Scottish Liberal Democrats won’t reach for the moon, but it is ready to strike a deal

Before the general election, when Anas Sarwar was polling to become the next first minister, the suggestion that Alex Cole-Hamilton may be his deputy felt like a very real possibility.  

And while the polls have swung away from that, there is still an outsiders chance that if the Liberal Democrats can take enough seats from the SNP in places like the Highlands and the Lothians, and the Labour can secure enough seats in the Central Belt, that there may not be a majority to elect John Swinney as first minister, even with help from the Scottish Greens.  

And with that in mind, the Scottish Liberal Democrats set out its manifesto this morning – the last of the major parties to do so.  

There are few surprises within the 97-page document, which states that fairness is “at the heart”. Cole-Hamilton and election chair Wendy Chamberlain have been strong throughout the campaign on areas such as health. But as for new announcements on the day, there wasn’t much that hadn’t already been saidduring the campaign. 

After Cole-Hamilton made a frangipane and peach cake (a nice touch) and delivered his speech, one journalist asked colleagues if they had seen anything significant as they waited to speak to the party leader. Attention was drawn to page 76, where the Liberal Democrats are calling for a ban on the sale of rhododendron ponticum, which caused a bit of laughter, but we were later reliably informed it is an invasive species wreaking havoc on Scotland’s rainforests in places like Argyll by the “architect of the manifesto”, James Parry.   

It is a manifesto designed to work with others, one that focuses on improving health and social care, with commitments that include an additional 900 skilled staff to work in GP services, which the Lib Dems say will remove the strain on the service and bring about quicker diagnoses and reduce waits.  

Cole-Hamilton confirmed that this initiative will not be up and running straight away, and that most of these workers would be newly trained professionals and those already working in the private sector. He said they will work with health boards to understand what is needed.  

The manifesto also includes a pledge for community-based mental health services. Speaking to the media after the speech, he confirmed the Lib Dems want to see specific mental health walk-in centres, citing that a third of GP appointments are due to an underlying mental health problem.  

He also raised the Royal College of GPs’ scepticism over the SNP’s flagship GP walk-in centre policy. He argued that it will not bring down the waits, and ultimately, his plan resembles more what Scottish Labour says it will do if it is able to form a government after the election. 

On tax, once the economy permits, the Liberal Democrats would like to see a reduction. The manifesto states the party will support fair taxation to fund public services, “recognising the cost-of-living crisis, and the impact tax rises have on individuals and businesses”. Where funds are available, its priorities will be to lift tax thresholds in line with inflation and begin to close the tax differential with England. It will also take up the offer from the Hunter Foundation to fund a specialist team to investigate both the impacts of the current system and to develop a new system that will increase the tax take. 

Ultimately, it is a sensible manifesto that offers practical suggestions, particularly for how to improve the health service. It gives the party a practical basis to strike a deal, most favourably with Labour, but don’t rule out budget deals with the SNP. 

Cole-Hamilton admitted that he has not “reached for the moon” with this manifesto, but he says it is a serious, deliverable offering, and the party knows how it is going to pay for it. He also said it works in all contexts, whether doing a deal as a part of a government or doing deals on future budgets. “This will be our due north for the next five years,” he said.