:00:00. > :00:00.In current circumstances, I'm not how many votes will get.
:00:00. > :00:07.On Election Reporting Scotland tonight:
:00:08. > :00:09.The Scottish Greens plan to field fewer than ten
:00:10. > :00:19.Are they bowing to pressure from other parties?
:00:20. > :00:26.To me I am actually asking people to vote for me, to put their trust in
:00:27. > :00:27.me... And the verdict on the Prime
:00:28. > :00:29.Minister's One Show appearance, covering the election campaign
:00:30. > :00:54.in Scotland so you don't have to. Today has been all about energy,
:00:55. > :00:57.independence, and immigration, The Scottish Greens will only
:00:58. > :01:04.field a limited number and none at all in the
:01:05. > :01:09.Highlands and Islands. So how might the absence
:01:10. > :01:12.of the Greens play out at the polls? Let's take Scottish
:01:13. > :01:13.Secretary David Mundell's In 2015 the Conservatives won
:01:14. > :01:19.Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale The SNP came second
:01:20. > :01:27.with 19,961 votes. The Greens were in sixth
:01:28. > :01:31.place with 839 votes, but take them out of the equation
:01:32. > :01:35.and add their pro-independence votes to the SNP and they win the seat
:01:36. > :01:42.with a majority of 41. So what lies behind this decision,
:01:43. > :01:45.and what might it mean Here's our political
:01:46. > :01:58.correspondent Nick Eardley. I am in Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale
:01:59. > :02:02.and Tweeddale, a constituency that has argued that tactical voting by
:02:03. > :02:08.pro-independence supporters could have had quite an impact last time.
:02:09. > :02:13.In 2015, the Scottish Secretary David Mundell narrowly beat his SNP
:02:14. > :02:18.challenge here, but if everybody who voted for the Greens had switched
:02:19. > :02:25.support to SNP, the Nationalists would have won narrowly. That has
:02:26. > :02:28.perhaps caused the Greens to call for nobody to stand here this time
:02:29. > :02:33.around. We don't know where the Greens plan to step aside this time
:02:34. > :02:36.around, but we know it is rapidly scaling back its presence in this
:02:37. > :02:40.election. The Greens have confirmed that they intend to stand fewer than
:02:41. > :02:42.election. The Greens have confirmed ten candidates, which is
:02:43. > :02:48.considerably less than the 30 plus they stood in 20 15. They Greens say
:02:49. > :02:52.those decisions will be made by local parties, some of which wanted
:02:53. > :02:56.to focus their energy on local issues, spend their money and time
:02:57. > :02:59.focusing on those issues. The Greens are standing in seats where they
:03:00. > :03:05.think they have a decent following, but it has led to some criticism,
:03:06. > :03:10.and the Conservatives and Labour Party have both said it makes a
:03:11. > :03:15.mockery of an idea of the Greens as an independent party that is
:03:16. > :03:18.relevant in this campaign. Here is Ross Greer.
:03:19. > :03:21.The Green Party stands on a basis different from all other parties.
:03:22. > :03:25.Our members make decisions at a low level, and have decided on the basis
:03:26. > :03:28.of what is best for green politics to focus on local campaigns, not on
:03:29. > :03:34.the basis of what any other party is telling us to do.
:03:35. > :03:37.The party would be entitled to party election broadcast, like the ones
:03:38. > :03:41.after Look North, but their leader Patrick Harvie will still take place
:03:42. > :03:47.in the BBC debate, which is between the five largest parties in the
:03:48. > :03:50.Scottish Parliament. The BBC says it does not base its decisions solely
:03:51. > :03:54.on how many candidates are standing. It is also down to the
:03:55. > :03:58.representation at Hollywood, and do their past performance in other
:03:59. > :04:02.elections. So that means the Green Party will still be part of the
:04:03. > :04:06.debate ahead of the 8th of June, which means most people in the
:04:07. > :04:08.Scotland won't be able to vote for them.
:04:09. > :04:11.Now, we did ask the Scottish Greens to join us to explain their decision
:04:12. > :04:14.So, instead, let's hear from the other parties.
