THE General Election is now only 10 weeks away.

 

It offers an opportunity for all Scottish voters - whether you voted Yes or No in the referendum - to make Scotland's voice heard like never before.

Make no mistake, if Scotland votes for Westminster parties, those parties will take that as a green light to take us for granted again.

On the other hand, if Scotland votes SNP, Scottish priorities will be forced on to the Westminster agenda.

If there is a Labour government, SNP MPs will be able to hold it to account and make sure it doesn't get away with implementing Tory policies.

And if votes in England mean that there is a Tory government, SNP MPs will be there to stand up for and protect Scotland's interests.

Either way, a strong SNP team at Westminster means that Scotland is in a stronger position.

And the Labour line that you have to vote Labour to keep out the Tories simply doesn't stand up to any scrutiny.

It's what they said last time - and back then, Scotland did vote Labour but we still ended up with the Tories.

And then, to add insult to injury, Labour went into partnership with the Tories in the referendum campaign.

The fact is that the SNP will never prop up the Tories - but we will always stand up for Scotland.

And one of the arguments we will take to Westminster is that it is time for a clear alternative to austerity.

Westminster cuts are hitting the poorest 10% of the population hardest - women and the disabled are being particularly penalised. And to make matters even worse, the justification the UK government gives for the cuts - that they are needed to reduce the deficit - is wide of the mark.

George Osborne said his austerity would lead to a £6billion surplus next year - but instead he will face a £49billion deficit.

So austerity - as well as causing real human misery - is failing on its own terms.

Last week, I set out an alternative.

I explained how - with modest increases in public spending over the next few years instead of cuts - we could still see debt fall as a proportion of our economy whilst freeing up resources to invest in public services, infrastructure and protecting the vulnerable.

There was a time when Labour would have made this progressive case but not any more - just a few weeks ago, Labour actually voted with the Tories for a further £30billion of cuts over the next couple of years.

So with a Labour Party that sides with the Tories on austerity, the case is even stronger for sending a strong team of SNP MPs to Westminster - it is the only way that we will make sure Scotland is heard and that progressive policies are given priority.

LATER this week, I will mark my 100th day as First Minister.

There is no doubt that the last 100 days have been the proudest of my life - and also the hardest working.

Being FM brings daily challenges - the hours are long and the stresses and strains of office are never far away.

But all of that is massively outweighed by the enormous privilege of being First Minister - and the first woman to hold the office - and having the opportunity to help change our country for the better.

I've already made clear the priority I attach to tackling poverty and inequality - which is exactly why I believe it is so important to challenge the Westminster obsession with austerity.

This week I'll be talking about how we can improve education further, tackle the attainment gap in our schools and open up even more opportunities for young people, from more childcare, through to apprenticeships and protecting free university education.

Achieving greater equality also means shattering the glass ceiling.

I was very proud, on just my second day in office, to appoint a gender balanced cabinet - one of only three in the developed world.

But gender equality means ensuring opportunity for women and girls in all walks of life and that remains very important to me.

Protecting public services will also be a daily priority for me.

Our NHS faces challenges - when has it not - but my government will always do everything we can to support it.

When I became FM, I promised to do the job to the very best of my ability.

That's what I've done for these first 100 days - and it's what I will continue to do each and every day I am privileged to hold office.