The statement made by Liz Truss on 10 October 2022.
The appalling attacks on civilian areas in Kyiv and elsewhere are a clear sign of Putin’s desperation. Ukrainians are succeeding, and Britain will stand right behind them as we continue to provide vital military aid in Ukraine’s fight for freedom.
The speech made by Keith Brown on 8 October 2022.
Delegates, members, friends,
Welcome to the 88th Annual National Conference.
It’s been too long since we last gathered in person as the SNP family. To rekindle life-long friendships and to forge new ones, to share stories old and new, and to fondly remember absent friends.
In the darkest days of the pandemic, moments like this seemed a distant prospect but here we are – and it’s fabulous to be back.
It is particularly great to be back here in the fantastic city of Aberdee. And friends, after too many years of a shoddy Labour-Tory coalition, it is now SNP-run Aberdeen.
Friends, as life continues its return to normality, I’d like to pay tribute to those whose tireless work and selfless commitment has brought us to this moment.
The NHS staff, care workers, the police, prison and emergency services, all the key workers and our fantastic colleagues working in vital council services across Scotland.
We can all have faith that those on whom we relied during the last two difficult years will continue to give of their best to protect us and our loved ones.
I’m sure you will all join me in saying to each and every one of them a heartfelt “Thank you”.
Friends, much has changed since we last met three years ago in this very hall. Not least the recent passing of the crown from Queen Elizabeth to King Charles. It was a significant moment in the life of these islands.
And since we last met, the world of politics has been changing too.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has seen off three – and is now on to her fourth – Tory Prime Minister.
And, given how Liz Truss has started, her party is already turning on her and it won’t be long until they force her out, too.
Conference, what we are witnessing now is a Westminster Government tearing apart the fabric of Britain.
After the catastrophe that was Boris Johnson’s time in office, Scotland heaved a collective sigh of relief. But Liz Truss has delivered more chaos and confusion than even the most pessimistic prediction.
In less than a month, she has tanked the economy; risked the pensions of millions; scrapped the cap on bankers’ bonuses; announced then u-turned on income tax cuts for the rich; created a debt crisis; and showed the world she is singularly unfit for the job.
The chaos she has created is no surprise.
The only people who ever believed she was fit for Number 10 were the few thousand Tory members who put her there.
We all knew different. The evidence was clear to see. She has been a Tory Government Minister for a decade, serving under Cameron, May and Johnson.
From austerity to Brexit, she’s been complicit in inflicting the worst Tory policies on the people of this country.
It is a sobering thought indeed, that when the history of 2022 is written, it will record that Boris Johnson was not even the worst Prime Minister this year.
What is clear is that Liz Truss is a symptom of the dysfunction at Westminster – not the cause. The very fact that she and her policy agenda was deemed acceptable to enter Downing Street in the first place speaks volumes.
And, conference, as bad as the Tories are – and they are atrocious – any suggestion that a Labour Westminster government will be better for Scotland is simply laughable.
Keir Starmer is just another Tony Blair.
Under Starmer, the Labour Party is as Trumpian as the Tories in their denial of Scottish democracy.
It is an incontrovertible fact that the SNP has a cast-iron mandate to hold an independence referendum.
But Labour always side with the Tories to protect Westminster control – no matter how high a price the people of Scotland pay.
Labour supports the deeply damaging Brexit that Scotland did not vote for. I repeat, Labour supports Brexit, and stands against any Scottish aspiration for our country to re-join the European family of Nations.
And never forget, never forgive that, in 2014, it was Labour who championed the Better Together message that only a No vote would deliver economic stability.
It seems absurd now, but that’s what Labour promised.
They can’t be trusted with our future. And we know through the bitter lessons of history that Labour are only ever the handmaidens of more Tory rule.
If they get into power, they are soon turfed out by the Tories. It’s a pattern repeated time after time after time.
Conference, Scotland must be in no doubt, independence is the only way to get rid of the Tories for good.
Your homes, your pensions, your incomes are not safe under Westminster control. It is a price that Scotland can no longer afford to pay.
Friends, there is however, some much needed good news.
What has remained constant during this period of unprecedented change is the SNP’s continued dominance of Scottish politics, and our undiminished desire for independence.
And with the whole Westminster system quite clearly broken beyond repair, the need has never been more pressing to deliver that wealthier, happier, and fairer Scotland that independence will bring.
Friends, last year we witnessed a historically significant Scottish Parliament election.
While we will never take the Scottish electorate for granted, it is worth re-stating the magnitude of that 2021 victory for a party which has now been in power for 15 years.
And earlier this year the electorate renewed that trust at local level, too, when we gained seats and maintained our position as by far the largest party in local government, winning 37 per cent of all seats. And you, in this hall, played a crucial role in both these results.
Your incredible dedication helped deliver a historic fourth term for the SNP. Secured Nicola Sturgeon as our First Minister and renewed our mandate for a new independence referendum.
The people of Scotland continue to put their trust in us to govern – as demonstrated so conclusively by every recent opinion poll. Despite how hard the opposition tries, our independence movement will not be wished away.
Regardless of how hard Labour and the Tories try to deny reality, the sovereign will of the Scottish people will not be denied.
So, friends, we gather this weekend in great shape – but also with renewed resolve.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the staff across the party who have worked so hard to put this conference together.
Over the weekend we will have speeches from Deputy First Minister John Swinney and our Westminster Leader Ian Blackford.
Our agenda is packed full of Resolutions, and we look forward to lively debate across the coming days.
We will hear from Angus Robertson and campaign director Michael Russell. And conference will end on a high with the keynote address from our leader, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
Conference, the momentum is with us and we must capitalise on that momentum now.
That is why the Scottish Government has started publishing a series of papers which, when taken together, will provide an updated and detailed prospectus for independence.
These new government papers will be essential to help voters make their fully informed choice. Party HQ has already used these papers to create videos, graphics and printed literature for you to share.
There will be no shortage of campaigning material, of that you can be sure.
And there is more. Today it gives me great pleasure to reveal a significant new campaigning initiative:
Conference, the SNP is entering the broadcasting arena.
We will soon launch a brand new broadcast platform, with the first episode of this brand new show covering the debate over Scotland’s future.
We will bring you familiar and new voices to discuss the big issues surrounding the case for independence. So please, keep your eyes peeled online and in your email inbox for more details on this exciting development to be announced very soon.
This new venture will bring to life our vision of a better, fairer, more sustainable Scotland.
Our ambitions are matched only by the commitment of you, our members and activists, whose hard work pounding the streets will turn ambition into reality – home by home by home.
The pandemic and now the cost-of-living crisis has shown everyone what really matters.
As we look to the future, we continue to urge the people of Scotland to think about what kind of country they want to live in.
Who is best placed to make decisions affecting their lives?
Who is most committed to making Scotland a fairer, more prosperous nation and tackling key issues like the cost of living?
Who will deliver a wealthier, happier and fairer nation.
Our case for an independent future is one based on optimism and ambition. A belief that the people who live here make better decisions about our lives rather than remaining under the corrosive control of Westminster.
We must deliver a society where no-one needs worry about feeding themselves and their families. Where, as prices continue to rise and rise, no one worries about paying their heating bills during the coming cold months of winter.
We need independence to invest in our bountiful renewable energy resources, the scale of which will be transformational not just for our energy supply but for our whole economy.
Friends, the contrast between Scotland’s two governments has never been so stark, the gulf between our priorities never so wide.
As the Scottish Government’s new independence papers illustrate, Britain is less wealthy, less happy and less equal than so many European countries the same size as us.
We are already being held back by Westminster control and Brexit is making things worse – much, much worse. These are political choices. There are other, better, fairer options.
While Truss’s Tories continue to line the pockets of the wealthy, the SNP is set on an entirely different path.
Our fledgling benefits agency Social Security Scotland is now delivering a wheen of new benefits making a real difference across Scotland.
Consider just one of them – The Scottish Child Payment.
It is perhaps the most significant policy development of my political lifetime, and one for which we should be incredibly proud.
