16/03/2014

:00:40. > :00:44.Hello and a very warm welcome to our coverage of the Scottish

:00:45. > :00:48.Conservative conference. We will be on air for the next two hours,

:00:49. > :00:53.giving you live coverage of the leaders speech along with interviews

:00:54. > :00:59.from Tory grandees and new bees. The Tories are in Edinburgh with a rally

:01:00. > :01:04.to save the union. It is the last conference before the referendum.

:01:05. > :01:09.There are some entrenched views within those grandees and new

:01:10. > :01:12.members alike. I will bring you all of the debates, discussions and

:01:13. > :01:16.deliberations among the Conservative representatives.

:01:17. > :01:21.The conference hall is filling up with representatives from across

:01:22. > :01:22.conference -- across Scotland, waiting for the leaders speech in 15

:01:23. > :01:25.minutes time. waiting for the leaders speech in 15

:01:26. > :01:30.Thank you for being with us, the party appears to be in buoyant mood

:01:31. > :01:35.with every sinew straining to save the union. Our political

:01:36. > :01:40.correspondent has been at the Edinburgh International conference

:01:41. > :01:43.Centre over the last few days. The main event is the address to

:01:44. > :01:46.conference by the Scottish leader Ruth Davidson, and we know in

:01:47. > :01:51.advance that the heckling announcement from her speech is a

:01:52. > :01:56.commitment from the Conservatives to recruit an extra 1000 nurses and

:01:57. > :02:01.midwives in Scotland if the Tories have a say in government after the

:02:02. > :02:08.2016 Holyrood elections, they say they would recruit 1000 extra and

:02:09. > :02:12.maintain nurse and midwife numbers at that level. In the same way that

:02:13. > :02:14.the current Scottish government has done with police officers. How would

:02:15. > :02:18.they pay for this? They say they done with police officers. How would

:02:19. > :02:23.would end the universal provision of free prescriptions, they would still

:02:24. > :02:26.be free for deeper, the young, pensioners, pregnant women, but

:02:27. > :02:32.those who could afford to pay would be asked to do so. It seems that her

:02:33. > :02:37.emphasis will be on a practical policy commitment looking ahead to

:02:38. > :02:41.the next Holyrood elections rather than on the constitutional debate,

:02:42. > :02:44.of course the prime minister touched on that in his speech and promised

:02:45. > :02:49.that the Conservatives would deliver more powers for Holyrood in the

:02:50. > :02:53.event of a no vote in the referendum.

:02:54. > :02:57.Also standing by at the conference centre waiting in anticipation for

:02:58. > :03:02.the leaders speech we have Brian Taylor. Ryan, always traditional to

:03:03. > :03:06.ask about the mood of the conference. It seems that

:03:07. > :03:09.conservatives are enjoying having a fight on their hands. I think

:03:10. > :03:14.conservatives are enjoying having a probably is right, it gives them a

:03:15. > :03:17.place in the limelight as part of the wider Better Together campaign.

:03:18. > :03:20.When the Prime Minister spoke yesterday he had remarks about the

:03:21. > :03:27.economy, added the international situation, but it was his remarks

:03:28. > :03:29.about the union that drew applause. One of the mention our United

:03:30. > :03:35.Kingdom the Conservative representatives were clapping wildly

:03:36. > :03:40.in the stalls. That is indicative of the mood here, they are talking

:03:41. > :03:43.about the union. At the same time behind the scenes there is a very

:03:44. > :03:49.substantial discussion going on about the scope of the Conservative

:03:50. > :03:52.offer on more powers, and hast powers for the devolved Scottish

:03:53. > :03:58.Parliament in the event that there is a no vote in the referendum.

:03:59. > :04:00.There is a commission being appointed under the aegis of Lord

:04:01. > :04:06.Strathclyde, they are appointed under the aegis of Lord

:04:07. > :04:08.now, they will report at me and then there will be a response from the

:04:09. > :04:14.Scottish Conservative leadership. The top here is very much of it has

:04:15. > :04:18.tax powers for the Scottish Parliament. I say that because one

:04:19. > :04:22.of the persons we mentioned was none other than the Prime Minister. This

:04:23. > :04:25.is choreographed, you have the Strathclyde commission and the

:04:26. > :04:28.Scottish leadership and they know that if this is to be a serious

:04:29. > :04:34.offer it must be one that can go into the manifesto for the next UK

:04:35. > :04:38.general election. People will say that the Tories do not matter in

:04:39. > :04:42.Scotland, they are small, the old gag about fewer Tory MPs that there

:04:43. > :04:47.are pandas, and that is all very well in the legitimate target for

:04:48. > :04:52.the other parties to point out. The thing to point out with regard to

:04:53. > :04:54.devolution of powers rather than independence is that it would have

:04:55. > :04:58.to be done through the Westminster Parliament, done by the Westminster

:04:59. > :05:03.government and that could be the Tories. The ball is very much in the

:05:04. > :05:10.April union party's court this week, over the next few weeks Labour

:05:11. > :05:16.will announce the result of their devilish in committee, on Tuesday.

:05:17. > :05:20.This means that the spotlight is on what they are offering and if that

:05:21. > :05:24.offer is seen by the opponents, much more importantly if it is seen by

:05:25. > :05:27.the Scottish people to be inadequate then it could put further pressure

:05:28. > :05:33.on them rather than enhance what they are offering. It is certainly

:05:34. > :05:35.where the spotlight is. It is you as the discussion of the Conservative

:05:36. > :05:40.party conference although the offer will not come for a few months. We

:05:41. > :05:44.get the labour offer in the middle of the week. We know that the

:05:45. > :05:50.Liberal Democrats are offering substantial tax powers devolved to

:05:51. > :05:53.Scotland. One reason is time, another reason is that they do not

:05:54. > :05:57.all agree and on the issue of agreement, one thing that has been

:05:58. > :06:01.mentioned in the holes here at the conference venue is that one thing

:06:02. > :06:05.Labour are determined to defend the number of Scots MPs at Westminster,

:06:06. > :06:09.even if there are more powers. Gordon Brown said that the UK would

:06:10. > :06:13.have a defined role on defence security and well-being and those

:06:14. > :06:16.things require a significant number of MPs to be there from Scotland at

:06:17. > :06:21.Westminster determining those matters. The Tories would probably

:06:22. > :06:27.see if there is a real devolution of tax powers then maybe you can cut

:06:28. > :06:31.the number of Scots MPs. Not easy to see how that can be resolved but the

:06:32. > :06:35.thing about that one is it is not an intellectual or ideological argument

:06:36. > :06:42.it is actually a partisan argument as to their interests lie. We are

:06:43. > :06:45.looking at an important event on Wednesday this week with the budget.