:04:15. > :04:16.Pam Duncan-Glancy is a Labour Party election candidate.
:04:17. > :04:19.In Edinburgh, we have Liam McArthur, who's a Scottish Lib Dem MSP.
:04:20. > :04:29.Jamie Green is an MSP for the Scottish Conservatives.
:04:30. > :04:32.Callum McCaig is an SNP election candidate,
:04:33. > :04:42.Callum McCaig, had you done a deal with the Greens to ensure you are
:04:43. > :04:45.the only pro-independence party in key constituencies?
:04:46. > :04:48.Absolutely not. From your video clip there, the Greens have decided they
:04:49. > :04:51.are not particularly interested in running red across the country, and
:04:52. > :04:55.that is up to them. It would have been nice if there was someone on
:04:56. > :04:58.from then to talk about that, but the SNP will not put pressure on the
:04:59. > :05:01.Greens to step down, it is clear that even if we had tried it would
:05:02. > :05:06.not have been particularly keen on that. As we have seen with Patrick
:05:07. > :05:12.Harvie standing in Glasgow North, they are keen to have some presence,
:05:13. > :05:13.but they are focusing their fire where they think... Probably where
:05:14. > :05:17.they think they can hold their deposits.
:05:18. > :05:20.And they effectively now just a support mechanism for the SNP, the
:05:21. > :05:25.Scottish Greens? I would not say so. I had a Green
:05:26. > :05:30.candidate run against me when I was elected in 2050 and I thought he
:05:31. > :05:35.brought an enormous amount to the debate in the local area -- that was
:05:36. > :05:39.in 2015. I do not think that they will say because they voted Green in
:05:40. > :05:43.2015, had they not been a Green candidate they would have voted
:05:44. > :05:46.SNP... Yes, we are two pro-independence parties, but
:05:47. > :05:49.particularly in somewhere that Aberdeen we have different policies.
:05:50. > :05:52.To assume that one party support that just because someone vote for
:05:53. > :05:56.independence that they would vote for another party that support
:05:57. > :06:00.independence, I think that is taking voters a bit for granted and perhaps
:06:01. > :06:05.naive around voting intentions. But you welcomed the move?
:06:06. > :06:09.If there is the opportunity to get a pro-independence voice, to get
:06:10. > :06:13.someone standing against the Tories who will do things... And the Greens
:06:14. > :06:17.think that the SNP are the best place person to do that? I agree
:06:18. > :06:21.with them. I think the SNP are the best placed in the last two years at
:06:22. > :06:24.Westminster where we have shown that we are presenting Scotland at
:06:25. > :06:26.Westminster and we have made yourself and's voice has been heard
:06:27. > :06:31.loud and clear. Regardless of what the Greens do I do not do in this
:06:32. > :06:35.election, we are clear that our message to voters is that we as the
:06:36. > :06:38.SNP will look to continue that and stand up for Scotland and stand up
:06:39. > :06:43.to the Tories. Ledger some other voters. Jamie
:06:44. > :06:47.Green from Scottish Conservatives, you will now face a united
:06:48. > :06:51.pro-independence vote in some places, a major setback to the plans
:06:52. > :06:55.you had in places. Not at all. I think it is very
:06:56. > :06:58.telling that the Green Party relying on the SNP to try to defend their
:06:59. > :07:01.position about why they are too scared to run candidates across
:07:02. > :07:05.Scotland. Anybody sitting at home watching this who voted for the
:07:06. > :07:09.Green Party must be dismayed that their party are not even putting up
:07:10. > :07:13.candidates. How can you take a party like that credible or seriously?
:07:14. > :07:16.Will get on with the job we said we would do, put up a strong is
:07:17. > :07:20.opposition to the SNP red across Scotland.
:07:21. > :07:23.That is why... The convener of the Green Party... Tommy Sheridan told
:07:24. > :07:28.them not to field candidates and that is what doing.