It has been described by anti-poverty campaigners as a game changer, but even that does not capture its true value to those in receipt of this support.
It started out at £10, was doubled to £20 and was raised again to £25 a week. And soon it will be rolled out to every eligible child under 16.
In the current economic storm, it is money that is paying for absolute essentials and keeping entire families from going under.
But as brilliant as the child payment undoubtedly is, it has also exposed the fundamental inadequacies of the devolution settlement.
The child payment is designed to be transformative. It is meant to lift children out of poverty, to combat the poverty-related attainment gap, to give kids from less well-off backgrounds the opportunities their parents were denied.
Now, because of decisions taken by Scotland’s other government, the one at Westminster, the cash which was meant to make a difference is now essential to keep the chill at bay or food on the family table.
It’s why I seethe with frustration at constant opposition calls for the Scottish Government to mitigate against the policies inflicted on Scotland by the Tories.
They can’t see – won’t see – they are failing Scotland’s children by defending the Westminster control that causes so much damage. Mere survival cannot be, must not be, the summit of our ambitions for future generations of Scottish children.
With the full powers of a normal, independent country, Scotland could finally tackle the root causes of poverty.
But to do so we must first break free from the constraints of that Westminster control, where ambition is strangled and opportunity denied to all but the rich.
Friends, we need independence.
Of course, I don’t need to convince you of that. But, working together, we must continue to win over our fellow Scots who are not convinced yet.
And we can convince our fellow Scots that, in an independent Scotland, everyone’s basic needs are met as a right, and are no more at the mercy of Westminster, where wealth and opportunity is reserved for the few.
Every Scot deserves better than this.
And the people in this hall are the people to deliver that better tomorrow.
Because the prize is there for the winning.
Friends, we have work to do.
Thank you.
The speech made by Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Westminster, on 8 October 2022.
Before I start, I just want to pay tribute to the courage of Lesia Vasylenko who we all had the privilege of hearing from earlier.
A remarkable ambassador for her country and someone who gives us all a real sense of the unshakeable spirit of the Ukrainian people.
Today we renew our support for her, for her country and we also renew our opposition to the Russian aggression, occupation, and Illegal annexation of their country.
Today, tomorrow and every day in the future – Scotland stands with the people of Ukraine. And let’s make another thing clear. The international community must not rest until the war criminal Putin is put in front of the Hague where he belongs.
Friends,
I have to say – it really is a joy to be back again at conference.
It feels all the better because this is the first time we have been able to gather together in person since the pandemic changed all of our lives.
And without giving away my age – for old veterans like me, who first joined this party decades ago when we needed far smaller venues to meet – it always remains a sight to behold when we gather in such numbers.
And with that in mind, it is maybe worth taking a moment to remember that since we last met at conference, that strength and support for our party has grown even further.
Let’s remember that in the 2019 Westminster election we secured over 80% of the seats here in Scotland.
In May of this year at the council elections we increased our share of the vote, increased our number of councillors, and became the largest party in even more councils. And friends – most important of all – we won a landslide at last year’s Holyrood election.
Together we secured an independence majority – and with it – the democratic right for the Scottish people to choose our own future.
That record, those results and that success is only possible because of each and every one of you – our activists who bring our vision and our values to every corner of this country.
And we know too, that story of success wouldn’t be possible without the character, the competence and the calm of our party leader, Scotland’s First Minister.
I’m very tempted to call it ‘strong and stable’ leadership.
At a time of such challenge and crisis – let me tell you friends – we are very lucky to have that leadership. We are all lucky to have her.
Because conference, trust me on this – you don’t have to spend too long in Westminster these days to realise what happens when that kind of solid leadership that we have in Scotland in government is literally nowhere to be found in government in Westminster.
My job as your Westminster leader is to stand up here and give you all an update on events in London.
Now in fairness, that’s a hard enough job at the best of times. But honestly this year – especially with the chaos of the last few weeks – I barely know where to start. They say that first impressions are important in any new job.
Well – only a matter of weeks into their new roles, the disastrous duet of Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng have crashed the economy, sent the pound plummeting, put pension funds at risk and caused mayhem for mortgage holders.
The Bank of England are having to spend up to £65 billion to prop up the gilt market, to stop pension funds from folding and all because of the chaos caused by Truss and Kwarteng
The truth is – the new Prime Minister and her new Chancellor have made worst first impression in the history of British politics.
Because the inequality and incompetence of that budget will go down as one of the worst financial interventions in modern history.
By the way – don’t simply take my word for it – just ask the mini-budget’s very newest critic – Douglas Ross.
Ask him quick though – because no doubt he’ll change his mind again before very long. There was at least one Tory who had the inside track on the disarray what would unfold in the last few weeks.
Now this is the first and definitely the last time I will ever quote Rishi Sunak at an SNP conference – but credit where credit is due.
He was right when he warned that the Liz Truss plans were ‘fairytale economics’. But what was once ‘fairytale economics’ to bribe votes from Tory members in the summer has become everyone else’s nightmare this autumn and winter.
Because these aren’t distant decisions on financial markets – the chaos of their choices will impact directly and painfully on ordinary households.
Higher interest rates mean higher mortgage costs, a weaker pound means food and fuel prices will go up even further, and the blinding incompetence of it all will mean a longer and deeper recession.
This Tory incompetence comes with a massive price. And it will be paid for the only way the Tories know how – by cutting public services and pushing more people into poverty.
Already they are gearing up to make real terms cuts to benefits in the middle of this cost-of-living emergency.
And on the very same morning that they finally u-turned on their tax cut for the super-rich, the Tories slipped out the real announcement that they would be slashing public services by £18 billion every year.
The last decade of Tory austerity was only the start.
The Resolution Foundation have predicted that the Chancellor’s choices could mean cuts of £47 billion by the middle of the decade – cuts at least as big as those by the original austerity Chancellor, George Osborne.
It turns out the new Tory plan is the same as the old Tory plan – Austerity 2.0.
So conference, here’s a test for the new Conservative rebels who are magically multiplying by the day.
If they have any sense of morality – if they have any backbone – they will join with us in stopping any real terms cuts to benefits and any return to austerity.
Because their Chancellor – clearly in the depths of denial – even had the cheek to say that the immorality at the heart of his budget was only a ‘distraction’.
But the Scottish people aren’t distracted one little bit – we’ve got the message loud and clear during the shambles of the last few weeks.
As our own Alison Thewliss described it – the Tories are the sole architects of this broke, broken Britain.
Your homes, your pensions, your incomes are not safe under Westminster control.
It is a cost, a risk, a price that Scotland can’t afford to pay any longer.
Because Conference, the reality is that the chaos of the last number of weeks is no exception, it has become the new normal of British politics.
A pattern of constant crisis now defines Westminster. It all started when they boarded that big red Brexit bus in 2016 – and they have been driving towards disaster ever since.
We all thought it would be Boris Johnson who would eventually drive it over the cliff – and in fairness to him, he came pretty close.
But it turns out he has left it to Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng to drive the UK economy over the edge. And the sheer stupidity of their grand plan is becoming clearer – exit the EU only to fall into the arms of the IMF.
Who can forget that these are the same people. who once promised to ‘take back control’.
Well – the last few weeks are the clearest evidence as to just how dangerously they have lost control.
We are now left with the remaining rump of a desperate Tory party – reckless, right-wing, wreckers who should never be allowed anywhere near the privilege of power ever, ever again.
So, let’s make a promise of our own.
Let’s never allow them control over our lives and our future ever again. Not for one term, not even for a decade.
Let’s make sure we win our independence and finally, finally get rid of Tory governments for good.
And conference, when we do finally get rid of them, we know the scale of opportunities that independence will offer. We only have to look at the current context.
Scotland is energy rich – we simply shouldn’t be facing an energy emergency, we shouldn’t have cold homes and soaring bills.
We produce 6 times more gas than we consume and almost 100% of our entire electricity consumption comes from renewables.