:06:46. > :06:55.With Davidson will be addressing that in her speech, likely to call

:06:56. > :06:58.for looking at whiskey duty. And we will have that pressure on this

:06:59. > :07:03.programme we will hear from Ken Clarke, who I spoke to on this issue

:07:04. > :07:06.on whether you should support those who are at the Rose level of income,

:07:07. > :07:12.whether you need to remove the propensity to go into tax at a low

:07:13. > :07:15.level of income or two former guitar solos, Nigel Lawson or Norman Lamont

:07:16. > :07:23.is it you should help those boys going into the 40p ratio. Ken Clarke

:07:24. > :07:28.said very strongly that it should be the lower rate people who are

:07:29. > :07:30.helped, that is how he thinks George Osborne is going. This is an

:07:31. > :07:34.intellectual ideological discussion Osborne is going. This is an

:07:35. > :07:43.in the Conservative party where we will lend the short-term outcome on

:07:44. > :07:47.Wednesday. Thank you for just now. In the studio a man who has given

:07:48. > :07:55.our time in his allotment, Professor John Curtis of Strathclyde

:07:56. > :08:01.University. It is unusual for us being here this Sunday. What must

:08:02. > :08:05.Ruth Davidson see in her speech? Let's put that the improved offer

:08:06. > :08:10.devolution. That will be an important part, we anticipate. One

:08:11. > :08:16.of Ruth Davidson 's crucial tasks will be to persuade her party that

:08:17. > :08:21.indeed it should back for the Volvo tax powers and responsible it is. --

:08:22. > :08:22.back devolution of tax powers. This is about the Conservative progress

:08:23. > :08:27.down this path, originally is about the Conservative progress

:08:28. > :08:31.Davidson said she was against the idea, she refused to discuss it at

:08:32. > :08:37.last years conference. It has not been the agenda at this year 's

:08:38. > :08:40.conference and the proposals will only be published afterwards.

:08:41. > :08:45.Presumably it is optimum Davidson to decide what she except herself. This

:08:46. > :08:49.raises questions about whether or not she will have the clear backing

:08:50. > :08:54.of her own party for whatever ideas emerge. Whatever reaction we see

:08:55. > :08:58.today to whatever passages appear in that speech and what she has to say

:08:59. > :09:01.about devolution will be interesting because there is a section of the

:09:02. > :09:05.Scottish Conservatives this view is essentially that we were not very

:09:06. > :09:09.keen on devolution in the first place, we'll post it in the idea

:09:10. > :09:11.that we will give more powers and responsibilities to this body is

:09:12. > :09:20.something that we still find difficult. It'll be interesting to

:09:21. > :09:24.see how are otherwise the reaction is to those passages. We also picked

:09:25. > :09:28.up on the budget when we were talking to Brian, she had the

:09:29. > :09:31.hotline to number 11 Downing St so we are looking for some

:09:32. > :09:33.announcements there. We are just about to head to the main hall at

:09:34. > :09:38.Edinburgh International conference Centre, because we are just about to

:09:39. > :09:42.hear from Ruth Davidson. She is on the stage about to give her speech.

:09:43. > :09:52.Receiving applause from the members of the audience.

:09:53. > :10:04.Thank you. Thank you. Conference, we gathered here today on the cusp of

:10:05. > :10:09.an incredible few months ahead. Glasgow welcoming the world to the

:10:10. > :10:12.Commonwealth Games, marking Glasgow welcoming the world to the

:10:13. > :10:16.of our service men and women on Armed Forces the instrument, and the

:10:17. > :10:21.best sporting duel on the planet, the Ryder Cup coming to Gleneagles.

:10:22. > :10:28.Big events, all in themselves, but we now gathering here today that an

:10:29. > :10:31.even greater date faces us, too. This September we face the biggest

:10:32. > :10:36.vote this country has ever seen. It is not another election where you

:10:37. > :10:40.can vote again in five years time if you do not like the results. We are

:10:41. > :10:46.talking about the very fabric of our country. We are deciding the fate of

:10:47. > :10:52.nations. And we will all play a part. I want to thank you all for

:10:53. > :10:56.card-carrying members to volunteers to the professional staff to all of

:10:57. > :11:01.our elected members who are stuffing envelopes, knocking doors, is riding

:11:02. > :11:04.friends and reassuring family. You know there is

:11:05. > :11:08.friends and reassuring family. You know we are in the fate of our

:11:09. > :11:09.lives, you know it is a fight we can win and the fight we are going to

:11:10. > :11:19.win. APPLAUSE

:11:20. > :11:29.I want to single out Stewart Stevenson, a man who has flown the

:11:30. > :11:31.flag for Scotland the European Parliament for 15 years. Serving

:11:32. > :11:35.this parliament and fighting for this country. I also want to thank

:11:36. > :11:38.him for starting my political journey because when I was a

:11:39. > :11:43.journalist I worked for his wife, she was my editor. Six years ago we

:11:44. > :11:47.sat in the kitchen of his flat in Glasgow and the encouraged me to

:11:48. > :11:50.stand as a Conservative candidate for the first time. He signed my

:11:51. > :11:57.knowledge informs and gave me a reference. Almost all of this is his

:11:58. > :12:02.fault. He has also always believed in bringing forward the next

:12:03. > :12:06.generation and Ian Duncan, leading Conservative candidate in European

:12:07. > :12:19.elections, we have a worthy successor to take on the Brussels

:12:20. > :12:23.bureaucracy. There is one of Pearl to thank. And

:12:24. > :12:29.it pains us all that he is not here today. Conference, David McLetchie

:12:30. > :12:35.took the reins of this party when we were at our lowest ebb. It was not

:12:36. > :12:39.in his nature to blood or more, with energy and wit and wise judgement he

:12:40. > :12:44.picked this party and steered us to a better place. This commitment

:12:45. > :12:47.never wavered, his service never stop. Attending

:12:48. > :12:51.never wavered, his service never after others would have been able,

:12:52. > :12:54.diving in two meetings of the Better Together great that he set up with

:12:55. > :13:00.Alistair Darling, lesser men would have faded away. Not David. He

:13:01. > :13:03.believed in our nation and believes it is a great nation and wanted to

:13:04. > :13:07.show the world that we are stronger together, that we are Better

:13:08. > :13:11.Together. We need is to make sure that the country he loved and fought

:13:12. > :13:15.for sticks together. So let's honour David 's memory by working to make

:13:16. > :13:18.that happen. And you better work hard because he will be watching.

