Nicola Sturgeon Election 2017

but as a matter of general principle...

Hello, everybody. It is fantastic to be here in Queensferry today. Today

is a very special day for the SNP. Exactly ten years ago today, the

first-ever SNP Government took office in Scotland. And over these

past ten years, we have worked each and every day to make Scotland a

better country and we have made real progress to be proud of. Today, our

NHS budget is at record levels. It is ?3 billion higher today than it

was when we took office. Today, there are 12,000 more people working

in our NHS and we abolished prescription charges, removing the

tax on ill-health. APPLAUSE

We have done what previous administrations failed to do,

integrate health and social care and today, our Accident Emergency

departments across our country are the best performing anywhere in the

United Kingdom. On education, we have extended free childcare from

12.5 hours per week to 16 hours a week and over the next few years, we

will extend it further to 30 hours a week. In our schools, we see record

exam passes by our young people and now we are investing in a new pupil

equity fund to drive up standards in our schools even further. And I am

proud to say that we have kept university tuition free of tuition

fees. Today, in Scotland, just as it was when I was so fortunate enough

as a young person to go to university, your ability to go to

university is based on your ability to learn, not on your ability to pay

and the SNP will always keep university access free of tuition

fees. We have maintained the number of

police officers on our streets and as a result, we now see crime act at

42 year low. We have restored Council house building and built

more than 60,000 affordable homes across our country. We have

protected people from Tory policies like the Bedroom Tax. We set up a

Scottish welfare fund to protect people from the worst impacts of

Tory cuts to social security. We said world leading climate change

targets and we have met them six years ahead of schedule. We gave

votes to 16 and 17-year-olds for the Scottish parliament and Council

elections. In so many ways, we have made so much progress to be proud

of. Now, I know we're not perfect. We haven't got everything right and

there is so much more work still to do, work to grow our economy, to get

more people into employment and drive up standards in our schools

even further. But we can be proud in Scotland that when it comes to

progressive policies, we are leading the UK. Labour launched its own

manifesto this morning and many of the policies in Labour's manifesto

will seem very familiar in Scotland. Free tuition, an end to the Bedroom

Tax, climate change targets, getting rid of NHS parking charges. They

seem familiar policies in Scotland for a very good reason. The SNP

Government has already delivered all of them in Scotland.

And even the Tories, who spent the past ten years criticising council

house building and criticising free prescriptions, have now changed

their tune, albeit belatedly and with not very much credibility. So

we are making progress and we are leading the UK in progressive

policies. My message today is this - we must resolve to keep Scotland

moving forward and in this election, it is vital that we elect strong SNP

MPs who will stand up for Scotland and protect Scotland's interests at

Westminster. We know the biggest risk to Scotland in the years ahead

is an increasingly hardline Tory Government, intent on more

just on Brexit but the most extreme just on Brexit but the most extreme

form of Brexit possible. So we need to make sure that after this

election is, Scotland's voice is heard loudly and clearly. It is more

important than it has ever been before. And's voice to be heard, for

MPs from Scotland to stand up for Scotland and protect our interest.

So the message is clear, Tory MPs will be rubber-stamped for whatever

Theresa May wants to do. SNP MPs will be there to stand up for

Scotland and protect our interests. The SNP is stronger than Scotland.

We always have been and we always will be. Let's get out there and win

this election the Scotland. CHEERING

I think professional sport is looking strong in Newport at the

moment and I wondered if you would join me in paying tribute to all of

those