15/10/2016

:00:23. > :00:28.Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the SNP conference in

:00:29. > :00:31.Glasgow. Delegates have been gathering on the River Clyde over

:00:32. > :00:37.the past few days, and they are preparing to hear from their leader,

:00:38. > :00:41.Nicola Sturgeon. I am here at the conference venue to bring you all

:00:42. > :00:48.the buzz, all the gossip, reaction and analysis from this SNP

:00:49. > :00:52.conference. After nine years in government, there have been a

:00:53. > :00:57.variety of protesters on a range of issues, keen to get their points

:00:58. > :01:00.across. After nine years in government and

:01:01. > :01:04.that historic third term at Holyrood with a huge contingent at

:01:05. > :01:08.Westminster, the SNP surge continues, but there is a great deal

:01:09. > :01:12.of uncertainty in the UK about Brexit, and there is a great deal of

:01:13. > :01:16.uncertainty about what could happen in Scotland. Our political editor

:01:17. > :01:22.Brian Taylor is stationed in the exhibitors' hall. The issue of

:01:23. > :01:25.Brexit and the possibility of that second independence referendum have

:01:26. > :01:31.really been dominating proceedings, haven't they? They have. There are

:01:32. > :01:37.some 3000 delegates here and nearly as many nuances and shades of

:01:38. > :01:42.opinion on the reaction to Brexit. But guess what? They support

:01:43. > :01:48.independence. They yearn for it. But there are differences, and they are

:01:49. > :01:52.honourable differences within the party as to the strategy to be

:01:53. > :01:58.pursued. There is a debate under way just now. You can hear the sound of

:01:59. > :02:02.spilling. They are debating fishing and membership of the European Union

:02:03. > :02:06.and even within that, you have a range of opinions one delegate,

:02:07. > :02:12.Gerry Fisher, says you cannot have independence if you are in the EU.

:02:13. > :02:18.Others say that is nonsense. You also have a difference of opinion as

:02:19. > :02:22.to the tactic to be followed. I don't think that will dominate

:02:23. > :02:26.Nicola Sturgeon's speech today. The bulk of the speech today, given that

:02:27. > :02:32.she dealt with this issue to a large extent in her opening remarks on

:02:33. > :02:40.Thursday, will be about the domestic agenda, social care, child care,

:02:41. > :02:44.education and the economy. Much more from you later, thank you. With me

:02:45. > :02:47.in the studio for the Jewish and of the programme is Professor John

:02:48. > :02:52.Curtice of Strathclyde University. -- for the duration of the

:02:53. > :02:56.programme. We will be getting your analysis, but there is that row

:02:57. > :02:58.about a second independence referendum and getting another

:02:59. > :03:02.special deal for Scotland has been the talk of the conference of the

:03:03. > :03:06.last couple of days. It undoubtedly has. In some respects, Nicola

:03:07. > :03:12.Sturgeon didn't tell us anything terribly new on Thursday morning

:03:13. > :03:15.because she had already said when the legislative programme was

:03:16. > :03:18.unveiled last month that there would be a draft Referendum Bill which

:03:19. > :03:25.would at some point be published and put up for consultation. Many

:03:26. > :03:33.commentators interpreted that announcement as an indication that

:03:34. > :03:37.maybe Nicola Sturgeon's ardour for Indyref2 had cooled somewhat. Maybe

:03:38. > :03:42.she had seen the opinion polls that suggested that support for

:03:43. > :03:46.independence remained at around the 47% that it was before Brexit and

:03:47. > :03:54.that the vote on June the 23rd had not changed anything. But then she

:03:55. > :03:57.comes to the hall where people ecstatically greeted her and we were

:03:58. > :04:03.told that the bill would actually appear soon, as in next week. That

:04:04. > :04:07.gave some impetus to it. Perhaps the more interesting part of her speech

:04:08. > :04:13.on Thursday morning was what the Scottish Government is also going to

:04:14. > :04:17.publish, although not next week, which is what it would like to have

:04:18. > :04:20.in terms of the outcome of the Brexit negotiations with the

:04:21. > :04:23.European Union so far as Scotland is concerned. This is partly about

:04:24. > :04:35.trying to push the UK Government away from what is becoming known as

:04:36. > :04:38.hard Brexit, but it is also about saying, we think there might be ways

:04:39. > :04:42.in which Scotland might be able to have a different relationship with

:04:43. > :04:48.the European Union even though it still might be part of the UK that

:04:49. > :04:52.is outside the European Union than is the case for England and Wales.

:04:53. > :04:58.We began to get some idea of what they were thinking, but we will get

:04:59. > :05:03.a publication that tells us what Nicola Sturgeon wants to achieve

:05:04. > :05:09.with the Brexit negotiations before she might be minded to hold that

:05:10. > :05:13.referendum. On the first day of conference, Brian caught up with the

:05:14. > :05:17.First Minister for his usual web chat. The full interview is still on

:05:18. > :05:22.our website, but we have picked up some clips. We began with a question

:05:23. > :05:28.from David. He is unhappy about paying more income tax than in any

:05:29. > :05:31.other part of the UK. We have taken a reasonable approach to income tax

:05:32. > :05:35.and we put forward our proposals in the Scottish election and we won

:05:36. > :05:38.that election convincingly. The Scottish parliament will have power

:05:39. > :05:44.over income tax, so it is right that the government takes the decisions

:05:45. > :05:47.we think are right. The SNP government doesn't propose to raise

:05:48. > :05:53.the level of income tax, but we have said we will not cut income tax in

:05:54. > :05:56.the form of increasing the higher rate threshold where the Tory

:05:57. > :06:01.government plans to do. Why do we think that is wrong? Because at a

:06:02. > :06:06.time when public finances are constrained, when we are seeking to

:06:07. > :06:09.invest as much as we can in health and education, cutting the tax for

:06:10. > :06:13.some of the highest-paid people in our country, we don't think is the

:06:14. > :06:17.right thing do. But we are not putting tax up for anybody. The

:06:18. > :06:22.Scottish economy is not exactly doing wonderfully. It grew by 0.4%

:06:23. > :06:26.in the second quarter of this year, before the Brexit vote. At that

:06:27. > :06:31.time, it was 0.7% elsewhere. Don't you think you need to stimulate the

:06:32. > :06:36.economy, and a tax rise does not do that? We are not increasing tax. If

:06:37. > :06:42.you pay the higher rate in Scotland just now, you are not going to pay

:06:43. > :06:45.more. Because the threshold is going to rise in line with inflation, you

:06:46. > :06:50.will actually pay less in income tax than you do right now, so your tax

:06:51. > :06:57.bill is not going up. We are just not going to cut it substantially.

:06:58. > :07:02.We had this debate at length during the election. If you are a taxpayer

:07:03. > :07:06.in Scotland, your children get free university education. Two elderly

:07:07. > :07:10.relatives get free personal care if they have to go into a nursing home

:07:11. > :07:13.and you don't pay for your subscription, so I think the balance

:07:14. > :07:17.of advantage if you live in Scotland is good compared to if you live in

:07:18. > :07:21.England. But all of these decisions have to be balanced and that is the

:07:22. > :07:28.responsibility of the government. An old favourite here, fracking. Sally

:07:29. > :07:32.from West Dunbartonshire says a key degree of satisfaction comes from

:07:33. > :07:36.your job and you are denying a generation this opportunity by

:07:37. > :07:39.maintaining the ban on fracking, which could be economically

:07:40. > :07:43.advantageous. Again, this is a sensitive issue. I respect Sally's

:07:44. > :07:46.opinion. For every person who has exposed that opinion, there are

:07:47. > :07:50.others saying this would be devastating to the environment and

:07:51. > :07:55.we should not do it. We have taken a careful approach to this. We have

:07:56. > :08:00.commissioned a series of impact studies looking at the impact on our

:08:01. > :08:03.environment, on the economy, on communities, on transport and health

:08:04. > :08:08.and though studies will be published soon. There will then be a

:08:09. > :08:12.substantial public consultation and we will take a decision that is

:08:13. > :08:16.evidence based. Something as controversial as this, that is the

:08:17. > :08:25.right way to do it. Are you inclined against it? I recognise that there

:08:26. > :08:29.are lots of real concerns. This is what makes a country like Scotland

:08:30. > :08:32.different from the United States. If fracking took place in Scotland, it

:08:33. > :08:43.would take place in the central belt of Scotland, places where people

:08:44. > :08:50.live. Leslie Scott in Perth says, try and regain the faith in Scotland

:08:51. > :08:55.lost by scrapping the deeply disliked named person skin. Do you

:08:56. > :08:59.accept that it has had opposition and difficulties? I certainly accept

:09:00. > :09:06.that it has had opposition. I would be denying reality otherwise. It is

:09:07. > :09:10.important to recognise that the Supreme Court did not say the policy

:09:11. > :09:12.was illegal or that it breached human rights. They said it was a

:09:13. > :09:18.benign attempt to help protect children. But there was a particular

:09:19. > :09:22.concern upheld in the Supreme Court around the data sharing aspects of

:09:23. > :09:26.this. Sir John Swinney, the minister responsible, is looking at that and

:09:27. > :09:30.as we progress with this policy, which were determined to do because

:09:31. > :09:34.it is about trying to protect children, but we are determined to

:09:35. > :09:38.do it in a way that brings people together and addresses concerns.

:09:39. > :09:41.Let's move to Brexit and independence, hundreds of questions

:09:42. > :09:45.on this. Bill Ferguson says, what makes you think you can call another

:09:46. > :09:52.independence referendum when you said you won in 2014 was for a

:09:53. > :09:57.generation? In 2014, Scotland voted for a UK that was going to be in the

:09:58. > :10:01.European Union and had, according to many of the people who voted no, a

:10:02. > :10:06.comic stability and a louder voice in the world. These are the reasons

:10:07. > :10:10.many who voted no on it so -- economics ability. That UK is not

:10:11. > :10:16.the one we are facing the prospect of. Because of the Brexit vote, the

:10:17. > :10:18.UK right now, I think is heading towards a cliff edge and I don't

:10:19. > :10:23.want Scotland to be taken over that edge. What I said the morning after

:10:24. > :10:28.the referendum was that I want to examine every option to try to

:10:29. > :10:33.protect Scotland's interests, because our economy, jobs,

:10:34. > :10:39.investment and place in the world are on the line. I want to protect

:10:40. > :10:45.those, so I have setup today in my opening speech to the conference

:10:46. > :10:48.some very clear intentions of terms of how the SNP will take things

:10:49. > :10:51.forward. We will vote against the Brexit bill in the House of Commons

:10:52. > :10:56.because Scotland and over that. We will seek to build a coalition in

:10:57. > :11:02.the House of Commons to protect the UK. The bill itself is about

:11:03. > :11:06.repatriating powers, it is the Brexit negotiations you need to get

:11:07. > :11:12.a handle on. To try to protect the UK against a hard Brexit. Not just

:11:13. > :11:17.Scotland, but the UK? I would like to see the UK not go over this cliff

:11:18. > :11:20.edge as well. The UK Government is talking not just about taking the UK

:11:21. > :11:24.out of the EU, but taking it out of the single market. I don't think

:11:25. > :11:26.that was what was envisaged in the referendum campaign and it will have

:11:27. > :11:32.disastrous consequences. I would like to say innit see the UK as a

:11:33. > :11:40.whole avoid that. If it will not, we will put forward proposals so that

:11:41. > :11:44.Scotland can avoid that. Colin says, just call the referendum now. You

:11:45. > :11:48.can set the date later depending on on how Brexit negotiations are

:11:49. > :11:54.going, but the important thing is to make a definite commitment. I am

:11:55. > :12:04.trying to do but I think is right for the country. Colin is just an

:12:05. > :12:10.illustration of this. I get people every day saying hurry up, and I get

:12:11. > :12:16.others telling me to slow down. Who do you have in mind? Could it be

:12:17. > :12:22.your predecessor? Not at all, it is several people. There are many

:12:23. > :12:25.different opinions here. I am not just leader of the SNP, I am the

:12:26. > :12:29.First Minister of the country and I have to act in a way that is right

:12:30. > :12:37.for the country, and that is what I am doing. If the trigger for Brexit

:12:38. > :12:49.is in spring, that means Brexit is two years later. That means 2019 is

:12:50. > :12:53.Brexit. 2017 is presumably too early to hold a referendum. This is an

:12:54. > :12:58.awesome attempt to get me to name a date! Give me a break! 2017 is too

:12:59. > :13:07.early, because you would not know the shape of Brexit. I am being

:13:08. > :13:11.serious. Is it more likely to be 2018 than 2017? All of what you have

:13:12. > :13:16.said is fine logic. I am not going to name dates. Where do you think we

:13:17. > :13:21.are heading, in that case? You are serious about trying to negotiate

:13:22. > :13:28.with the UK Government? Yes. The first meeting of the committee that

:13:29. > :13:31.has been established to involve the devolved administrations takes place

:13:32. > :13:34.in London a week on Monday. I will be with that with Mike Russell, the

:13:35. > :13:37.minister I have appointed to lead these negotiations. At that point,

:13:38. > :13:41.we will get a sense of how serious the UK Government is about involving

:13:42. > :13:44.us and listening to what we say. I repeat what I said in my speech

:13:45. > :13:49.earlier stopped the ball is in court. I want to find a way that

:13:50. > :13:54.effectively squares this circle. Scotland didn't vote for this. We

:13:55. > :13:57.want to stay in the single market, so can we square this circle? I hope

:13:58. > :14:05.the UK Government will meet me halfway and try to find out. Now,

:14:06. > :14:09.the SNP's new deputy leader has warned Theresa May her days as Prime

:14:10. > :14:13.Minister of the UK are numbered if she fails to protect the interests

:14:14. > :14:17.of Scotland as Brexit approaches. Angus Robertson was of course

:14:18. > :14:22.elected deputy on Thursday. He also called for EU citizens' writes to be

:14:23. > :14:27.protected after Brexit, saying the uncertainty was unacceptable.