:13:19. > :13:58.Conference, About why those values should be

:13:59. > :14:02.cherished and why we conservatives are the people to take this country

:14:03. > :14:06.forward. My belief in our ability to do that is based on our most vital

:14:07. > :14:11.national asset, her people. As I travel in Scotland I need people

:14:12. > :14:15.from every corner of our country who share our belief aspiration in

:14:16. > :14:19.responsibility and hard work, he wants the government to give help it

:14:20. > :14:23.is needed and get out of the way when it is not. People who want to

:14:24. > :14:26.know that if they do the right thing, if they work hard and provide

:14:27. > :14:29.for their family, if they play by the rules in the country will do

:14:30. > :14:36.right by them. And I know it is tough. People are uncertain about

:14:37. > :14:40.the road ahead. Jobs are less secure, first-time buyers are still

:14:41. > :14:44.struggle to get a foot on the property ladder. The cost of living

:14:45. > :14:48.goes up but the size of your pay packet doesn't. We do understand and

:14:49. > :14:52.we will stand by you and speak up for you, at Westminster Abbey of cut

:14:53. > :14:56.the jobs tax and brought down income tax to help more people into work

:14:57. > :14:59.and give them more money in their pocket once they are better. We

:15:00. > :15:04.raised the state pension and minimum wage, we have cancelled the fuel

:15:05. > :15:10.duty escalator, sitting people celebrate Hank Weekley ?370 per

:15:11. > :15:13.year. At holiday to be fed for the next generation to stop cuts to

:15:14. > :15:24.colleges, vital in training people for work. Ludicrous proposals that

:15:25. > :15:31.say state oversight proposed on every child in Scotland and a suck

:15:32. > :15:36.it and see approach to justice. Conservative common-sense has never

:15:37. > :15:41.been more needed. Our voice is loud, it is growing, we are here to fight

:15:42. > :15:52.for your community, your family, we're here to fight for you.

:15:53. > :15:57.APPLAUSE. I have heard all the jokes about

:15:58. > :16:13.pandas and phone boxes and I have to say that the EICC hasn't looked like

:16:14. > :16:16.a phone box this weekend. In the last two decades we have been told

:16:17. > :16:22.time and again that we are out of touch, not relevant, that we don't

:16:23. > :16:29.get it. Not any more. I'm here to tell you that on the big issues

:16:30. > :16:35.facing our country, we stand for the people of Scotland. We are fighting

:16:36. > :16:39.to keep our country together and are backed by the majority. On welfare,

:16:40. > :16:45.we see that welfare should always pay and that is what Scotland thanks

:16:46. > :16:49.to. On the deficit, we are controlling spending because it is

:16:50. > :16:53.immoral to shackle our children with debts and the country agrees. On

:16:54. > :17:02.immigration, we want the numbers down and so does Scotland. And what

:17:03. > :17:06.about what the SNP wants? On independence, they are in the

:17:07. > :17:13.minority, an unreformed minority, they are in the minority, an

:17:14. > :17:21.spending they are in the minority, refusing to trust people on Europe,

:17:22. > :17:24.in the minority there as well. And people are starting to notice. They

:17:25. > :17:29.are starting to notice that we are on the right side of the argument.

:17:30. > :17:32.Scotland's seas that we are fighting tooth and nail to keep our country

:17:33. > :17:40.together and that more than 80,000 people have joined the Conservatives

:17:41. > :17:43.to stand with us. We have taken our message of fairness and

:17:44. > :17:48.responsibility, hard work and just rewards, to the doorstep of this

:17:49. > :17:55.country. More and more people are putting their cross in our box. 11

:17:56. > :18:00.straight council by-elections were the Tory vote has gone up. The last

:18:01. > :18:11.time the party did that was in 1974 and I wasn't even born. In the last

:18:12. > :18:16.general election, the number of people who voted for us should be a

:18:17. > :18:20.platform and not a ceiling. We have to speak loud and proud and

:18:21. > :18:27.encourage others to do the same. Sometimes it is hard to come out as

:18:28. > :18:37.a conservative, and I should know. I was in the bosom of the BBC when I

:18:38. > :18:41.broke cover. But if you believe in sound finances

:18:42. > :18:47.then you are a conservative. If you believe in personal freedom, choice

:18:48. > :18:51.and responsibility then you are a conservative. If you believe an

:18:52. > :18:56.aspiration and opportunity and that success is not a dot

:18:57. > :18:58.aspiration and opportunity and that something worth striving for, if you

:18:59. > :19:03.are a conservative. If you believe that decisions on local services

:19:04. > :19:11.should be decided locally, not centrally, you are a conservative.

:19:12. > :19:15.If you cherish and believe an issue of an family, community and rolling

:19:16. > :19:23.up your sleeves and getting stuck in, that makes you conservative as

:19:24. > :19:27.well. I wanted to vote for your beliefs and I want you to help us

:19:28. > :19:34.fight to keep our country together. I want you to give something back to

:19:35. > :19:38.the taxpayers of Scotland and help turn our schools once again into the

:19:39. > :19:48.envy of the world. I am changing the face of this party and in so doing I

:19:49. > :19:54.am changing the faces of this party. More MPs and MSPs mean more

:19:55. > :19:58.conservative common-sense in Parliament and I need you to help us

:19:59. > :20:02.make that happen. I don't care where you're from, what you went to, your

:20:03. > :20:09.age or race or sexuality, what I care about is whether you care.

