Russell Findlay says last night’s hostile audience reaction to an SNP minister proves the public can see through John Swinney’s “sleekit betrayal” of oil and gas workers.
At the BBC’s Question Time in Aberdeen, Mairi McAllan – covering for Swinney, who was the only party leader not to take part – was met with anger and ridicule as she sought to defend the Nationalists’ position on North Sea drilling.
The Scottish Conservative leader says Swinney tried to dupe voters into thinking he had softened his opposition at the start of the election campaign when the SNP’s policy – a presumption against new oil and gas projects – remained unchanged.
One furious oil worker in the audience said: “The SNP are not fighting our corner. You’re wishy-washy – half-in, half-out. It’s nonsense.”
Another said: “Jobs are going out of Aberdeen by the thousands at the moment, and people are employed in Norway, and they’re taking all the revenue that we could be generating here.”
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said: “Labour’s Ed Miliband wielded the knife on Scottish oil and gas by embracing the SNP’s long-standing opposition to new drilling in the North Sea.
“Weeks out from the election, Dishonest John tried to pretend that the SNP had changed its position.
“But he was too feart to face the people of north east Scotland because they can see right through the sleekit SNP’s betrayal of our world-leading oil and gas industry.
“Swinney’s stand-in at Question Time confirmed that the SNP are still betraying workers by refusing to back new drilling.
“The Scottish Conservatives would maximise North Sea extraction to boost our economy and for energy security, which is why voters across Scotland should back us on their peach ballot paper.”