This is Scotland’s energy, and it that should serve Scotland’s people. Instead, we are locked into a UK energy market that means the wholesale price of our energy is linked to gas. That needs to change but it will only change with independence.
We need to take the Westminster handbrake off Scotland’s green energy potential.
Yesterday, the Westminster group launched a new report worked on by myself, Stephen Flynn and Alan Brown – mapping out the road ahead and the opportunity before us.
From offshore and onshore wind, hydrogen, solar, tidal and carbon capture, we have a golden opportunity to lead an energy transition that secures net zero, enhances energy security and lowers energy costs for consumers.
By 2050 – through expanding Scotland’s renewable capacity as well as becoming a green hydrogen exporter – we have the chance to pump £34 billion into Scotland’s economy every single year – an investment that will sustain 385 thousand jobs.
This is the new, green revolution that independence offers – it is what Scotland’s future will be built on.
And not just a green energy revolution but the power to build a new green industrial strategy, driving investment and creating jobs.
Delivering that greener, prosperous, fairer Scotland that we all strive for.
But conference, that future is only possible if we choose a different path from Westminster. Because if we don’t – we will be dragged even further in the wrong direction.
There is no better example of that than the B word that barely gets a mention anymore –
And I don’t mean Boris – I mean Brexit.
The vow of silence – the omerta of daring to speak Brexit’s name – needs to finally end.
We need to name it and shame it for the disaster it has been. A disaster for our farmer’s, for our fishing communities, for our young people.
The damage of Brexit will keep on biting unless our country finds its way back into our rightful home in the European Union
And Conference, when it comes to Brexit, I’m afraid I can only think of one sentence more ridiculous than the Tory’s ‘Get Brexit Done’. And that’s Labour’s new slogan – Make Brexit Work.
Never before have so few words made so little sense. The complete conversion of the Labour Party to the Tory hard Brexit party is a betrayal of working people in Scotland and across the UK.
And of course, that’s not all.
As well as pledging their support Brexit, Labour’s other big pledge is never to work with us in the SNP.
The very same Labour party who only a few months ago made a string of backroom deals with the Tories.
But just think about that for a second.
A Labour party happy and hungry to do backroom deals with the Tories but who say they could never work with us.
And why?
Because we happen to believe in our nation’s independence, we happen to believe that our people have the right to choose our own future.
Labour’s position is not just an insult to all of us, it is as much an insult to the many Scottish Labour voters who also believe in independence.
Labour are now a Brexit backing, democracy denying, Tory enabling party. As Keir Starmer himself said at his conference – ‘Don’t forget, don’t forgive.’
Well Keir, I’m very confident the Scottish people never will.
Conference, that newly formed Brexit Together coalition of Labour and Tories carries another major risk.
Just like Internal Market Bill before it, the newly published and so-called ‘Brexit Freedoms’ Bill is another blatant attempt at a power-grab on Scotland’s Parliament.
Time and time again, Brexit is being used as a blunt Westminster tool to systematically pick apart our Parliament’s powers.
Because all of these trojan horse Brexit bills ride roughshod over the devolution settlement. They give UK ministers the power to act within devolved areas without consent from the Scottish Government.
This new power grab also carries the real risk that laws protecting rights and standards – such as holiday pay, parental leave, and the 48-hour work week, as well as good air and water quality – will fall away and disappear.
And all because the Tories are hell bent on getting rid of any law, any right, any protection that have the words European Union in it.
Well in Scotland, we value those laws, those rights and those protections.
We value the European Union. And we will find our path back to where we belong – in Europe – when we achieve our independence.
Friends, getting back to where we belong feels like an appropriate theme this weekend. Because as we gather here, we remember and celebrate the remarkable life of Ian Hamilton – the man who liberated the Scotland’s stone of destiny and brought it home to where it rightfully belongs.
Ian’s life is a rich reminder of those who came before us, those who first blazed the trail for our country’s independence.
His was a life of commitment and full of political purpose.
A life and a vision that stands in such stark contrast to what passes for politics in Whitehall these days.
Because in many ways the constant crisis at Westminster in the last few weeks and over the last number of years stems from the truth that it has no clear path and no clear purpose.
They are leaderless and they are lost. But thankfully for Scotland we no longer have to be bound by their choices and their control.
We now have the chance of a different choice, the choice of a different future. Because we can’t and won’t be shackled to the shambles that Westminster has become.
With independence- we have that clear purpose and a clear path.
The independence papers show the way, they show the opportunity and the future we can build together.
So friends – for Ian Hamilton and for all those who have gone before us, for those of us in Scotland today – and most of all – for future generations.
Let’s finish the job, finish the journey and finally put a finish to Westminster control for good.
Let’s build that greener, wealthier, fairer future.
Let’s build a new Scotland – an independent Scotland.
The speech made by Mike Russell, the President of the SNP, on 9 October 2022.
Fellow delegates, every time in recent years that I have stood here and looked out at Conference- and it is great to be doing so once again – I remember the first ever SNP Conference I attended.
It was in Rothesay in 1983, which means – amazingly – that it is almost 40 years ago. I don’t remember much about what was discussed.
But I do remember that the hall – that great wide hall in the wonderful Rothesay Pavilion that sits alas now only half restored and completely out of use – could be swallowed up in here several times over.
At that time, of course, there was no Scottish Parliament. And in the Westminster the General Election just three months before we had taken only 2 seats. Labour won 41 the Tories 21 , and even the Liberals got 8. We got 2 on 11 % of the vote .
Moreover support for Independence – when it was even measured in the polls, which was rarely if ever – was actually less than that.
Fellow delegates if ever I get a little disheartened by the constant negativity of our opponents .
If ever I get a bit frustrated by some people who claim to be travelling our road, but seem determined only to put obstacles on it.
I think of that conference in Rothesay and I reflect on how far we have come since then.
Once in a while that is the right thing to do.
Forty years on, in the fact of an ever increasing unionist onslaught, driven by fear not of us, but of the people of Scotland , we need sometimes to take stock.
Not to pat ourselves in the back but to give us the energy and the determination to finish the job that those who came before us were determined to see done.
To be a spur and an inspiration to us, helping us to finish the job. Because although this party has achieved much, it still has much to achieve. And if we don’t knuckle down that challenge, then nobody will.
Fellow delegates unlike in 1983, the tools for that job are to hand. Today. Here. Ready to be used.
Angus has already talked about the papers that the Scottish Government – an SNP Scottish Government – is producing that give us the arguments we need about the key issues.
Admittedly our opponents are doing that too – proving to us and the wider world how morally, politically , intellectually and constitutional bankrupt they now are and how there is nothing “great” left in “great Britain”.
Our choice is stark and clear – decline with the UK, or prosper as a normal, small, independent country within the EU.
We know when the choice will made too. If the Supreme Court rules in our favour, it will be on the 19th of October next year.
And it the Supreme Court fails the people of Scotland then we will rise to that challenge too and put our case in the next general election, whenever that is.
The choice that has to be made if Scotland is to escape from the downward spiral of Tory and Labour government exploiting but ignoring Scotland.
And we know what will motivate the people of Scotland when they come to choose.
In August an Ipsos Mori poll identified the key issues for us. The argument that says that “People in Scotland want to take the country in a very different political direction to England” – our argument on the doorsteps day in and day out – was voted by almost 60% of people as being ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ convincing.
58% of our fellow voters thought that “Scotland should be independent because Westminster governments cannot be trusted to act in Scotland’s interests” Our argument every day of the year, and every year I have been in this party.
And 53% agreed that “Scotland should be independent because the UK left the European Union even though Scotland voted to Remain”
An argument I make time and again, fuelled by the experience of fighting against Brexit in Whitehall for five long years.
And the poll even told us where we still had work to do – for example to convince our fellow Scots that our economy will be stronger outside the UK than within it and that jobs would be secure – though even in August opinions was almost tied on the economy and that was before Kwasi Kwarteng tanked the pound.