:20:10. > :20:13.Whether you want to change our country for the better. If you are

:20:14. > :20:21.willing to give up your time, talent, yourself to make that

:20:22. > :20:25.happen. If you have ever wanted to be involved in public life but

:20:26. > :20:31.didn't know where to start then come to us because we want you to come

:20:32. > :20:37.forward. I am fighting for the future of this country and I want

:20:38. > :20:47.you standing up here it beside me. APPLAUSE.

:20:48. > :20:55.Is a party, our voice is loud and it is growing but I wanted to grow much

:20:56. > :21:00.further. How do we do that? We do that by focusing relentlessly on the

:21:01. > :21:04.things that matter. In my book, top of that list are the opportunities

:21:05. > :21:09.that we as an Asian pass on to the next generation. Scots have always

:21:10. > :21:14.known the value of education and I know that personally. I got a good

:21:15. > :21:19.education and I have always been grateful for it. But that wasn't

:21:20. > :21:24.yesterday. The world is moving on and we are not keeping pace. If you

:21:25. > :21:28.look at the results of the latest studies, be sure that little if any

:21:29. > :21:32.progress has been made in the last five years in Scotland's performance

:21:33. > :21:37.in international league tables. I know that there is great work being

:21:38. > :21:40.done in our schools week in and week out, teachers inspiring their

:21:41. > :21:46.peoples, pupils that are hungry to learn, the problem is that when it

:21:47. > :21:55.comes to educational achievement we are neutral while many competitors

:21:56. > :21:58.internationally accelerate ahead. I could hear the SNP response that we

:21:59. > :22:03.are doing at least as well as other parts of the UK. But that is not

:22:04. > :22:07.good enough and it is desperately narrow-minded. Because the

:22:08. > :22:12.competition that our young people face for jobs in the future isn't

:22:13. > :22:17.just from kids from Birmingham or Swansea, they will be facing a

:22:18. > :22:21.highly motivated workforce from the Far East and other emerging

:22:22. > :22:25.economies. So we have to set our sights higher still. Have the

:22:26. > :22:28.economies. So we have to set our confidence and ambition to match the

:22:29. > :22:34.best the world has to offer and win. The greatest gift that this

:22:35. > :22:37.generation can give to the next is an education system that truly

:22:38. > :22:44.prepares Scotland's young people per the challenges of Jacob Pettit of

:22:45. > :22:58.economy. That means reforming to education. -- challenges of a

:22:59. > :23:01.competitive economy. We want to end the monopoly of mediocrity that

:23:02. > :23:07.traps too many Scottish children into lives of low expectation. Not

:23:08. > :23:12.all children learn the same and they shouldn't be taught the same. I want

:23:13. > :23:15.more choice and more power for parents, to select the right type of

:23:16. > :23:19.school for parents, to select the right type of

:23:20. > :23:24.the postcode lottery which locks thousands into failing schools. More

:23:25. > :23:32.rewards for good teachers and showing bad teachers the door. It

:23:33. > :23:37.means rigorous exams to stretch the brightest pupils and more

:23:38. > :23:42.opportunities for those whose interests lie in the vocational. We

:23:43. > :23:48.too often feel the ablest without giving real help to those who need

:23:49. > :23:53.it most and it is time that changed. It is time every Scottish child was

:23:54. > :24:02.given the same fair shot of success, no matter their background.

:24:03. > :24:08.I am not so naive that I believe background doesn't play a part but I

:24:09. > :24:13.am ambitious enough to believe that the rate support and encouragement,

:24:14. > :24:18.any child no matter the circumstances can succeed. And I

:24:19. > :24:22.believe to my core that greatest disadvantage anyone can suffer is to

:24:23. > :24:25.be written off because of their background, to be told that they

:24:26. > :24:30.won't get good grades, will get a good job, want get on in life. That

:24:31. > :24:34.is not my way because I believe in young people and that is not the

:24:35. > :24:43.conservative way either. APPLAUSE.

:24:44. > :24:46.We will fight for the reforms to give every Scottish child the

:24:47. > :24:53.education they need and the fair shot in life that they need. If

:24:54. > :25:03.Scotland's young people work hard they know that the government would

:25:04. > :25:10.be dipping deep into their pockets. If we think about the SNP's

:25:11. > :25:13.contortions on this. They want multinational corporations like

:25:14. > :25:24.Amazon and Starbucks to pay less tax in the UK but they stubbornly

:25:25. > :25:29.proposed cutting the UK tax bill of the hard-working people. That

:25:30. > :25:34.doesn't make sense and is not fair. They see a tax cut for Starbucks is

:25:35. > :25:39.a good thing but a tax cut for the person working behind the counter is

:25:40. > :25:45.bad. When I see a strong working-class, I mean anyone who

:25:46. > :25:51.gets up and earns a wage to support themselves and their families. The

:25:52. > :25:53.everyday grafters of Scotland. Those hard-working people who deserve the

:25:54. > :26:00.government who values hard-working people who deserve the

:26:01. > :26:07.efforts. A government that lets people keep as much as possible what

:26:08. > :26:14.they earn. It isn't just a question of economics, it is a question of

:26:15. > :26:20.values. Too many people believe in government money, they are to spend

:26:21. > :26:22.as they wish, but there isn't a only money governments have taken from

:26:23. > :26:32.taxpayers. APPLAUSE.

:26:33. > :26:36.I think successive governments have taken too much. We shouldn't be

:26:37. > :26:42.dipping deeper into the Bulls pockets. We should insure that there

:26:43. > :26:46.are more pounds left in the pockets to spend on the local shops, to

:26:47. > :26:53.invest in the local community, or to save for their children's future.

