10/03/2012

:00:20. > :00:24.Good afternoon and a very warm welcome to allow live coverage of

:00:24. > :00:29.the SNP conference. The party regard this as a launch pad for

:00:29. > :00:34.their local government election campaign. Delegates are gathering

:00:34. > :00:39.in the Dear Green Place hoping it will turn from Labour read into SNP

:00:39. > :00:44.yellow. In about an hour's time, we will hear the keynote speech from

:00:44. > :00:49.Alex Salmond. Keeping me company and offering expertise is Professor

:00:50. > :00:55.John Curtis and our man at conference is our political Editor

:00:56. > :01:01.Brian Taylor. What do you have in store? The Custer merry mayhem and

:01:01. > :01:06.mischief of course. If you glance over my shoulder a you can see that

:01:06. > :01:11.you still there. A big queue to get into the hall to hear Alex Salmond.

:01:11. > :01:14.There will not be an empty seat in the place. Back with you in just a

:01:14. > :01:18.moment. Although the local government

:01:18. > :01:22.elections may be at the top of the agenda, the main talking point is

:01:22. > :01:27.the independence referendum. The issue of whether the ballot paper

:01:27. > :01:33.has the devo-max option on it has been baffling experts and pundits

:01:33. > :01:43.alike. Our correspondent has been finding out more about it with a

:01:43. > :01:49.

:01:49. > :01:53.little musical help. HE SINGS.

:01:53. > :01:58.This 50 year-old song is about Scotland's place in a changing

:01:58. > :02:02.world. Little would change that place in the world more than the

:02:02. > :02:06.SNP's plans for political independence for Scotland. The

:02:06. > :02:09.party is now on the threshold of a referendum that could deliver

:02:09. > :02:14.independence, but political journalist Campbell Gunn is not

:02:14. > :02:19.sure enough of those who voted SNP in the election will be prepared to

:02:19. > :02:24.vote to take Scotland out of the UK. People voted for the SNP because

:02:24. > :02:31.they did so well in the first four years and the polls show that there

:02:31. > :02:35.is still a long way to go before Mr Salmond can win a campaign for

:02:35. > :02:39.independence and I think there are things beginning to happen that I'm

:02:39. > :02:43.not sure whether he really believes he can do it either, which is why

:02:43. > :02:48.he is pushing for the second question.

:02:48. > :02:55.Not that Mr Salmond or his deputy have shown any signs of doubt about

:02:55. > :03:00.independence. The first minister even use the official figures

:03:00. > :03:04.showing Scotland with oil would have a deficit of nearly �11

:03:04. > :03:10.billion to make the case for independence. Our deficit would be

:03:10. > :03:14.much less than the UK, must less than the G7 average and we would be

:03:14. > :03:20.heading to a stronger financial position. We have to look at how

:03:20. > :03:27.much we contribute to the UK and the answer is 9.6% of UK revenues

:03:27. > :03:32.with 8.4% of the population. That surplus amounts to about �6,000 for

:03:32. > :03:37.every man woman and child in the country. Last year every �500 is

:03:37. > :03:41.what each Scot has sent to London over and above what we get back.

:03:41. > :03:44.Alex Salmond always sounds confident about his chances of

:03:44. > :03:50.winning an independence referendum even if the opinion polls suggest

:03:50. > :03:56.otherwise. He says it his preference to have a single yes, no

:03:56. > :04:03.question on independence on the ballot paper, but why then is he so

:04:03. > :04:08.determined to keep open the option of a second question?

:04:08. > :04:13.There are two views on this. The one view that it is essentially an

:04:13. > :04:17.insurance policy that you take out because, as the polls suggest, it

:04:18. > :04:22.is a struggle to get anywhere near a majority vote for independence,

:04:22. > :04:27.so perhaps there is a view that by having a second question you have a

:04:27. > :04:35.back-up. His beaver it more the SNP

:04:35. > :04:38.insurance policy? Of other parties are campaigning for something

:04:38. > :04:43.within a devolved settlement which is more than we have at present,

:04:43. > :04:48.that is a start towards independence. That may sound

:04:48. > :04:51.controversial, but I personally am perfectly happy with an expansion

:04:51. > :04:59.of the powers that we have at the moment if that is what Scottish

:04:59. > :05:07.people want. You are a graduate? am an extreme gradualist. I would

:05:07. > :05:11.not go further. I think Scotland people are ready for independence.

:05:11. > :05:16.More likely to get it with a single question or a multiple choice?

:05:16. > :05:22.think whatever is what people will go for because it is the way

:05:22. > :05:25.forward. They should be only one question unless there is a mile

:05:26. > :05:30.overwhelming demand to say that people feel they need to questions.

:05:30. > :05:35.At present moment, one question should suffice on the basis that we

:05:35. > :05:43.do not lose any of the existing powers or the opportunity to gain

:05:43. > :05:50.more powers if we are not more successful in the referendum.

:05:50. > :05:53.De you need a second question? Should it be there? I think all of

:05:54. > :06:00.the options are as they are, but at the end of the day, I don't think

:06:00. > :06:04.so. With an emerging devo-plus campaign and individual parties

:06:04. > :06:10.considering what new powers might be devolved, SNP leadership is in

:06:10. > :06:14.no hurry to ditch the possibility of a two-question referendum.

:06:14. > :06:17.By raising this question about more powers, you are spreading division

:06:18. > :06:22.within the pro-union parties. We are seeing some very different

:06:22. > :06:28.views from some members of the Conservative Party saying he and no

:06:28. > :06:31.further, saying -- to people in Labour and the Lib Dems who are

:06:31. > :06:37.looking for much more than that. The more the debate hangs around

:06:37. > :06:41.that area, the better it is for the SNP because it does suggest that

:06:41. > :06:49.the pro-union cause has yet to reach a defined position by what it

:06:49. > :06:53.means I know. I think we will when on a yes or no option and we will

:06:53. > :06:56.be working hard to persuade people why Scotland should be independent.