:07:29. > :07:31.What they say they are doing is targeting resources where they will
:07:32. > :07:34.be effective and that is what every single party does, the reality of a
:07:35. > :07:38.election. But less than ten seats, this is a
:07:39. > :07:41.party that does not get enough coverage in the media. They complain
:07:42. > :07:44.they take them seriously, but had you take a party seriously that does
:07:45. > :07:49.not even fight an election? We are all politicians and we want to fight
:07:50. > :07:52.and win seats. They clearly have no confidence that they will win any
:07:53. > :07:56.seats in Scotland at all. Liam McArthur, the Greens' decision
:07:57. > :08:00.not to contest the Highlands and Islands matters to you. Your leader
:08:01. > :08:05.Willie Rennie was there today and there tomorrow. He says the Lib Dems
:08:06. > :08:08.will save the Highlands from the SNP. If that is your aim, it has
:08:09. > :08:13.become more difficult? It begs the question as to what
:08:14. > :08:17.respect the Green Party has for people that have voted Green in
:08:18. > :08:21.recent elections, denying them a choice. I don't think anybody would
:08:22. > :08:27.doubt that every party target its resources where it feels that it may
:08:28. > :08:31.make the most significant gains. And a big anybody on this panel would
:08:32. > :08:35.dispute that. But to deny voters across the Highlands and Islands any
:08:36. > :08:40.opportunity to vote Green at all begs the question whether or not
:08:41. > :08:43.this is a national party at all. But you are targeting. Willie Rennie
:08:44. > :08:46.was in the Highlands and is there tomorrow. Every party target
:08:47. > :08:49.resources where they think they have the best chance.
:08:50. > :08:55.If you are a National party, I think it is beholden on you to stand
:08:56. > :08:58.candidates and give people who want an opportunity to vote Green an
:08:59. > :09:02.opportunity to vote Green. For the Liberal Democrats in the Highlands,
:09:03. > :09:09.I think we have been very good. They know the choice an alternative to an
:09:10. > :09:14.SNP candidate or an SNP MP taking for granted... As a cheerleader for
:09:15. > :09:19.independence rather than a defender of the region, to centralise
:09:20. > :09:22.services out of the region... Bugging of the best opportunity is
:09:23. > :09:27.to vote the Liberal Democrats, so we fight hard for that.
:09:28. > :09:31.Top of the border, the Greens are helping Labour by standing aside to
:09:32. > :09:34.keep the Tories at bay in seats like Ealing Central. So presumably you
:09:35. > :09:39.don't have a problem with them doing the same here in the SNP?
:09:40. > :09:44.The dreams at the same, working to the Scottish budget they by the SNP
:09:45. > :09:49.in order to get cut across our local authorities... Hundred and ?70
:09:50. > :09:52.million of cuts to our local authorities and services were passed
:09:53. > :09:56.as a result of the Greens are siding with the SNP, not news to me. What
:09:57. > :10:00.is clear in this election is that people cannot take another moment of
:10:01. > :10:04.austerity, another assault on our jobs, on our economy, on our human
:10:05. > :10:10.rights. The only way to send a message about this and to Theresa
:10:11. > :10:13.May is to get Theresa May out of Downing Street, by voting Labour.
:10:14. > :10:16.Given the state of Scottish Labour at the moment, you must be
:10:17. > :10:21.strategically targeting certain seeds, throwing resources in the way
:10:22. > :10:23.that the Greens are submitting to do as well?
:10:24. > :10:27.We are standing candidates and every single seat in Scotland, every seat
:10:28. > :10:30.across the UK, because we are standing enough people, as the only
:10:31. > :10:34.other party who will be able to kick out the Tories at Westminster on the
:10:35. > :10:36.8th of June. That is why we are putting as much effort into every
:10:37. > :10:39.seat as we possibly can, because we believe the people need a real
:10:40. > :10:42.choice. There are two choices in this election, the end of the day,
:10:43. > :10:45.you will either have a Labour Government or a Tory Government.
