The SNP launched their manifesto for the forthcoming election to the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh today. 1,400 party members gathered for morning worship at the Edinburgh International conference Centre. Members of the media were forced to wear security bracelets emblazoned with the slogan “I’m with Nicola” which, given the contempt with which many nationalists view the press, was a nice touch.
Your correspondent was not present, partly because he had forgotten the manifesto launch was taking place today but chiefly because none of it mattered in the slightest. The SNP don’t need a manifesto to win this election. They are the masters now and there’s nothing they or their opponents can do about it.
Still, the SNP really is unlike other parties. Despite its swollen size – more than a hundred thousand members – it still has a family feel. The members are part of something bigger than themselves and, more to the point, feel a greater degree of ownership than is the case in other parties.
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