:06:56. > :07:00.The people that live and work here are the best people to take the

:07:00. > :07:05.decisions about the future. There is a strand of opinion in Scotland

:07:05. > :07:10.that wants to see an option between the status quo and independence. It

:07:10. > :07:13.would be wrong for any democratic rule that out at this stage.

:07:13. > :07:18.referendum will be talked about lots this weekend, but don't expect

:07:18. > :07:22.the details to be settled. The UK Government's consultation may now

:07:22. > :07:27.have closed, but the Scottish government is still seeking views

:07:27. > :07:32.and will keep doing so until the middle of May. The wrangles over

:07:32. > :07:37.the referendum will continue for many months to come.

:07:37. > :07:41.Let's go back to Professor John Curtis and in a moment Brian Taylor.

:07:41. > :07:46.John, lots of interesting debate there. As Glenn pointed out about

:07:46. > :07:52.the details of the referendum, do you think we will get more details

:07:52. > :07:57.in Alex Salmond's speech? I will be very surprised if we get clues at

:07:57. > :08:01.all apart from the reiteration of the line that he had his composed -

:08:01. > :08:04.- conference speech in the autumn. He wants people to vote

:08:04. > :08:11.independence, but as a good democrat he will want to keep it on

:08:11. > :08:15.the paper. Alex Salmond has ensured that the SNP does not have to move

:08:15. > :08:21.further on this issue on this side of the local elections. They are

:08:21. > :08:27.happy for people to keep on talking about it as it helps to spread

:08:27. > :08:31.division among so Unionist parties, but the truth is that the issue

:08:31. > :08:35.potentially divides the SNP. I certainly would not want to expose

:08:35. > :08:40.certain divisions inside his party as to whether or not they should be

:08:40. > :08:47.one question or two questions. Before we get to the meat of that

:08:47. > :08:53.debate, Brian, what are you hearing on the ground at conference?

:08:53. > :08:58.It is incredible. It is the largest bring conference ever had. Nichola

:08:58. > :09:02.Sturgeon made a cheeky crack in her opening address which we might here

:09:02. > :09:08.earlier saying that there won't be any empty seats for the leader's

:09:08. > :09:12.speech at this one. It is large indeed. If you like, you can see

:09:12. > :09:21.how much the group could potentially jeopardise should the

:09:21. > :09:23.independence vote go the wrong way because they are standing here with

:09:23. > :09:29.enthusiasm and extremely encouraged by the prospect of that referendum

:09:29. > :09:36.vote. If it goes down, it will be a different operation. Some very

:09:36. > :09:40.interesting points in Glen's piece. Reaction from the SNP about the

:09:41. > :09:44.questions. Sandra White said to you yesterday that in her eyes a second

:09:44. > :09:50.question would be confusing. What is the debate going on about the

:09:50. > :09:55.second question at conference? debate is about strategy. They want

:09:55. > :09:59.independence, no doubt about it. Independence is what the party is

:09:59. > :10:03.in business to achieve. I think there are a number of people in the

:10:03. > :10:08.party, grassroots as well, independence is a given. They

:10:08. > :10:12.cannot understand why people do not see that as the natural state of

:10:12. > :10:17.Scotland there by they want to advance that case and put back to

:10:17. > :10:22.the people and would expect a endorsement. Then you have the

:10:22. > :10:28.other argument which is the point, the extreme gradualism that we

:10:28. > :10:34.heard, the idea that you advanced little by little. Take each step as

:10:34. > :10:39.it comes and allow yourself a fall- back. The party morale is through

:10:39. > :10:43.the ceiling, and through the stratosphere, but it would change

:10:43. > :10:47.entirely were independents to go down. Perhaps they have that fall

:10:47. > :10:57.back of their devo-max or devo-plus option. At this stage, other

:10:57. > :11:03.parties are saying it must be a straight yes or no question. John

:11:03. > :11:07.Curtis, Brian is talking about the other parties there. We saw them

:11:07. > :11:10.almost playing catch-up with Alex Salmond.

:11:10. > :11:14.Playing catch-up in the sense that they are trying to work out the

:11:14. > :11:19.best answer to adopt on the future of devolution in Scotland in order

:11:19. > :11:23.to ensure that independence is defeated from their point of view.

:11:23. > :11:26.I'm sure Liberal Democrats are regarding this as an opportunity to

:11:26. > :11:31.suggest that this side of a referendum there should be an offer

:11:31. > :11:37.to the Scottish party that says if you vote of no, you will get this.

:11:37. > :11:44.David Cameron has also indicated he is willing to contemplate the

:11:44. > :11:50.positive it -- possibility of devolution. We got scepticism about

:11:50. > :11:54.the devolution of taxation powers and corporation tax, but certainly

:11:54. > :11:58.all of the Unionist parties are having debates not only between

:11:58. > :12:06.themselves, but the monks themselves as to exactly what this

:12:06. > :12:09.side of a referendum promises about further devolution. Brian, aside

:12:09. > :12:14.from the independence referendum debate, this is the launch pad for

:12:14. > :12:19.the local government election and they have their 600 plus candidates

:12:19. > :12:24.along at conference. Yes and they are seeing this not just as an

:12:24. > :12:30.event in itself, although if they make gains in local elections they

:12:30. > :12:35.will trumpet that as a triumph, but it is of course a platform for that

:12:35. > :12:39.referendum on independence to come. If you have in do -- additional

:12:39. > :12:45.councillors across Scotland with their teams, that is a foundation

:12:45. > :12:50.for winning votes. In a further contest being the referendum.

:12:50. > :12:55.you very much Brian. And thank you John.

:12:55. > :13:05.The conference open this morning with an address from deputy first

:13:05. > :13:09.

:13:09. > :13:16.minister Nichola Sturgeon. Here is Good morning. Good morning

:13:16. > :13:21.delegates, are you all wide-awake? Good. Welcome to the great city of

:13:21. > :13:26.Glasgow. For what is our biggest ever spring conference. Let me make

:13:26. > :13:36.a prediction at the outset, there will be no empty seats far Our

:13:36. > :13:37.

