FIRST Minister Alex Salmond today hailed "dramatic" poll findings which suggest the SNP has overtaken Labour in voting intentions in Scotland for a Westminster general election.
The findings came as a boost to the SNP campaign in the Glasgow East by-election where Mr Salmond repeated his claim that a political "earthquake" was in the making.
"I think the ground is starting to tremble and shudder, I think the earthquake is
on the way," said Mr Salmond as he visited a Tesco supermarket in the Shettleston part of the constituency.
The YouGov poll for the Daily Telegraph put the SNP at 33% to Labour's 29% in Westminster voting intentions, the first time this has happened.
The Tories are running at 20% and the Lib Dems at 14%.
The same poll puts support for independence Scottish at 36%, compared to 48% against.
Other findings highlighted by the SNP from the poll were that 49% of Scots want the SNP to win in Glasgow East, compared to only 33% who favour Labour.
Mr Salmond said: "It's good to know that Scotland is cheering on the SNP in this by-election."
But Labour said today: "We are concentrating on the Glasgow East by-election.
"Interesting though this poll is on the views of Scots on issues such as independence and applying UK immigration laws north of the border, this Scotland-wide poll tells us very little about the views of people in the East End."
Mr Salmond's supermarket visit was intended to hammer home the SNP view that the cost of living was a dominant feature of the campaign.
He said: "A lot of folk want to use this by-election to force action from the Westminster Government right now on the things that concern people as they shop, travel and try to heat their homes.
"That is a perfectly reasonable thing for the folk of Glasgow East to want to do."
Mr Salmond said he would not be surprised to see "some movement" from Prime Minister Gordon Brown to ease living costs in a "desperate" attempt to save the seat where Labour is defending a 13,500 majority.
"If that happens when we are in the run-up to a by-election, just think what happens when we get the earthquake of (SNP candidate) John Mason taking one of the safest Labour seats in the country," he said.
Mr Salmond accompanied Mr Mason as the pair toured the aisles and selected items of Scottish produce for their trolley. The bill came to £20.88 for strawberries, milk, mushrooms, salmon, oatcakes, a macaroon bar, butter, steak and a cool bag.
But the visit drew a varied response from shoppers.
Adam Miller, 19, a student from Sandyhills in the constituency, asked Mr Salmond how he could join the SNP.
"I want Scotland to govern itself because I don't like the way we have to pay taxes to Westminster and they give us back a block amount of money and make out as if we were stealing money from the English taxpayers," said Mr Miller.
Another shopper, Janet Watt, 77, from Uddingston, outside the constituency, said: "I'm Tory right through to my great-grandfather.
"I don't think Scotland can stand alone and I don't want to see the country separated – no separation."
A young married couple who did not meet Mr Salmond were scathing in their condemnation of all politicians.
John Dolan, 30, from Garrowhill, was shopping with Fiona McWilliam, 27, and their son John, 16 months.
Ms McWilliam declared after the SNP posse passed by: "Shake his hand? I would have spat on him. They are an absolute joke – they are not interested."
She complained that politicians of all varieties ignored working couples and concentrated only on those living on benefits.
"If you work you get nothing. It's an absolute joke," she said.
"They all go about in their big flash cars – they can afford the fuel crisis.
"They don't buy food at the supermarket – they go to restaurants, they get everything, we get nothing."
And she pointed out the £16 cost of two packs of disposable nappies in her trolley.
Her husband said: "We will never vote for anybody, because there is nobody for us.
"I'm a mechanic and I sometimes have to work 72 hours a week and sometimes I'm left with nothing.
"See these clothes? I've had these clothes for years because I spend it all on my boy. Everybody else gets everything for nothing."
The full article contains 752 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