:14:28. > :14:35.Theresa May said there would be no opt out from Brexit. That the UK

:14:36. > :14:38.Government would negotiate the departure from the EU as one United

:14:39. > :14:43.Kingdom and leave the European Union as one United Kingdom. Ruth

:14:44. > :14:50.Davidson, the Scottish Tory leader reiterated that Scotland has no veto

:14:51. > :14:54.over the United Kingdom leaving the EU, despite being told we were an

:14:55. > :15:00.equal partner in this United Kingdom. It is time now for Theresa

:15:01. > :15:07.May to prove it. Scotland's membership of the single market...

:15:08. > :15:12.Of 500 million people is vital to Scotland's interests. With a

:15:13. > :15:16.significant rural economy retaining access to capped payments matters.

:15:17. > :15:20.Where the reputation for punching above our weight in research,

:15:21. > :15:24.ensuring access to competitive research funding and the global

:15:25. > :15:28.collaborations that flow from it, matter. From a country that must

:15:29. > :15:33.grow its population to address skills gaps and deal with an ageing

:15:34. > :15:36.population, and free movement of people matters. All of that is at

:15:37. > :15:41.risk. It is the people that will pay the price of this in real life in

:15:42. > :15:45.jobs, investments and living standards and they will suffer as a

:15:46. > :15:48.result. Take our financial services sector,

:15:49. > :15:53.Scotland has a distinguished history in banking, that dates back over 300

:15:54. > :15:58.years. We are one of Europe's leading financial centres. And the

:15:59. > :16:02.second financial hub in the UK outside of London. 150,000 people in

:16:03. > :16:06.Scotland are employed in financial services.

:16:07. > :16:10.The success of this industry which brings big jobs and big revenue to

:16:11. > :16:15.Scotland relies on the membership of the single market. We cannot allow

:16:16. > :16:19.it threatened by the reckless behaviour of Theresa May and her

:16:20. > :16:28.right-wing Tory Government. But there is an alternative... The

:16:29. > :16:34.alternative conference is economic vandalism. The report by the Frazier

:16:35. > :16:38.of Allen dish institute, published last week made for spine chilling

:16:39. > :16:44.reading. The impact of leaving the EU is between 30 and 80,000 Scottish

:16:45. > :16:49.jobs lost and the GDP being 5% lower. It is clear that the Tories

:16:50. > :16:52.represent a clear and present danger to Scotland's interests. Theresa May

:16:53. > :16:58.says that options are keeping Scotland in the EU are impractical.

:16:59. > :17:06.That we have had our referendum, that there will be a UK approach to

:17:07. > :17:09.Brexit. She refuses to accept that for Scotland, for us, Remain means,

:17:10. > :17:19.Remain. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE.

:17:20. > :17:24.My message to the Prime Minister is this: If you continue to ignore the

:17:25. > :17:30.expressed will of the people of Scotland, if you refuse to even

:17:31. > :17:36.consider how to protect Scotland's place in the EU, be in no doubt,

:17:37. > :17:37.your days as Prime Minister of a United Kingdom are numbered.

:17:38. > :17:55.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. So, conference, let our message to

:17:56. > :18:01.the people of Scotland be this: Whether you alternative vote "yes"

:18:02. > :18:07.or "no" in 2014, and whether you voted Remain, or whether you voted

:18:08. > :18:13.Leaf in 2016, we know you want what is best for your, your community,

:18:14. > :18:18.best for Scotland. And in addressing all of Scotland's people, 100% of

:18:19. > :18:23.this country, regardless of where you come from, we will put all of

:18:24. > :18:33.your interests first, that is our promise to you. Thank you very much.

:18:34. > :18:36.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. Now, delegates at conference

:18:37. > :18:39.yesterday overwhelmingly backed a resolution saying Scotland should

:18:40. > :18:43.prepare for a second independent referendum, if there is no viable

:18:44. > :18:49.way to safeguard the nation's membership of the European Union.

:18:50. > :18:53.But not everyone was convinced. Brexit is the greatest political

:18:54. > :18:57.upheaval in British politics in half a century, it is deepening the

:18:58. > :19:02.divide in the union. The political weather has changed. But I urge

:19:03. > :19:07.caution. I urge caution when we look at how to achieve the goal of

:19:08. > :19:10.independence for our nation. As a europhile like Tony, no-one more

:19:11. > :19:15.than me would delight with independence in Scotland within the

:19:16. > :19:19.EU, while it is not terribly popular, I have never held back on

:19:20. > :19:21.saying what I believe. The next independent referendum we go for

:19:22. > :19:28.must be one that we are confident to win. When the time is right or the

:19:29. > :19:34.issue of off the agenda for decades, I offer caution, while aye Plaut the

:19:35. > :19:39.sentiment of the resolution, independence referendum solely to

:19:40. > :19:44.the trigger of Brexit remember a few things, a third of SNP members voted

:19:45. > :19:50.for Brexit. So be mindful how we link the two together and avoid a

:19:51. > :19:55.rush into holding a vote at a time maybe not of our choosing. I want to

:19:56. > :20:00.make it clear that the motion is consistent with the position set out

:20:01. > :20:07.by the First Minister yesterday. SNPs, MPs, would be voting against

:20:08. > :20:11.Brexit bill, and Alex and Graham, I have sympathies with some of the

:20:12. > :20:14.arguments you are taking but our options will be left open in

:20:15. > :20:22.supporting this motion. Conference, I want to share with you my

:20:23. > :20:25.activities as a Scottish Cabinet Secretary leading on international

:20:26. > :20:29.relations in Europe, delegates, we were the only one with a plan. And

:20:30. > :20:35.the leadership shown by Nicola Sturgeon from day one has been

:20:36. > :20:41.outstandingment I can tell you it has made a big impact across Europe.

:20:42. > :20:45.Do not underestimate the solidarity given to EU nationals and what it

:20:46. > :20:51.means across Europe. Yesterday as the First Minister was setting out

:20:52. > :20:56.our position and opposing the Brexit Bill for more powers to Scotland,

:20:57. > :21:01.and also for the publication of the independence Referendum Bill, I was

:21:02. > :21:05.on a stage in Brussels yesterday announcing the very same thing

:21:06. > :21:16.simultaneous, taking our message to the heart of Europe.

:21:17. > :21:20.And in recent weeks have I been in Paris, Italy, in Brussels yesterday,

:21:21. > :21:25.I will be again next week and also in Malta, where we are holding the

:21:26. > :21:29.European presidency. Scotland did not vote to leave the EU. The UK

:21:30. > :21:34.vote was not for a hard breaks earth. This country can be

:21:35. > :21:38.everything it can be but we will do so as an international nation. We

:21:39. > :21:45.are a national party because we are international. Let's keep our

:21:46. > :21:46.options open, let's argue for a progressive international position

:21:47. > :21:52.for Scotland. I want to say why I voted Leave in

:21:53. > :22:00.the referendum, I am not scared to admit it.

:22:01. > :22:07.And the Scots that voted Leave amongst 17 million others, excuse me

:22:08. > :22:11.if I don't feel overwhelmed by putting David Cameron out of Downing

:22:12. > :22:15.Street. I don't think that the motion considers properly what our

:22:16. > :22:20.relationship with the EU and Europe is in any shape or form.

:22:21. > :22:26.It ignore totally our relationship with the rest of the UK in trading

:22:27. > :22:30.terms, therefore it does not address the economic risks of disrupting our

:22:31. > :22:34.relationship are the rest of the UK in order to pursue our relationship

:22:35. > :22:39.with a smaller, effective export market in the rest of the Europe. So

:22:40. > :22:44.let's try and understand and re-examine what our relationship

:22:45. > :22:52.with the EU should be before we hang it round the success or otherwise of

:22:53. > :22:59.a second independence referendum. I move the remit back.

:23:00. > :23:03.I want to tell Theresa May now that Remain means Remain! I don't want to

:23:04. > :23:08.wait two months or three months down the line to give the reassurance to

:23:09. > :23:12.170,000 EU nationals in this country. That reassurance that they

:23:13. > :23:16.are waiting for, that this party, that this country stands by them! So

:23:17. > :23:21.I appreciate that some people might not like some of the wording and

:23:22. > :23:24.perhaps it is not strong enough in places but this is an opportunity,

:23:25. > :23:29.we cannot miss an opportunity. Not at a time when the bargaining will

:23:30. > :23:36.begin in Brussels and in London. We have to make our position clear.

:23:37. > :23:39.That Scotland will no longer be sidelined, an afterthought on

:23:40. > :23:45.Westminster's agenda. We move to the resolution. Can I see

:23:46. > :23:49.cards in favour of the resolution. Can I see cards against the

:23:50. > :23:54.resolution. The resolution is passed overwhelmingly.

:23:55. > :24:02.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. Well, a flavour of conference there.

:24:03. > :24:04.Now back to the exhibitor's hall where Brian is standing by with a

:24:05. > :24:10.guest. Thank you very much. The Scotland

:24:11. > :24:15.Brexit minister, I suppose we could call it that, Mike Russell, let's

:24:16. > :24:19.take the debate. The resolution carried linking a possible

:24:20. > :24:23.independence referendum if there is a failure in Brexit, yet the

:24:24. > :24:28.parties, there are elements of the party understandably concerned? We

:24:29. > :24:32.are not at that stage yet. We are looking at the options. Nicola

:24:33. > :24:36.Sturgeon is right to say that we must be prepared for the options, so

:24:37. > :24:41.publishing a Referendum Bill is sensible. So is increasing trade and

:24:42. > :24:47.our diplomatic presence in Europe to be heard directly. But my job is to

:24:48. > :24:51.look at the various options, that is the work being done with the counsel

:24:52. > :24:56.of experts. But there will be a moment when we have to say this is

:24:57. > :24:58.what we want, that is when we start the searings negotiation of moving

:24:59. > :25:03.forward. The First Minister talked about

:25:04. > :25:07.vansing proposals to the UK to contribute to the Brexit negotiation

:25:08. > :25:12.process, obviously you have to work them up. What is the indication of

:25:13. > :25:17.where it is going? Is it about maintaining single market membership

:25:18. > :25:21.or access? They are underpinned by the principles which are varied.

:25:22. > :25:26.There is one that says we need access to the single market,

:25:27. > :25:30.involvement and the four freedoms for people, goods, capitals and

:25:31. > :25:36.services. We have to protect and to ensure that our devolved interests

:25:37. > :25:41.are protected, the areas that we have exclusive responsibility but

:25:42. > :25:47.also the four freedoms impinge on them. So we look at what we need and

:25:48. > :25:53.use them to underpin what to ask. Is that what you are describing,

:25:54. > :25:57.membership of the European Union? We have Donald Tusk saying either leave

:25:58. > :26:03.or stay, you don't get a halfway house. If not prepared to grant a

:26:04. > :26:08.halfway house to the UK, why to Scotland? There are cases in Europe

:26:09. > :26:12.where there are relations in Europe and sub-state bodies with special

:26:13. > :26:17.elements. It is important that the elements are part of our discussion.

:26:18. > :26:20.Europe recognises, we know that it recognises that Scotland wants to

:26:21. > :26:25.maintain its relationship. Europe expects us to take the

:26:26. > :26:29.constitutional steps to do so. Those steps include negotiation with the

:26:30. > :26:36.Member States, that is what we trying to have but of course it has

:26:37. > :26:41.not yet started but it must include other options, one of which is

:26:42. > :26:44.independence. We are doing this rationaly and by the book. The UK is

:26:45. > :26:49.not. You have talks on Monday with the UK

:26:50. > :26:54.ministers, is the structure there as to how the consultation with

:26:55. > :27:00.Scotland will go? Not yet. It must be in place, without a negotiating

:27:01. > :27:04.structure, there cab no negotiations.

