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Senior Scottish figures from the main political parties have clashed on the economy in a live television debate.SNP leader Alex Salmond and Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy went head-to-head on issues such as jobs, banking and the future of public spending.
The Tory and Lib Dem Scottish affairs spokesmen, David Mundell and Alistair Carmichael, also took part in the event, hosted by Sky TV.
Tax and civil liberties also featured in the 90-minute programme.
Mr Salmond, the Scottish first minister, used the debate, at The Hub in Edinburgh, to blame the three "London parties" for looming public spending cuts on Scotland.
'At crossroads'
Urging voters to elect local and national SNP "champions" on 6 May, he said: "The issue as this campaign reaches its climax is trying to provide an alternative to that miserable spectre of the London-based parties.
"I think that alternative is to, yes have government efficiencies and junk the things that don't matter, but to get the economy growing."
Mr Murphy presented the election as a clear choice between Gordon Brown or David Cameron as prime minister, and backed the creation of high-tech jobs for Scotland and a fair reduction of the deficit.
"We're at a crossroads," he said, adding: "We can either continue away from this recession with Labour or we can go back to the old divisions of the 1980s of the Tory party - 15% interest rates, mass unemployment - and who can ever forget the poll tax in Scotland."
But Mr Mundell accused the Scottish secretary of living and fighting "the battles of the past" and said the Tories had the right policies to support economic recovery.
He went on: "This election is about the future. It's about whether we have five more years of the same with Labour, or we have change which only the Conservatives can deliver."
Audience reaction
Mr Carmichael argued Labour and the Conservatives no longer had the election "all sewn up", as he said they had done in the past.
Appealing to disgruntled Labour voters, he said: "After 13 years, Labour has let Scotland down.
"They allowed the banks to trash our economy, they've eroded our freedoms and they sent our troops, and some to die, in an illegal war in Iraq.
"They've let you down and they take Scotland for granted."
The rules for the Scottish TV debate, hosted by Sky political editor Adam Boulton, were less rigid than those agreed for the main prime ministerial debates, with the four participants allowed to freely debate with each other, while the audience was also allowed to react to their comments.This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.