A former first minister for Scotland has claimed that an SNP sweep of general election seats would be “very dangerous for democracy”.
Lord Jack McConnell said on a campaign visit to Aberdeen that the surge in support for the Nationalists would be unhealthy with uncertainty over how many MPs would vote.
Polls have consistently shown that the political landscape in Scotland is poised to change dramatically on Thursday with a massive shift in power from Labour to the SNP.
One survey last week carried out by Ipsos-Mori for STV suggested that the SNP could even claim every seat in Scotland.
Yesterday, Lord McConnell, who was first minister from 2001-2007 insisted it was “all to play for” over the next three days as Labour tries to hold onto 41 constituencies across Scotland, including Aberdeen South and Aberdeen North.
But he sounded a note of caution over the prospect of a dominant SNP group at Westminster.
He said: “If there is a big group of SNP MPs, nobody knows how they are going to vote on different issues.
“They have come under no scrutiny, they have no detailed policy package for parliament at Westminster, so there is going to be uncertainty about how they will vote.
“And do people really want a big group of Scottish MPs that we don’t know, that we really don’t know, how they are going to vote. And the other thing is, that for people in this city, which has always had some great contests, Aberdeen South in particular is a great marker for what is happening nationally, I think people should reflect on, is do they really want every MP in Scotland coming from the same party?
“That’s not healthy for Scottish democracy at all. So I would urge people who maybe have always voted for the same party in the past to think about how we need a mixture of MPs from Scotland, and not over 50 MPs coming from the same party.
“That would be very dangerous for Scottish democracy for that to happen.”
Kirsty Blackman, SNP candidate in Aberdeen North, responded: “Lord McConnell is simply wrong, and to be lectured about democracy by an unelected peer takes the biscuit.
“SNP candidates the length and breadth of the country are standing on a detailed manifesto to end austerity and increase spending by a modest 0.5 percent in real terms so that we can, among other things, invest more in our NHS.
“The opportunity for people in the North East and throughout Scotland is to unite and for vote SNP MPs to make Scotland’s presence stronger than ever before at Westminster, and help deliver progressive politics for the whole UK.”
Labour is fielding north-east MSP Richard Baker in Aberdeen North. The Liberal Democrat candidate is Euan Davidson, while Sanjoy Sen is standing for the Conservatives, Christopher Willet for the National Front and Tyrinne Rutherford for the TUSC.