But best of all fellow delegates we have an unbeatable advantage.The advantage you can see if you just look around you now.
We have the people – a mass movement, not just of the SNP though we are almost 100,000 members stronger than we were eve in 2014.
There is across Scotland a strong YES movement which seeks, in the words of the first American Vice President John Adams to “begin government anew from the foundations and build it as we choose”
A movement of ordinary men and women, drawn from this country and across the globe who want a better country to live in, a fairer, more equitable, kinder and more generous society and who know that choosing independence is the only way to get it.
I will say a bit more this afternoon about how we should work with that movement, in mutual respect and with the highest standards of campaigning.
But let me say a word or two what we should do – we, the SNP, the vehicle for Scottish Independence
Each one of has a duty to inform ourselves – using the material that is coming from Government , the information that I circulate from HQ, and , yes, the material that others produce like Believe in Scotland.
We need to read, mark and digest that material and then we need to inform others – in the conversations we have amongst family and friends, in the workplace, or in the pub.
Don’t ask when the campaign is starting.
We are the campaign. And across Scotland we are well underway. We don’t need to ask for permission to campaign, that was given years ago, when you joined the party. Every member of this party is always permitted to campaign for our nation’s freedom.
In fact it is what we are here for.
Back in 1983 the people of Scotland showed little curiosity about independence.
Now our fellow citizens are keen to be informed and keen to be persuaded.
That is our job.
Person by person.
Street by street,
Village by village,
Town by town,
This party exists to change our country.
To deliver independence
And it actively doing that in every part of Scotland
Of course we can always learn and improve. So as we inform ourselves, and inform others, lets also work to ensure our branches and constituencies are organised and ready, equipped with the best techniques and using them week in and week out.
There are always new places to go. There are always new people waiting to hear.
Lets make sure we reach every single one of them with the message.
Fellow delegates, nobody who was in that hall in Rothesay almost forty years ago could have foreseen where we are today.
Nobody could have even glimpsed the difficulties we have made our way through, and are still making our way through.
After a pandemic, we are now in a world threatened by war. We have a government we did not elect which is the most right wing administration in our life times and in the developed world.
And the most incompetent.
It has to be better than this. It can be better than this. It must be better than this.
And Scotland knows that now. It is just waiting for you, and for all of us, to lead the way to that better place.
Despite everything our presence here today is a sign of hope
It shows that we are determined to finish the job that has been underway for the past 50 years or more.
And it shows how close we are to that goal.
We have what it takes.
We can secure the independence for Scotland which, back in Rothesay, at time seemed only an impossible dream.
We can make it a reality. We must make it a reality.
In fact we are the only people who can make it a reality.
So lets get out there and do it.
The speech made by John Swinney, the Deputy First Minister, on 9 October 2022.
What a great pleasure it is to be back together, in person, at an SNP conference.
Seeing old friends, making new ones, debating the issues of the day and making the policies that will help shape tomorrow.
Creating the space for this Party – together – to take the next decisive steps to deliver Scotland’s Independence.
While technology allowed us to continue to meet during the pandemic, a virtual conference cannot compare to the hustle and bustle of being together again.
And, while it is a little further for me to travel, I can tell you that – thankfully – it is a lot warmer here on stage than it is addressing you by video filmed in my back garden in the depths of winter!
In all my years in this party, I have given many a speech to SNP Conference.
But today marks a first for me.
This is the first time that I have addressed Conference while providing maternity cover for a ministerial colleague.
In the summer, Kate Forbes, our fantastic Finance and Economy Secretary, and her husband Ali, welcomed Naomi into the world, making Kate the first serving Cabinet Secretary in the Scottish Government to take maternity leave.
Naomi’s safe arrival is wonderful news and from this Conference we all send our love and good wishes to Kate, Ali and their family for much happiness in the years ahead.
And we meet at this Conference, after much electoral water has gone under the bridge.
Just after our last in person Conference in 2019, we won 48 seats in the Westminster election, gaining seats from Labour and the Tories to dominate the electoral map of Scotland.
In 2021, we won 64 seats in the Scottish Parliament elections, winning the highest number of votes of any Party under devolution.
In 2022, we won the Council elections and increased our share of the vote.
After 15 years in power, the Scottish National Party remains the largest Party in Scotland, the winning Party in Scotland, the Governing Party in Scotland – we are the Party of ALL of Scotland.
Conference, it is also great to be back here in Aberdeen – a city at the forefront of our strength in energy and at the heart of our nation’s transition to Net Zero.
Scotland’s economy has many strengths, but when it comes to energy, we are truly a global power house.
With our plentiful resources of renewable energy, with our expertise in oil and gas, and the potential to be a world leader in emerging technologies like hydrogen and Carbon Capture, Scotland is well placed to provide much of Europe with access to clean energy.
The transition to a Net Zero future is a tremendous opportunity for Scotland, but it is also a considerable challenge.
No more so than here in Aberdeen.
This city faces an economic challenge on the scale faced by towns and cities across Scotland in the de-industrialisation of the 1980s. Many of those communities still bear the scars of poorly planned structural changes to our economy.
But there is one crucial difference to the challenge the North East faces today and that faced by communities in the 1980s.
Although there is an uncaring Tory Government at Westminster just like there was in the 1980s, today however, there is an SNP Government, on Scotland’s side, who will do everything in our power to support the North East.
Aberdeen’s economy, like Scotland’s, must transition from its reliance on oil and gas.
But it has to be a just transition.
One that takes our people, communities and businesses with us.
That’s why we are supporting that transition with an investment in this region of £500 million over the next decade.
Securing jobs and investment and ensuring Aberdeen’s place as a centre of green energy expertise.
Conference, since oil was discovered off Scotland’s shores in the 1970s, the Treasury has raked in more than £300 billion in tax revenues.
Next year is set to see the highest oil revenues on record.
So it stands to reason, that the UK should also be joining us in supporting Aberdeen.
Not least, that in their time of need, the UK Government turned to the North Sea for a windfall tax.
But at every step along the way they have refused to match our just transition funding, just like they have refused so far to back Scotland’s Carbon Capture cluster.
Conference, the UK Government are only interested in Scotland when there is money to be made, not when there are jobs to be saved.
Scotland is a nation rich in energy resources.
We have a plentiful supply of clean, green, affordable renewable energy.
The equivalent of almost 100% of our electricity demand is from renewable sources.
Not only is Scotland self-sufficient in natural gas – we are a huge exporter.
Scotland is secure in energy. So we need no lectures from Liz Truss about security of energy supply. It is the UK that has failed to achieve energy security, with the National Grid warning of possible power cuts this winter. And let me make this clear, Scotland is not going to put up with a new round of nuclear power stations to make up for the failure of energy policy in the United Kingdom.
Despite our huge strength in energy, 150,000 more people in Scotland will be forced into extreme fuel poverty as a result of the UK Government’s increase to the energy price cap in September.
We are an energy rich nation, but 35% of our citizens live in fuel poverty.
Why is that?
Because while Scotland has the Energy, Westminster has the power.
And how Westminster chooses to use its reserved power has consistently, and deliberately, disadvantaged Scotland.
Our energy producers face the highest transmission charges in Europe.
Standing charges for consumers are 50% higher in Scotland than they are in London.
Our renewable future has been held back by erratic and irresponsible UK policies.
And, our energy bills are amongst the highest in Europe.
Conference, let’s be clear, the reason why global energy prices have risen so sharply is because of Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.
But the reason why the energy crisis has been felt so badly in Scotland, worse than in many other neighbouring countries, is because of bad decision after bad decision by the UK Government.
Conference, when Liz Truss became Prime Minister, a little over a month ago, she inherited from Boris Johnson the worst cost crisis in decades. At a moment of huge difficulty for people struggling with the cost of living, what did the Tories decide to do?
The Tories decided this was the moment to lift the cap on bankers’ bonuses and give tax cuts that benefit the rich. How foolish could they be?
A quarter of the cash gains go to the top 5%.