:26:54. > :27:02.That is why we are committed to cutting the tax bills of working

:27:03. > :27:08.Scots. Lowering personal taxation and raising the threshold. George

:27:09. > :27:14.Osborne didn't get into politics as a popularity contest but that isn't

:27:15. > :27:21.the point. He is in this for a long haul. To make sure that Britain is a

:27:22. > :27:28.low debt, low tax success story that can take on Asia's tiger economies

:27:29. > :27:34.and win. We are turning the corner. The deficit cut by a third. 1.3

:27:35. > :27:41.million more jobs in the UK. But in's economy growing faster than

:27:42. > :27:48.France, Germany, America, Japan. Of course there is still a long road

:27:49. > :27:51.ahead and tough decisions to make. And in no area does it get more

:27:52. > :27:57.difficult than in sorting out our welfare system. But sort it out we

:27:58. > :28:02.must. Under the former Labour government, 1.4 million people were

:28:03. > :28:07.unemployed for nine out of its last ten years. They were left on the

:28:08. > :28:12.scrapheap is a government that cared more about what people couldn't do

:28:13. > :28:21.than what they could. On Monday, I visited one of the projects and --

:28:22. > :28:27.in Glasgow ensuring that people have the right support. Staff by nurses

:28:28. > :28:36.and occupational therapists and run on a social enterprise model, it

:28:37. > :28:47.channels any money it makes back into the NHS. People forced onto

:28:48. > :28:52.benefits because the new work wouldn't pay. Most who would love a

:28:53. > :28:58.job if only the system would reward them. By increasing the minimum

:28:59. > :29:02.wage, we are doing that. By bringing in the Universal Credit we are doing

:29:03. > :29:06.that. By bringing in the biggest back to work programme we are doing

:29:07. > :29:12.that. By ending the politics of the scrapheap that only look to people

:29:13. > :29:25.-- what people couldn't do but what they could, we are acting. APPLAUSE.

:29:26. > :29:30.I don't resile from Iain Duncan Smith's reforms one bit. I support

:29:31. > :29:36.them all the way. And while the SNP generates sound infuriate, this is a

:29:37. > :29:43.party that has shamefully failed to produce a single idea on welfare

:29:44. > :29:49.reform, the most vital area in Scotland. They haven't a clue how to

:29:50. > :29:56.sort out our welfare state and that is the real disgrace.

:29:57. > :30:03.APPLAUSE. Opportunities for the next

:30:04. > :30:08.generation: A fair return for Scotland taxpayers, an NHS that

:30:09. > :30:13.continues to be the envy of the world. Millions of people across

:30:14. > :30:16.Scotland have cause to be grateful to the health service of this

:30:17. > :30:23.country for this care that it provides an what is often the time

:30:24. > :30:27.of their needs. Many or their lives to the NHS and I should go because I

:30:28. > :30:38.am one of them. When I was five years old, I was run over a truck --

:30:39. > :30:43.by a truck. I was given a 50% chance of living and had to learn to walk

:30:44. > :30:46.again. I is seven, I was playing football with the boys. It is

:30:47. > :30:50.sometimes said that the NHS is the closest thing we have two a national

:30:51. > :30:58.religion and I know that I have eight good reason to say prayer for

:30:59. > :31:03.all that alert the hunt for me. Public satisfaction with the NHS is

:31:04. > :31:07.rightfully high. But there are choices we can make to improve care

:31:08. > :31:10.and down the country. Under the SNP the number of nurses

:31:11. > :31:14.and down the country. Under the SNP Scotland has gone up and down like a

:31:15. > :31:18.Fiddlers elbow. 2000 posts gone in just a few years. We are now

:31:19. > :31:23.hundreds of places down, creating intolerable pressure for those left.

:31:24. > :31:27.Millions are spent on bank and agency nurses to plug the gap. It is

:31:28. > :31:32.not good enough, not for the staff, not for patients. For the young monk

:31:33. > :31:37.turfed out of the maternity ward in the same day she gives birth, for

:31:38. > :31:42.the post of patient waiting for a bed pan because staff are rushed off

:31:43. > :31:47.their feet. For the nurses own health suffers because of stress. It

:31:48. > :31:51.is time we get something about it and that is why today I am able to

:31:52. > :31:54.announce that we will place a further 1000 nurses and midwives for

:31:55. > :31:57.Scotland at once introduced the B will not let not -- numbers drop

:31:58. > :32:09.below that mark. APPLAUSE

:32:10. > :32:12.. We will pay for it by restoring the prescription charge, not for the

:32:13. > :32:16.young, the pensioner, the pregnant or pure, they will be exempt as the

:32:17. > :32:22.always wear, but for people who are earning, people who are

:32:23. > :32:25.overwhelmingly happy to make a contribution they will know that the

:32:26. > :32:30.small sum will make a massive difference. Politics is about

:32:31. > :32:35.choice, the decisions you make and the consequences of your actions.

:32:36. > :32:39.Alex Salmond said that on his six-figure salary he should get free

:32:40. > :32:43.aspirin. I say we should have enough nurses to do the job. Enough nurses

:32:44. > :32:48.to allow patients to get the care that they deserve, enough nurses to

:32:49. > :32:51.ensure health care workers get the support they need. That is my

:32:52. > :33:05.priority, that is the Conservative priority. Aspiration, hard work,

:33:06. > :33:13.responsibility. These are our values. But there is one more. And

:33:14. > :33:18.that is unashamed, unselfconscious, unapologetic love of our country. We

:33:19. > :33:25.argue Scottish Conservative and Unionist party. Both Scottish and

:33:26. > :33:28.union as they are for a reason. We feel no conflict between our

:33:29. > :33:33.Scottish and British identities. We know that one, laments the other.

:33:34. > :33:37.That we gain more from our shared endeavour than we ever could from

:33:38. > :33:41.splitting apart. We will face today and tomorrow and every day between

:33:42. > :33:43.now and the referendum to defend Scotland's place in the United

:33:44. > :33:54.Kingdom. APPLAUSE

:33:55. > :33:57.. On the 18th of September the Scottish people will vote in the

:33:58. > :34:01.result will not just decide Scotland remained part of the United Kingdom,

:34:02. > :34:06.but if the United Kingdom is to exist at all. It is the most

:34:07. > :34:10.momentous decision of our lifetime, and its outcome will affect all of

:34:11. > :34:14.us. My view is a straightforward one. We have a history to be proud

:34:15. > :34:20.of and a future filled with the promise of even greater things. The

:34:21. > :34:26.UK's successes are our successes, too, because we have built this

:34:27. > :34:28.union. Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland working together in

:34:29. > :34:32.those arguing for independence for Scotland claim it is the only way to

:34:33. > :34:36.be like the ambition of the Scottish people. The only way to get the

:34:37. > :34:41.change Scotland's needs. But that is not true. I want to change,

:34:42. > :34:46.change Scotland's needs. But that is wants change, but you do not need to

:34:47. > :34:49.separate your country to get it. Under devolution Holyrood has

:34:50. > :34:53.already full control over the great public services that we will ion, on

:34:54. > :34:59.education, on health, on policing. The Scotland act delivered by the