:27:05. > :27:09.When there is a negotiation, we must publish a clear position. Your

:27:10. > :27:15.country is observing this, like the Japanese are seeing there must be

:27:16. > :27:18.transparency, not secrecy and as it goes forward we must come to a

:27:19. > :27:22.rational judgment about the best solution for Scotland. That is what

:27:23. > :27:26.the Scottish Parliament asked the Government to do in June, that is

:27:27. > :27:31.the process we are engaged in. Let's take the two sides. The

:27:32. > :27:39.Scottish side, are you setting up the demands to fail? Is it

:27:40. > :27:44.Trotskyism? No. You are the first to call me that, I

:27:45. > :27:48.have to say. You must be genuine and serious in the negotiations. I am. I

:27:49. > :27:51.want to discuss the details. I want to discuss them face to face

:27:52. > :27:56.with the people responsible and to see if we can come to a deal. But it

:27:57. > :28:01.is also right to say yes to get the best for Scotland. So the bottom

:28:02. > :28:03.line is I will not accept, or Scotland will not accept second

:28:04. > :28:08.best. The bottom line is the single

:28:09. > :28:15.market? It is a key issue. It must be put together with other things.

:28:16. > :28:20.Freedom of movement, 9% of doctors are from EEU countries. Freedom of

:28:21. > :28:26.movement is essential for thetowned operation for many of our public

:28:27. > :28:31.services. Ewant walk away from it. The UK Government wants to restrain

:28:32. > :28:38.freedom of movement? And the rest of Europe looking at the UK thinks this

:28:39. > :28:42.isness. In reality freedom of movement is better for the UK.

:28:43. > :28:46.It is a tension that will exist in the negotiations. The issue of

:28:47. > :28:50.migration is not so important for Scotland, it should not be the

:28:51. > :28:55.dominant issue in the negotiations but in some parts of the Tory Party

:28:56. > :29:01.it has become an obsession. So from a UK perspective, are we treating

:29:02. > :29:06.the Scottish pitch seriously and gravely or do they regard you as a

:29:07. > :29:12.nuisance when trying to negotiate the deal as a whole out of Europe? I

:29:13. > :29:16.cannot speak for the UK Government but I advise the UK Government to

:29:17. > :29:20.treat the Scottish pitch with the utmost seriousness. The Prime

:29:21. > :29:24.Minister promised Scotland to be fully engaged with and involved in

:29:25. > :29:29.the negotiations. That was a promise. They should honour the

:29:30. > :29:34.promise and listen to this. It may be helpful to them considering the

:29:35. > :29:39.mess that they are in. And inclusions for the UK and Brexit

:29:40. > :29:43.considerations, those are the tests against which to measure whether

:29:44. > :29:50.Scotland's interests are granted or not? The First Minister laid out

:29:51. > :29:54.economic, democratic, social protection, solidarity and

:29:55. > :29:58.influence, we have tests, businesses have tests, communities have test,

:29:59. > :30:01.we all know what we want, now we must put together a negotiation to

:30:02. > :30:05.try to get it. Mike Russell, thank you very much

:30:06. > :30:10.for joining us, back to the studio. We are hearing from the First

:30:11. > :30:14.Minister in 15 minute's time. Her live speech in the conference hall

:30:15. > :30:24.John Curtis is with me. There has been an accusation that

:30:25. > :30:27.the Scottish Government is setting this up to fail so that they can go

:30:28. > :30:31.full steam ahead towards the referendum, but Mike Russell says he

:30:32. > :30:36.wants to negotiate and get a special deal. Well, it sounds as though

:30:37. > :30:41.Nicola Sturgeon and Mike Russell are indeed saying, actually, we are

:30:42. > :30:43.going to lay out a set of demands and preferences for our future

:30:44. > :30:53.relationship with the European Union and if those are not met, the

:30:54. > :30:57.implication is that -- if those conditions are met, the implication

:30:58. > :31:00.is that there will not be a second independence referendum. But by

:31:01. > :31:03.suggesting that there could be an independence referendum and knowing

:31:04. > :31:07.that Theresa May does want to keep the UK together, this is not so much

:31:08. > :31:11.a promise as a threat innocence. It is saying, if we don't get what we

:31:12. > :31:15.want, it is possible that you will lose Scotland and the United

:31:16. > :31:18.Kingdom. At the moment, this is not so much a government committing

:31:19. > :31:22.itself to referendum is wanting to send a message to London that there

:31:23. > :31:31.could be a referendum. But is the first point to make. The second

:31:32. > :31:36.point is that it sounds from what Nicola Sturgeon said on Thursday

:31:37. > :31:40.that they are looking for the UK Government to go for a much softer

:31:41. > :31:44.form of Brexit than it appears that the UK Government wants to go for.

:31:45. > :31:47.That is clearly going to be relatively difficult for the

:31:48. > :31:53.Scottish Government to pursue. The more interesting aspect is the

:31:54. > :31:55.suggestion that by devolving certain powers to the Scottish Parliament

:31:56. > :31:59.that are currently still reserved for Westminster, it might be

:32:00. > :32:03.possible for Scotland to have a closer relationship with the

:32:04. > :32:06.European Union than the rest of the UK, even though Scotland is still

:32:07. > :32:12.part of the UK. Two things have come up. The first is the idea of

:32:13. > :32:15.devolving some responsibility for immigration, which might make it

:32:16. > :32:19.possible for Scotland to have something closer to freedom of

:32:20. > :32:23.movement than it sounds as though Theresa May wants for the rest of

:32:24. > :32:27.the UK. The second is the idea that the Scottish Government should now

:32:28. > :32:31.be given the right, on occasions, to negotiate an international

:32:32. > :32:35.agreement. At the moment, it has no responsibility for that at all. Then

:32:36. > :32:39.it may get closer access to the single market. Interestingly, these

:32:40. > :32:43.are ideas that were floated only earlier this week by a professor

:32:44. > :32:48.from Glasgow University who of course is a well-known defender of

:32:49. > :32:52.the Unionist cause. So there is an interesting meeting of minds here,

:32:53. > :32:56.whereby both those in the Unionist camp and also in the Scottish

:32:57. > :33:02.Government are seeking ways to put through further devolution. What

:33:03. > :33:05.looks at the moment like the impossible task of squaring the

:33:06. > :33:11.circle of allowing the SNP to have something close to what it wants

:33:12. > :33:15.while at the same time... There is no way at the moment that the UK

:33:16. > :33:17.Government will accept the freedom of movement provisions of the

:33:18. > :33:21.European Union as currently constituted. That was the clear

:33:22. > :33:25.message from the referendum. So the question is whether or not Scotland

:33:26. > :33:29.can get a variation from that stance that might give it better access to

:33:30. > :33:33.the single market. John, more from you later. Now, European citizens

:33:34. > :33:36.who come to Scotland to study at university next year will not have

:33:37. > :33:41.to pay tuition fees, despite the Brexit vote. It is a one-year

:33:42. > :33:43.extension of an existing programme. The Education Secretary John Swinney

:33:44. > :33:47.made the announcement during his keynote speech to conference

:33:48. > :33:51.yesterday. He also called on the UK Government to guarantee that these

:33:52. > :33:53.students could remain here post Brexit and that they should be

:33:54. > :33:59.allowed to work in Scotland after they graduate. In the wake of the EU

:34:00. > :34:06.referendum result, it was Nicola Sturgeon who stepped up. She laid

:34:07. > :34:11.out a path for Scotland to follow. While Boris and girls panicked,

:34:12. > :34:15.Cameron resigned and Corbyn went missing -- while Boris and Michael

:34:16. > :34:20.Gove panicked. It was Nicola Sturgeon who rejected the xenophobia

:34:21. > :34:23.of Farage, reassured our EU friends in Scotland and defended our

:34:24. > :34:26.relationship with Europe. In that moment, there was a crisis of

:34:27. > :34:28.leadership in London. Here in Scotland, leadership had its finest

:34:29. > :34:53.hour. That crisis rolls on in Westminster.

:34:54. > :34:56.Barely a day goes by that the three Brexiteers of Boris, Davis and Folks

:34:57. > :35:04.do not embarrass the whole of the United Kingdom -- Boris, Davis and

:35:05. > :35:08.Fox. Theresa is in office, but it is obvious that she is not in power.

:35:09. > :35:13.She has been driven by the Tory right to a hard Brexit, just a David

:35:14. > :35:16.Cameron was driven to a referendum by the selfsame hybrid Brexiteers in

:35:17. > :35:22.the first place. The consequences can barely be contemplated. One

:35:23. > :35:26.consequence, I will deal with directly today. We as a government

:35:27. > :35:30.have already confirmed that tuition fee funding to support EU students

:35:31. > :35:37.studying here or preparing to start here this year. Now we will extend

:35:38. > :35:39.that go into today's EU students wishing to come to start in Scotland

:35:40. > :35:53.in the next year in 2017-18. And unlike Labour and the Tories,

:35:54. > :36:11.that is tuition free education. Free education, not the massive fees

:36:12. > :36:17.they impose on students wherever they come from. Let me go further.

:36:18. > :36:21.We will guarantee their funding. What mind is that the Tory Brexit

:36:22. > :36:28.government guarantees their right to stay here during their studies and

:36:29. > :36:37.to work here their studies. -- to work here after their studies. These

:36:38. > :36:41.people are not cards to be played, they are fellow human beings. To use

:36:42. > :36:43.them as negotiating chips is obscene, and this party and this SNP

:36:44. > :36:57.government will have none of it. Conference, the Tory Brexit

:36:58. > :37:00.government's threat to people's right to stay here is just another

:37:01. > :37:07.part of the hard right agenda now running rampant at Westminster. That

:37:08. > :37:11.was John Swinney, speaking yesterday. Now, back to Brian in the

:37:12. > :37:18.conference hall, where he is joined by some delegates. Indeed, John

:37:19. > :37:23.Swinney was referring to the three Brexiteers, three Musketeers from

:37:24. > :37:30.the party's grassroots are joining me now. I wonder who that makes me?

:37:31. > :37:36.Let's skip those references to French history and talk about

:37:37. > :37:41.contemporary Scottish issues. First of all, you were speaking yesterday.

:37:42. > :37:44.Are you saying that if the deal is a stinker on Brexit, go for a

:37:45. > :37:49.referendum automatically? Absolutely. This is about protecting

:37:50. > :37:52.our national interest. Scotland voted to remain in the European

:37:53. > :37:57.Union, and that is what we will seek to do because it is in our national

:37:58. > :38:02.interest. And the only way of doing that is independence, not a halfway

:38:03. > :38:06.house? Well, the Prime Minister came to Scotland leading to listen but is

:38:07. > :38:11.now saying the levers that matters -- the only voice that matters is

:38:12. > :38:14.her own. We need to ensure that Scotland's voice is heard and if

:38:15. > :38:18.not, we cannot stay in the European Union within the UK. The Prime

:38:19. > :38:23.Minister will leave us with no choice but to proceed with the

:38:24. > :38:27.second independence referendum. I accept that all three of you want

:38:28. > :38:33.independence, but it is about how to bring it about. Do you believe a

:38:34. > :38:35.deal can be done on Europe? What the First Minister said was clear. The

:38:36. > :38:40.ball is in the UK Government's court. She will not hesitate to hold

:38:41. > :38:45.an independence referendum if it is in Scotland's interests, but it is

:38:46. > :38:48.for Theresa May now. If she wants to listen to Scotland and the SNP and

:38:49. > :38:54.protect our access to the single market. But would you be concerned

:38:55. > :39:02.about jumping too quickly to a referendum? As I say, the ball is in

:39:03. > :39:05.the UK Government's court. It is for them to decide whether to protect

:39:06. > :39:11.our interests or whether we should move towards another referendum.

:39:12. > :39:16.Kelly, do you think a referendum is likely? At this point, I think it is

:39:17. > :39:22.likely, and rightly so. But as the boys have said, the ball is firmly

:39:23. > :39:29.in Theresa May's court. If she is willing to cooperate with Scotland,

:39:30. > :39:33.we will see what happens. You are asking essentially for her to allow

:39:34. > :39:37.Scotland to maintain the impotence is and perhaps the realities of EU

:39:38. > :39:42.membership when remaining in the UK which is leaving the European Union.