If the UK Government sticks to its plan for a real terms cut to benefits, the poorest 20% in society will see their incomes fall next year.
Meanwhile the richest 5% will see their incomes boosted by more than £9000.
During a cost of living crisis, they are taking from the poor and giving to the rich.
They did so with no independent reports on the costings and no idea how they would pay for the tax giveaways.
And what happened.
The Pound fell to its lowest level against the dollar in its history.
Mortgage providers withdrew hundreds of products from the market overnight – increasing the cost of home ownership and threatening a collapse in house prices.
The Bank of England took emergency action to avoid a collapse of British Pension funds.
Within weeks the new Tory Prime Minister decided to transform a punishing cost crisis in to a full blown economic and financial crisis.
In an act of fiscal recklessness, the Tories have threatened the financial security of millions of our people, jeopardised the homes of many through higher mortgages and shredded in one fell swoop the fiscal credibility of the United Kingdom. That is just the latest disaster the Tories have delivered.
And what will this recklessness bring for us – it will bring a new age of austerity.
A new age of austerity that will cripple public services and create misery for those on fixed incomes.
I came to my first SNP Conference when Margaret Thatcher was savaging our public services and our industrial base in the 1980s.
I was Finance Secretary a decade ago, when David Cameron and George Osborne, unleashed the last round of UK austerity.
The damage of that programme is still being felt in communities across Scotland
It put our public finances under tremendous strain.
While the challenges of protecting Scotland’s people and public services were great then, they pale into insignificance with the scale of the challenge we face today.
As a result of inflation, the Scottish budget is now worth £1.7 billion less than when we set it in December.
We have already had to announce £500 million of savings to ensure we comply with our legal duty to balance the books, and fund fair pay deals for public sector workers
And that is before we take into account the £18 billion of spending cuts the Tories are planning to pay for their tax cuts.
This will impact every corner of Scotland.
Our public services, already under the strain of recovering from the pandemic, risk being starved of cash, all so that those with the broadest shoulders can pay less tax.
There is no denying that the task is great. And, our room for manoeuvre is limited.
But conference, I am clear the job of an SNP finance secretary isn’t to cut public services.
It is to fund public services. And despite the harsh fiscal constraints of devolution, supporting our public services is what we intend to do.
Conference, perhaps the most predictable, if depressing, comments in the aftermath of the mini-budget were the chorus of calls from the Scottish Conservatives urging me to match the UK Government’s reckless tax cuts.
The Tories at Westminster had set fire to the UK economy, and their counterparts in Scotland were urging me to pour petrol on the flames.
And of course at the same time as demanding we cut tax, the Tories constantly demand we spend more money. If you didn’t know already, let me tell you this. The Tories really are a bunch of reckless hypocrites.
By their actions in the mini-Budget the Tories threw away any claim they could have to be a party of fiscal responsibility. In contrast, this Party has balanced the books in each and every one of our years in Government. We should make no apology for believing in – and delivering – fiscal responsibility and we should take no lessons on the subject from the Tories.
Because fiscal responsibility pays for our NHS.
Fiscal responsibility pays for our children’s education.
It pays for the game changing Scottish Child Payment – lifting children out of poverty and available only in Scotland.
From free personal care to prescriptions.
1140 hours of free childcare to free university provision.
From free bus travel to the small business bonus.
We won’t follow the Tories down the rabbit hole of tax cuts for the rich. We will do what’s right for Scotland’s people, our economy and our public services.
It has been abundantly clear for some time that Scotland and the United Kingdom are increasingly moving in completely different directions.
Tory Governments elected at Westminster, but rejected outright here in Scotland.
Brexit supported by Labour and the Conservatives and imposed on Scotland against our democratic will.
Abject hostility to sensible migration policies at Westminster, when Scotland needs to be open for people to choose to come and live here.
Your SNP Government will do all that we can to help Scotland prosper in the face of the obstacles created by Westminster.
We will work to make Scotland the best place to start and grow a business or a social enterprise, a magnet for inward investment, an international example of how to decarbonise our economy, a nation where people and businesses can continually upgrade their skills, a leader in research and development, a great place to live and work with high living standards.
We will do that by encouraging a new generation of entrepreneurs to create business ideas, by pursuing new market opportunities at home and overseas, by encouraging regional economic initiatives in every part of Scotland, by constantly developing the skills of our workforce, and by creating a fairer and more equal society where everyone can play a part in the Scottish economy.
While the Tories engage in a race to the bottom, we will engage in a race for a high wage, high value economy and society – an inclusive growth agenda to improve the lives of each and every one of our citizens.
Since we came to power in 2007, we have used the powers of devolution to the maximum we possibly could.
We gave the strongest support to renewable energy and we are now able to generate nearly all of our net electricity needs from renewables.
We invested in our schools so that today over 90% of school pupils are educated in good or satisfactory schools compared to just over 60% when we came to office.
We introduced the Scottish Child Payment and increased it swiftly to help those facing the greatest need today.
We have delivered much to improve the lives of the people who live in Scotland.
But there are clearly limits to what we can do as a new age of austerity is about to be inflicted upon us :
If Scotland wants to be able to tackle the enduring scourge of poverty;
If Scotland wants to play her part in the world as an equal member of the European Union;
If Scotland wants to be a country that creates the best life chances for every one of our citizens;
Then devolution is not enough – We cannot be at the mercy of Westminster decisions any longer – Scotland has to choose to be an Independent country.
And that is our task – the historic mission of our Party – to make Scotland an independent country.
If I think back to conversations I had with people who did not support us during the 2014 Referendum, many felt they had financial security within the United Kingdom. After the events of the last few weeks how can that any longer be the case?
How can any politician look a pensioner, or a mortgage holder or a person living in poverty straight in the eye, after the wreckage of the last few weeks, and say there is financial security any longer in the United Kingdom.
Our task is to engage with those people – with those we could not win over in 2014. To explain our beliefs and our values. To share with them our hopes for our country. And to help them believe that Scotland can join the nations of the world and play our rightful part.
It is a task of respectful persuasion and of reassurance. It is a task of significance in the lives of all of us who choose to live here in Scotland. It is a task that can chart a new course for Scotland. It is a task that we must – and we will win – for Scotland.
The speech made by Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister, on 10 October 2022.
It is so good to be speaking at Conference in person again, rather than virtually.
Getting to hug friends and colleagues is so much better.
Our political family – Scotland’s biggest party by far – is together again.
And that feels great.
The only downside of not being on zoom is having to trade my slippers for these heels.
But I suppose I can’t have everything.
Of course, it is always good to be here in Aberdeen.
Especially now that the SNP is once again leading this great city.
Aberdeen and the North East is at the heart of our just transition to a net zero future.
Since our late Queen – whose extraordinary life of service we have honoured in recent weeks – switched on the Forties pipeline in 1975, oil and gas has powered the Scottish economy.
Her late Majesty, back then, inaugurated the oil and gas age.
As we move now – in so many ways – into a new era, we have a duty to repay all those who work in that industry.
A duty to support them into new jobs in green energy.
An opportunity to usher in the new age of Scottish renewables.
Conference,
Aberdeen is the oil and gas capital of Europe.
Let us resolve today to make it the net zero capital of the world.
That ambition led us to establish the £500 million Just Transition Fund for this region.
Today I can announce the first 22 projects have just been awarded funding of more than £50 million.
These projects will support the production of green hydrogen;
The development of wave and tidal technology.
And even pioneer the use of waste from whisky to recycle EV batteries;
They will focus on the skills our existing workforce need to take advantage of the renewables revolution.
Incredible Scottish ingenuity here in the North-East, supported by the Scottish Government, developing technologies to tackle the global climate emergency.
It is exciting, inspiring stuff.
And it is a shining example of what a Scottish Government can do when the powers lie in our hands.
Conference,
When we last gathered together – just weeks from the start of a global pandemic – we could not have imagined what lay ahead.
Thankfully, Covid no longer dominates the news, or our thoughts, quite as much as it did.
But the virus still poses a risk – especially as we approach winter.
