The Scottish National Party's leader has accused Labour and the Conservatives of fighting a "phoney war".
Speaking at the launch of the SNP's election campaign in Edinburgh, Alex Salmond, who is first minister of Scotland, said both main parties are offering a "decade of despair" and a "savage cuts agenda".
"It is less than a week since the starting gun was fired for the general election," he said.
"But already it has become clear that Labour and Tory intend to fight a phoney war - if they are allowed to get away with it they intend to conduct an entire campaign on a charade.
"The chancellor has already blurted out that he plans public spending cuts which are 'deeper and tougher' than those of Margaret Thatcher.
"Meanwhile, the Tories back that approach but want the process to start earlier and are planning a specific 'Cameron Cut' aimed at Scotland."
He claimed Labour budget forecasts "suggest £30 billion of cuts in Scottish expenditure over the next 15 years".
Salmond, who is retiring after 23 years as an MP to concentrate on Scottish domestic politics, claimed his party offered a "positive vision".
The SNP's main campaign themes will be the need for independence from the UK, "the danger of the London cuts agenda, the need for local champions, the need to foster a green economic boom, and the party's alliance with Plaid Cymru".
He pledged to break up "the cosy Westminster consensus on cuts".
"There is no justification for an approach that puts vanity projects like Trident and its replacement before the education, the health and the safety of the people of our nation," he said.
"At Westminster we will work in partnership with Plaid Cymru, the party of Wales, to secure the best possible deal for our nations.
"To win key concessions on funding, jobs and the economy.
"We will use our influence at Westminster to give our nation and our people responsibility for our own destiny and our own success.
"It is only with the full responsibilities of independence, with the ability to harness Scotland's resources for Scotland's communities, that we will deliver the richer, fairer, more successful nation we all know Scotland can be."
