:00:22. > :00:31.Welcome to Idlib and the Scottish Conservative conference. -- welcome
:00:31. > :00:36.to Troon. Remember, they are not called the Scottish Conservative
:00:36. > :00:40.and Unionist Party for nothing. have to tell you that there is no
:00:40. > :00:48.we'll to which I would readily picked my shoulder and keeping a
:00:48. > :00:54.strong Scotland within a strong Britain. -- put my shoulder.
:00:54. > :01:01.Keeping Scotland in the UK will be the party's number one priority
:01:01. > :01:07.between now and the independence referendum. We have got to show to
:01:07. > :01:15.that I love of Scotland does not belong to one party. For too long
:01:15. > :01:19.we have allowed the SNP to claim ownership of patriotism. The
:01:19. > :01:29.Saltire is the symbol of a proud nation, not just one political
:01:29. > :01:34.party. That is the thing about the SNP. They have spread the idea that
:01:34. > :01:41.if you truly love your country you have no choice but to go it alone
:01:41. > :01:46.but believing in the union they say is treasonous. One of them said
:01:46. > :01:53.that leaders of the pro United Kingdom parties were anti-Scottish.
:01:53. > :02:03.The same SNP politician has also compared the United Kingdom to an
:02:03. > :02:05.
:02:05. > :02:09.abusive relationship. What planet are these people on? Was it an
:02:09. > :02:16.abusive relationship that stood alone against Nazi Germany or
:02:16. > :02:20.abolished slavery or that turned these islands into one of the
:02:20. > :02:28.greatest economic and political success stories. It is not an
:02:28. > :02:34.abusive relationship, it is a union. It is not just a place on a map. It
:02:35. > :02:41.is an idea and an ideal. It is not just about our history but it is
:02:41. > :02:46.about our future. Together we have got global planning. A seat on the
:02:46. > :02:52.UN Security Council. The 7th richest economy in the world. The
:02:52. > :03:00.4th largest defence budget in the world. We can pool our resources to
:03:00. > :03:04.provide a safety net, and NHS and education for everyone. It is a
:03:04. > :03:14.partnership for security and prosperity, Scotland is better off
:03:14. > :03:14.
:03:14. > :03:20.in Britain. Now the Conservative Friends of the Union launched today
:03:20. > :03:26.is going to see just that. We walk taller, stand prouder, shout louder
:03:26. > :03:31.together. That is why I say today not only can you love Scotland and
:03:31. > :03:36.blub the United Kingdom. Not only can you drape yourself in the
:03:36. > :03:41.Saltire and the Union Jack but you can be even prouder of you're
:03:41. > :03:46.Scottish heritage than you British heritage, as many are, and still
:03:46. > :03:50.believe that Scotland is better off in Britain. All of this is why this
:03:50. > :04:00.Prime Minister and this party is going to fight for the United
:04:00. > :04:01.
:04:01. > :04:07.Kingdom with everything we have got. At the last election, Alex Salmond
:04:07. > :04:12.asked for a man date on a boat for independence. He won that the
:04:12. > :04:19.election and I have offered him the referendum and now he will not take
:04:19. > :04:25.it. First he wanted a referendum in 2010, now he says he needs 1,000
:04:25. > :04:33.days. First he wanted one question now he is flirting with two. Now he
:04:33. > :04:37.is talking about devo max. Soon it will be devoid the sequel. I
:04:37. > :04:47.thought we were meant to be watching the movie Braveheart but
:04:47. > :04:54.
:04:54. > :04:58.it turns out it is chicken run! APPLAUSE. What is he waiting for?
