SALMOND BACKS ALBA’S CHARLIE ABEL AS “THE ONLY CANDIDATE WHO CAN BE TRUSTED BY OIL AND GAS WORKERS”
Former First Minister, Alex Salmond, has backed ALBA election candidate Charlie Abel in Aberdeen North as “the only candidate who can be trusted by oil and gas workers”
The ALBA leader said in a campaigning visit to Aberdeen Harbour;
"The stance of all the established Westminster parties towards oil and gas is a disgrace and each one of them would leave oil and gas workers in the lurch. Labour, Tory and SNP are the three masters of disaster as far as energy jobs are concerned.
"The biggest threat comes from Labour whose proposals of no more oil and gas licenses and slashing tax allowances, will put at risk 100,000 of the 200,000 direct and indirect oil and gas jobs across the UK. That means tens of thousands of job losses in the North East of Scotland under threat from Labour.
"Meanwhile the Tories have taxed the industry to the hilt and used the proceeds to fund their proposed personal tax cuts for their rich backers. They have dillied and dallied on carbon capture and wasted ten years on this planet-saving technology. In their years in office at Westminster, they have ransacked hundreds of billions of Scottish resources and not even offered the crumbs from the table in return.
"Meanwhile the SNP have flipped and flopped on oil, firstly backing a “presumption against oilfield development” under pressure from the Greens, and then hiding their position under pressure from the voters. It is a sad day when the Party which rose to prominence on the clarion call “It’s Scotland’s Oil” simply cannot be trusted with the livelihoods of oil and gas workers.
"Only ALBA have maintained a position which reconciles future North Sea development with the future of the planet. We say let oilfield development continue with a specific licence commitment to carbon capture investment.
"In this way we can sustain oil and gas jobs, accelerate the carbon capture network and develop Scotland’s deep offshore wind energy. Energy jobs can boom in Aberdeen for decades to come with ALBA’s proposals or be sacrificed and jeopardised by these three useless and ungrateful established political parties.
"In the North East of Scotland only ALBA’s Charlie Abel can be trusted to defend the livelihoods of all energy workers.”
ALBA candidate from Aberdeen North, Charlie Abel added;
"My election campaign has been about three themes. Independence for Scotland, sustaining the jobs of oil and gas workers and defending the rights of women and girls.
"The clarity of ALBA’s position on these key issues has enabled us to gain ground in Aberdeen North. ALBA is the party who can be trusted to use the wealth of Scotland’s resources for the benefit of Scotland’s people.”