:39:43. > :39:46.It is about the democratic will of the people. Scotland voted to

:39:47. > :39:52.remain. We do not want to leave the European Union, and she needs to

:39:53. > :39:56.respect that. Is there a Scottish mandate? I know you would say their

:39:57. > :39:59.race, but your opponents would say there were people in Scotland who

:40:00. > :40:02.were voting on the question of whether the UK should be in the

:40:03. > :40:10.European Union, not whether Scotland should be. Scotland voted

:40:11. > :40:14.overwhelmingly, 62% voted to remain. Every part of Scotland voted to

:40:15. > :40:24.remain. When the people of Scotland voted in 2014 to stay in the UK,

:40:25. > :40:28.they act wanted to stay in the UK as part of the EU. There is now a clear

:40:29. > :40:33.mandate for the First Minister to say to Theresa May, what are you

:40:34. > :40:36.going to do to secure Scotland's place in the European Union? Is it

:40:37. > :40:39.feasible that a deal could be done within the ambit of the United

:40:40. > :40:45.Kingdom that would satisfy your aspirations as a member of the SNP?

:40:46. > :40:48.That is a matter for the UK Government. If they could produce

:40:49. > :40:53.such a deal, I would be delighted and many Scottish people would be

:40:54. > :40:55.too. At the same time, the First Minister will not hesitate to hold a

:40:56. > :41:01.referendum if the UK Government does not listen. What about the argument

:41:02. > :41:05.that was advanced during the debate which you lead last night, the

:41:06. > :41:13.argument that there are people who support the SNP, but they might not

:41:14. > :41:16.devote yes in a referendum on independence if it means going back

:41:17. > :41:23.into Brussels control because they are not keen on the EU? We have had

:41:24. > :41:30.that debate, Brian. 62% of Scotland voted to stay in the European Union.

:41:31. > :41:37.1 million voted to leave. We respect those views. But we also have to

:41:38. > :41:40.respect the overwhelming view of Scotland, which was to stay in that

:41:41. > :41:44.single market that protects jobs. Strathclyde University have said

:41:45. > :41:48.that up to 80,000 jobs could go over the next ten years if we are taken

:41:49. > :41:52.out of the single market. We can't afford to have 80,000 jobs removed

:41:53. > :41:58.from Scotland is because the Tories don't want a relationship with

:41:59. > :42:02.Europe. What about the argument that this is a time of instability as a

:42:03. > :42:06.result of the Brexit vote, and you are only adding to it by a

:42:07. > :42:11.referendum on independence? The biggest instability to our economy

:42:12. > :42:15.is being dragged out of the world's largest single market that provides

:42:16. > :42:21.thousands of jobs for Scotland. That is the only uncertainty, not created

:42:22. > :42:28.by the SNP, but created by Tories. Chris, do you expect a referendum,

:42:29. > :42:32.and if so, why? Well, first and foremost, we will look to protect

:42:33. > :42:36.Scotland's place in the single market. Could you envisage a

:42:37. > :42:40.situation in which the Brexit deal goes, from your perspective,

:42:41. > :42:46.reasonably well, and the First Minister talks the party down again?

:42:47. > :42:50.Absolutely. The First Minister is governing not in the interests of

:42:51. > :42:58.the party but in the interests of Scotland. Do you believe that? I do,

:42:59. > :43:04.and the party would accept that. The same question to you, for the party

:43:05. > :43:12.accept it if the First Minister had to talk down? Absolutely. The party

:43:13. > :43:16.have the confidence in Nicola Sturgeon to do the right thing with

:43:17. > :43:20.Brexit. If that means putting on hold a referendum, that is fine. We

:43:21. > :43:24.will be ready for a referendum when it comes. We would trust her

:43:25. > :43:29.judgment on that. There was a standing ovation just at the mention

:43:30. > :43:33.of the publication of a draft bill. Because there is no secret that we

:43:34. > :43:38.all want independence. But we are governing for the whole of Scotland

:43:39. > :43:46.and at this point, not everyone in Scotland is for independence. No

:43:47. > :43:56.evasion from all three of you - bait for a referendum, which you? Within

:43:57. > :44:01.the next two. I don't know. If necessary to protect Scotland's

:44:02. > :44:09.interests. When is for Theresa May to decide. Toni? 2018 is what I

:44:10. > :44:13.would put my money on, but the ball is in Theresa May's court and it is

:44:14. > :44:17.about what comes out of those negotiations and it is about making

:44:18. > :44:22.sure Scotland's voice is heard. If the Prime Minister cannot do that

:44:23. > :44:25.and she forces us to go ahead for a second independence referendum, that

:44:26. > :44:32.is what we will do to protect our interests. Thank you all very much.

:44:33. > :44:35.Back to the studio. Now, we are just waiting to hear from Nicola

:44:36. > :44:41.Sturgeon, the First Minister, the SNP leader. She's speaking at 3.15.

:44:42. > :44:47.Professor John Curtice is still with me. John, they were focusing on

:44:48. > :44:50.Europe there, but actually, Nicola Sturgeon will mention Brexit and

:44:51. > :44:55.trade deals, but this speech is meant to be about domestic policy.

:44:56. > :45:01.Six months ago, and the SNP won a Scottish Parliament election and

:45:02. > :45:06.have a job of running the country for the next five years in front of

:45:07. > :45:12.them. They have set themselves some pretty big targets, such as trying

:45:13. > :45:19.to get rid of the attainment gap in education so the kids from poor back

:45:20. > :45:26.grounds do as well at school as richer kids do. They have

:45:27. > :45:30.controversial programmes, to discuss, fracking, and the social

:45:31. > :45:34.ledge slays and we have to bear in mind that this is no longer a

:45:35. > :45:39.Government that has an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament,

:45:40. > :45:43.therefore it is actually on occasion to have to negotiate its domestic

:45:44. > :45:49.policy with the other parties. We have seen it lose a vote over

:45:50. > :45:53.hospital closures, always a toxic issue, and almost lost another over

:45:54. > :45:56.the Council Tax, another why where in truth the Scottish Government

:45:57. > :46:01.face important did Is decisions as to what to do. Meanwhile, we are now

:46:02. > :46:06.moving into a regime whereby Scotland is going to begin to have

:46:07. > :46:11.to raise its own re-revenues, that means that the Scottish Government

:46:12. > :46:16.has important decisions about taxation, especially with income tax

:46:17. > :46:20.but also, this came out in figures this week, if Scotland's economy

:46:21. > :46:23.fails to grow as quickly as England's does in the future, the

:46:24. > :46:29.amount of money that the Scottish Government will have to spend will

:46:30. > :46:34.begin to go down. And a phrase quoted has shown that actually, the

:46:35. > :46:37.effect of relatively small discrepancies in English and

:46:38. > :46:42.Scottish growth could have a big impact on the amount of money that

:46:43. > :46:48.the Scottish have to spend, so a real imperative to grow Scotland's

:46:49. > :46:52.economy. So a substantial domestic agenda but also it is a Government

:46:53. > :46:55.that will have to negotiate with other parties in the Scottish

:46:56. > :47:01.Parliament, and has some difficult issues. We have to remember while

:47:02. > :47:05.this is a party for the most part is united on the issue of independence,

:47:06. > :47:10.it is not on domestic issues. John, thank you very much, let's

:47:11. > :47:13.cross to the armadillo in Glasgow, where Nicola Sturgeon is taking to

:47:14. > :47:17.the stage to give her leader's speech.

:47:18. > :47:20.She is receiving the applause of the delegates there.

:47:21. > :47:27.Let's listen in now to what she has to say.

:47:28. > :47:38.In CHEERING AND APPLAUSE.

:47:39. > :47:44.Delegates, we meet here in the City of Glasgow, five months on from the

:47:45. > :47:49.Scottish Parliament election. When we gathered back in march we

:47:50. > :47:55.were preparing to seek election as Scotland's Government for a third

:47:56. > :48:00.consecutive term. Thanks to your hard work and your campaigning

:48:01. > :48:09.brilliance, we did just that - we won the election.

:48:10. > :48:15.APPLAUSE. From the bottom my heart, let me say

:48:16. > :48:20.this to the people of my country: Thank you for putting your trust in

:48:21. > :48:23.me as your First Minister, thank you for choosing us to be your

:48:24. > :48:34.Government. APPLAUSE.

:48:35. > :48:40.The SECC where we meet today was first opened back in 1985. It has

:48:41. > :48:45.witnessed quite a few changes in the 30 years since. The biggest change

:48:46. > :48:52.of all has been in the politics of our country and of this city.

:48:53. > :48:58.In 1985, a Scottish Parliament seemed like a pipe dream, today it

:48:59. > :49:03.is the beating heart of our democracy. We no longer question if

:49:04. > :49:10.we should have a Parliament of our own, instead, we ask if our

:49:11. > :49:10.Parliament should be independent - we say yes!

:49:11. > :49:29.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. In 1958, every constituency in this

:49:30. > :49:35.city bar one was held by Labour, today the political landscape is

:49:36. > :49:41.very different. Last year every Westminster constituency in the city

:49:42. > :49:46.was won by the SNP, this year every Holyrood constituency voted SNP as

:49:47. > :49:52.well and just last week... Just last week in a council by-election, a

:49:53. > :49:55.massive 19% swing to the SNP secured victory for our brilliant candidate,

:49:56. > :50:07.Chris cunningham. APPLAUSE.

:50:08. > :50:16.We have the chance to complete this political transformation. Glasgow

:50:17. > :50:21.was once described as the second stiff of the Empire. In the council

:50:22. > :50:25.elections next May, let's work as hard as with ever have to bring the

:50:26. > :50:27.SNP to power and then let's build this city as one of the very best in

:50:28. > :50:46.Europe! Glasgow is is a vivid illustration

:50:47. > :50:51.of the success of our party. But it also stands as a lesson. Labour lost

:50:52. > :50:57.because they took the voters for granted, they became arrogant on

:50:58. > :51:01.power, they thought they were invincible and they rightly paid the

:51:02. > :51:05.price. So our promise to Glasgow and to all of the people of Scotland is

:51:06. > :51:10.this: We will never take you for granted. We will work each an every

:51:11. > :51:19.day to earn and to re-earn your trust.

:51:20. > :51:22.APPLAUSE. Conference, it's not just attitude

:51:23. > :51:30.that distinguishes the SNP from Labour it is policy and principle,

:51:31. > :51:33.too. When Labour held its conference in Liverpool recently, its defence

:51:34. > :51:39.spokesperson wanted to announce support for the renewal of Trident.

:51:40. > :51:44.He was enraged at not being allowed to go as far as he wanted in

:51:45. > :51:49.supporting weapons of mass destruction. Well, we are pretty

:51:50. > :51:54.angry too. We're angry that with so many children still living in

:51:55. > :51:59.poverty, we have a Tory Government determined to waste tens of billions

:52:00. > :52:10.of pounds on a new generation of nuclear weapons.

:52:11. > :52:15.APPLAUSE. And we're angry at Labour, for

:52:16. > :52:22.meekly falling into line behind the Tories. Friends, I promise you this,

:52:23. > :52:28.no-one, no-one will ever have to slip a note to politicians in this

:52:29. > :52:33.party reminding us to oppose Trident, now and always with the

:52:34. > :52:35.SNP. It is "no" to Trident, not in our name.

:52:36. > :52:53.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. Conference, in the conflicts facing

:52:54. > :52:59.the world today, nuclear weapons are not the answer. In Syria up to

:53:00. > :53:03.400,000 men, women and children have been killed since the conflict

:53:04. > :53:08.started. Over a million have been wounded. No-one can fail to be

:53:09. > :53:13.profoundly moved and deeply angered by the appalling scenes we are

:53:14. > :53:18.witnessing in Aleppo. Innocent children are being killed and

:53:19. > :53:25.wounded with impunity. The barbarism of the Assad regime and the actions

:53:26. > :53:34.of Russia are sickening. We condemn them unreservedly.

:53:35. > :53:39.APPLAUSE. We agree with the UN that all

:53:40. > :53:43.countries must stand up for the millions of Syrians who desperately

:53:44. > :53:47.need help. And although at times we can feel powerless, we should

:53:48. > :53:53.remember that communities across Scotland are making a difference to

:53:54. > :54:00.families fleeing the conflict. Last month the 1,000th Syrian refugee was

:54:01. > :54:09.welcomed to Scotland, and conference, they are welcome.

:54:10. > :54:13.APPLAUSE. But we can and we must do more,

:54:14. > :54:18.especially for children alone without their parents, so I say to

:54:19. > :54:24.the UK Government today, stop treating this as a migration issue,

:54:25. > :54:33.it is a humanitarian crisis. We must rise to the challenge.

:54:34. > :54:40.APPLAUSE. And Scotland is ready and we are

:54:41. > :54:44.willing to play our part. Friends, it may just be five months

:54:45. > :54:51.since we won the Holyrood election but in many ways it feels like a

:54:52. > :54:57.political lifetime. We are in a completely new era. A new political

:54:58. > :55:02.era and a new battle of ideas. A new era for our Parliament with new

:55:03. > :55:06.powers and responsibilities and a new era for our relationship with

:55:07. > :55:14.Europe and the wider world. There are challenges aplenty. As we face

:55:15. > :55:21.up to them, we must make sure of this, that Scotland always remains

:55:22. > :55:24.the progressive, internationalist, communitarian country, that the

:55:25. > :55:25.majority of us living here want it to be at all times.

