to spend on improving education. |
| In an explicit reference to Clegg and his coalition with the Conservatives, which saw Lib Dem support plunge and fail to recover, Rennie said the optimism of the Kennedy era “has been missing in recent years. I think we’re back to it now”. | In an explicit reference to Clegg and his coalition with the Conservatives, which saw Lib Dem support plunge and fail to recover, Rennie said the optimism of the Kennedy era “has been missing in recent years. I think we’re back to it now”. |
| Before the coalition at Westminster, the Lib Dems polled as high as 18% in Scottish election campaigns. The party had been in two successive coalition governments in Edinburgh with Labour and at one time had 11 MPs and 17 MSPs. | Before the coalition at Westminster, the Lib Dems polled as high as 18% in Scottish election campaigns. The party had been in two successive coalition governments in Edinburgh with Labour and at one time had 11 MPs and 17 MSPs. |
| Related: The Clegg catastrophe | Patrick Wintour and Nicholas Watt | Related: The Clegg catastrophe | Patrick Wintour and Nicholas Watt |
| However, it was crushed at the 2015 general election, losing 10 of its Scottish seats at Westminster, including Kennedy’s of Ross, Skye and Lochaber. The party now has five MSPs. Clegg resigned as UK leader the day after the election. Kennedy, who had been immensely popular in the Highlands, died suddenly three weeks after the election following a long struggle with alcoholism. | However, it was crushed at the 2015 general election, losing 10 of its Scottish seats at Westminster, including Kennedy’s of Ross, Skye and Lochaber. The party now has five MSPs. Clegg resigned as UK leader the day after the election. Kennedy, who had been immensely popular in the Highlands, died suddenly three weeks after the election following a long struggle with alcoholism. |
| Current polling puts the party on 6% and it is possible that they could come fifth in May behind a resurgent Scottish Green party should they lose some of their remaining seats. | Current polling puts the party on 6% and it is possible that they could come fifth in May behind a resurgent Scottish Green party should they lose some of their remaining seats. |
| Despite this, Rennie insisted that voters were now more open to backing the Lib Dems again. He said “the shine is coming off” the Scottish National party. | Despite this, Rennie insisted that voters were now more open to backing the Lib Dems again. He said “the shine is coming off” the Scottish National party. |
| “People recognise we’re going back to the positive, uplifting agenda that the Lib Dems perhaps under the leadership of Charles Kennedy adopted in the past, looking for opportunity, upbeat, asking people to pay a little bit more,” he said. | “People recognise we’re going back to the positive, uplifting agenda that the Lib Dems perhaps under the leadership of Charles Kennedy adopted in the past, looking for opportunity, upbeat, asking people to pay a little bit more,” he said. |
| Rennie told reporters that he was wearing the former MP’s tartan tie, which had been gifted to him after Kennedy’s death by his constituency chairman, who insisted that Rennie wear it on all special occasions. | Rennie told reporters that he was wearing the former MP’s tartan tie, which had been gifted to him after Kennedy’s death by his constituency chairman, who insisted that Rennie wear it on all special occasions. |
| The Scottish Lib Dem leader heavily promoted his higher tax policy by pledging to spend £500m a year more on nurseries and schools, using Holyrood’s forthcoming powers to set Scottish income tax rates and bands from April 2017. | The Scottish Lib Dem leader heavily promoted his higher tax policy by pledging to spend £500m a year more on nurseries and schools, using Holyrood’s forthcoming powers to set Scottish income tax rates and bands from April 2017. |
| He said the party’s pledge to add 1p to Scottish rates would raise an extra £505m next year for Holyrood, £55m more than previously estimated due to tax changes in the last month’s UK budget. | |
| That would allow the party to immediately double preschool education and childcare for all two, three and four-year-olds, add £108m to college funding and spend another £190m to expand the “pupil premium” for poorer children to those in care and the children of armed forces personnel. | That would allow the party to immediately double preschool education and childcare for all two, three and four-year-olds, add £108m to college funding and spend another £190m to expand the “pupil premium” for poorer children to those in care and the children of armed forces personnel. |
| With opposition parties seeking to make the new tax powers central to this campaign, after Sturgeon offered only modest changes to tax rates, the Institute for Public Policy Research forecast last week that the Lib Dem’s tax rates would raise £450m more in real terms than the SNP’s policies. | With opposition parties seeking to make the new tax powers central to this campaign, after Sturgeon offered only modest changes to tax rates, the Institute for Public Policy Research forecast last week that the Lib Dem’s tax rates would raise £450m more in real terms than the SNP’s policies. |
| Alongside traditional liberal policies of decriminalising soft drugs and prostitution, and abandoning short prison sentences, the Lib Dems would also spend another £500m on children’s mental health and pay out for home insulation and renewable energy using Holyrood’s new capital borrowing powers to create a “fit for the future” investment fund. | Alongside traditional liberal policies of decriminalising soft drugs and prostitution, and abandoning short prison sentences, the Lib Dems would also spend another £500m on children’s mental health and pay out for home insulation and renewable energy using Holyrood’s new capital borrowing powers to create a “fit for the future” investment fund. |
| Insisting that renewed debate on Scottish independence had to be sidelined to allow for a clear focus on improving public services, Rennie said the party’s manifesto was “our plan to make Scotland great again”. | Insisting that renewed debate on Scottish independence had to be sidelined to allow for a clear focus on improving public services, Rennie said the party’s manifesto was “our plan to make Scotland great again”. |
| “It is an ambitious vision which will require our focus for five years. That is why we must put the divisions of the referendum behind us,” he said. | “It is an ambitious vision which will require our focus for five years. That is why we must put the divisions of the referendum behind us,” he said. |
| Pundits in Scotland believe that the Lib Dems could lose their two remaining Holyrood constituencies to the SNP in the once-impregnable seats of Orkney and Shetland. Party officials insist that the Lib Dems will hold both on 5 May and add proportionally elected list seats in the Highland and Edinburgh areas. | Pundits in Scotland believe that the Lib Dems could lose their two remaining Holyrood constituencies to the SNP in the once-impregnable seats of Orkney and Shetland. Party officials insist that the Lib Dems will hold both on 5 May and add proportionally elected list seats in the Highland and Edinburgh areas. |
| They also believe that Rennie, previously a list MSP, could win the North East Fife seat and retake Edinburgh West after the incumbent MP Michelle Thomson was forced to quit the SNP when police launched an investigation into her property deals. | They also believe that Rennie, previously a list MSP, could win the North East Fife seat and retake Edinburgh West after the incumbent MP Michelle Thomson was forced to quit the SNP when police launched an investigation into her property deals. |