:13:37. > :13:43.leader's speech this weekend. Delegates, an awful lot has changed

:13:43. > :13:50.in Scottish politics since we met here in this city, in this very

:13:50. > :13:58.hall, this time last year. Cast your minds back, back then we were

:13:58. > :14:04.15 points adrift in the opinion polls. I was the only constituency

:14:04. > :14:10.SNP in the City of Glasgow and this venue was situated in a Labour

:14:10. > :14:17.constituency. Our election chances were being written off. Delegates,

:14:17. > :14:27.we still believed and less than two months later we won an

:14:27. > :14:31.

:14:31. > :14:36.unprecedented overall majority in I am very proud to say that my own

:14:36. > :14:42.city, the City of Glasgow, played a very big role in that historic

:14:42. > :14:48.victory. The Glasgow count took place in this very building, let me

:14:48. > :14:53.tell you, that was some night. That night will live long in my memory

:14:53. > :14:58.and in the memory of every SNP activist in Glasgow. It was a night

:14:59. > :15:04.of high drama, unprecedented success for the SNP. The tensest

:15:04. > :15:14.moment was waiting to find out that Bill Kidd had won Glasgow by seven

:15:14. > :15:16.

:15:16. > :15:21.That night we won seat after seat and we became the biggest party -

:15:21. > :15:28.the biggest Scottish parliamentary party - in this city so delegates,

:15:28. > :15:34.it is a huge pleasure to welcome you back here to the Scottish

:15:34. > :15:44.Exhibition and Conference Centre in the SNP constituency of Glasgow

:15:44. > :15:44.

:15:44. > :15:50.Kelvin, won By Sandra White. It is always great to be in Glasgow,

:15:50. > :15:54.or great for Glasgow to have the �1 million boost to the city economy

:15:54. > :15:59.that our conference will bring here this weekend but when the SNP comes

:15:59. > :16:05.to Glasgow, we are in many, many ways really coming home. It was

:16:05. > :16:10.founded here in Glasgow 78 years ago. Many of our most important

:16:10. > :16:15.electoral breakthroughs have happened here. This constituency

:16:15. > :16:19.has always been at the SNP's heart and central to our vision of a

:16:19. > :16:22.progressive, fairer and more democratic Scotland. As a

:16:22. > :16:28.government, we are and will continue to deliver for the people

:16:28. > :16:37.of Glasgow. Major infrastructure investments like the and 74

:16:37. > :16:41.motorway extension, the new hospital, -- like the M74 extension.

:16:41. > :16:46.Everybody is looking forward to these things. Fellow delegates, led

:16:46. > :16:50.me to do this. We are working towards another important electoral

:16:50. > :16:55.breakthrough in Glasgow. These are exciting times for Scotland and for

:16:55. > :17:00.this city. Even people who aren't usually that interested in politics

:17:00. > :17:06.will often ask me if the SNP really can win the local elections here in

:17:06. > :17:16.Glasgow. Let me give you the answer here today, the answer is, yes, we

:17:16. > :17:16.

:17:16. > :17:20.can. But we are not like Labour, we take

:17:20. > :17:25.nothing for granted. We will work hard for every vote. The people who

:17:25. > :17:29.will decide the election here and every part in Scotland are the

:17:29. > :17:33.voters. We face a Labour Party that is crumbling before our eyes. A

:17:34. > :17:37.Labour Party that is discredited, it losing counsellor's hand over

:17:37. > :17:45.fist and on that note, I was delighted recently to welcome

:17:45. > :17:49.former Labour councillor, the new SNP councillor Ifan Rabbani. He is

:17:49. > :17:59.coming to his first conference, let's give him a warm welcome.

:17:59. > :17:59.

:17:59. > :18:04.Delegates, we are working flat here in Glasgow and across our country.

:18:04. > :18:11.We are fighting hard to win the local elections in every single

:18:11. > :18:16.part of Scotland for the first time we will field candidates in all 32

:18:16. > :18:23.local authority areas including Orkney and Shetland. We are truly

:18:24. > :18:29.Scotland's party. A record number of candidates, 50% up on the last

:18:29. > :18:32.elections. We need local councils across Scotland working hand-in-

:18:32. > :18:37.hand with our SNP Government in Edinburgh to deliver for the people

:18:37. > :18:42.of Scotland and that is what we want to deliver at these elections.

:18:42. > :18:46.We are ambitious for our country and it is that ambition that means

:18:46. > :18:52.we want our country to be independent. Independence put the

:18:52. > :19:01.future of our country in our own hands. Independent gives Scotland

:19:01. > :19:06.and will give Scotland, with 200 other countries across the world,

:19:06. > :19:13.what they take for granted, the Masters of their own destiny. But

:19:13. > :19:16.we send a clear message from this conference. It is our intention to

:19:16. > :19:22.work hard to persuade the people of Scotland for our case of

:19:22. > :19:30.independence and to win yes vote in the referendum in 2014.

:19:30. > :19:33.Delegates,... Let's get to work. Enjoy the

:19:33. > :19:37.conference and the hospitality of this great city. We have got

:19:37. > :19:47.council elections to win, a referendum to win, let's get on

:19:47. > :19:47.

:19:47. > :19:54.with it. STUDIO: Nicola Sturgeon there. But

:19:54. > :19:59.go over to Brian and the conference, he has gathered up some SNP

:20:00. > :20:04.activists. That is probably the right word. Four with me now.