:35:00. > :35:04.Conservative led coalition will soon see the biggest transfer financial

:35:05. > :35:08.power to in 300 years. That is the mark of a reforming government which

:35:09. > :35:11.listens to the people of Scotland, which understands their aspirations

:35:12. > :35:18.and which is committed to taking the steps needed. The process does not

:35:19. > :35:21.end there. The Strathclyde commission, set up to examine

:35:22. > :35:26.devolution, to make it more effective and Steve -- and more

:35:27. > :35:29.responsible, the result of his report will be published in May and

:35:30. > :35:33.in good time for people to see before they vote. We are 100%

:35:34. > :35:36.committed from the Prime Minister down to make sure that after a no

:35:37. > :35:40.vote we deliver a settlement that the people of Scotland want within a

:35:41. > :35:44.union that the people of Scotland want to keep. A settlement that is

:35:45. > :35:50.built on conservative values. Responsibility and accountability to

:35:51. > :35:55.the taxpayer of this country. He no vote allows devolution to develop.

:35:56. > :36:02.Independence killed it stone dead. The Strathclyde commission,

:36:03. > :36:03.irresponsible Scottish Parliament, independence defeated and a stronger

:36:04. > :36:21.United Kingdom. In the last year we have seen

:36:22. > :36:24.arguments from both sides, issues of currency, pensions, jobs, Europe,

:36:25. > :36:30.oil, hitting the headlines day after day. When the supermarket said that

:36:31. > :36:33.independence would cost their customers more, the Nationalists

:36:34. > :36:36.shouted them down. When standard life said it was already setting up

:36:37. > :36:41.companies outside of Scotland to transfer work in the event of

:36:42. > :36:45.independence the SNP ignored them. When oil receipts, said, taking with

:36:46. > :36:52.them the cost of every school in Scotland, Alex Salmond was in

:36:53. > :36:54.denial. And when the Chancellor, the shadow chancellor, the Chief

:36:55. > :36:57.Secretary to the Treasury, the permanent Secretary to the Treasury

:36:58. > :37:01.also that the currency union was not in the rest of the UK's interests

:37:02. > :37:06.the separatists said they were all making it up. I think Billy Connolly

:37:07. > :37:11.said it best when he said I love Scotland, but I hate the way the

:37:12. > :37:16.Nationalists think they own the place. It is not just Scotland that

:37:17. > :37:20.they think they own, but the decisions of other countries, too.

:37:21. > :37:23.When the head of the EU and the commission said that an independent

:37:24. > :37:27.Scotland would have to apply for membership and join the scenes you

:37:28. > :37:31.as everyone else Alex Salmond said they did not know what they were

:37:32. > :37:34.talking about. He alone knew that Scotland would have its path

:37:35. > :37:38.smoothed and all 20 member states with any requirement, acquirement to

:37:39. > :37:42.join the euro or Schengen or give back the rebate. And George Osborne

:37:43. > :37:45.laid out the fact of the currency unions in Edinburgh and come where

:37:46. > :37:49.forensically detailed why the rest of the UK would not buy it, first

:37:50. > :37:55.ministers said that he was wrong. He knew better. He knew that despite

:37:56. > :37:58.seeing the disaster in the Eurozone, the wreckage that happens when

:37:59. > :38:01.different countries currency and interest rates and pursue different

:38:02. > :38:05.tax and economic policies, the UK with the job at the chance for the

:38:06. > :38:07.same. The governor of the Bank of England says currency zones mean

:38:08. > :38:12.ceding sovereignty, giving up England says currency zones mean

:38:13. > :38:15.control. But our brave First Minister thinks people south of the

:38:16. > :38:20.border would love to hand him some of the rings, just after he has told

:38:21. > :38:24.them to shove off. The Chancellor made it clear that leaving the UK

:38:25. > :38:29.means leaving the UK pound at all that underpins it. I love the SNP is

:38:30. > :38:34.not familiar with the concept but it is called independence. Ten sellers

:38:35. > :38:39.understand, Dennis cannot understand that and Patrick Harvey gets it,

:38:40. > :38:43.too. But the last few months have taught us that Alex Salmond is

:38:44. > :38:47.utterly incapable of accepting the consequences of his own actions. He

:38:48. > :39:02.was caught spraying graffiti he would blame the wall.

:39:03. > :39:09.But the rest of us, we can see it all too clearly. We see the work of

:39:10. > :39:13.our countrymen and women and when we look around the world we see our

:39:14. > :39:16.exports to France and Germany, America and Japan and China and

:39:17. > :39:20.Brazil and India, we look at them and we double what we see at it is

:39:21. > :39:24.still not as smart as Scotland sells to England, Wales and Northern

:39:25. > :39:27.Ireland. We looked at her pension, the money put aside to provide for

:39:28. > :39:30.ourselves and our families and we know it will be there in her old

:39:31. > :39:35.age, they don't independence of which it was saved. We look at our

:39:36. > :39:39.armed Forces and we see Scots serving with the Welsh brethren,

:39:40. > :39:43.with soldiers, sailors and airmen from England and another, too. The

:39:44. > :39:49.most professional fighting force on this planet and one that we are

:39:50. > :39:52.proud to be a part of. We looked at financial services, our banking

:39:53. > :39:57.services, and oil companies and engineers, the men and women across

:39:58. > :40:03.this country who work from Lloyds, for RBS, BP, Shell, and we want

:40:04. > :40:09.these jobs, all of these jobs to stay. The union provides

:40:10. > :40:13.opportunity, stability, security and prosperity and we are fighting head,

:40:14. > :40:21.heart, body and soul for that union because it is personal to all of us.