:04:58. > :05:05.He says he wants to know whether more devolved powers are on the
:05:05. > :05:09.table. No one can accuse me of being dogmatic about this. In the
:05:09. > :05:15.Scotland Bill we have got at new transfer of fiscal powers. A
:05:15. > :05:18.Scottish income-tax. A proportion of the budget that could be raised
:05:18. > :05:23.in Scotland which will more than double. This week we reached
:05:23. > :05:28.agreement with the Scottish Government on further issues they
:05:28. > :05:35.wanted in D Bell. This is a Bell delivered in Westminster are
:05:35. > :05:41.delivered by a Conservative Prime Minister can serve -- I promised
:05:41. > :05:44.respect and that is what we are giving. Scotland's two Government
:05:44. > :05:50.and two parliaments working together. I am open-minded about
:05:50. > :05:55.the transfer of both -- more powers so long as those powers are about
:05:55. > :06:04.improving the lives of people in Scotland. Not just bargaining chips
:06:04. > :06:10.in some game of constitutional poker. I see no reason, no reason
:06:10. > :06:17.at all, why up party that is moderate, sensible, centre right,
:06:17. > :06:23.cannot represent millions of people in Scotland. This is at nation
:06:23. > :06:27.founded on the virtues of thrift and daft. Of paying your way, not
:06:27. > :06:32.running up debts. A sense of responsibility gets Scottish
:06:33. > :06:37.workers through the snow and to work on a winter morning. There is
:06:37. > :06:41.a buccaneering spirit and a passionate belief in family,
:06:41. > :06:45.community and country. For Conservatives, looking at these
:06:45. > :06:55.qualities and values it is like looking in the mirror, they are our
:06:55. > :06:56.
:06:56. > :07:00.qualities and our values. Walker Hall in Troon had a Friday
:07:00. > :07:04.afternoon facelift for the rally for the union. Many brought their
:07:04. > :07:11.different perspectives to launch be friends of the union campaign for
:07:11. > :07:18.the Conservatives. It is now time for Mr Salmond and his cronies to
:07:18. > :07:24.answer the questions on currency, debt, financial regulation,
:07:24. > :07:30.immigration, our future role on the EU, on overseas diplomacy, growth,
:07:30. > :07:36.enterprise, welfare, universities and to tell us how he is going to
:07:36. > :07:42.pay for all of these things without making as the most highly taxed
:07:42. > :07:48.country in Europe and without fobbing us off with the old story
:07:48. > :07:55.that North Sea oil will pay for the SNP's most extravagant spending
:07:55. > :08:02.bonanza. We also need to make it clear that the Conservatives are
:08:02. > :08:10.fighting for unity in spite of the electoral changes that it would
:08:10. > :08:14.give the party. It could be the biggest gerrymander in history and
:08:14. > :08:19.we could be the winners but conference, what we want, what is
:08:19. > :08:26.right for our country, is a bit like our mission to sort out the
:08:26. > :08:30.deficit. It is about putting our party interests aside and working
:08:30. > :08:36.in the national interest. Just as we will not leave future
:08:36. > :08:41.generations with Asmaa moth debt we should not leave for future
:08:41. > :08:51.generations a collection of weakened nations which once stood
:08:51. > :08:53.
:08:53. > :09:00.as a strong union. -- a mammoth debt. We came out with a campaign
:09:00. > :09:05.that was intended to break the union. We knew what that cost in
:09:05. > :09:12.terms of boar and blood. We came out of that successfully because of
:09:12. > :09:19.the sacrifice of so many people in the police and armed forces. We
:09:19. > :09:23.came out of it because we also won a political argument. That is
:09:23. > :09:28.crucial in many respects. The argument we put to the people in
:09:28. > :09:34.Northern Ireland was the one about the benefit of being in the United
:09:34. > :09:38.Kingdom. How by being part of a larger unit our own political
:09:38. > :09:44.difficulties could somehow be more easily reconciled and were
:09:44. > :09:49.delighted by being in the larger being rather than being forced
:09:50. > :09:56.continuously to look at the narrow ground of our own place. We have
:09:56. > :10:01.our own identities, we are Ulster men and British, Scots and British,
:10:01. > :10:05.Welsh and British. There is a British component within our
:10:05. > :10:10.identity. We have a shared historical experience over 300
:10:10. > :10:16.years. There is a common experience and common component within our
:10:16. > :10:22.identity which is there. I have to say to Scottish nationalists that
:10:22. > :10:28.by driving through a programme of separatist nurse and taking be
:10:28. > :10:34.Scottish identity out we are doing violence to part of the identity of
:10:34. > :10:39.every Scotsman. There is a British component within the identity of
:10:39. > :10:48.every Scotsman. To try to bring about separation is doing violence
:10:48. > :10:54.to a person's own sense of identity and that is not good. This morning
:10:54. > :11:00.I visited a company in Preston which has as strong presence in
:11:00. > :11:07.Scotland and in Wales providing jobs and investment for both of our
:11:07. > :11:15.countries. There are other firms, too, providing that link for all of
:11:15. > :11:20.us. Scottish & Southern Energy, First Group, Edinburgh woollen Mill.