:55:26. > :55:42.APPLAUSE. Make no mistake, today we face a

:55:43. > :55:46.choice of two futures. After last week in Birmingham, there can be no

:55:47. > :55:53.doubt that choice has never been so stark. The primary contest of ideas

:55:54. > :56:06.in our country is now between the SNP and the hard right Tories. The

:56:07. > :56:11.Camerons have fallen to the Faragistas and the Camerons from

:56:12. > :56:17.never appealing in the first place. Conference, the SNP's vision for

:56:18. > :56:25.Scotland is welcoming, progressive, open, outward looking and inclusive.

:56:26. > :56:30.The Tory vision, xenophobic, closed, inward looking, discriminatory,

:56:31. > :56:34.let's be frank, the Tories are not longer the conservative and the

:56:35. > :56:39.Unionist Party, after last week we should call them what they are, the

:56:40. > :56:41.conservative and separatist party or Ukip for short!

:56:42. > :57:04.APPLAUSE. Display an ingrained hostility to

:57:05. > :57:08.immigration and offer a stoney heart to refugees.

:57:09. > :57:14.They treat those with disabilities with suspicion. People seeking

:57:15. > :57:18.support to get back into employment are humiliated and harrassed. A

:57:19. > :57:22.mother, unable to find the bus fare to get to a jobcentre appointment is

:57:23. > :57:28.more likely to face a benefit sanction than she is to be offered a

:57:29. > :57:33.helping hand. And those from other European countries who have chosen

:57:34. > :57:39.to make their homes here, human beings with lives, jobs and

:57:40. > :57:43.families, they're treated as no more than barring beginning chips.

:57:44. > :57:47.Conference, the Prime Minister's position on EU nationals shames her

:57:48. > :57:49.and it will be a stain on her Government each and every day that

:57:50. > :58:01.it is allowed to continue. APPLAUSE.

:58:02. > :58:11.The fact is with almost every action the Tories take somebody is

:58:12. > :58:16.excluded, somebody loses out, somebody is left behind. So let us

:58:17. > :58:21.make it clear that is not our way, it is not who we are, and it is not

:58:22. > :58:32.who we aspire to be! APPLAUSE.

:58:33. > :58:49.And what of Labour? It wasn't meant to be a joke... So lost have they

:58:50. > :58:53.become, that they prefer the prospect of years of continuous Tory

:58:54. > :58:59.Government at Westminster to self-Government for Scotland it is

:59:00. > :59:04.inexplicable, I know but I guess branch offices just don't have all

:59:05. > :59:17.that much in the way of ambition. APPLAUSE.

:59:18. > :59:22.Friends, Labour may have thrown in the actual but let me make this

:59:23. > :59:27.pledge today, the SNP will never stand by while a right-wing and

:59:28. > :59:36.intolerant Tory Government undermines the very fabric of our

:59:37. > :59:39.society. At Westminster we will continue to

:59:40. > :59:43.provide the strong opposition that Labour is failing to deliver. In

:59:44. > :59:47.recent months it hasn't been Labour asking the hard questions about our

:59:48. > :59:54.place in the single market and the jobs that depend on it, it it's been

:59:55. > :59:54.our Westminster new Deputy Leader, Angus Robertson.

:59:55. > :00:08.APPLAUSE. Just as it has been Alison Kelis

:00:09. > :00:13.making the case against the immorality of denying tax credits to

:00:14. > :00:19.women unless they can prove they have been raped. And Ian Blackford,

:00:20. > :00:23.standing against the deportation of the Brain family, or marry black,

:00:24. > :00:34.standing up for woman denied the pension entitlements they have saved

:00:35. > :00:41.for all of their working lives -- Mhairi Black. The SNP is not just

:00:42. > :00:44.the real opposition to the Tories at Westminster. The SNP is the only

:00:45. > :00:56.effective opposition to the Tories at Westminster. So our job at

:00:57. > :01:00.Westminster is to provide the strong opposition that is so desperately

:01:01. > :01:05.needed not just in Scotland, but right across the UK. And our job at

:01:06. > :01:11.Holyrood is to use our powers to build the better Scotland we all

:01:12. > :01:15.want to see. Conference, if you remember just one word from my

:01:16. > :01:30.speech today, I want it to be this one. It begins with an I. Not that

:01:31. > :01:34.one! Not yet! The word I want you to remember is this - inclusion.

:01:35. > :01:48.Inclusion is the guiding principle for everything we do. It

:01:49. > :01:53.encapsulates what we stand for as a party and it describes the kind of

:01:54. > :01:56.country we want Scotland to be - and inclusive country. A country where

:01:57. > :02:00.everyone has the opportunity to contribute to a better future and to

:02:01. > :02:05.sharing the benefits of that better future. A country which works for

:02:06. > :02:09.those who value the security currently have and for those who

:02:10. > :02:14.yearn for change. A country where we value people for the contribution

:02:15. > :02:18.they make, not one where we will ever judge them on their country of

:02:19. > :02:30.birth or the colour of their passport.

:02:31. > :02:36.That is the inclusive Scotland we are working to build, and I am proud

:02:37. > :02:44.of the progress we have made. Earlier this week, a major European

:02:45. > :02:49.research study reached this conclusion. On health, on education,

:02:50. > :02:51.tolerance and the environment, out of all the four nations in the UK,

:02:52. > :03:09.Scotland is top. Of course, I know there is still

:03:10. > :03:12.much to do in the next phase of Scotland's home-rule journey.

:03:13. > :03:16.Westminster is still responsible for the majority of funding for our

:03:17. > :03:19.public services. But more than ever before, the new Scotland act means

:03:20. > :03:26.the growth of Scotland's but it depends on the growth of Scotland's

:03:27. > :03:30.economy. Creating jobs, expanding the economy and growing tax revenues

:03:31. > :03:38.- these priorities must be at the centre of everything we do, and they

:03:39. > :03:46.always will be. This time last year, workers at the Tata steel plants at

:03:47. > :03:51.Trent Bridge and Dalziel faced huge uncertainty. I missed we would leave

:03:52. > :03:58.no stone unturned in our efforts to find and secure a viable future. We

:03:59. > :04:05.worked with trade unions, local government and with the community.

:04:06. > :04:14.Two weeks ago, I returned to Dalziel with this message for the workforce.

:04:15. > :04:26.We kept our promise and Scotland is rolling in steel once again.

:04:27. > :04:33.When I think of the many times in years gone by when Westminster

:04:34. > :04:38.governments have stood by and allowed Scottish industry to wither

:04:39. > :04:42.and die, I think about what might have been, what might have been if

:04:43. > :04:47.there had been a Scottish parliament and a Scottish Government there to

:04:48. > :04:51.fight for them. What might have been if the people of Scotland had been

:04:52. > :04:55.able to stew the immense natural resources of these lands for present

:04:56. > :05:08.and future generations, just like independent Norway did. So let us

:05:09. > :05:12.make this resolution today. Never again will we be content to look

:05:13. > :05:16.back helplessly at the damage the Tories have done to Scottish

:05:17. > :05:18.industry and wonder what might have been. We must win the power to

:05:19. > :05:35.always shape our own future. Conference, we will not just

:05:36. > :05:38.intervene to save jobs. We will also provide help and support for

:05:39. > :05:44.businesses to thrive. I can confirm today that our small business bonus

:05:45. > :05:48.will be extended. From April the 1st next year, 100,000 business premises

:05:49. > :06:00.across Scotland will pay no business rates at all. Absolutely none.

:06:01. > :06:06.Our new half billion pound growth scheme will offer guarantees and

:06:07. > :06:10.loans to companies seeking to export, expand and create new jobs.

:06:11. > :06:15.And we will make sure the benefits of growth are shared more widely.

:06:16. > :06:21.Central to that is our work to extend payment of the living wage.

:06:22. > :06:25.There are currently over 600 accredited living wage employers in

:06:26. > :06:30.Scotland. By this time next year, that number will rise to at least

:06:31. > :06:40.1000. That's what inclusion means in practice.

:06:41. > :06:47.We will also redouble our efforts to make sure our economy is

:06:48. > :06:52.internationally competitive. That is even more important now, in the wake

:06:53. > :06:57.of the Brexit vote. Make no mistake - the threat to our economy is not

:06:58. > :07:01.just the prospect of losing our place in the single market,

:07:02. > :07:07.disastrous though that would be. It is also the deeply damaging and

:07:08. > :07:11.utterly shameful message that the Tories' rhetoric about foreign

:07:12. > :07:18.workers is sending to the world. More than ever, we need to tell our

:07:19. > :07:30.European friends that Scotland is open for business.

:07:31. > :07:38.And let me be crystal clear about this. We cannot trust the likes of

:07:39. > :07:49.Boris Johnson and Liam Fox to do that for us. So today, I can

:07:50. > :07:55.announce a four point plan to boost trade and exports by taking

:07:56. > :07:58.Scotland's message directly and in our own voice to the very heart of

:07:59. > :08:05.Europe. Firstly, we will establish a new board of trade in the Scottish

:08:06. > :08:10.Government. Secondly, we will set up a new trade invoice scheme. It will

:08:11. > :08:14.ask prominent Scots to help us boost our export efforts. Thirdly, we will

:08:15. > :08:31.establish permanent trade representation in Berlin...

:08:32. > :08:38.Adding to our investment hubs in Dublin, London and Brussels. And

:08:39. > :08:42.fourthly, we will more than double the number of Scottish development

:08:43. > :08:46.International staff working across Europe, men and women whose job it

:08:47. > :08:48.will be to market Scotland is an open economy and a welcoming

:08:49. > :09:04.society. Friends, the difference between the

:09:05. > :09:10.Scottish and Westminster governments is this. They are retreating to the

:09:11. > :09:14.fringes of Europe. We intend to stay at it's very hard, where Scotland

:09:15. > :09:28.belongs. -- at it's very hard. Conference, inclusive economic

:09:29. > :09:35.growth underpins our entire economic strategy. The Queensferry crossing,

:09:36. > :09:38.a new bridge across the Forth, has been our country's most important

:09:39. > :09:44.infrastructure project in a generation. In fact, this week it

:09:45. > :09:49.entered the Guinness Book of Records. The central tower of the

:09:50. > :09:53.bridge is the biggest freestanding structure of its kind anywhere in

:09:54. > :10:05.the world. What an amazing feat of engineering.

:10:06. > :10:10.But the most important infrastructure investment of the

:10:11. > :10:15.next few years will be different. It will be childcare. Over this

:10:16. > :10:19.Parliament, we will double the amount of state funded early years

:10:20. > :10:23.education and childcare for all three and four-year-olds and from

:10:24. > :10:27.those disadvantaged two-year-olds. Not a bridge over a river, but a

:10:28. > :10:38.bridge to a better future for our children.

:10:39. > :10:47.And today I can announce a new phase in this childcare revolution. Just

:10:48. > :10:51.now, it is local authorities to decide what childcare places are

:10:52. > :10:56.offered to parents. Councils work really hard to be flexible, but

:10:57. > :11:00.often, the places offered to parents are not when and where they need

:11:01. > :11:04.them. So today, we are launching a national parent consultation on how

:11:05. > :11:10.to do things differently. It proposes radical new approaches,

:11:11. > :11:14.prioritising choice and flexibility. First, we will propose that parents

:11:15. > :11:19.can choose a nursery or childminder that best suits their needs, and as

:11:20. > :11:23.long as the provider meets agreed standards, ask the local authority

:11:24. > :11:24.to fund it. In other words, the funding will follow the child, not

:11:25. > :11:39.the other way round. Second, as suggested by children in

:11:40. > :11:44.Scotland's childcare commission, we will propose that parents can opt to

:11:45. > :11:49.receive funding in a childcare account and then use it to purchase

:11:50. > :11:53.a suitable place directly. Quality, choice, flexibility. These will be

:11:54. > :11:57.the watchword is of a policy to transform the working lives of

:11:58. > :12:00.families and the life chances of our children, and I am proud that it's

:12:01. > :12:11.an SNP government that will deliver it.

:12:12. > :12:18.There is another policy for our youngest children that I will be

:12:19. > :12:25.very proud to deliver. In the election, we promised a baby box of

:12:26. > :12:29.essential items for all newborns. It's a policy borrowed from Finland,

:12:30. > :12:34.where it has contributed to one of the lowest levels of child mortality

:12:35. > :12:38.in the world. So I am delighted to give you an update on our plans to

:12:39. > :12:42.introduce it here. Next month, we will launch a competition in

:12:43. > :12:49.partnership with the V in Dundee for the design of the box. The first

:12:50. > :13:01.boxes will be delivered the babies born in pilot areas on New Year's

:13:02. > :13:03.Day. Now, I don't know about you... But as a first foot offering, I

:13:04. > :13:18.think that beats a lump of coal. And then, next summer, every newborn

:13:19. > :13:24.baby across our country will receive a baby box full of clothes, nappies,

:13:25. > :13:28.bedding, books and toiletries. Friends, the baby box is a powerful

:13:29. > :13:32.symbol of our belief that all children should start life on a

:13:33. > :13:47.level playing field. That's what inclusion means in practice.

