By G.A.Ponsonby 
More than half of Scots believe that the SNP has done a good job of governing Scotland, a YouGov poll has revealed today.
Commissioned by the Scotsman newspaper the poll showed that 57% of Scots were happy with the performance of Alex Salmond’s party over the last four years compared to only 17% who were disappointed.
The poll was welcomed by the Deputy First Minister and SNP Depute Leader Nicola Sturgeon who said:
“This election is about Scotland, and by a factor of over three-to-one the poll shows that people want to re-elect the SNP Government on the basis of our positive record – including freezing the Council Tax, delivering 1,000 more police officers, and protecting the health budget – as well as our team and vision for Scotland.
“Only by giving both votes to the SNP on Thursday can people achieve the continued five-year Council Tax freeze, the maintenance of the 1,000 extra police, and protection of the NHS budget.”
The poll also indicated that Scots see the SNP as the party to stand up for Scottish interests against Westminster with 50% choosing Alex Salmond’s SNP compared to only 31% who believed Iain Gray’s Labour party were the most effective.
Nicola Sturgeon added:
“The figures are extremely positive, demonstrating that people trust the SNP, not Labour, to stand up for Scotland – underlining the ineptitude of Labour’s negative campaign, which is further damaged by Ed Miliband’s recognition that the SNP Government fight for Scottish interests against a Tory-led UK Government.”
Speaking on the BBC’s Politics Show yesterday, Labour leader Ed Miliband admitted the party was facing “a tough fight” in Scotland. He said: “The reason we’re in a tough fight is that you’ve got two parties who are fighting against a Conservative-led government in London, and I think lots of people are leaving the Conservatives, leaving the Liberal Democrats and are looking for a new home.”
YouGov interviewed a sample of 1,108 adults between 26-29 April
* Has the SNP done a good or bad job of running Scotland
- Very good: 17%
- Fairly good: 40%
- TOTAL GOOD: 57%
- Neither good nor bad: 22%
- Fairly bad: 11%
- Very bad: 6%
- TOTAL BAD: 17%
- Don’t know: 5%
* Which party would best defend Scottish interests when dealing with Westminster:
- SNP: 50%
- Lab: 31%
- Don’t know: 19%