:11:20. > :11:25.I went to a company that is building part of the installation
:11:25. > :11:34.for the wind farms in Wales and I have seen something fabricated here
:11:34. > :11:40.in Scotland which will be installed in Wales the next time I see it.
:11:40. > :11:46.That contributes to the economic growth across the United Kingdom.
:11:46. > :11:52.The next 90 days could decide which passport we hold, which currency we
:11:52. > :11:57.spend and which army protects us. It is that important. It is time
:11:57. > :12:03.for us to think about what kind of country we want Scotland to be. Do
:12:03. > :12:07.we want to be part of the 7th largest economy in the world? Do we
:12:07. > :12:13.want Scotland to be part of the most successful military alliance
:12:13. > :12:18.in history, NATO. Do we want to continue in the most successful
:12:18. > :12:24.union of nations that the world has ever seen? The treaties that we
:12:24. > :12:29.have signed and alliances we have forged across the globe or do we
:12:29. > :12:35.want Alex Salmond to scrap our union with Wales, England and
:12:35. > :12:44.Northern Ireland and become equal to so many nations to do not share
:12:44. > :12:49.our language and currency? making a case for staying in the UK
:12:49. > :12:57.enough for the Conservatives or do the party need to spell out how
:12:57. > :13:03.independence will evolve if it happens? There is a fundamental
:13:03. > :13:09.difference between independence and devolution, between sustaining the
:13:09. > :13:14.union and the break-up of Britain. Separation is a fundamentally
:13:14. > :13:19.different proposition from any scheme of devolution and that is
:13:19. > :13:24.the question which needs to be answered above all else and before
:13:24. > :13:29.all else. In my opinion some proponents of different models of
:13:29. > :13:34.devolution are playing with fire if they seek to introduce second
:13:34. > :13:40.questions or multiple choices into the referendum. Wittingly or
:13:40. > :13:47.unwittingly we are playing Alex Salmond game because it deflects
:13:47. > :13:52.from the main issue. It is part of a good job as Unionists, as part of
:13:52. > :13:58.the No campaign, to hold Alex Salmond to account on the true
:13:58. > :14:03.consequences of the 'yes' vote on the referendum. People should be
:14:03. > :14:08.aware of the true consequences of voting no to the referendum. The
:14:08. > :14:13.Prime Minister, as we have already acknowledged, look at the
:14:13. > :14:18.possibility of more powers to the Scottish Parliament. It must come
:14:18. > :14:24.as no surprise that the First Minister immediately responded by
:14:24. > :14:29.asking what that meant? Many other people are genuinely puzzled by
:14:29. > :14:35.what further powers might be and understandably so. It can be no
:14:35. > :14:40.coincidence that in a recent poll 8% of undecided voters said they
:14:40. > :14:43.would definitely vote No to independence if they knew that the
:14:43. > :14:51.parliament were to get further powers and they knew what those
:14:51. > :15:01.powers would be. They must have an idea of what those powers would be,
:15:01. > :15:13.
:15:13. > :15:19.it might secured an old boat. -- a LED me put a scenario to you. Alex
:15:19. > :15:24.Salmond has chosen a date to and a half years away because he knows he
:15:24. > :15:27.cannot win that argument at this point in time, and he wants time to
:15:27. > :15:32.win people round to his way of argument, to give him the best
:15:32. > :15:39.chance of winning that referendum. That is why he has put the date
:15:39. > :15:44.two-and-a-half years away. Make no mistake. You all know him by now.