:10:46. > :10:48.Notably people can no longer take a Tory Government, and the people of
:10:49. > :10:52.Scotland do not want another divisive referendum. The only way to
:10:53. > :10:54.kick the Tories out and give us from another referendum is to vote
:10:55. > :11:00.Labour. On that, Jeremy Corbyn launched a
:11:01. > :11:04.national campaign today, saying the UK will leave the EU if we win the
:11:05. > :11:07.election? If that what Scottish voters wanting a? Della protracted
:11:08. > :11:11.negotiations, we do make sure that we protect human rights, jobs and
:11:12. > :11:13.the EU nationals... All of those things will be
:11:14. > :11:16.absolutely important for Labour in All of those things will be
:11:17. > :11:19.June. If you do not vote Labour in June we will have a hard Tory
:11:20. > :11:21.Brexit, and goodness knows what that means for the people of our country.
:11:22. > :11:22.Thank your for joining us. More from the campaign trail
:11:23. > :11:24.coming up, but first Suzanne Allan has
:11:25. > :11:28.the rest of today's news. BBC Scotland has been told that two
:11:29. > :11:32.men who died after their speedboat went missing off the Galloway coast
:11:33. > :11:35.at the weekend, were known to authorities for their involvement
:11:36. > :11:40.in the illegal trade Sandy Hamilton and Kevin McKinley's
:11:41. > :11:44.bodies were recovered on Sunday. Sandy Hamilton and Kevin McKinley
:11:45. > :11:52.were from Larkhall. Their bodies were recovered
:11:53. > :11:56.from the Irish Sea on Sunday. They were found after a major air
:11:57. > :11:59.and sea search when their speedboat was reported missing off
:12:00. > :12:03.the Galloway coast. BBC Scotland obtained this footage
:12:04. > :12:09.as part of an investigation He was questioned by welfare charity
:12:10. > :12:21.on a ferry from Northern Ireland. These puppies were found
:12:22. > :12:30.in the boot of his car as part On that occasion, he was allowed
:12:31. > :12:40.to continue on his journey Now BBC Scotland has been told
:12:41. > :12:45.both men who died at the weekend were known to the authorities
:12:46. > :12:47.in connection with the illegal Sandy Hamilton for sourcing,
:12:48. > :12:55.and Kevin McKinley for selling. A route for this dealing
:12:56. > :12:59.is across the Irish Sea to Scotland. They could have been on their way
:13:00. > :13:07.to buy puppies when they left. In the past 18 months, Dumfries
:13:08. > :13:12.and Galloway Council has given the SSPCA powers to inspect
:13:13. > :13:15.dogs and puppies brought into Scotland and to act
:13:16. > :13:20.if there are irregularities. They say they have
:13:21. > :13:22.identified a route between Designer dogs can be bought
:13:23. > :13:38.in Ireland in the North and Republic cheaply,
:13:39. > :13:40.hence the illegal trade. The RSPCA, the UK charity,
:13:41. > :13:44.says over 1,000 dogs are brought into the UK each week,
:13:45. > :13:47.and it is claimed illegal trafficking could be worth up
:13:48. > :14:14.to 300 million in the UK every year. He had been due to stand trial for
:14:15. > :14:33.that in July. The Scottish Government says
:14:34. > :14:38.reforming education is now an imperative. Its opponents described
:14:39. > :14:40.the figures as shameful. Here is education correspondent.
:14:41. > :14:43.These youngsters are learning how to listen carefully.
:14:44. > :14:46.It is a crucial part of learning language and literacy.
:14:47. > :14:50.The school is in a disadvantaged part of Edinburgh.
:14:51. > :14:52.We have had children coming into primary one,
:14:53. > :14:55.and there is roughly a two-year vocabulary gap where we would expect
:14:56. > :15:04.The school has brought in a specialist to help,
:15:05. > :15:10.and she is already making a difference.
:15:11. > :15:12.The money came from the Scottish Government.
:15:13. > :15:17.The Education Secretary is full of praise for this school,
:15:18. > :15:22.but the national figures in literacy are simply not good enough.
:15:23. > :15:25.These figures demonstrate there is significant improvement
:15:26. > :15:30.that requires to be undertaken to ensure young people
:15:31. > :15:33.and their educational needs are met at each stage in the system,
:15:34. > :15:40.and the Government is determined to do that, but we have to see these
:15:41. > :15:43.While most youngsters are doing well, the trend is often
:15:44. > :15:55.The starkest figures concern writing in secondary schools.