So, before I go any further today, a plea:
If you are eligible, get your booster jag.
Vaccination is just as important now as it was last winter.
If you don’t do it for yourself – though you should – do it for those more vulnerable than you.
And, please, do it for the National Health Service.
We owe the NHS – and all who work in it – a massive debt of gratitude.
Conference,
All of us hoped that when the worst of the pandemic was over, better times would lie ahead.
Thanks to the brilliance of vaccine scientists, and the sheer strength of the human spirit, I am certain those better days will come.
But in the midst of a cost of living crisis, it won’t surprise you to hear me talk today about the challenges we face:
And about the massive responsibility of me, and my government, to help you through it.
As we navigate these stormy waters, Scotland needs a steady and compassionate hand on the tiller.
Conference,
That is what our Scottish Government provides.
But today I will also make the case for optimism.
For not just accepting the world as it is.
But turning our minds and our hearts instead to building a stronger Scotland and playing our part in building a better, fairer world.
The optimism that a better world is possible is inspired, for me, by the bravery of those who endure the toughest of times.
And at home by the knowledge that this beautiful, magnificent country of ours is bursting with talent, creativity and ingenuity…
We also have a sense of solidarity and common purpose that our political debate can sometimes obscure.
Conference,
Scotland has got what it takes to be a successful independent country.
It has it in abundance.
Never let anyone tell us otherwise.
At this moment, across the world that better future can be hard to see – eclipsed, as it is, by significant and profound challenges.
A war of unprovoked aggression on our continent.
An energy price crisis and soaring inflation.
Democratic norms eroded and human rights attacked in too many countries.
In the face of that, we have a duty to champion progressive values and universal rights.
Friends,
That is a duty our party will always discharge.
But in the UK we have a Westminster Government intent on taking us down a different path.
The current Home Secretary, speaking at the Conservative Party conference, said this about asylum seekers –
And even as I quote her, I struggle to comprehend that she actually said these words. But here they are:
“I would love to be having a front page of The Telegraph with a plane taking off to Rwanda, that’s my dream, it’s my obsession.”
Conference,
My dream is very different.
I am sure it is shared in this hall and by the vast majority across Scotland.
My dream is that we live in a world where those fleeing violence and oppression are shown compassion and treated like human beings…
Not shown the door and bundled on to planes like unwanted cargo.
Conference,
Our case for hope and optimism rests – above all – on our common humanity.
Compassion. Solidarity. Love.
These values sustained us in the darkest days of the pandemic.
They must drive us forward now.
Those fighting across the globe for democracy, equality and human dignity must hear that they are not alone.
So let the message go out from us to everyone across the world standing up against tyranny and oppression.
We stand with you.
To women in Iran fighting for basic human rights. We stand with you.
To girls in Afghanistan demanding the right to go to school. We stand with you.
To men and women risking their lives in opposition to Putin in Russia, or his sidekick in Belarus.
We stand with you.
And to the people of Ukraine – fighting for your very existence.
We stand with you.
Today we live on a continent where a so-called strong man – though one who has never looked weaker or more insecure – has launched a brutal invasion of his neighbour.
That should be unimaginable in 21st century Europe.
But for the people of Ukraine it is all too real.
Every day there are atrocities and killings.
Today, the capital, Kyiv, and cities across the country are under renewed bombardment.
Despicable war crimes have been committed.
And Conference,
Let us be clear – these are war crimes for which Vladimir Putin must be held to account.
The contrast between Putin and the people of Ukraine could not be starker.
From President Zelensky to the sacrifice of ordinary citizens – personified here on Saturday by our guest Lesia Vasylenko – we have seen incredible bravery and extraordinary determination.
Ukraine – you are an inspiration to the world.
And we will always stand with you.
Conference,
We are not on the front line of this war.
But Ukraine’s victory in the battle between democracy and tyranny is vital for all of us.
The Scottish Government will continue to do everything we can to help.
We are helping enforce sanctions and isolate Russia.
We have provided funds for vital military equipment.
And we have opened Scotland’s doors to those displaced.
Initially, we committed to welcoming 3,000 people seeking refuge from the war.
I am pleased to say that we are now providing safety for more than 20,000.
To each and every one: our hearts go out to you.
We know you yearn to go home but for as long as you need a place of sanctuary, be in no doubt –
You have a home here in Scotland.
Conference,
There are moments in history – as now, with Ukraine – when all of us must be prepared to make sacrifices to help defend fundamental freedoms.
But when global turbulence strikes, national governments have a duty to act in ways that mitigate, rather than exacerbate, the impacts on their own populations.
When it comes to the cost of living crisis – and so much else besides – this UK government is utterly failing in that duty.
Each and every day, its actions are making matters worse.
We last gathered together as a party in October 2019.
Back then, the Tories had just elected a new leader.
Westminster was in meltdown.
A new Prime Minister was driving through a disastrous policy agenda, despite warnings of its dire economic impact.
And here we are, all over again.
Another spin on the Tory misery-go-round.
This time the carousel is speeding up.
It took the Tories 3 years to realise Boris Johnson was a disaster.
With Liz Truss, it took them just three weeks.
She caused mayhem in the markets with her decision to borrow billions of pounds to fund tax cuts for the richest.
Borrowing to be repaid by eye watering austerity cuts and a raid on the incomes of the poorest.
It is unconscionable.
The Prime Minister’s justification is that she is going for growth.
Conference,
Let me tell you what kind of growth that will be.
Growth in the gap between rich and poor.
Growth in the rates of poverty.
Growth in the pressure on our NHS and other public services.
And, without any doubt –
Growth in the deep disgust the public feel for all of it.
Conference,
The truth is massive hand-outs for the wealthiest at the expense of everyone else do nothing for the economy.
All they do is turbo-charge inequality.
No SNP Government will ever inflict on Scotland such an immoral, self-defeating disaster of a policy.
Instead we will continue to use our powers and resources to help those most in need.
Not as an act of charity – but in our collective interest.
Conference,
Here is what I stand for. What we stand for.
Not hoping, against all evidence to the contrary, that wealth will suddenly and magically start trickling down.
But instead lifting people up so they can contribute their full potential.
That is the SNP’s founding principle for a stronger economy.
I am proud of the work the Scottish Government is doing to tackle child poverty.
The Scottish Child Payment is unique in the United Kingdom.
It is paid to eligible families with children up to age six.
It started at 10 pounds per week.
At Conference last year, I announced we would double it to twenty.
Five weeks from today we will increase it again, to 25 pounds a week.
Vital financial help for more than 100,000 children, delivered in time for Christmas.
On the same day we increase the Payment, we will also extend it to families with children up to age 16.
Conference,
I know I’m biased, but I think that’s the sign of a government with the right priorities.
But we need to do more because we know this winter is going to be really tough.
Rather than looking forward to Christmas, too many families will be dreading it.
Dreading it because they don’t know if they can afford to heat their homes or even pay for food.
As part of our help to the poorest families over the last year, we have made quarterly “bridging payments” of £130.
These have gone to children and young people in receipt of free school meals, but who don’t qualify for the Child Payment.
Today I can announce that the final instalment – ahead of the extension of the Child Payment and due in the next few weeks – will not be £130.
We will double it to £260.
That will help put food on the Christmas table for families of 145,000 children and young people.
I don’t pretend it will make all of their worries go away – no government with our limited powers can ever do that.
But I hope this investment of almost £20 million will bring a bit of Christmas cheer to those who need it most.
Conference,
We have used the powers of our Parliament to deliver the unique child payment
Last Thursday, we took further action to help combat the cost of living crisis.
The Scottish Government’s emergency Bill to protect tenants was passed by Parliament.
The result: a rent freeze in operation in Scotland over the winter until at least the end of
March next year.
But as we have acted to help those in need, what about the UK Government?
It is difficult to overstate the calamity of their actions.
Back in 2014, the Westminster establishment told us it was the UK’s standing in the world;
its economic strength; and its stability that made independence impossible.