:20:04. > :20:08.Tremendous morale here, excellent turnout. You look at Scotland,

:20:08. > :20:11.rising unemployment, public spending cuts and jobs going in

:20:11. > :20:18.public authorities, how can you be chipper against a background like

:20:18. > :20:21.that? Party is moving in the right direction in the opinion polls and

:20:21. > :20:25.we can tackle the problems. We have not a Scottish Government that is

:20:25. > :20:30.tackling youth unemployment and you will hear more of that this

:20:30. > :20:35.afternoon and we know what the issues are this afternoon. We have

:20:35. > :20:40.got the power to take those on. are in power now, you are an MSP,

:20:40. > :20:44.supporting a government and yet you are not going that way, the figures

:20:44. > :20:49.are getting worse. We know we can do something about it though and we

:20:49. > :20:53.are doing all that began with very limited powers that we have. We are

:20:53. > :20:58.doing far more than previous executive. The powers are not that

:20:58. > :21:04.Ltd, a �30 billion budget and nurses are losing their jobs and

:21:04. > :21:06.cuts in authorities. We do not have the positive job-creating powers

:21:06. > :21:10.that be will have after independence. We know that the

:21:10. > :21:14.referendum is coming and we know we can win that. We can change things

:21:14. > :21:19.for the better. At the moment we are managing as well as we possibly

:21:19. > :21:23.can. But we are really looking forward to what we can do after

:21:23. > :21:27.independence. Is it the case that you are shunting responsibility and

:21:27. > :21:29.consequently blame on to the Westminster government and

:21:29. > :21:34.Parliament rather than accepting responsibilities as a Scottish

:21:34. > :21:37.Government was made far from it. is not shunting blame, it is about

:21:37. > :21:41.trying to get Westminster to work with us to give us the powers we

:21:41. > :21:44.need to grow our economy and invest for growth and jobs. That is what

:21:44. > :21:50.the Scottish Government is doing bringing forward capital investment.

:21:50. > :21:56.You have got more than 30 capital projects ready to go, we did to get

:21:56. > :22:00.started. Shovel ready? That is correct. We are waiting with the

:22:00. > :22:04.shovels! We need more power from Westminster to bring forward our

:22:04. > :22:10.capital budget and investment to do that but the fact is that the

:22:10. > :22:16.capital budget has had a massive cut from Westminster instead of

:22:16. > :22:20.help. David London, your opponents' point about youth unemployment is

:22:21. > :22:26.high and rising, they are right, aren't they? I think the SNP

:22:26. > :22:35.Government did the right thing for him -- for appointing a minister.

:22:35. > :22:40.We are serious about getting young people back into work. To give

:22:40. > :22:45.young people back into work. there had to be cut, didn't there?

:22:45. > :22:53.The spending was out of control, it would be cut whether it was Labour

:22:53. > :22:56.or Tory and Scotland needs that? The reality is we do not have as

:22:56. > :23:02.much control over this as we would like if we had normal powers of

:23:02. > :23:07.independence. We would have control over our economy in that case and

:23:07. > :23:11.the purse-strings for Scotland, I hear the future is not too bright

:23:12. > :23:16.and that is what we are turning the our around and bringing Scotland

:23:16. > :23:20.forward. Moving back to Shirli-Ann. You are or mentioning independence

:23:20. > :23:26.and the greater powers that come with the greater powers of

:23:26. > :23:31.opportunity. It it it is so desperate, get on with the

:23:31. > :23:34.referendum. A to important we want a debate with the Scottish people.

:23:34. > :23:38.Regardless of what side you are on, this is the most important

:23:38. > :23:42.discussion that Scotland will take part in in generations. It is

:23:42. > :23:45.important that we hear from everyone and yes, we have a

:23:45. > :23:49.positive vision for Scotland. Not because we are obsessed with the

:23:49. > :23:54.process or independence itself, we believe that the best people to

:23:54. > :23:59.take the decisions are the Scottish people themselves. You mention

:23:59. > :24:03.generations and that issue. He said in the past as has Alex Salmond

:24:03. > :24:13.that if a referendum is held and is rejected, that is it for a

:24:13. > :24:16.generation. Is that still the case? If you vote no for independence,

:24:16. > :24:20.then we are promised by other parties that we may not get

:24:20. > :24:24.something, we are not sure what it is. Some unspecified time in the

:24:24. > :24:29.future. If you want constitutional distractions and debate about it, I

:24:30. > :24:33.am afraid that is to vote for the union. If you have a genuine vision

:24:33. > :24:40.for the future of the country, it is under independence. Do you think

:24:40. > :24:44.a straight yes/no question on independence or do you what the

:24:44. > :24:47.other question on devo-max or devo- plus? For somebody who has

:24:47. > :24:53.campaigned for independence all my adult life, I would love it if it

:24:53. > :25:00.was today but the right thing is to wait wait for people to have a

:25:00. > :25:03.debate. The right thing to do for the people of Scotland - and

:25:03. > :25:07.nothing the Scottish Government has been correct in the way it is

:25:07. > :25:10.proceeding with this - is to say that if there is an opinion that

:25:10. > :25:15.there should be something else other than independent or the

:25:15. > :25:19.status quo, we must hear that. The UK Government says there will be a

:25:19. > :25:24.legal underpinning to a yes/no question but not to this idea of

:25:24. > :25:27.having other options on the ballot paper. Yes but what country in the

:25:27. > :25:33.world will take to being blackmailed in that way? We will

:25:33. > :25:37.give legal underpinning if you do what we want you to say. They say

:25:37. > :25:41.if you get a straight question on the issue on which you have a

:25:41. > :25:47.mandate, you do not have a mandate in your manifesto for a question of

:25:47. > :25:50.devo-max, devo-plus, you have got to mandate for a question on

:25:50. > :25:55.independence. I would be happy to do that but if nobody comes forward

:25:55. > :25:59.with any other alternatives, then fine. But we are not talking about

:25:59. > :26:01.political parties, we are talking about trade unions and other

:26:01. > :26:05.individuals and organisations who are interested in looking at the

:26:05. > :26:09.other options and we must do that in the interests of democracy.

:26:09. > :26:16.Would it not be cleaner, simpler and resolving the core question as

:26:16. > :26:22.to whether Scotland must be in or out of the United Kingdom to have a

:26:22. > :26:27.St yes/no question? The preferred way forward is a straightforward

:26:27. > :26:32.yes/no question but we are democrats and there are a

:26:32. > :26:35.democratic means of doing this. If there are voices coming from within

:26:35. > :26:39.Scotland from civic Scotland and the people want something else...