:15:56. > :15:57.Of course, the political climate is highly charged.
:15:58. > :16:01.We have had 4,000 fewer teachers under the SNP,
:16:02. > :16:05.and that must impact on the ability to deliver in the classroom,
:16:06. > :16:21.and that is something the SNP needs to get hold of.
:16:22. > :16:24.I think we have a Government that, for all its protestation that
:16:25. > :16:27.education is a priority, has had an obsession
:16:28. > :16:35.with independence from the moment it got through the doors of Bute House.
:16:36. > :16:38.The surfer who was found drifting near his surfboard in the Irish Sea,
:16:39. > :16:40.after more than 30 hours in the water,
:16:41. > :16:44.has been discharged from hospital in Belfast.
:16:45. > :16:46.Matthew Bryce from Airdrie was rescued on Monday evening,
:16:47. > :16:51.He praised the medical care he received at the Ulster Hospital
:16:52. > :17:05.privacy and limits her media appearances, but tonight all that
:17:06. > :17:08.changed when Theresa May swapped the front bench for the One Show
:17:09. > :17:12.appearing alongside her husband Philip.
:17:13. > :17:14.In coming weeks the other party leaders will feature
:17:15. > :17:35.I settled down to watch with popcorn and TV critic Paul English.
:17:36. > :17:43.Someone who has famously been called a difficult woman. In negotiations,
:17:44. > :17:48.you need to be tough and it's right to be tough sometimes. One European
:17:49. > :17:53.institution, I am sure you are firmly behind, is your vision. We're
:17:54. > :17:59.not leaving that as well are we? Know. Although I'm tempted to say
:18:00. > :18:05.I'm not sure how many votes we will get! They're doing what you would
:18:06. > :18:09.expect them to do, smiling and being polite, don't imagine the ball into
:18:10. > :18:19.into any riposte debate at any stage. The marketing is very much
:18:20. > :18:25.been about you, how comfortable are you, it's quite presidential in that
:18:26. > :18:34.way? It's about a strong and stable government... Been being! Strong,
:18:35. > :18:42.stable. What are the downsides in being married to the Prime Minister?
:18:43. > :18:46.There isn't really a downside but if you are the kind of man who expects
:18:47. > :18:49.his tea to be on the table at six o'clock every evening, you could be
:18:50. > :18:54.his tea to be on the table at six disappointed. Why do they do
:18:55. > :18:56.programmes like this? The importance of personality in politics is huge,
:18:57. > :19:01.programmes like this? The importance that can sway people's votes, that's
:19:02. > :19:05.the reason they are taking the opportunity to appear on a show like
:19:06. > :19:13.this in a slot which is normally reserved for people panting and
:19:14. > :19:20.album, a tall, a book. I like my shoes, it gives me a reason for
:19:21. > :19:24.buying some more. This happened for five years ago, I was in the lift in
:19:25. > :19:29.the House of Commons and there was a young woman in the lift, and I said,
:19:30. > :19:33.nice pair of shoes she said, I like your shoes initiative can we a
:19:34. > :19:43.comedian me involved in politics. What's the verdict? I think exactly
:19:44. > :19:48.what you expected it to be, the opportunity to personalise
:19:49. > :19:55.themselves, to play to the viewers emotions, wouldn't be analysed as
:19:56. > :19:59.something like question Time, or other political programmes, where
:20:00. > :20:03.people are more inclined perhaps to analyse the political content of it.
:20:04. > :20:10.This feels like flicking through a magazine and that's why they are
:20:11. > :20:15.there. But did it work? Let's find out with our pundit panel.