Now they say it’s the UK’s isolation, its weakness and instability – the very conditions they created – that means change can’t happen.
As far as Westminster is concerned, it’s heads they win, tails we lose.
And what that is delivering for Scotland is –
Brexit.
More austerity.
Homeowners facing real hardship.
And hundreds of thousands in poverty.
Conference,
That is not strength and stability.
It is chaos and catastrophe.
Conference,
All of that is on the Tories.
But we should remember that their ability to do it is has too often been aided and abetted by Labour.
In 2014, Labour joined forces with the Tories.
They said then that Westminster Tory government was better for Scotland than self- government.
And incredibly they’re doing it all over again.
It wasn’t easy to understand back then.
But given everything that has happened since, it is utterly inexplicable now.
Take Brexit.
Imposed on Scotland against our will – and doing real, lasting damage to our interests, our economy and our young people.
Labour is now just as committed to Brexit – a hard Brexit – as the Tories.
At least the Tories believe in it.
Labour doesn’t.
Yet, rather than make the principled argument – which they could now win in England – they cower away from it.
They abandon all principle for fear of upsetting the apple cart.
Bluntly – they are willing to chuck Scotland under Boris Johnson’s Brexit bus to get the keys to Downing Street.
Letting down Scotland.
Same old Labour.
Conference,
For Scotland, there is a fundamental democratic issue here.
And it has real-life consequences.
Whether it’s Tory or Labour; Labour or Tory.
It’s not us who gets to decide.
Our votes don’t determine who gets to occupy number 10.
For Scotland, the problem is not just which party is in power at Westminster.
The problem is Westminster.
And to fix that…
To make sure we get the governments that the largest number of us vote for –
Always, not just occasionally;
For that, my friends, we need Scotland’s independence.
Conference,
Independence is not a panacea – for any nation – but it is about hope for a better future.
We all want Scotland to be a country in which no child goes to bed hungry.
A place where everyone can afford to heat their home;
Where our vast energy resources benefit all who live here, and help save the planet.
None of that should be radical.
But it must be the foundation of everything we aspire to.
Conference,
For as long as I am First Minister, my job – our job – is not done.
For as long as I am First Minister, I will do everything in my power to build the better Scotland we all want to see.
I know some people ask – and it is not an illegitimate question – why propose a referendum in the midst of a cost of living crisis?
Conference,
The answer is in the question – the answer is the cost of living crisis.
It is the Tory response to it.
It is the financial chaos.
And it is the damage of Brexit.
All of that is laying bare, each and every day, the harm being done to people in Scotland because we are not independent.
Over the next two days the Supreme Court will consider whether the current law allows the Scottish Parliament to legislate for an advisory referendum.
If Westminster had any respect at all for Scottish democracy, this court hearing wouldn’t be necessary.
But Westminster has no such respect.
That means this issue was always destined to end up in court, sooner or later.
Better, in my view, that it is sooner.
If the Court decides in the way we hope it does, on 19 October next year, there will be an independence referendum.
And if the court doesn’t decide that way?
First, and obviously, we will respect that judgment. We believe in the rule of law.
And as a party – and a movement – we will, of course, reflect.
But fundamentally, it will leave us with a very simple choice.
Put our case for independence to the people in an election…
Or give up on Scottish democracy.
Conference,
I don’t know about you – actually I suspect I do…
But I will never – ever – give up on Scottish democracy.
For now, the question of process – the ‘how’ of securing independence – is in the hands of judges.
It is for us to crack on with answering the question ‘why’.
Polls last week show that support for independence is rising.
But remember, polls are just momentary snapshots in time. They go up and down.
Much more significant are the findings of the latest British Social Attitudes survey.
Ten years ago, support for independence was at 23 per cent.
Five years ago, 45 per cent.
Now – in that gold standard measure of public opinion – support for independence stands at 52 pc.
As we know, it is even higher amongst young people.
So it is tempting, sometimes, to assume an inevitability about independence.
That the arc of history is moving firmly in its direction.
I hope and believe that will turn out to be true.
But we would be wrong – utterly wrong – to take it for granted.
Our job is to make the case and win the argument.
That means not just talking to ourselves, but reaching out to others not yet persuaded.
I remember in the 2014 campaign speaking at a public meeting in Leith.
It was jam-packed…
So busy, in fact, that the organisers asked those who had already decided to vote Yes to leave, so that those still undecided could hear the arguments.
That is the approach I want us to take now.
Though, for the avoidance of doubt, I am not asking you to get up and leave.
But I do want us to resolve today that, from here on, we will speak less to each other, and more to those outside our ranks.
I know that some watching at home will never be persuaded to vote Yes.
You oppose independence as strongly – and from as much principle – as we support it.
I respect that. That is democracy.
And please remember – whatever happens in future, Scotland belongs to you as much as it does to us.
Scotland belongs to all of us.
And for those who want to be convinced but still have questions and doubts…
It is our job to persuade, reassure and inspire.
Conference,
One of the ironies of the independence debate, is that so many of the institutions that people associate with Britishness;
Institutions that have shaped our shared history;
Like the NHS, a fair social security system, public service broadcasting.
The threat to these institutions comes not from an independent Scotland.
But from UK Governments that are dismantling or undermining them.
With independence, we can do more to protect them.
Let’s take one of those institutions – our most precious public service.
The NHS is under enormous pressure right now.
It delivers outstanding care, within waiting time targets, for the vast majority of those who need it.
Today, I want us to pay tribute to each and every individual who works within it.
But the pressures on the NHS mean that – despite their dedication – too many people are waiting too long.
That is why we are delivering record investment.
And it is why we are doing everything we can to give our NHS workers a fair pay rise –
Because – conference – few in our society deserve it more.
Fast diagnosis and reliable, quality healthcare matters whatever your condition.
But it is especially important for those with cancer.
The best chance of surviving cancer remains early detection and treatment.
Over the past year, we have established three new fast-track cancer diagnostic centres – in
Ayrshire & Arran, Dumfries & Galloway and Fife.
They have already supported hundreds of patients.
More than one in seven were found to have cancer.
Around half of them were from the poorest parts of our country – so these centres are
helping tackle health inequality too.
Conference,
Fast Track Cancer Diagnosis Centres work.
That’s why I’m delighted to confirm today that 2 more centres will open next year – one in the
Borders and one in Lanarkshire.
And by the end of this Parliament there will be a Fast Track Cancer Diagnosis Centre in
every heath board in Scotland.
That is just one example of how we are supporting our NHS.
That job is the most important our government has right now.
Management of the NHS is our responsibility.
It is no-one else’s.
But the fact is our ability to fund it properly depends on decisions taken at Westminster.
When they cut our budget, or when they crash our economy, that makes it harder for us to
protect the health service.
And if – as some Tories are now openly arguing – they move away from the very basis on
which it was founded and towards an insurance based alternative, that will destroy our NHS.
With independence that will never happen.
We will protect its founding principles.
With independence we could choose to embed a universal NHS in a written constitution.
A constitutional right to health care free at the point of need.
Conference,
If the SNP is in government, that is exactly what we will do.
Friends,
I know some see independence as turning our back on the rest of the UK.
It is not.
It is about recasting our relationship as one of equals.
Across these islands we share history, family connections and friendships.
These things matter just as much to supporters of independence as to anyone else.
In fact I’m willing to bet that the nations of these islands will work together even better with independence than we do now.
Scotland will still be a member of the British-Irish Council.
The difference is that – like the Republic of Ireland now – we will be there as an independent country.
You know, there is a point here that at first glance might seem curious.
But, in my view, it is becoming increasingly true.
Independence is actually the best way to protect the partnership on which the United Kingdom was founded.
A voluntary partnership of nations.
Right now – and make no mistake about this –
It is an aggressive unionism that is undermining that partnership.
Westminster’s denial of Scottish democracy;
Full frontal attacks on devolution;
A basic lack of respect;
If there is tension, that is what is causing it.