:26:40. > :26:45.The confusion is not caused by the SNP but by the anti- independence

:26:45. > :26:49.parties led by the Conservatives who are coming up with all kinds of

:26:49. > :26:54.formulations which they will not explain, that one day they stand

:26:54. > :26:58.for one thing and another day they stand for another. Better

:26:58. > :27:01.commissions, various buzzwords. The SNP is absolutely clear - we stand

:27:01. > :27:04.for independence and we will campaign for that but we will also

:27:04. > :27:07.listen to the people of Scotland and respond to the people of

:27:07. > :27:11.Scotland. That is why the Government is consulting on what

:27:11. > :27:15.kind of shape the referendum should take and listen to the people of

:27:15. > :27:19.Scotland on that. That will come out with the shape of the

:27:19. > :27:22.referendum based on what you will tell us. David, this is double-

:27:22. > :27:32.think. This is adequate we want a referendum on independence but we

:27:32. > :27:34.

:27:34. > :27:39.have got this other option. You have got an offer to have the legal

:27:40. > :27:43.underpinning, why don't you get on with it? The people of Scotland

:27:43. > :27:46.gave the SNP and overwhelming majority and mandate to hold the

:27:46. > :27:49.referendum and the people of Scotland gave that to the Scottish

:27:49. > :27:54.Government. The idea that Westminster can tell us what to do

:27:54. > :27:57.is nonsense. The SNP is in consultation going forward and I

:27:57. > :28:04.hope they take part in that but this idea that the UK Government

:28:04. > :28:11.can start poorly in Scotland around to tell us how we can have a

:28:11. > :28:14.referendum. No, no. This was the point I wanted to make. Two

:28:14. > :28:18.consultations, one that the UK Government finish yesterday and

:28:18. > :28:24.ours is not finished so why on earth would we come up with

:28:24. > :28:27.anything definitive until we have worked it out? For it is a fair

:28:27. > :28:33.point. Would you say that you are trading the second question for the

:28:33. > :28:41.date? You get the date of 20th October 14 and say we would love

:28:41. > :28:51.the second question but these are UK politicians... The I don't -- I

:28:51. > :28:53.

:28:53. > :28:57.think this is political game- responses to our consultation so

:28:57. > :29:02.let's see what people say but I don't think this idea of trading is

:29:02. > :29:06.particularly helpful. Thank you very much. We will lead to get your

:29:06. > :29:12.place back in the hall for the SNP's leader speech. I will be back

:29:12. > :29:16.for that but back to the studio now. It is no secret that the SNP's top

:29:16. > :29:19.target in May's local elections is Glasgow City Council. It is no

:29:19. > :29:25.coincidence that this weekend's conference is taking place in the

:29:25. > :29:30.Dear Green Place. Professor John Curtis is still with me here in the

:29:30. > :29:33.studio. When Nicola Sturgeon was speaking there she says some of the

:29:33. > :29:39.party's most important electoral breakthroughs had been in Glasgow.

:29:39. > :29:44.What do you make of their chances in the City? She is right. Their

:29:44. > :29:48.success in the City was quite remarkable. Having said that, my

:29:48. > :29:52.view is that the SNP are in danger of over-inflated expectations of

:29:52. > :29:55.what they might achieve in Glasgow. And therefore as a result what

:29:55. > :30:00.might still be a pretty good result for them might not end up looking

:30:00. > :30:04.as good as they hope. Let me explain. It is one thing to suggest

:30:04. > :30:08.the Labour party might lose its majority on the city. To achieve

:30:08. > :30:13.that, probably... It is difficult under proportional representation

:30:13. > :30:18.but we need a swing of around 5%. Some opinion polls suggest the SNP

:30:18. > :30:21.are doing beyond that but others however are not. One thing is that

:30:21. > :30:25.was badly missed this week is that the latest opinion poll puts the

:30:25. > :30:31.SNP support for Holyrood across Scotland as a whole down at around

:30:31. > :30:37.14%. If you take that Paul and apply the change since 2007 - these

:30:37. > :30:42.local government seats were last fought in 2007. To the SNP is 1.5%

:30:42. > :30:48.in this poll. Local government by- elections, we have had about a

:30:48. > :30:52.dozen or so since May last year. The swing to the SNP is about 4%

:30:52. > :30:59.which is roughly in the territory that the SNP are likely to need

:30:59. > :31:04.just to deny 46 Labour the 40 seats they need to control the council.

:31:04. > :31:11.For the SNP to win control themselves, they need an 8% swing.

:31:11. > :31:15.If the opinion polls which suggest the support is around 50%, if those

:31:15. > :31:20.polls are right then yes, the SNP can win Glasgow but one has to say

:31:20. > :31:23.if one looks at the Government by- elections and the opinion polls in

:31:23. > :31:28.the round, one has to say that there is by no means any guarantee

:31:28. > :31:31.that the SNP will when Glasgow. They have got a good chance of

:31:31. > :31:35.denying Glasgow Labour control. They probably have the most likely

:31:35. > :31:39.outcome which is a council in which there is no overall control and at

:31:39. > :31:43.the end of the day, who runs the City Council may well depend on the

:31:43. > :31:47.decisions of the greens who are most likely to emerge as the

:31:47. > :31:52.largest third party in the City chamber. Prospects across the rest

:31:52. > :31:56.of Scotland, fielding candidates in all 32 local authorities and even

:31:56. > :32:06.including Orkney as Nicola pointed out in her speech. What of their

:32:06. > :32:07.

:32:07. > :32:13.We are expecting the SNP to make gains. We are talking about seats

:32:13. > :32:20.last contested in 2007. Even if the SNP don't do as well as last May,

:32:20. > :32:22.they could still make significant gains. The second thing, this is a

:32:22. > :32:29.system of proportional representation. This did not stop

:32:29. > :32:34.the SNP winning control of Holyrood, but expects the odds against you.