:13:48. > :13:55.In our schools, raising the bar for all and closing the attainment gap,

:13:56. > :14:00.opening up opportunity for every child, that is the number-one

:14:01. > :14:04.priority our government. It is my personal defining mission. That is

:14:05. > :14:09.why we are directing more funding to areas of greatest need. It is why we

:14:10. > :14:12.have announced our intention to reform school governance, to put

:14:13. > :14:16.parents, headteachers and classroom teachers at the centre of decisions

:14:17. > :14:21.about children's learning. It's why we are working with teachers to

:14:22. > :14:25.reduce workload, and it's why we are bringing greater transparency to

:14:26. > :14:27.school performance so that we can measure the attainment gap

:14:28. > :14:34.accurately and set clear targets to close it. But if we are to live up

:14:35. > :14:42.to our ambition, we have a very particular duty to those most in

:14:43. > :14:46.need. We have to get it right for every child. Recently, I have been

:14:47. > :14:51.spending some time with young people who have grown up in care. Some of

:14:52. > :14:58.them are here today. We welcome you to our conference.

:14:59. > :15:14.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. Their stories have moved me deeply.

:15:15. > :15:19.These young people have challenged me to accept who gives Scotland's

:15:20. > :15:24.pledge to listen to 1,000 cared for people over the next two years and

:15:25. > :15:34.to use what they tell me to help make their lives better, I've

:15:35. > :15:39.accepted that challenge. Don't get me wrong, many young

:15:40. > :15:43.people who grow up in care go on to do great things, and the staff and

:15:44. > :15:49.the foster careers who work with looked after kids, do an amazing

:15:50. > :15:58.job, let us thank them publicly today.

:15:59. > :16:02.And real progress is being made. School exclusions are down, the

:16:03. > :16:07.number of children living in permanent rather than temporary

:16:08. > :16:12.placements is up. But we cannot ignore the reality for too many

:16:13. > :16:17.children in care. Only 6% go to university. Nearly

:16:18. > :16:22.half will suffer mental health issues. Half of the adult prison

:16:23. > :16:28.population are people who lived in care when they were growing up.

:16:29. > :16:39.And worst of all, and this breaks my heart, a young person who has been

:16:40. > :16:44.in care is 20 times, 20 times more likely to be dead by the time they

:16:45. > :16:49.are 25, than a you were person who has not. Conference, this simply has

:16:50. > :16:52.to change and I am determined that it will change.

:16:53. > :17:10.APPLAUSE. So I am going to do what these young

:17:11. > :17:15.people have asked me to do, I am announcing today that we will launch

:17:16. > :17:20.an independent root and branch review of the care system. It will

:17:21. > :17:23.look at the underpinning legislation, practice, culture and

:17:24. > :17:47.ethos and it will be driven by those...

:17:48. > :17:53.And it will be driven by those who have the experience of care.

:17:54. > :17:57.Conference, this is not something that any other country has ever done

:17:58. > :18:04.before. We will do it here in Scotland first. You know the young

:18:05. > :18:10.people who speak to me make a simple but very powerful point, they say

:18:11. > :18:14.the system feels like it is designed only to stop things happening, and

:18:15. > :18:18.of course it must have safeguards and protections but children don't

:18:19. > :18:27.need a system that just stops things happening to them. They need one

:18:28. > :18:38.that makes things happen for them. APPLAUSE.

:18:39. > :18:44.They need a system that supports them to become the people they can

:18:45. > :18:51.be, one that gives them a sense of family, of belonging, of love. My

:18:52. > :18:55.view is simple, every young person deserves to be loved, so let's come

:18:56. > :19:01.together and make this commitment, to love our most vulnerable children

:19:02. > :19:03.and give them the childhood they deserve, that wes inclusion means in

:19:04. > :19:36.practice. There is one institution in our

:19:37. > :19:41.country that embodies the values of inclusion and compassion more than

:19:42. > :19:46.any other, it is our precious National Health Service. Today there

:19:47. > :19:52.are more staff working in the health service than ever before. Our

:19:53. > :19:56.doctors, nurses, auxiliaries and all of our other health professionals

:19:57. > :20:00.are helping to deliver some of the lowest waiting times and some of the

:20:01. > :20:07.highest satisfaction levels ever recorded in Scotland, so I will

:20:08. > :20:12.never tire of saying this: Our NHS staff, our heroes, each and every

:20:13. > :20:16.one of them, no matter where they were born deserve our deepest

:20:17. > :20:28.gratitude for the work that they do. APPLAUSE.

:20:29. > :20:36.Over this Parliament, we will increase health spending by almost

:20:37. > :20:42.?2 billion. That's a necessary commitment but it is not sufficient.

:20:43. > :20:47.To make our NHS fit for the future, we must reform as well as invest.

:20:48. > :20:54.That will involve tough decision but the challenge of an ageing

:20:55. > :20:58.population demands it. It is why our Government has integrated health and

:20:59. > :21:04.social care, a challenge ducked by every single administration before

:21:05. > :21:07.us it is why we are expanding stand-alone elective capacity

:21:08. > :21:11.through five new treatment centres but we must go further. The NHS of

:21:12. > :21:16.the future must be built on a real shift from acute care to primary and

:21:17. > :21:23.community care. So the commitment I am making today is a landmark one.

:21:24. > :21:27.By the end of this Parliament we will increase spending on primary

:21:28. > :21:31.care services to 11% of the front line NHS budget, that's what doctors

:21:32. > :21:32.have said is needed and that is what we will deliver.

:21:33. > :21:49.APPLAUSE. And let me about clear what that

:21:50. > :21:55.means, by 2021, an extra half billion pounds will be invested in

:21:56. > :22:00.our GP practices and health centres it means for the first time ever,

:22:01. > :22:05.that half of the health budget will be spent not in acute hospitals but

:22:06. > :22:11.in the community, delivering primary community and social care. Building

:22:12. > :22:12.an NHS that delivers today and for generations to come, that is what

:22:13. > :22:33.our Government is determined to do. Friends, today I have set out our

:22:34. > :22:39.determination to build an inclusive Scotland. I've talked about our

:22:40. > :22:44.ambitions for our NHS, our economy, our education system, and our

:22:45. > :22:47.children in care. I've talked about our hopes for the next generation

:22:48. > :22:54.and for the generations that come after that. Hopes and ambitions that

:22:55. > :22:59.are shared by men and women the length and the breadth of Scotland.

:23:00. > :23:05.So as we prepare to take the next steps in our nation's journey,

:23:06. > :23:11.whatever they might be, let us always remember this: There is more,

:23:12. > :23:13.much more that unites us as a country than will ever divide us.

:23:14. > :23:37.APPLAUSE. Yes, voters, no, voters, remainers

:23:38. > :23:41.and levers, all of us care deeply and passionately about the future of

:23:42. > :23:45.this nation, so whatever our disagreements, let us always treat

:23:46. > :23:50.each other with respect. And let's work harder to understand each

:23:51. > :23:57.other's point of view. You know, in a strange sort of way, the events of

:23:58. > :24:05.the last few months might help us do just that. I know how upset I was on

:24:06. > :24:10.the morning of the 24th of June as I came to term with the result of the

:24:11. > :24:16.EU referendum. I felt as if part of my identity was being taken away.

:24:17. > :24:23.And I don't mind admitting that it gave me a new insight into how those

:24:24. > :24:28.who voted "no" might have felt if 2014 had gone the other way.

:24:29. > :24:34.Likewise, there are many "no" voters now looking at the Brexit vote with

:24:35. > :24:41.real dismay and wondering if independence might be the best

:24:42. > :24:53.option for Scotland after all. Let's build on that common ground.

:24:54. > :24:57.APPLAUSE. Let's resolve that whatever decisions we a is in the

:24:58. > :25:03.years ahead, we will take them together, respecting each other ever

:25:04. > :25:13.step of the way and let news the SNP lead by example.

:25:14. > :25:19.APPLAUSE. You know this year marks 30 years

:25:20. > :25:24.since I first joined this party of ours. Now I know what you're

:25:25. > :25:33.thinking... How is that even possible when she is still only 25!

:25:34. > :25:39.Or maybe that is just what I'd like you to be thinking but in all those

:25:40. > :25:43.30 years, I have never doubted that Scotland will one day become an

:25:44. > :25:55.independent country and I believe it today.

:25:56. > :26:01.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. And I believe it today more strongly

:26:02. > :26:05.than I ever have before. But I've always known that it will happen

:26:06. > :26:09.only when a majority of our fellow citizens believe that becoming

:26:10. > :26:14.independent is the best way to build a better future together. So we need

:26:15. > :26:21.to understand why in 2014 that wasn't the case. Some of you vote

:26:22. > :26:25.vowed "no" believed that staying in the UK offered greater economic

:26:26. > :26:30.security, a stronger voice in the world and a guaranteed place in the

:26:31. > :26:34.EU, back then it even seemed possible that there might be a

:26:35. > :26:37.Westminster/Labour Government at some point in the next 20 years but

:26:38. > :26:43.the future looks very different today.

:26:44. > :26:48.And make no mistake, it is the opponents of independence, those on

:26:49. > :27:01.the right of the Tory Party intent on a hard Brexit who have caused the

:27:02. > :27:08.insecurity and the uncertainty. So it falls to us, the advocates of

:27:09. > :27:13.independence to offer solutions to the problems they have created. Of

:27:14. > :27:18.course, independence would bring its own challenges, that is true for

:27:19. > :27:20.every independent nation on earth. But with independence the solutions

:27:21. > :27:37.will lie in our own hands. It will be up to us to chart our own

:27:38. > :27:41.course and be the country we want to be, not the country that an

:27:42. > :27:45.increasingly right-wing Tory Government wants us to be. I

:27:46. > :27:49.promised at the start of our conference that we will seek to

:27:50. > :27:54.protect Scotland's interests in every way that we can and we will.

:27:55. > :27:58.We will work with others across the political divide to try to save the

:27:59. > :28:05.UK as a whole from the fate of a hard Brexit. We will propose new

:28:06. > :28:10.powers to help keep Scotland in the single market, even if the UK

:28:11. > :28:17.leaves. But if the Tory Government rejects these efforts, if it insists

:28:18. > :28:24.on taking Scotland down a path that hurts our economy, costs jobs,

:28:25. > :28:29.lowers our living standards and damages our reputation as an open,

:28:30. > :28:33.welcoming and diverse country, then be in no doubt, Scotland must have

:28:34. > :28:35.the ability to ensure a better future and I will make sure that

:28:36. > :28:47.Scotland gets that chance. APPLAUSE.

:28:48. > :28:55.And let us be clear about this too, if that moment does arise it will

:28:56. > :28:59.not be because the 2014 result hasn't been respected, it will be

:29:00. > :29:01.because the promises made to Scotland in 2014 have been broken!

:29:02. > :29:22.APPLAUSE. , it will be because our country

:29:23. > :29:28.decides together. That being independent is the best way to build

:29:29. > :29:37.a better, rocker, fairer future for all of us.

:29:38. > :29:40.-- stronger, fairer future for all of us.

:29:41. > :29:46.Friends, we know what kind of country we want Scotland to be, I

:29:47. > :29:51.believe it's a vision that unites us, an inclusive, prosperous,

:29:52. > :29:55.socially just, open, welcoming and outward looking country, the

:29:56. > :29:59.question now in this new era is how best to secure it.

:30:00. > :30:06.Let's resolve as a nation to answer that question together.

:30:07. > :30:11.We have already come so far. Our home rule journey has given us new

:30:12. > :30:15.confidence, no self-belief, a determination not to be taken

:30:16. > :30:19.backwards but to finish building tomorrow's Scotland. Friends, the

:30:20. > :30:21.time is coming to put Scotland's future in Scotland's hands.

:30:22. > :30:45.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. Let us get on with making that case.

:30:46. > :30:47.Let's get on with building the country we know Scotland can be.