:15:44. > :15:49.People do everything in his power, I would suggest, not to have a
:15:50. > :15:54.referendum. If that came about, and it is a big if, then I think the UK
:15:54. > :15:59.Government would have an absolute right to say, for three years, you
:15:59. > :16:02.have played this card and promised the people of Scotland a referendum
:16:02. > :16:09.which he won now refusing to do. We will give them that referendum and
:16:09. > :16:18.I believe that under that sort of extreme set of circumstances, it
:16:18. > :16:22.would be damaging. But me remind you of the motion that being part
:16:22. > :16:30.of the Union takes precedence over any scheme of the union and we
:16:30. > :16:36.should focus exclusively on this. That is the motion before you. As
:16:36. > :16:43.many of York are of that, please show. Against? The motion is
:16:43. > :16:50.carried. Yes. Although the referendum dominated
:16:50. > :16:55.the weekend, conference had a couple of other debates. On energy,
:16:55. > :16:59.there were some strong views about wind farms.
:16:59. > :17:06.Figures from the Department of Energy and Climate Change show that
:17:06. > :17:12.wind farms in the United Kingdom earned �1,100 million for their
:17:12. > :17:22.owners. �500 million of this was electricity. �600 million of this
:17:22. > :17:26.was subsidy. Who pays this subsidy? The householder. And every single
:17:26. > :17:33.electricity bill payer in Scotland is paying roughly �20 a year at the
:17:33. > :17:36.moment. In 2020, that could be �50 or more. And because it is paid at
:17:36. > :17:40.a flat rate, the people who are bearing the burden of this are not
:17:40. > :17:44.the well off, not the energy companies. We are taking money out
:17:44. > :17:48.of a pockets of the poorest people in our country and putting it into
:17:48. > :17:56.the pockets of rich energy companies, many of which are owned
:17:56. > :17:59.by foreigners, and into the pockets of rich landowners. Apart from the
:17:59. > :18:04.Prime Minister, the most senior member of the UK Government to
:18:04. > :18:09.address the conference was the Home Secretary, Theresa May. Whenever I
:18:09. > :18:14.visit Scotland, I am reminded of the fighting spirit of the Scots.
:18:14. > :18:19.It is envied across the globe. Now, you might have noticed, I am not
:18:19. > :18:24.Scottish! But I have often observed how do receive a warm welcome
:18:24. > :18:28.wherever you travel. It is one of many things to be proud of. Indeed,
:18:28. > :18:34.how many people abroad, some of whom might not have even visited
:18:34. > :18:41.these shores, would like to claim roots in Scotland? Your country and
:18:41. > :18:47.its people are the admired and everybody wants to be part of it.
:18:47. > :18:53.But the Scotland they love is part of a bigger whole. And I am here
:18:53. > :18:59.today to talk about why it should stay that way. Separatists like
:18:59. > :19:03.Alex Salmond one to duck the tough questions. He calls himself a
:19:03. > :19:07.Democrat, yet he fails to deal with the many issues for democracy that
:19:07. > :19:11.arise from being a separate Scotland. He calls himself a
:19:11. > :19:15.progressive, but what is progressive about breaking Scotland
:19:15. > :19:20.off from the rest of the United Kingdom and then giving away powers
:19:20. > :19:25.to Europe? It completely defeats the SNP argument that Scotland
:19:25. > :19:30.would fare better with more control over its own affairs when they seek
:19:30. > :19:34.to hand over so many serious areas of government elsewhere. In the UK,
:19:34. > :19:38.we maintain control over our borders. Joining Europe's
:19:38. > :19:44.borderless area could open Scotland's border to mass
:19:44. > :19:52.immigration. In the UK we have an opt-out on justice and Home Affairs
:19:52. > :19:59.matters. Almost certainly, Scotland would not have that. All serious
:19:59. > :20:04.issues with huge implications for Scotland. Immigration is a policy
:20:04. > :20:10.area that is retained and for which I am responsible as Home Secretary.
