SNP starts videopodcasting as 6 month election countdown begins

The Scottish National Party (SNP) are launching a campaign to target 25-50 year old voters, the most favourably inclined toward 'independence' for Scotland according to the SNP's own research, by means of podcasting. You can watch the first effort, by SNP Leader Alex Salmond here.

It won't surprise regular readers of this blog to know that I disagree with the basic policy of the SNP, nor that I disagree with almost every word Mr Salmond utters in his podcast, but it is certainly true that it is slickly put together and presented and will undoubtedly find a ready audience amongst those of the target audience already inclined to believe the messages of this snake-oil salesman.

Those political parties interested in maintaining the Union of Scotland with England and the rest of the UK need to get their act together if they are to combat effectively the possibility of the SNP making real gains in the May 2007 Scottish Parliament elections. It is true that the Conservative Leader, David Cameron, already has his webcameron podcast site, but apart from the fact that he has wonderful Scottish name (well, he would say that, wouldn't he! - Ed.), his impact in Scotland so far has been less than stellar, although perhaps not entirely negligible. Both the Conservatives in Scotland and dare I say it the other Parties interested in maintaining the UK (Labour, LibDem) really do need to get their acts together. Not that I believe much of the 'hype' of the past several weeks about the electoral prospects of the SNP next May, but we cannot afford to take the risk that the outcome the day after the election is over is the one the SNP is hoping for - it'll be too late to undo the damage then.