Salmond tells Scotland to rage against the Westminster machine at general election

Alex Salmond yesterday urged voters to “rage” against the Westminster machine at the coming General Election by looking beyond Labour and the Conservatives and backing SNP “national and local champions” to fight for jobs instead.

Launching his party’s election campaign in Edinburgh, the First Minister said picking between Gordon Brown or David Cameron was like choosing between “tweedledumb or tweedledee”. Both planned savage cuts based on a “metropolitan political consensus” which largely ignored Scotland and left families suffering.

“This is the Westminster machine and that is why people are raging: against a system which favours the few and ignores the many; against a way of politics that leaves the people on the outside,” Salmond said.

“I say this to the London parties – there is not going to be business as usual. At this election the people of Scotland will make their voice heard. And they won’t be voting just for politicians. They will be electing local champions.” The SNP leader said it would be “good” to have a hung parliament after the election, giving the SNP and other smaller parties greater influence over policy and spending.