:32:34. > :32:40.If you look at councils where it won't take much more than a modest

:32:40. > :32:46.swing to achieve overall control, look at Dundee, look at Perth,

:32:46. > :32:51.maybe Midlothian and maybe Angus, but that probably is it. At the end

:32:51. > :32:57.of the day, most councils in Scotland will still end up with no

:32:57. > :33:02.party in overall control, but many councils will probably have more

:33:02. > :33:06.SNP councillors and perhaps more s n p lead administrations or

:33:06. > :33:10.coalitions then we have at the moment. Finally, how do you think

:33:10. > :33:14.people will be using their vote? Do you think they were used it as a

:33:14. > :33:20.voter confidence in the SNP? It will be very interesting to see

:33:20. > :33:25.because some people might be scared off by the referendum. One has to

:33:25. > :33:29.say there is a really big unknown about local elections. These are

:33:29. > :33:34.the first to take place in Scotland since 1995 that have not taken

:33:34. > :33:38.place on the same day as a Holyrood election. We are kind of assuming

:33:38. > :33:44.that, for the most part, the results of the local elections will

:33:44. > :33:48.be not dissimilar to the result of a Holyrood election, but in truth

:33:48. > :33:54.we cannot be sure of that. If we look at Westminster at the moment,

:33:54. > :33:58.Labour Party are ahead of the SNP, so that is one big uncertainty.

:33:58. > :34:02.Secondly, one has to say given the increasing emphasis on the

:34:02. > :34:08.independence debate, given that we know that around a half of the

:34:08. > :34:12.people that voted for the SNP last year when not in favour of

:34:12. > :34:16.independence for a whole variety of reasons why at the end of the day,

:34:16. > :34:21.they SNP might still gain seats but not do as well as 12 months ago.

:34:21. > :34:26.You saw from those delegates there are very high expectations, very

:34:27. > :34:31.confident. The danger the SNP faces by talking up expectations, people

:34:31. > :34:36.may say, hang on, the balloons have started to burst. Thank you very

:34:36. > :34:40.much. In the hall they have just finished

:34:40. > :34:45.discussing the Social Union between Scotland and England. Emphasis on

:34:45. > :34:50.how much better the two could get on if they become politically

:34:50. > :34:54.separate. I am joined now from the wall by Angus Robertson who is an

:34:54. > :34:59.SNP group leader at Westminster and the mastermind behind the

:34:59. > :35:03.referendum campaign. Good afternoon, thank you for joining me. The hall

:35:04. > :35:08.is packed just now as delegates discuss the social union partly

:35:08. > :35:12.because Mr Salmond will be speaking shortly. Do you think a lot of SNP

:35:12. > :35:18.delegates are concerned about how the Social Union will be portrayed

:35:18. > :35:22.as they try to take the message of independence out to the doorsteps?

:35:22. > :35:28.It is very important and I think the turnout in the hall is

:35:28. > :35:31.reflective that the subject and continuing important relations we

:35:31. > :35:36.have with our neighbours and England, Wales and Ireland is a

:35:36. > :35:40.major consideration. Independence is about moving political control

:35:40. > :35:45.to Holyrood, but it is about maintaining links that we value. It

:35:45. > :35:51.is important to understand that, that is one reason the hall is so

:35:51. > :35:56.fall. It is also one reason why SNP membership is so Boyd. We get more

:35:56. > :35:59.members joining from outside Scotland, not least from England.

:35:59. > :36:04.Realistically, is this not about trying not to scare the horses

:36:04. > :36:07.because you are trying to impress upon the delegates how important

:36:07. > :36:13.the union is so that they take the message out there and people do not

:36:13. > :36:17.get scared about the break-up. It is not, it is what we believe

:36:17. > :36:20.and it is what we know the country believes. We value our

:36:20. > :36:25.relationships with our neighbours, but people are increasingly

:36:25. > :36:28.understanding that the issue at hand is moving sovereign decision-

:36:28. > :36:33.making to Scotland where the people are in charge, all of us regardless

:36:33. > :36:38.of where we come from, it is an inclusive message. It is at the

:36:38. > :36:42.heart of the SNP and that is why we are debating it. We debate this

:36:42. > :36:46.because we think it is important and we know it is important because

:36:46. > :36:51.people out there say-so. One reason why the SNP is doing so well is

:36:51. > :36:55.that we are reflecting more and more of the attitudes of the

:36:55. > :37:03.largest part of Scottish society. don't want to be accused of navel-

:37:03. > :37:07.gazing, but if we can consist -- concentrate on the BBC, Nichola

:37:07. > :37:11.Sturgeon said she often goes on holiday to Portugal and she watches

:37:11. > :37:16.BBC there. She says people in the modern world watch TV across

:37:16. > :37:21.borders. What are your reassurances to people in Scotland about things

:37:21. > :37:25.like the BBC, like these cultural elements?

:37:25. > :37:31.I should declare an interest if somebody who has reported far there

:37:31. > :37:34.BBC, I am a big fan of the BBC and remain so. I think we can do more

:37:35. > :37:39.with broadcasting in Scotland, retaining the opportunity to watch

:37:39. > :37:43.great broadcasters like the BBC, but also ensure that more of the

:37:43. > :37:47.licence fee stays in Scotland and support broadcasting in Scotland.

:37:47. > :37:51.Many of us turn on the television and wonder why we are watching UK-

:37:51. > :37:56.wide the news that often ignores what is going on in Scotland and

:37:56. > :38:00.then we have to wait until 6:30pm to get away news. Things are out of

:38:00. > :38:05.balance. One of the great things about being able to make decisions

:38:05. > :38:09.in Scotland is that we can get the broadcasting service that is best

:38:09. > :38:13.for Scotland as opposed to one thought-out by senior management

:38:13. > :38:17.that the BBC in London. Because a strong links with the UK, do you

:38:17. > :38:22.think people will question the point about independence and the

:38:22. > :38:26.point about Scotland becoming a separate race shown, pray example

:38:26. > :38:29.Nichola Sturgeon talking about the banks and she said an independent

:38:30. > :38:34.Scotland would come together with the rest of the UK and worked

:38:34. > :38:40.together for a bail-out. What is the point of independence if we are