:20:16. > :20:18.Well, tonight my panel consists of the managing director of the PR
:20:19. > :20:26.company Weber Shandwick, Moray MacDonald, who is also
:20:27. > :20:32.Would you have advised the Prime Minister to do this? I think so,
:20:33. > :20:37.she's in a strange position, she doesn't have the kind of very high
:20:38. > :20:42.public profile, she has gone out of her way to maintain a relatively low
:20:43. > :20:48.profile in some ways. But she is realised that she has to do well, to
:20:49. > :20:54.connect with a lot of people, particularly people who aren't
:20:55. > :20:58.natural Tories, in labour or Ukip areas, she needs to somehow connect
:20:59. > :21:06.with them a bit more. There is a need to put that personality across.
:21:07. > :21:11.What do you think, has it helped engage any better with voters? I
:21:12. > :21:16.guess the exercise tonight was just not look nasty. That's what the
:21:17. > :21:22.Tories are trying to shrug off, sitting on a sofa, looking quite
:21:23. > :21:26.comfortable, a bit of a novelty, the Spitting Image sketch of John Major
:21:27. > :21:31.did come to mind, nothing controversial was said, nothing
:21:32. > :21:36.interesting was said, it was just a vacuous piece of what passes for
:21:37. > :21:43.personality politics, which think will almost people rigid. The timing
:21:44. > :21:47.was interesting, not at the end, but when we are on the verge of
:21:48. > :21:53.manifesto launches and should be talking about policy. This is going
:21:54. > :21:57.to be the problem, here we are the night, talking about a bit of a
:21:58. > :22:09.nonevent, and a media bidding war in which the bidding to lead BBC
:22:10. > :22:12.managed to get her in any format, dictated on her terms, I think a lot
:22:13. > :22:15.of Scottish viewers will read between the lines and say, this
:22:16. > :22:21.isn't a woman who wants to meet the public. What the appearance does do
:22:22. > :22:25.is write and share away from certain things and criticism today of the
:22:26. > :22:32.energy cap policy which has been called a simple bribe by some but
:22:33. > :22:36.also stolen from Labour by others. I don't think it's designed to draw
:22:37. > :22:41.attention away, I think it is designed to put their own agenda and
:22:42. > :22:43.have them drive the agenda for a couple of days, we have talked about
:22:44. > :22:47.appearing on this programme for couple of days, we have talked about
:22:48. > :22:52.couple of days, it'll probably be on the papers tomorrow, that is three
:22:53. > :22:54.days, she has got on the agenda, with something not really about
:22:55. > :22:58.days, she has got on the agenda, policy. Whether that's right or
:22:59. > :23:03.wrong is a different matter but it demonstrates somebody who's getting
:23:04. > :23:09.a PR programme done quite well. Shares in Scottish and Southern
:23:10. > :23:13.energy down now, bad news for them but surely this energy cap is good
:23:14. > :23:17.news for millions of hard-pressed households struggling to pay energy
:23:18. > :23:21.bills? For those of us old enough, we can remember the private session
:23:22. > :23:28.of the electricity industry and since then, we haven't seen anything
:23:29. > :23:31.but a whole string of court cases where company after company has just
:23:32. > :23:36.managed to overlook that they have verbally charged ancients and the
:23:37. > :23:42.poorest in the country, putting a cap on that kind of behaviour is not
:23:43. > :23:47.actually changing terms of trade, I would want to hear somebody talking
:23:48. > :23:50.about nationalising aspects of energy production and I would like
:23:51. > :23:58.to hear Scottish political parties looking at that because we have a
:23:59. > :24:05.different energy profile, a much richer mix than south of the border.
:24:06. > :24:11.Will this work with voters? She is tried to show a softer side to the
:24:12. > :24:14.Conservative Party but also to capitalism, she recognises people
:24:15. > :24:16.are concerned about big business, and she was to find ways to
:24:17. > :24:20.are concerned about big business, demonstrate she has ways of dealing
:24:21. > :24:21.with that without going down the path Leslie is talking about. Thank
:24:22. > :24:33.you. Nowadays, a constant diet of photo
:24:34. > :24:38.opportunities from our politicians, the standard choice from us, Willie
:24:39. > :24:56.Rennie with a selection of vegetables in the Highlands. What is
:24:57. > :24:57.the caption? That's it from us. Join us tomorrow night.