:30:48. > :31:16.Thank you. STUDIO: The SNP leader Nicola

:31:17. > :31:21.Sturgeon, taking the applause in Glasgow at the armadillo after her

:31:22. > :31:24.awesome conference speech -- her autumn conference speech. She made a

:31:25. > :31:29.number of policy announcements that, but she did say that Scotland was

:31:30. > :31:34.open for business and you cannot trust Boris Johnson or Liam Fox to

:31:35. > :31:37.get a good deal for Scotland. In her policy announcement, she is bug

:31:38. > :31:39.about inclusion, saying she would have a national parent consultation,

:31:40. > :31:44.an independent root and branch review of the care system, some big

:31:45. > :31:49.spending announcements for health, 2 billion over five years and

:31:50. > :31:54.increased spending on primary care services. She also spoke a lot about

:31:55. > :31:59.independence at the end. She said she had a new insight into how no

:32:00. > :32:03.voters felt after the EU referendum, she said she never doubts that

:32:04. > :32:08.Scotland will be an independent country. And she said, let's get on

:32:09. > :32:15.with making the case. That is her hugging her mum in the whole. And

:32:16. > :32:20.you can see the Scottish Cabinet giving the applause too. There are

:32:21. > :32:24.press photographers now on the stage. It is a huge auditorium, 3000

:32:25. > :32:29.delegates at this conference. Professor John Curtice still joins

:32:30. > :32:33.me as we watch these pictures. What did you make of that? Well, we

:32:34. > :32:37.thought we were going to get a speech that is primarily focused on

:32:38. > :32:40.the domestic challenges and opportunities that now face the

:32:41. > :32:45.Scottish Government as it embarks on its next five-year term. But in

:32:46. > :32:50.truth, I think we primarily got another continuation of the

:32:51. > :32:55.arguments and the debate about Brexit and its implications for

:32:56. > :32:59.independence. Perhaps it is traditional in SNP leaders' speeches

:33:00. > :33:02.that we end with the peroration about moving towards independence

:33:03. > :33:07.and eventually it will happen at some point. But the truth is, much

:33:08. > :33:11.of the speech was peppered with these references to the implications

:33:12. > :33:14.of Brexit, that we are an open society etc. So even when talking

:33:15. > :33:19.about the NHS, there was a reference to the fact that a large proportion

:33:20. > :33:23.of people working in the NHS come from the European Union and we

:33:24. > :33:27.welcome them. So in many respects, this was still a speech about Brexit

:33:28. > :33:32.and independence. Beyond that, the second thing that was interesting...

:33:33. > :33:37.One of the things the SNP has long been criticised for is being

:33:38. > :33:41.labelled a separatist party. And of course, we know that in many other

:33:42. > :33:47.nationalist parties, the charge is made that they tend to be rather

:33:48. > :33:53.xenophobic and in favour of the people who were born in the country

:33:54. > :33:56.they represent. The SNP have long rejected that notion of nationalism.

:33:57. > :34:02.What was interesting this afternoon was that she said the Conservatives

:34:03. > :34:07.are now the separatist party. She was trying to draw the contrast

:34:08. > :34:11.between inclusion and separation, to suggest that actually, the SNP were

:34:12. > :34:16.now the party that spoke for the whole of Scotland and that it was

:34:17. > :34:19.the Conservative Party who were the separatists and were going down the

:34:20. > :34:24.path that hitherto, some of the SNP's critics have argued that that

:34:25. > :34:29.is what they were responsible for. Yes, the Conservatives were the

:34:30. > :34:31.separatist party, not the Conservative and Unionist party, she

:34:32. > :34:36.said. On the domestic agenda, there was a moment when she announced a

:34:37. > :34:39.rich and branch review of the care system and there were young people

:34:40. > :34:45.there who had grown up in care. Nicola Sturgeon seemed to be quite

:34:46. > :34:49.moved by that. That was an important policy announcement. It was an

:34:50. > :34:52.important aspiration, although she's not the first First Minister to have

:34:53. > :34:59.expressed concern about children in care. Jack McConnell also used to

:35:00. > :35:02.talk about that in his speeches. It is certainly an important issue and

:35:03. > :35:07.we should not underestimate it, but the truth is that a couple of the

:35:08. > :35:15.announcements were more consultations. It is a on how

:35:16. > :35:18.children are looked after. It was a consultation about childcare

:35:19. > :35:24.provision, which has been criticised for being too inflexible and not all

:35:25. > :35:28.parents can use it. A lot of consultations are coming up. In

:35:29. > :35:33.truth, beyond the commitment to moving money into NHS primary care,

:35:34. > :35:37.there wasn't a great deal in the speech that actually involve

:35:38. > :35:43.spending money, although it was interesting, given what we were

:35:44. > :35:47.saying just before the speech, that there was a clear appreciation that

:35:48. > :35:52.this government's ability to spend money on services will now depend on

:35:53. > :35:56.the state of the Scottish economy. And they are now linking that

:35:57. > :36:00.requirement to one of the reasons why they want to retain the liturgy

:36:01. > :36:04.open access to the European Union, because they are saying the only way

:36:05. > :36:08.we can maintain Scotland's economy is through that path. So even there,

:36:09. > :36:16.the issue of Brexit begins to come in. We don't get far in the speech

:36:17. > :36:20.before Brexit and Indyref2 are somehow being portrayed as an

:36:21. > :36:23.important part of the story. Thank you, John. Our political editor

:36:24. > :36:31.Brian Taylor was also listening to the speech, and he joins us again in

:36:32. > :36:38.the exhibitors' hall. I'm joined by two journalistic colleagues here.

:36:39. > :36:43.Let's go through some of the announcements. First, that trade

:36:44. > :36:47.announcement. Again, some in the UK Government will say, what is she

:36:48. > :36:51.doing? Is she setting up embassies? I think it is largely symbolic. This

:36:52. > :36:56.is about sending Scottish Government representatives out into the world.

:36:57. > :36:59.Yes, it is to do with trade, but it is also about trying to improve the

:37:00. > :37:05.relations the Scottish Government has with European countries and say,

:37:06. > :37:10.we are an inclusive, open country. She's trying to create that

:37:11. > :37:15.dichotomy. They may be seen as embassies, but they are more subtle

:37:16. > :37:19.than that. That economic message came through quite strongly,

:37:20. > :37:22.contrasting what she believes can be done in Scotland with what she says

:37:23. > :37:29.is the damage being created by Brexit. But even if you do set up

:37:30. > :37:31.embassies in Europe to create these warm and cuddly relationships with

:37:32. > :37:36.European governments, it doesn't alter the fact that 15% of

:37:37. > :37:40.Scotland's trade goes to the EU and 64% is with the UK. Those are big

:37:41. > :37:46.numbers that will be hard to shift by opening a tourist office in

:37:47. > :37:53.Berlin. Let's turn to the childcare announcements and the review of the

:37:54. > :37:56.care system. What did you make of that, Hamish? The childcare

:37:57. > :38:03.announcement was basically taking power away from councils and giving

:38:04. > :38:06.it to parents, giving parents the flexibility they have asked for. If

:38:07. > :38:12.you have that from a Tory government, you would say it was a

:38:13. > :38:16.Tory policy. It is a populist, parent friendly, the councils may

:38:17. > :38:19.not like it, but Nicola Sturgeon has done it to cut councils out of the

:38:20. > :38:26.process and give more power to parents. It will be popular. And

:38:27. > :38:29.four children in care, there was the announcement of a root and branch

:38:30. > :38:34.review of that. The First Minister was close to tears at that point.

:38:35. > :38:37.She was very moved by what she was saying there. While she was reading

:38:38. > :38:42.out the statistics about the health record of kids in care and their

:38:43. > :38:47.educational achievements and the mortality rates, it was shocking. So

:38:48. > :38:51.clearly, something has not gone right and you can't fault her for

:38:52. > :38:57.trying to put it right. It would seem that this was genuinely driven

:38:58. > :39:01.by the suggestions she has had coming her way from kids who have

:39:02. > :39:06.been through the care system. So it would appear. It proves again the

:39:07. > :39:14.excess ability of the Scottish Parliament. -- accessibility of the

:39:15. > :39:18.Scottish Government. She said inclusion was the byword, but she

:39:19. > :39:25.then cleverly and neatly turned that into inclusion is on offer for

:39:26. > :39:30.independence. That's right, and what is behind that is a sense that the

:39:31. > :39:33.SNP did not win in 2014 because they didn't persuade enough people. So

:39:34. > :39:38.this is a way of reaching out to those who did not vote yes in 2014

:39:39. > :39:42.and saying, we will be inclusive. We will look after your interests, come

:39:43. > :39:47.and see what we have to offer. That is what is behind the inclusion, it

:39:48. > :39:53.is to be friendly to those who have opposed them. She said how she felt

:39:54. > :39:58.on the 24th of June about having her European identity withdrawn for stop

:39:59. > :40:02.she said, I get how people of British persuasion felt in 2014.

:40:03. > :40:07.There was another subtle message following on from that about

:40:08. > :40:11.respect. Perhaps a message to some on the fringes of the nationalist

:40:12. > :40:14.movement who have not shown that respect, particularly in things like

:40:15. > :40:19.social media. She would like them to rein back and show respect for

:40:20. > :40:23.others. That was a strong point. She is aware of the problem that exists

:40:24. > :40:28.there and she was making a point about reaching out. You have no

:40:29. > :40:33.doubt that that was this was about? Not a bit. If they are to get beyond

:40:34. > :40:37.50%, they have to find those people from no voters. They have to find

:40:38. > :40:43.those who have been put off and find common ground with them. It was also

:40:44. > :40:55.interesting when she made the point that the referendum is not her fault

:40:56. > :40:59.the Gabashvili did it. David Mundell says this almost daily - we are

:41:00. > :41:03.where we are, in an uncertain era, don't add to that with the

:41:04. > :41:07.instability of a referendum. She must be aware of that and trying to

:41:08. > :41:10.counter it. But she made the point that this is happening because of

:41:11. > :41:14.broken promises. You told us we would have the security of the EU,

:41:15. > :41:24.and that has not happened. She also said explicitly to the party, we did

:41:25. > :41:30.not win in 2014 because, as you said, a series of reasons. The offer

:41:31. > :41:34.has to be enhanced or altered. Yes, and around the conference there are

:41:35. > :41:39.boxes of these survey forms which is the other part of this campaign,

:41:40. > :41:44.which is to go out to no voters and say, why didn't you vote for us in

:41:45. > :41:48.2014? What can we do to change it? That is the inclusion agenda writ

:41:49. > :41:53.large. A question to you each. We are beginning the process of the

:41:54. > :41:57.input to the Brexit negotiations from the Scottish Government. Will

:41:58. > :42:04.that prove fruitful or will there be an independence referendum and if

:42:05. > :42:10.not, when? It will be fruitful and there will be a referendum, but

:42:11. > :42:14.maybe not for many years. There will be a demand for treaty powers and

:42:15. > :42:23.control of immigration. It is such a big ask. But I think these are

:42:24. > :42:29.demands which are unmeetable and will lead to a referendum. Later

:42:30. > :42:35.rather than sooner. Thank you for joining us. Brian, thank you very

:42:36. > :42:38.much. Now, delegates at conference have called the cannabis to be

:42:39. > :42:43.decriminalised for medical use. It does not mean it will happen in

:42:44. > :42:46.Scotland, as it is a competency of the UK Government, but the

:42:47. > :42:52.resolution also called for responsibility over such matters to

:42:53. > :42:56.be devolved to Holyrood. This is a resolution about fairness,

:42:57. > :43:01.compassion and common sense. In many other countries all over the world,

:43:02. > :43:06.cannabis is used as a legal form of pain relief. It has been used as a

:43:07. > :43:11.medicine for thousands of years. Many modern-day states have devised

:43:12. > :43:16.ways of allowing citizens who have a legitimate need to access cannabis

:43:17. > :43:23.and to be able to do so legally. The system we have in the UK is just

:43:24. > :43:27.another example of how people who are ill or have disabilities are

:43:28. > :43:33.treated with less compassion than they deserve. Most people would find

:43:34. > :43:38.it very hard to know that a loved one was in pain. They would find it

:43:39. > :43:41.hard knowing that there was a substance that was cheap and readily

:43:42. > :43:47.available that could relieve the pain that they could buy, because

:43:48. > :43:51.doing so would make them a criminal. The current state of affairs

:43:52. > :43:57.criminalises compassion, and it shouldn't be allowed to go on. I

:43:58. > :44:02.don't believe we should be in the position where we have to ask the UK

:44:03. > :44:14.for these powers. I believe we should have them with independents

:44:15. > :44:17.and as a right. But we are where we are, and so the resolution asks the

:44:18. > :44:23.UK Government to give us the chance to do something better. As health

:44:24. > :44:26.care professionals, we do want our patients to have everything we can

:44:27. > :44:33.throw at them to help them, but we want to do them no harm. The systems

:44:34. > :44:36.and processes we have two meet, test and monitor medicines are there to

:44:37. > :44:40.make sure medicines are used as safely as possible, so that they can

:44:41. > :44:47.be stopped when they don't work and they can be stopped when they cause

:44:48. > :44:51.harm. The cannabis that people are buying on the street illegally is

:44:52. > :44:56.not a medicine, it is a herbal product. As a non-pharmaceutical

:44:57. > :45:06.product, cannabis would not meet the standards of a safe medicine.