:20:10. > :20:16.However, the SNP and Labour believe that all immigration is good. I
:20:16. > :20:20.don't agree. We need to reduce and control immigration. For those who
:20:20. > :20:24.add value to our economy, the door will always be opened. Indeed,
:20:24. > :20:28.recent changes to the system we have made make it easier for them
:20:28. > :20:33.to come. We won the brightest and the best, those who will contribute
:20:33. > :20:39.to the economy, to come to the UK. And of course, we will always
:20:39. > :20:46.welcome those who genuinely seek refuge from persecution. But under
:20:46. > :20:52.Labour, net migration to the UK number at 2.2 million people. Some
:20:52. > :20:56.of those will have settled in Scotland. Understandably, some
:20:56. > :21:01.communities struggled with such rapid change. They found that
:21:01. > :21:07.Labour's decade of mass mismanaged immigration policy had a huge
:21:07. > :21:11.impact on public services, like health and schools. And then
:21:11. > :21:16.there's illegal immigration, sham marriages, illegal working, people
:21:16. > :21:20.staying on with expired visas. We have made it our aim to get net
:21:20. > :21:25.migration back down to the tens of thousands. Cutting immigration is
:21:26. > :21:32.not simple and it will take time. But we are taking action on every
:21:32. > :21:42.route to the UK. And whilst it isn't simple, it is vital, so don't
:21:42. > :21:44.
:21:44. > :21:50.let Labour and the SNP 10 you any The Home Secretary, Theresa May,
:21:50. > :21:54.whose speech focused on immigration issues. It is less than a year
:21:54. > :21:59.since Ruth Davidson was elected to Hollywood. Then she was elected
:21:59. > :22:04.party leader. This was her first keynote speech. Friends, there are
:22:04. > :22:08.moments in history when it falls to a group of people to take a stand,
:22:08. > :22:11.to say what they believe and with conviction, with passion, with
:22:11. > :22:17.right on their side. To know that however allowed their detractors
:22:17. > :22:23.will try to shut them down, we will not be diverted from the cause.
:22:23. > :22:29.Knowing that they speak for asylum majority and we shall prevail. --
:22:29. > :22:35.for the silent majority. Conference, this is our time, our duty and are
:22:35. > :22:40.calling. The next 1,000 days will shake the very future forever. This
:22:40. > :22:49.is a battle we must win and we will win. We will settle the separation
:22:49. > :22:53.question. But, Conference, that question of separation is the
:22:53. > :23:00.elephant in the room that dominates everything, often to the exclusion
:23:00. > :23:04.of everything else. We have an SNP leader are so obsessed with
:23:04. > :23:08.separation that it is neglecting to do the job it was elected to do as
:23:08. > :23:13.the devolved government of Scotland. This week, I spoke to a young man
:23:13. > :23:21.who e-mailed me about the desperate need for a Cancer Drugs Fund in
:23:21. > :23:25.Scotland. This is what he said. I lost my mum back in October 2010 to
:23:25. > :23:31.cancer. Watching something so full of life dive was so painful to
:23:31. > :23:35.watch. Her death has had a profound effect on me and that is why I
:23:35. > :23:40.joined Cancer Research UK, so I can make sure no one ever regain has to
:23:40. > :23:44.go through what my mum did, and families do not have to watch what
:23:44. > :23:50.I had to watch. I feel that with the greater availability of cancer
:23:50. > :23:54.drugs, my mum would be here today. Scotland has a poor record when it
:23:54. > :23:58.comes to cancer and we need radical change. I believe this change can
:23:58. > :24:02.come from a Cancer Drugs Fund. Those are the words of a 17-year-
:24:02. > :24:07.old boy who is desperately hurting and working to make a difference.
:24:07. > :24:13.He has been let down. We cannot allow others to put the future of
:24:13. > :24:17.their country on hold whilst they pursue their own agenda. So, Alex,
:24:18. > :24:27.get back to your desk, get on with the job that you were elected to do.
:24:28. > :24:30.
