GE2015: Conversations with the candidates

THE 2015 general election is around the corner. It is unlike any general election this country has ever seen.

Eight months after losing the independence referendum, if the polls are to be believed, the SNP look set to make sweeping gains across Scotland, wiping out any chance of a majority Labour government.

Across the UK, support for the Liberal Democrats has shrunk ever since they joined the Tory Party in coalition five years ago and became associated with an austerity programme seen by many to have unfairly hit the poor hardest of all.

The northern isles are the Liberal Democrats’ greatest stronghold. The party has won the seat comfortably for the past 65 years, but recent polls suggest even this Liberal enclave could be under threat from the nationalist surge. No one is prepared to predict how islanders will end up voting on the day.

Shetland News, with help from Ronas Media, interviewed four of the five candidates contesting the Shetland and Orkney constituency during a recent visit to Brae for the high school hustings. Unfortunately UKIP’s Robert Smith was unable to make it to the islands to be interviewed on camera due to work commitments as a fisherman.

We hope this introduction to the candidates will help you decide how to use your democratic vote on 7 May.

Enjoy!