It is Scottish independence – a new partnership of the isles –
That can renew the whole idea of our nations working together for the common good.
Conference,
England, Scotland, Wales, the island of Ireland.
We will always be the closest of friends. We will always be family.
But we can achieve a better relationship – a true partnership of equals – when we win Scotland’s independence.
Conference,
I know that what gives many people most pause for thought on independence is the
economy.
People can see all too clearly now that the UK does not offer economic strength or financial security.
And yet still – and rightly – they want to know that independence will make Scotland’s
economy stronger not weaker.
That is fair – and especially now, entirely understandable.
Of course, it is equally fair to point out that so much of the uncertainty and crisis we face is not because of independence.
It is the opposite.
Once again it is because we are not independent.
Conference,
Independence is not a miracle economic cure.
But let this message ring out today.
We can do better than this.
We can do so much better than this.
And let’s remember these three basic facts.
First, Scotland is not benefiting right now from the so-called ‘broad shoulders’ of the UK.
Second – and let there be no doubt about this –
We have got everything it takes to be a successful independent country.
Extraordinary resources, industries and talent in abundance.
And third, independence is not an untested idea.
Independence is normal.
For countries of Scotland’s size or even smaller, independence is an outstanding success.
Earlier this year, the Scottish Government published evidence illustrating that point.
Conference,
Listen now to these facts and then think of the untapped potential Scotland has.
Compared to the UK, these other countries with so many similarities to Scotland are –
Wealthier.
More equal.
They have higher productivity.
Lower poverty rates.
Lower child poverty…
And lower pensioner poverty.
They have higher social mobility.
They spend more on Research and Development.
They have higher business investment.
In short, these countries combine economic dynamism with social solidarity.
They are among the most successful societies the world has ever known.
And it is their success – not a failing UK economy – that Scotland should aim to match.
With independence, we won’t emulate that success overnight.
But the big, burning question is this:
If all of these countries can achieve all of that – why not Scotland?
Conference,
I can confirm that one week today we will publish the next in our Building a New Scotland
series of papers.
It will make the economic case for independence.
It will set out how we can build a new, sustainable economy based on our massive
renewable energy resources.
It will show how in an energy rich, independent Scotland, we can deliver lower prices and
stronger security of supply.
And on energy, let me give this commitment.
Unlike our UK counterparts, the Scottish Government will not be issuing licences for
fracking.
In the economic prospectus we will set out how in an independent Scotland we can secure
fair work.
We will repeal Westminster’s anti trade union legislation.
We will end age discrimination for those on the minimum wage.
We will show how businesses can benefit from independence.
With EU membership they’ll be back inside the world’s biggest single market.
With a fairer migration policy and freedom of movement restored, they will have access to
workers from Europe and across the world.
They will have new opportunities to influence government policy through a social partnership approach.
In short, we will show how we can break with the low productivity, high inequality Brexit
based UK economy.
And use the full powers of independence to build an inclusive, fair, wellbeing economy that works for everyone.
An economy that works for everyone.
That is the prize of independence.
Conference,
Moving to independence and making it work will, of course, take time, hard work and good
judgment.
There will be many challenges along the way.
Our economic prospectus will be clear on these too.
If the past three weeks have taught us anything it is that a country’s fiscal and monetary
policy must be sustainable and command confidence.
We will not shy away from that.
Our approach to borrowing with the new powers of independence will be responsible and for
a purpose.
Let me give one example of that – a central proposal in the paper we will publish next week.
We propose to invest remaining oil revenues and use our borrowing powers, not to cut tax
for the richest, but to set up an independence investment fund.
The Building a New Scotland Fund will deliver up to £20 billion of investment in the first decade of independence.
In practical terms:
A fund like this could support a massive programme to decarbonise housing, cut fuel bills
and reduce fuel poverty.
It could finance the building of thousands more affordable homes.
Invest in local renewable energy projects, helping communities own assets and wield more
influence over their use.
It will help the transition to Net Zero.
Build resilient communities.
And kick-start the sustainable economic growth so important for our newly independent
nation.
Combining Scotland’s abundant resources with the powers of independence to benefit this
and future generations.
Conference,
That is what independence is all about.
Friends,
A week ago one of the most famous men in the history of the independence movement -–
Ian Hamilton – died at the ripe old age of 97.
As a young man in 1950, Ian – together with Kay Matheson, Gavin Vernon and Alan Stuart –
repatriated the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey.
He called it an “absolutely splendid adventure”.
I’m sure it was that.
But it was so much more besides.
In 1950 and, to be frank for years afterwards, independence must have seemed like an impossible dream.
All of us here today still have a big job still to do to win independence.
But we no longer face such impossible odds.
We are the independence generation. We are the inheritors of the cause kept alive by Ian Hamilton and his generation.
And I believe – firmly – that we will be the first, in the modern world, to live in an independent Scotland.
Let me tell you why I say that.
A couple of weeks ago I had a conversation with a woman that summed up a question I think a lot of people have.
She said that she would like Scotland to be independent. She thought it would be good. But she also worried that getting there would be hard.
So her question was this – is it essential?
And that got me thinking.
For many people, like Ian, like all of us in this hall, we just believe it is right –
That Scotland could and should be an independent nation.
But is it essential?
Conference,
Today, probably more than at any time in my life…
The answer to that question is yes.
Independence is essential.
It is essential to escape Westminster control and mismanagement.
Essential to get the governments we vote for.
To properly protect our NHS.
To build a new partnership of equals with the other nations on these islands.
It is essential if we want to be back in the European Union.
And it is essential if we want the people who live here to determine the future of this
extraordinary country.
The country that always tugs at our heartstrings.
The country that we all care so much about.
There are two things that we – the independence generation – must never, ever lose faith in.
They have sustained us in good times and bad, throughout all the years and decades.
First, is the fundamental right of the nation of Scotland to self-determination.
And the second is what history teaches us –
The overwhelming power of democracy to triumph.
Friends,
The period ahead will see some of the greatest challenges our country has faced in many years.
But a great opportunity is also in sight. To win and build the better future we know is possible.
A better future as an independent nation.
Welcoming, diverse, full of love and compassion.
In tough times, let us inspire with hope in our hearts.
Let us lift our eyes.
Put our shoulders to the wheel and build a better future for this and generations to come.
Friends,
With optimism, confidence and determination.
We can now finish the job. And we will.
The comments made by Chris Bryant, the Labour MP for Rhondda, on Twitter on 10 October 2022.
Elon Musk is wrong on Ukraine and Taiwan. The arrogance of the supremely wealthy who would barter with other people’s freedoms is breathtaking.
The comments made by Angela Richardson, the Conservative MP for Guildford, on Twitter on 10 October 2022.
There is a planning application for a solar farm in my constituency which I support as it will help my local University meet its net zero aims by 2030. A blanket ban on solar farms would be unwise. Should be looked at on a case by case basis.
The comments made by Liz Truss, the Prime Minister, on 10 October 2022.
This country has come a long way in how we talk about mental health, something we can all be proud of. I’m committed to ensuring people get the support they need to thrive, expanding mental health support for children and people getting back into work.
![PRESS RELEASE : Liz Truss call with President Zelenskyy [10 October 2022]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/downingstreet-150x122.png)
The press release issued by Downing Street on 10 October 2022.
The Prime Minister spoke to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy this afternoon.
She strongly condemned Putin’s appalling attacks on civilian areas in Kyiv and elsewhere today. The Prime Minister said that these are a sign of Ukrainian success and increasing desperation by Putin in response.
The Prime Minister stressed that the UK stands wholeheartedly behind President Zelenskyy and Ukraine. Putin’s destructive rhetoric and behaviour will not diminish our resolve. The leaders welcomed the deliveries of British military aid which continue to arrive in Ukraine.
The Prime Minister and President Zelenskyy looked ahead to tomorrow’s virtual meeting of G7 leaders, which President Zelenskyy will join. They agreed it offers an important opportunity to reemphasise the unity of opposition to Putin’s despicable campaign.