The SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon arrived as scheduled at 4.30 in the open area outside the Malmaison Hotel in Leith. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and the mood reflected the weather.
She was introduced to the waiting crowd of several hundred by the local candidate Deidre Brock to a loud cheer.
The audience was made up of SNP supporters and so she was preaching to the converted, but it was her last effort before the General Election to sway anyone who is still swithering about who to vote for.
She spoke for 8 minutes without notes and then spent about double that time trying to leave again.
During her speech she said : “What a pleasure it is to be here in Edinburgh North and Leith on this beautiful sunshine with our fabulous candidate, the wonderful Deidre Brock.
“I want to begin today with a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you and to the tens of thousands of activists across our country who have worked so hard in good weather and in bad.
“Tomorrow we have the opportunity to send a positive message about the kind of country that we want Scotland to be, a fair country, a prosperous country, an open and outward looking country. Let us stake a claim to that country when we vote tomorrow.
“Tomorrow we have another opportunity, We have the opportunity to stop the Tories in their tracks. You know it seems a long time ago does it not that Theresa May stood on the steps of Downing Street and called this unnecessary election. She arrogantly thought that all she had to do in this campaign was say ‘strong and stable’ over and over and over again and that she would steamroller everyone aside, brush the opposition aside and cruise to a landslide victory. Well I’ll bet she’s regretting that now.
“Over these past few weeks what we have seen is not a Prime Minister who is strong and stable but instead a Tory Prime Minister who is weak and evasive. A Tory Prime Minister standing on a manifesto that offers tax cuts for the richest but just cuts for everyone else. A manifesto that will take the hard won benefits of pensioners away, a manifesto that offers only more cuts in our vital public services. A manifesto that will deliver another £9 billion of cuts and support to the lowest income earners in our society and push one million children across the UK into poverty.
“Those Tory priorities are wrong. As more and more people have seen the Tories for what they are in this election the less they have liked what they are watching.”
Everyone wanted a selfie with her and everyone wanted a hug or to tell her that they loved her or wanted to speak with her.
Yes they were all supporters, but if that translates into votes across Scotland then is there a chance of the SNP regaining their record 56 seats from the last General Election?
Well if they don’t it will not be for the want of trying on their leader’s part. Her boundless energy and enthusiasm has been admired by many on all sides during the short seven week campaign. So even if you don’t agree with her politics you might admire her work ethic!
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