:38:40. > :38:44.to maintain the strong links? Because it is changing the nature

:38:44. > :38:50.of the relationship with the nations of these islands to being a

:38:50. > :38:54.relationship of equals. Working together of -- as equals. We have

:38:54. > :38:59.done a lot of work in understanding where the public isn't we

:38:59. > :39:02.understand that the people are in listening mode. They want to

:39:02. > :39:06.understand the independence case. I think the people want to be

:39:06. > :39:10.persuaded and have questions about subjects. We are finding that when

:39:10. > :39:15.giving answers, people are becoming ever more convinced that Scotland

:39:16. > :39:20.making decisions at home, by people who live in Scotland, that theme is

:39:20. > :39:24.a strong one and one which is persuading more people. People get

:39:24. > :39:29.the sense of being an independent country in an interdependent world,

:39:29. > :39:34.that is the normality of the 21st century. We want Scotland to be a

:39:34. > :39:36.normal country and be more successful making decisions far

:39:36. > :39:42.ourselves where it makes a difference, but where thing should

:39:42. > :39:46.remain the same, that is what we will continue to do. We have been

:39:46. > :39:54.discussing a red tear independence and the third question, devo-max

:39:54. > :39:59.and so on. It is interesting hearing from the S M P's but don't

:39:59. > :40:03.support the second question. Sandra White has been quoted as saying, it

:40:03. > :40:08.is confusing. Did you want the devo-max question in the ballot

:40:08. > :40:12.paper? I am a working very hard to prepare for the independence

:40:12. > :40:18.question that we will have in the referendum. There will only be two

:40:18. > :40:24.questions, whether Scotland should be an independent castrate --

:40:24. > :40:31.country and whether there should be as second option of devo-plus,

:40:31. > :40:40.devo-max, up West Scotland has more power. It sounds like the party are

:40:40. > :40:43.not supporting rat. Here is a BBC exclusive, the Scottish National

:40:43. > :40:49.Party is in favour of Scotland being an independent country. That

:40:49. > :40:55.is what we are campaigning for, but as we have said repeatedly, we are

:40:55. > :40:58.consulting on whether people should be able to also have an option and

:40:59. > :41:03.of a greater form of devolution within the UK. There are all kinds

:41:03. > :41:07.of organisations that has said that should be the case. We should

:41:07. > :41:11.respect that people have different views. If there is a second option

:41:11. > :41:17.that could be on the ballot paper, he is to say that should not be the

:41:17. > :41:21.case? Certainly not Westminster. My energies will be campaigning for

:41:21. > :41:26.independence, but there is a logic to people agreeing that we should

:41:26. > :41:29.have more decision-making powers in Scotland. I am convinced that as we

:41:29. > :41:34.get closer, that people have thought through the prospect of

:41:34. > :41:38.making decisions closer to home, people would not only vote for

:41:38. > :41:43.devo-max or devo-plus, but people would vote for independence because

:41:43. > :41:47.we are talking about independence in an interdependent world rather

:41:47. > :41:50.then some 19th century view of independence. When people

:41:50. > :41:54.understand that, they understand the imperative of making these

:41:54. > :41:58.kinds of decisions closer to home was remaining in an interdependent

:41:58. > :42:03.world working with neighbours and friends. Thank you for that

:42:03. > :42:09.exclusive that you are campaigning for independence. Would you

:42:09. > :42:12.campaign for devo-max as well? are going to be campaigning for

:42:12. > :42:16.more decision-making so it is logical that we will be in favour

:42:16. > :42:22.of anything that brings more decision-making powers. So you have

:42:22. > :42:26.a split campaign? I think you are trying to stand up a story or

:42:26. > :42:30.hypothesis that does not stand up to scrutiny. Let's go back to

:42:30. > :42:35.basics, we are in favour of independence and referendum, that

:42:35. > :42:42.is what we will campaign for. We are in favour of a second question

:42:42. > :42:46.in terms of more powers. I think there is a continuum, more powers

:42:46. > :42:52.whether in the default setting, you get to the ultimate more powers and

:42:52. > :42:55.independence. There is a logic that people understand. I am preparing

:42:56. > :43:00.for the independence question and so are my colleagues. Your viewers

:43:00. > :43:06.will have noted this conference is packed. It is a spring conference

:43:06. > :43:10.and supposed to be smaller than the annual conference. We are

:43:10. > :43:15.absolutely up for the cut for this. What is going to be happening after

:43:15. > :43:18.the election is that the yes campaign for the referendum, this

:43:18. > :43:23.is really important because there are great many people out there

:43:23. > :43:27.that are not in the SNP, but do want independence and we are going

:43:27. > :43:30.to encourage all of them to join the yes campaign. That is why I

:43:30. > :43:34.think this will be successful because it is for everyone in

:43:34. > :43:40.Scotland. Thank you very much for joining me.

:43:40. > :43:44.I am joined once again by Professor John Curtis. John, how do the polls

:43:45. > :43:48.look on the referendum? The first thing to talk about is what answers

:43:48. > :43:52.are we getting from the opinion polls if people are simply asked if

:43:52. > :43:58.they will vote for or against independence. They have been about

:43:58. > :44:02.a dozen or so readings of questions of that type, different wordings,

:44:02. > :44:08.some asking questions that are proposed for the ballot paper, but

:44:08. > :44:12.if we take all of those and all of the polls where people say they do

:44:12. > :44:17.not know, what we discover is that on average 40% of people say they

:44:17. > :44:21.will vote for independence has 60% against. You can do the same thing

:44:21. > :44:27.with a half-dozen or so opinion polls that were conducted in the

:44:27. > :44:31.second half of 2011 before the row about the referendum took place,

:44:32. > :44:37.make the same calculation and discover that at that stage 41% on

:44:37. > :44:41.average were in favour. Mr Roberts and may have found a lot of people

:44:41. > :44:45.who think independence is a good idea, but on average those people

:44:45. > :44:51.have to register with the pollsters and the truth is that despite the

:44:51. > :44:56.enormous arguments we have had, it looks as though public opinion on

