LABOUR and the SNP are now desperately wooing the business community in the run-up to the Scottish Election, but the welcome to the private sector to get involved in constitutional debate clashes with the message during the referendum campaign last year.
At that time, high-profile political comments on constitutional change by captains of industry brought outrage and apoplexy from the Labour hierarchy, but last night Devolution Minister Henry McLeish stressed it welcomed such comments, now that they share Labour's criticism of the threat posed by independence.
''A senior figure in the Scottish financial sector, Mr Mike Ross, chief executive of Scottish Widows, said earlier this week that he thought business people should be able to speak out on political matters such as devolution and independence,'' Mr McLeish told the Insurance Society of Edinburgh.
''I would go further than that. Business people should speak out about their aspirations and fears for the new Scotland. Our plans are about devolution, not independence. We aim to strengthen the Union, not weaken it.''
SNP leader Alex Salmond last night told Leith Chamber of Commerce: ''The SNP have a commitment to delivering a competitive advantage for Scottish firms in the new Parliament.''
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