:24:30. > :24:33.Let's look at child care. Five years ago, they promised a 50% rise
:24:33. > :24:38.and they have spent those five years of failing to deliver. During
:24:38. > :24:43.that time, the number of pre-school places had dropped, each and every
:24:43. > :24:47.year. A quarter of registered creches have closed in the last two
:24:47. > :24:53.years alone. In Scotland's classrooms, there are nearly 4,000
:24:53. > :24:57.fewer teachers and when the SNP came to power and one in five
:24:57. > :25:00.newly-qualified teachers find themselves without a job. Alex, get
:25:00. > :25:09.back your desk, get back to work and do the job that you were
:25:09. > :25:15.elected to do. And to those who want to break
:25:15. > :25:19.apart our United Kingdom, I say, we respect your view but you are wrong.
:25:19. > :25:24.If to supporters of other political parties to share our view, I say
:25:24. > :25:30.this. Join us in defence of our union. As Conservatives, where we
:25:30. > :25:35.need to lead we will lead. Where we need to join, we will join. And we
:25:35. > :25:39.will not be found wanting. There are dividing lines in politics but
:25:39. > :25:49.there are absolutes that can unite us, too. Scotland's course is
:25:49. > :25:49.
:25:49. > :25:54.bigger than any one person or any one political party. So I say,
:25:54. > :26:00.skull and expects us to work together, and we are. Scotland
:26:00. > :26:04.expects us to op lead, and we will. Scotland expect us to put aside our
:26:04. > :26:08.differences and pull together for the common cause, to give a voice
:26:08. > :26:13.to the silent majority, to build a course across our nation. Today, we
:26:13. > :26:17.stand on the brink of history. The world is watching. This is a cause
:26:17. > :26:22.and we will not be found wanting. We will add ours sound to the
:26:22. > :26:31.millions of voices declaring us as one strong Scotland him one a
:26:31. > :26:37.strong Britain, together for good. Conference, let's get to work.
:26:37. > :26:44.Our political editor, Brian Taylor, is here with his analysis. Have the
:26:44. > :26:49.Conservatives found a new sense of purpose with this? They have found
:26:49. > :26:51.a way to project a new sense of purpose. The argument was that the
:26:51. > :26:57.union is natural ground for the Conservatives and they regard
:26:57. > :27:00.themselves as a premier Unionist Party, a phrase we heard over the
:27:00. > :27:04.conference. What they are suggesting is that they can fight
:27:04. > :27:07.on that ground and so reinvigorate their own party themselves, because
:27:07. > :27:10.that is natural territory for them, and the Prime Minister they buy
:27:10. > :27:14.argues that they go from that position to argue and campaign on
:27:15. > :27:21.issues with a very firm Tory perspective. He issues like the
:27:21. > :27:25.economy and society. They are saying there should be no more
:27:25. > :27:32.arguing and hand-wringing. And they start with the Unionist campaign
:27:32. > :27:36.and pursue it and win that campaign for the union, and as a consequence,
:27:36. > :27:41.reinvigorate the Tories as well. the Conservatives need to spell out
:27:41. > :27:45.just how devolution could evolve if there is a no vote have to
:27:45. > :27:49.independence? That is open to debate, a debate we had on the
:27:49. > :27:57.fringe with some MPs say in no, leave this until later, concentrate
:27:57. > :28:00.on the independence referendum. And then spelling out what the
:28:00. > :28:05.alternative would be and what the new union would look like with new
:28:05. > :28:10.powers. I think the very poor perspective, David Cameron says,
:28:10. > :28:19.opened the new powers and others saying it is for after the
:28:19. > :28:24.referendum. It is now on a yes/ no question. Then the issue of further
:28:24. > :28:30.powers could come later. How hard will it be for the three big pro-
:28:30. > :28:34.Union parties to work together? is tough. They are rivals,
:28:34. > :28:38.opponents. Particularly for Labour and the Lib Dems to work with the
:28:38. > :28:42.Tories, who may have decried down the years and the decades, and
:28:42. > :28:48.particularly hard if the referendum, as now seems almost certain, is in
:28:48. > :28:51.the autumn of 2014. By then, a UK general election is looming and
:28:51. > :28:55.these parties will be fighting each other as well as having to face
:28:55. > :29:00.working together. But I do think that imperative will trump
:29:00. > :29:05.everything. I think the three parties will work together and find