:45:07. > :45:10.Legitimising an unregulated product I saying it could be prescribed

:45:11. > :45:14.opens the door for the snake oil salesman and the fraudsters to take

:45:15. > :45:17.advantage of these patients, these desperate people who want something

:45:18. > :45:28.to help them. So the resolution as it stands, I don't feel it should be

:45:29. > :45:33.decriminalised. Patients should not be criminal. But cannabis as a

:45:34. > :45:36.herbal product cannot be prescribed. It does not meet the standards

:45:37. > :45:42.necessary for doctors and prescribers to prescribe it.

:45:43. > :45:55.Those in favour of the remit please show. Those against, please show.

:45:56. > :45:58.Cards down. Those against the resolution please

:45:59. > :46:04.show. The resolution is passed overwhelmingly.

:46:05. > :46:10.The conference voted overwhelmingly to work with fishing communities to

:46:11. > :46:16.influence EU policy, where it is applicable to Scotland the

:46:17. > :46:20.resolution called for a development for a new structure for Scottish

:46:21. > :46:23.fishing relevant to the Scottish community.

:46:24. > :46:28.Today we have heard nothing from the Prime Minister about the needs of of

:46:29. > :46:32.the fishing communities in the north-east of Scotland and beyond,

:46:33. > :46:38.fishing whose rights were taken away when the Tories took us in the

:46:39. > :46:42.Commons fisheries policy. We oppose the Commons fishery policy from the

:46:43. > :46:48.outset. My speech in Parliament 15 years ago was on the policy. It is a

:46:49. > :46:55.policy that cease the majority of the fish caught in our waters loaded

:46:56. > :46:57.into the halls of foreign vessels, a policy that diverts economic

:46:58. > :47:03.benefits of fish caught in our waters, away from our communities. A

:47:04. > :47:09.policy that cease our Government able to stop fishing when

:47:10. > :47:13.conservation requires but only to stop Scottish vessels, fishing, not

:47:14. > :47:19.able to stop vessels from for example, Spain. When people in

:47:20. > :47:26.fishing communities voted in June, they did not, repeat, not, buy into

:47:27. > :47:30.xenophobic hatred, signing up to a bringing up of the draw bridge,

:47:31. > :47:35.supporting proposals to leave the market and dam the consequences or

:47:36. > :47:40.any other proposals emanating from the Tory extremists, they were on

:47:41. > :47:46.the same policy page as us, with our arguments, dating from the late SNP

:47:47. > :47:52.and MEP Alan McCartney, who campaigned for the return of local

:47:53. > :47:58.control and local benefit for the catch of wild fish.

:47:59. > :48:01.I move the direct negative for the resolution, for the reason it

:48:02. > :48:07.represents weasel words. This resolution does not mean a dam thing

:48:08. > :48:14.and Stuart Stevenson knows it. It does not in fact say: That we can

:48:15. > :48:20.get out of the CFP, it doesn't say we could get a delegation from the

:48:21. > :48:29.CFP as he knows that we could not. And when Marie says that the English

:48:30. > :48:35.Government failed on the CFP, she doesn't know, seemingly, that the

:48:36. > :48:41.CFP was introduced for the first time into the European economic

:48:42. > :48:50.community, the same day that Britain and Norway applied to join the EEC.

:48:51. > :48:56.In fact, the CFP was one of the conditions already there when we

:48:57. > :49:05.joined the CFP and has been controlled by the majority of the

:49:06. > :49:10.CFP since. And any idea that Spain will not veto any move by Scotland

:49:11. > :49:16.to look after its fishing industries is flying in the face of reason.

:49:17. > :49:22.Those in favour of the resolution, please show. Cards down. Those

:49:23. > :49:29.against, please show. Is that one or more than one? A few, maybe a

:49:30. > :49:33.couple? OK, the resolution is passed overwhelmingly.

:49:34. > :49:38.Let's cross back to Brian at the conference for a final time. He has

:49:39. > :49:45.some Parliamentarians with him. I do. Also good to hear from Jerry

:49:46. > :49:50.Fisher on the debate on fishing. He has been attending conferences

:49:51. > :49:54.longer than I have. Now, let's talk about the First

:49:55. > :50:00.Minister's speech and about the announcement on children in care.

:50:01. > :50:03.There was a childcare announcement, a nursery announcement separately

:50:04. > :50:07.but the children in care, she was emotional? Absolutely. This is

:50:08. > :50:11.important to Nicola. She made the commitment to listen to 1,000

:50:12. > :50:18.children in care over the course of the next two years. We have to do

:50:19. > :50:23.what we can to improve LIFFE for these children.

:50:24. > :50:29.It's a tough balance to she wants every kid to be loved but the system

:50:30. > :50:32.currently stops things but on the other hand, Nicola Sturgeon

:50:33. > :50:40.recognising that there must be protections? Absolutely, co

:50:41. > :50:44.corporate parenting and parenting are not doing enough. By the state I

:50:45. > :50:50.don't think we have done enough from the kids, it is obvious from the

:50:51. > :50:52.results we are getting. I am really pleased that Nicola has spoke been

:50:53. > :50:56.this today. Is there a danger to set up the

:50:57. > :51:00.review and then there are too many difficulties? I don't think so. The

:51:01. > :51:04.kids will be listened to. We will hear about what they say about

:51:05. > :51:11.improving the system. We will do what we can to improve it.

:51:12. > :51:17.And the announcement on spending on the NHS, diverting resources to

:51:18. > :51:22.primary care but not increasing the overall package it is a

:51:23. > :51:28.reprioritising of resources rather than funding? In relation to the ?2

:51:29. > :51:34.billion investment that the Scottish Government is committing over the

:51:35. > :51:40.course of the Parliament and the shift announced of 11%, ?500 million

:51:41. > :51:43.from acontribute to primary is in relation to the challenges of the

:51:44. > :51:48.NHS. Are you confident that it will be

:51:49. > :51:53.done without damaging acute care? Absolutely. In acute care,

:51:54. > :52:02.performances are strong. It is about how to use the budget, the increased

:52:03. > :52:05.budget, how to use the potion of that to preventive spending and

:52:06. > :52:10.together with the commitment to build the five elected treatment

:52:11. > :52:15.centres, again with the emphasis on reducing demand, preventive spending

:52:16. > :52:19.and ensuring we address trends and social trends for example like the

:52:20. > :52:22.elderly population. I bet you both hear from the

:52:23. > :52:26.constituents, whether it is from Scotland or Westminster, that you

:52:27. > :52:32.have integrated NHS and social care but they don't see it on the ground?

:52:33. > :52:35.I think we are beginning to see the carry-through. That people are

:52:36. > :52:41.getting a joined up service. This is new. We are finding our feet. But I

:52:42. > :52:45.think people are beginning to have that experience. I hear from

:52:46. > :52:48.constituents involved in the NHS every day, what they say a largely

:52:49. > :52:52.positive. To the subject of independence and

:52:53. > :52:57.Brexit. A clever formulation by the First Minister saying it is not

:52:58. > :53:03.tearing up the offer in 2014 that was a once in a generation, it is

:53:04. > :53:08.the offer made in 2014 that has been changed. A clever way of putting it?

:53:09. > :53:12.Again in context, we are in a position where the Scottish

:53:13. > :53:16.Government, the First Minister is focussed on protecting Scotland's

:53:17. > :53:20.interests in the scenario of Brexit. In terms of the Referendum Bill and

:53:21. > :53:25.the consultation to begin that is a fulfilment of a promise made on the

:53:26. > :53:30.steps of the House on the 24th of June to keep the options open to

:53:31. > :53:35.ensure that Scotland's interests are protected in the challenge

:53:36. > :53:38.circumstances. And Kirsty Blackman, asking things

:53:39. > :53:42.that cannot be conceded in a United Kingdom state, that you are asking

:53:43. > :53:48.for foreign policy negotiation powers, you are asking for? I don't

:53:49. > :53:53.think it is the case. There have been experts that is come to us to

:53:54. > :54:00.put forward a possible framework. We have done our best in... The idea of

:54:01. > :54:05.flexibility within the UK? It has seen what the options are. It is not

:54:06. > :54:10.starting from the point of independence but what can we do, how

:54:11. > :54:17.to make this work for Scotland. It is a flatteneders-style, Belgium,

:54:18. > :54:24.is it a wonderful example of a stable state to be using? I am not

:54:25. > :54:30.saying to replicate the Belgium example but looking at any and all

:54:31. > :54:36.of Scotland's voices to be heard. Our voice to stay in the EU. And do

:54:37. > :54:41.you guess that the negotiations, the search for a solution within the UK

:54:42. > :54:46.gambit gets somewhere, or is it that it could be thwarted and there is a

:54:47. > :54:50.move to a referendum? It is up in the air. All we have is Brexit is

:54:51. > :54:54.Brexit. I think we need sessions from the UK

:54:55. > :54:59.Government to come up with any certainty on the question.

:55:00. > :55:03.I echo the point. The ball is very much in the UK's Government's courts

:55:04. > :55:09.as the First Minister said. They are in the position to recognise or

:55:10. > :55:13.not... But the Prime Minister says that the UK as a whole voted to

:55:14. > :55:18.leave and she is the UK Prime Minister, and she will lead the UK

:55:19. > :55:23.as a whole, including Scotland? She has to question whether or not to

:55:24. > :55:27.recognise Scotland's determination and Scotland's voting determination

:55:28. > :55:33.at the blocks. That is where the ball is in her court. And the

:55:34. > :55:43.Scottish Government is focussed on protecting the Scottish interests,

:55:44. > :55:45.like announced, the four point plan, the interests to protect Scotland in

:55:46. > :55:52.this situation. Thank you very much.

:55:53. > :55:58.Wrian, thank you for your efforts at conference it is disappearing behind

:55:59. > :56:03.you as we speak. Professor John Curtic ex-, your comments before we

:56:04. > :56:07.go? If anybody was under the illusion that Brexit had not changed

:56:08. > :56:12.UK and Scottish politics, I don't think that they will be under that

:56:13. > :56:17.allusion after the last three days. Here again, as with the Conservative

:56:18. > :56:20.conference, Brexit and its implications dominated the agenda.

:56:21. > :56:25.What is clear is that Nicola Sturgeon has really set up her view

:56:26. > :56:29.on Brexit and the kind of society she wants to create, very much in

:56:30. > :56:34.opposition to what she thinks that the UK Government is in favour of.

:56:35. > :56:39.A couple of things that she needs to worry about, we have seen in the

:56:40. > :56:43.conference, the debate on fishing, we saw before Nicola's speech over

:56:44. > :56:48.tying the referendum to Brexit, that the SNP itself is not entirely

:56:49. > :56:52.united on the issue of Europe. And when it comes to those who voted for

:56:53. > :56:56.the SNP in the independence referendum and in May 2015 are about

:56:57. > :57:01.one in three of them that voted to leave. She may have to be careful on

:57:02. > :57:06.tying the two. The second is though given the Tory stance of

:57:07. > :57:11.immigration, her attacks on the Tories are going to hold water, we

:57:12. > :57:19.should bear in mind another part of Theresa May's speech about more

:57:20. > :57:24.money on infrastructure and industrial strategy, it may be

:57:25. > :57:27.rather difficult to paint the Conservative as free trading

:57:28. > :57:32.neo-liberal economists, in the way that Nicola Sturgeon was trying to

:57:33. > :57:38.do in that speech. And the battles to come, the local

:57:39. > :57:44.council elections? Yes indeed, in May, and in Scotland the SNP did not

:57:45. > :57:51.do that well in May, 2012. They only just beat Labour. The local

:57:52. > :58:00.Government there, they don't really control. And there has been a 12 to

:58:01. > :58:04.13% swing to the SNP from Labour, if that transpires, then the SNP will

:58:05. > :58:10.be dominant in Scottish local Government in the way that they are

:58:11. > :58:13.for the most part in Holyrood. And that is why they had the conference

:58:14. > :58:19.in Glasgow. In deed. In 2015, they were

:58:20. > :58:23.optimistic to win Glasgow, they failed, they are hoping to succeed

:58:24. > :58:30.the second time around. Now, more reaction to the SNP

:58:31. > :58:35.conference online, you can join Gordon Brewer on BBC One Scotland

:58:36. > :58:39.after 11.30am tomorrow morning. But from the conference floor team and

:58:40. > :58:43.from us in the studio, thank you very much from all of us, enjoy the

:58:44. > :58:52.rest of your afternoon. Goodbye for now.

:58:53. > :58:56.After mining the rich seam of Scottish Literature, ten books have

:58:57. > :58:59.been chosen, reflecting the vast range and some of the finest

:59:00. > :59:05.But only one can be Scotland's favourite book.

:59:06. > :59:09.Monday at 8.30pm on BBC One Scotland.