BBC Sounds.

You're listening to BBC Scotland.

Hello, you're listening to Podlitical, BBC Scotland's politics podcast.

I'm Martin Geisler, a presenter based in Glasgow.

I'm the host of the Sunday show,

where I've been interviewing the party leaders who want your vote in the general election on July

4th. So, how are they planning to get it? Today, I've been speaking to Scotland's first

minister and SNP leader, John Swinney. I asked him about Scottish independence, taxation,

and what exactly makes a mandate for a referendum?

His party are coming into this general election

off the back of what he himself described as a rough time.

They're offering voters a new chapter.

There are calls for more powers for the Scottish Parliament

and, eventually eventually they hope

full independence for Scotland. But given they've been in power in Holyrood for 17 years,

how's that message landing with the voters?

John Swinney joins me this morning. Good morning. Welcome to the Sunday show.

Morning, Martin. You rolled out a shiny new battle bus on

Friday. Your face emblazoned across the side of it in all its glory. All very nice. But you did

this six days before the end of a six-week campaign. What does that say about the state of your party,

its finance? We're a long way, aren't we, from the days of adulation and a packed out hydro and helicopters flying around the country?

Well, what it says is that we deploy our resources at the right time to make the maximum effect on the election outcome.

...