:40:22. > :40:24.It is certainly personal to me. As someone who served in a reserve

:40:25. > :40:28.Armed Forces I do not want to see our Army, navy and air force broken

:40:29. > :40:32.up. As someone who works in one of our great shared institutions, the

:40:33. > :40:37.BBC, I don't want to direct a part to the detriment of all others. As

:40:38. > :40:40.someone who has lived and worked in Scotland her whole life and never

:40:41. > :40:44.anywhere else but whose only sister has built her life and family just

:40:45. > :40:49.south of the border I do not want to see barriers array -- erected

:40:50. > :40:53.between us. That is what Alex Salmond does not understand. When he

:40:54. > :40:58.is genuinely puzzled that the polls haven't moved. He thinks that if he

:40:59. > :41:03.waved the flag and offers the error that causes his ears then people

:41:04. > :41:07.will flock to his banner. But he has not realised that this land is our

:41:08. > :41:11.land, this union is urging in and everyone of us have your own

:41:12. > :41:15.personal reasons for wanting it to stay. Her limited kingdom belongs to

:41:16. > :41:19.all of us, we have built it together, traded together, fought

:41:20. > :41:25.together, lips together, locked together, several together, build

:41:26. > :41:27.our lives together. This land is our right and we will allow no one to

:41:28. > :41:49.break apart. Conference, we have six months, we

:41:50. > :41:55.have six months to tell the truth, six months to fight because, six

:41:56. > :42:00.months to persuade our friends and family to keep our country together.

:42:01. > :42:04.The fight starts now, today, so I wanted to go from this place and

:42:05. > :42:06.tell the world that you are proud of being Scottish but proud of

:42:07. > :42:10.Britain, too. And that our United Kingdom, the nation we have built

:42:11. > :42:15.through blood and toil and sweat will not be broken, tell the world

:42:16. > :42:19.that we are stronger together, we are safer together, we are Better

:42:20. > :42:37.Together and we can, we must, we will stay together. Thank you.

:42:38. > :42:42.A standing ovation for the Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson

:42:43. > :42:47.there from the conference, focusing on the referendum of course. It is a

:42:48. > :42:53.site we can win in the fight we are going to win. Policy announcement on

:42:54. > :42:57.health and education and speaking of constitutional change, the living a

:42:58. > :43:04.settlement that the people of Scotland want. Let's go to our

:43:05. > :43:14.political editor, Brian Taylor. You were listening to that, much as we

:43:15. > :43:22.expected? Something of an intriguing tone at the end, blood, sweat and

:43:23. > :43:26.toil, blood and toil and sweat. Of course absolutely conscience echo of

:43:27. > :43:33.Churchill and earlier when she said I want you, and echo of Kitchener, a

:43:34. > :43:39.World War I recruiting advert. Deliberately reaching back to icons

:43:40. > :43:43.of Britishness with which this audience, the bodies in the hall

:43:44. > :43:46.would be extremely familiar. She was linking them therefore to what I am

:43:47. > :43:52.sure they would say was a British study in the study of these isles.

:43:53. > :43:56.Keeping the union together, she said I want to change but you don't need

:43:57. > :44:02.a separate country. Speaking about delivering a settlement that the

:44:03. > :44:06.people of Scotland want. There was possibly an echo of George Robertson

:44:07. > :44:09.when she said that it would kill independence stone dead, those who

:44:10. > :44:13.have long memories will remember the interview I did with George, now

:44:14. > :44:17.Lord Robertson when he said that evolution would kill nationalism

:44:18. > :44:23.stone dead but she was sitting at the choreography, the Strathclyde

:44:24. > :44:26.commission followed by an fermentation by a Conservative

:44:27. > :44:28.government. The settlement that she said would remove the option of

:44:29. > :44:34.independence from the picture because it would be one that would

:44:35. > :44:36.be popular with the Scottish people. That is plainly the offer she will

:44:37. > :44:40.make although not yet because the suck the commission will not report

:44:41. > :44:44.until May and we will not get the Conservative offer until after that.

:44:45. > :44:47.My guess is that Ruth Davidson is confident in the direction it will

:44:48. > :44:55.go, more tax powers for the ScottishPower. Why are they saw in

:44:56. > :44:59.favour of further tax powers? It is tactical. But also in terms of the

:45:00. > :45:01.longer term thinking of the way the Conservatives approach these things

:45:02. > :45:05.they have gone down and down and down in popularity in Scotland as

:45:06. > :45:08.they seem to be out of step with Scottish thinking, there seems to be

:45:09. > :45:13.something other than the Scottish party. The sepia way

:45:14. > :45:14.something other than the Scottish reaching to those who are they

:45:15. > :45:20.describe as aspirational and hard-working soul you create a large

:45:21. > :45:23.tax palate powers within the Scottish Parliament and from that

:45:24. > :45:27.Ruth Davidson seeing the Tories would argue for cutting taxation in

:45:28. > :45:38.Scotland. Cutting personal taxation in Scotland. Not the corporation tax

:45:39. > :45:43.that Alex Salmond is offering. Professor John Curtice is still with

:45:44. > :45:52.us in the studio. This is expanding the appeal of the Conservatives.

:45:53. > :46:00.The interesting thing is that the first two thirds of speech was not

:46:01. > :46:06.about the referendum. It was about what you was trying to lay out her

:46:07. > :46:12.vision of the Conservative Party. It was a vision that cuts across what

:46:13. > :46:17.many people regard to be the dominant vision of Scotland. She was

:46:18. > :46:24.saying she believes in choice in public services, lower taxation,

:46:25. > :46:29.welfare reform. There was something rather funny about that because of

:46:30. > :46:35.that was her dominant message, why was frankly one and only policy

:46:36. > :46:42.promise made in this speech actually a promise to reintroduce a tax, the

:46:43. > :46:45.prescription tax, in order to increase public spending in Scotland

:46:46. > :46:52.and spend more on the NHS? I think it's what she was wanting to do was

:46:53. > :46:59.say, here are a different set of values and we know how to do that,

:47:00. > :47:04.that the policy the speech contains would be the one that went with the

:47:05. > :47:10.grain of that message rather than one that seems to cut across it. In

:47:11. > :47:16.that sense it was rather curious. The main message was not backed by

:47:17. > :47:21.any iconic example that rest of Scotland might understand she was

:47:22. > :47:26.coming from. In terms of paying for prescriptions

:47:27. > :47:32.again, that individual responsibility then flows to the

:47:33. > :47:37.educational announcement. What he has said before is that parents must

:47:38. > :47:42.have more choice when it comes to schools.

