Team Labour

Scottish Labour today launched our manifesto for the elections on 4th June with a strong focus on the economy and jobs. We will continue to give real support to the many, not just a privileged few, to get through the economic downturn.

The SNP have no influence in Europe and the Tories are choosing to isolate themselves from mainstream centre-right parties. After 15 years as a policy-maker in the European Commission, I cannot think of any policy area in which the separatists can claim to have made a difference. Tory isolationism has also been criticised by centre right Prime Ministers in Germany and Sweden ... and by the leading Scottish Conservative MEP himself.

By contrast, Labour is part of one of the largest groupings in the European Parliament, the Party of European Socialists. As part of this family of sister parties, Labour has delivered real improvements in recent years. A handy list of 100 Labour achievements in Europe is available here http://www.scottishlabour.org.uk/100things

Team Labour was also very much in evidence during and after our launch today when candidates and party members spread out across Scotland to take our message to voters.

In Fallin David Martin and I were accompanied by Jim Murphy, Secretary of State for Scotland, Anne McGuire MP and Richard Simpson MSP ... evidence of Team Labour working together across Europe, Westminister and Holyrood.

As Iain Gray, Labour leader in the Scottish Parliament, said at the launch today, there is no division of responsibility for getting out of recession, because there are no Scotland-only solutions. We have to work together across the UK and across Europe. At times like this, we should be working together, not pulling apart. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8054532.stm.

Click here to download a copy of the manifesto, or log on to http://www.scottishlabour.org.uk/euro2009 for information about the campaign.