:47:43. > :47:44.Yes, she will argue that people need to be more responsible for

:47:45. > :47:48.themselves and the state should to be more responsible for

:47:49. > :47:58.be paying for things individuals can afford. Unfortunately for her, the

:47:59. > :48:05.prescription charge, if you go to a chemist in England is called a

:48:06. > :48:09.prescription tax. You wouldn't have a single charge for all medicines

:48:10. > :48:15.irrespective of what it cost, you'd be invited to pay some contribution

:48:16. > :48:19.to the medicine. She wants to go down the road of personal

:48:20. > :48:23.responsibility, it is not clear that a flat rate tax on prescriptions is

:48:24. > :48:29.the right way to do that. How do you view this speech on the

:48:30. > :48:35.whole as to how it was received? I think it wasn't a speech that had

:48:36. > :48:47.very much in the way of applause lines. Only when she was defending

:48:48. > :48:53.the union. The reaction when she mentioned the Strathclyde commission

:48:54. > :48:59.was polite applause rather than a great deal of enthusiasm. Given the

:49:00. > :49:03.broader message of her speech which was wanting low taxes and a smaller

:49:04. > :49:09.states, I thought she would go on to say that the reason why she wants

:49:10. > :49:12.more tax-raising responsibilities is so that in 2016I can go to the

:49:13. > :49:22.Scottish public and say we want to reduce income tax. She has said that

:49:23. > :49:35.previously and it is surprising she didn't say that again. She could

:49:36. > :49:41.then very clearly creates clear water between herself and the Labour

:49:42. > :49:44.Party, who remarked as it will also be coming out in favour of

:49:45. > :49:56.tax-raising powers but will probably use them to raise tax.

:49:57. > :50:01.On the taxation, she was really backing the Chancellor's plans

:50:02. > :50:05.coming up in the budget. Of course, she was saying that we

:50:06. > :50:11.are a government that is delivering for Britain and cutting taxation and

:50:12. > :50:21.seeing that this is what the Tories are doing. But there isn't much

:50:22. > :50:28.evidence that the Tories are benefiting from

:50:29. > :50:34.news. A real stalwart, a veteran of the

:50:35. > :50:45.Thatcher and Cameron cabinets, Ken Clarke spoke to us this morning.

:50:46. > :50:55.Thank you for joining us. On the matter of Crimea, do you regard that

:50:56. > :51:00.as credible? It is the worst came of referendum,

:51:01. > :51:07.trying to get round Parliamentary control. They haven't even got an

:51:08. > :51:17.electoral register. It is intended to validate a military takeover and

:51:18. > :51:24.it is a very crude crisis. It is important that the West sticks

:51:25. > :51:29.together, as we are, the US and the EU including the United Kingdom, and

:51:30. > :51:34.we do impose penalties for such a stringent reach of international law

:51:35. > :51:42.and obligations. The danger if we don't respond properly and Putin

:51:43. > :51:48.doesn't suffer, then he will look powerful and the rest will look

:51:49. > :51:54.weak. That will repeat itself in other future problems we might have.

:51:55. > :52:00.But just in Moldova or the Balkans but even in the Middle East. The

:52:01. > :52:07.West has to repudiate and react to this outrageous series of events.

:52:08. > :52:10.But we are talking trade sanctions and economic sanctions rather

:52:11. > :52:19.military intervention. Nobody is going to go to war. The

:52:20. > :52:23.idea that we would go to war is unthinkable for the people of

:52:24. > :52:31.Europe. But there must be real, not just symbolic, economic and trade

:52:32. > :52:35.penalties for such an outrageous violation of all international

:52:36. > :52:43.standards purely for Russian reasons.

:52:44. > :52:48.Back to the economy, a debate within the Conservative Party as to whether

:52:49. > :52:57.it is better to increase the threshold at which people play the

:52:58. > :53:04.lowest income tax or raise the 40p rate.

:53:05. > :53:14.You only ceased to benefit from the personal benefit when you are above

:53:15. > :53:20.?100,000 salary. To take these low earning people out of taxation,

:53:21. > :53:24.particularly at a time when lots of people are having to struggle on

:53:25. > :53:30.comparatively low pay, that is the priority. Every Chancellor is faced

:53:31. > :53:35.with great lists of other things he might do which are attractive in one

:53:36. > :53:42.way or another, but this Chancellor cannot do so because of the folly of

:53:43. > :53:49.his predecessors. I don't know what George is going to do but if he is

:53:50. > :53:56.able to raise tax allowance, I would go for a reason in the personal tax

:53:57. > :54:03.allowance. Norman Lamont and Nigel Lawson both

:54:04. > :54:12.recommended taking more people out of 40p rate, that that should be the

:54:13. > :54:24.priority. That is marginal, that is 40p on the

:54:25. > :54:32.last bit of their salary. That is undesirable. The fact is, after a

:54:33. > :54:40.financial crisis like the one we have seen you cannot afford things.

:54:41. > :54:44.If we go back to economic normality and create a balanced and

:54:45. > :54:51.competitive economy, George has to make a choice and I personally would

:54:52. > :54:58.go for raising the personal allowance. People have started to

:54:59. > :55:03.pay tax on ridiculously low levels of income.

:55:04. > :55:07.Some Tories are saying that raising the lowest threshold is favouring a

:55:08. > :55:10.Liberal Democrat policy and favouring people who are not

:55:11. > :55:16.necessarily Tory voters, let's be blunt about it.

:55:17. > :55:22.Raw politics isn't the only thing that should determine a budget. I

:55:23. > :55:28.wasn't particularly political when I was Chancellor, the first thing you

:55:29. > :55:33.have to do is get the economy to perform well. The next thing you

:55:34. > :55:36.have to do is to be fair. You are not just looking at the headlines

:55:37. > :55:38.you will get the day after you deliver the budget,

:55:39. > :55:45.you will get the day after you people will look on reflection and

:55:46. > :55:51.see that things are getting better. If I was Chancellor, I would go for

:55:52. > :55:54.raising the threshold. If your party isn't debating tax, it is agonising

:55:55. > :55:59.over the European Union. You think there can be a credible

:56:00. > :56:05.offer from the European leaders in terms of reforming the European

:56:06. > :56:08.Union? I will always be in favour of

:56:09. > :56:16.worthwhile reforms of the European Union. Particularly the economic

:56:17. > :56:22.reforms. The EU trade agreements with United, Japan and China, we've

:56:23. > :56:30.just got one with China, we don't use the clout that we have from

:56:31. > :56:32.being in the European Union when the European Union uses its clout

:56:33. > :56:33.entering into