:44:56. > :45:01.independence has not changed. The second thing to talk about his way

:45:01. > :45:06.to the polls suggest we stand about the merits of independence,

:45:06. > :45:09.devolution Max and the status quo? I think there is one

:45:09. > :45:15.misapprehension and that is the idea that devolution Max is the

:45:15. > :45:18.most popular option. If you ask people to say which of those things

:45:19. > :45:24.they most like, take the average will recent opinion polls, what you

:45:24. > :45:29.discover is that 29% are in favour of independence, 30 in favour of

:45:29. > :45:35.devolution Max and 30 in favour of the status quo. Scotland is divided

:45:35. > :45:40.equally between these three options. You can then go on to show that

:45:40. > :45:43.everyone in favour of independence is willing to regard devolution Max

:45:43. > :45:48.has a second preference and are willing to vote for it if we have

:45:48. > :45:53.devolution Max West his status quo. The everybody in favour of the

:45:53. > :45:57.status quo would prefer devolution Maxtor independence. Therefore if

:45:57. > :46:03.you asked people whether they prefer devo-max to independence,

:46:03. > :46:10.more people do, and more people prefer devo-max to the status quo.

:46:10. > :46:15.In that sense, devo-max is the most popular. It is a that sense in

:46:15. > :46:20.which it is the most popular. It is basically everybody second

:46:20. > :46:24.preference and most people are willing to vote for it as opposed

:46:24. > :46:33.to the other alternative. That is where the popularity of devo-max

:46:33. > :46:38.That information feeding into the debate is critical. You were in

:46:38. > :46:41.Westminster on Wednesday and you came up with a solution for this.

:46:41. > :46:45.There have been a variety of questions that if we have a

:46:45. > :46:50.referendum, how come we ask the question in such a way that we get

:46:51. > :46:56.a clear, decisive answer that for most people means that 50% vote in

:46:56. > :47:01.favour? Either we get the right winner... And bearing in mind that

:47:01. > :47:04.there are some ways of structuring the referendum which could create

:47:04. > :47:08.incentives for people not to express what they want. Take the

:47:08. > :47:12.question that we should ask first of all, whether people want change

:47:12. > :47:17.and then if they do, do they want devolution max or independence

:47:17. > :47:26.which is what the Electoral Reform Society says. If you are in favour

:47:26. > :47:31.of devo-max which is the case but you definitely do not want... The

:47:31. > :47:35.other way round of doing it given the way that all parties say they

:47:35. > :47:39.want a straight question on independence, let's have one. But

:47:39. > :47:43.then we have a second question and this time it is the second question

:47:43. > :47:51.whereas previously it has been the first. If Scotland remains in the

:47:51. > :48:00.United Kingdom, do you think it should have devo-max or not? The

:48:00. > :48:08.question is conditional is on the first one. It should not favour

:48:09. > :48:12.people with different responses. It should... Equally if the opinion

:48:12. > :48:22.polls change and the independence vote becomes most popular, that is

:48:22. > :48:24.

:48:24. > :48:32.To one of the SNP's flagship policies, and getting rid of the

:48:32. > :48:36.nuclear bases. It point that to happen in the soon as possible

:48:36. > :48:41.timescale. Here's a flavour of the debate.

:48:41. > :48:47.Conference, we have spoken many times at SNP, occasions over the

:48:47. > :48:52.years about removal of Trident. Now our last we are in touching

:48:52. > :48:57.distance of that aim. And it is only true independence that the

:48:57. > :48:59.people of this hall and of this country will see the end of nuclear

:48:59. > :49:09.warheads and delivery systems in Scotland.

:49:09. > :49:11.

:49:11. > :49:17.We need to think about how this will be achieved and under a

:49:17. > :49:23.planning Thame, Angus and Derek and others, very much looking at this

:49:23. > :49:31.alongside other areas of policy -- are planning team. We can disregard

:49:31. > :49:37.the wild-eyed claims that Scotland will be liable for a replacement

:49:37. > :49:42.based elsewhere, which is one of the claims of Westminster MPs. If

:49:42. > :49:47.they were possibly like to build it out of Lego... I am sure I have

:49:47. > :49:50.still got some under the bed from years ago! The claim was not found

:49:51. > :49:56.liable for the costs of a new base in Russia when it had the old

:49:56. > :50:02.Soviet missiles removed in 1994 and they were taken back to Russia. As

:50:02. > :50:06.a direct answer to my question about the removal of missiles and

:50:06. > :50:12.clean-up of bases in Kazakhstan, their Foreign Minister told me that

:50:12. > :50:16.the cost was $600 million and it was met by Russia and the United

:50:16. > :50:20.States of America. I did expect Americans to meet any of these

:50:20. > :50:25.costs but I do expect that the people who actually want to own

:50:25. > :50:35.these weapons should meet the costs of these weapons and that is not us.

:50:35. > :50:38.

:50:38. > :50:42.The timescale in Kazakhstan first for was two years, the Minister

:50:42. > :50:47.told me well. You could talk about decades for the removal of Faslane.

:50:47. > :50:52.I would like to see it disappear completely within a very short

:50:52. > :50:56.period of time but Kazakhstan had a huge amount more weapons than we

:50:56. > :51:00.actually have here and that was achieved within a timescale of two

:51:00. > :51:04.years so you can forget about those scare stories. That the London

:51:04. > :51:14.government wants to play with the big boys, that is a problem for the

:51:14. > :51:24.

:51:24. > :51:28.coalition and Labour -- if the Widespread demonstrations across

:51:28. > :51:31.the UK in 1967 and there is evidence of a clear North-South

:51:31. > :51:35.divide and I think you can work out why that might be. I would like to

:51:35. > :51:45.commend to you this publication which had the privilege of the

:51:45. > :51:45.

:51:45. > :51:51.author speaking to me. Trident - no where to go by John Ainslie. I will

:51:51. > :51:54.quote from it. He has touched on the UK politicians and the

:51:54. > :51:59.scaremongering and it is important to know what the role of the

:51:59. > :52:04.military is in that. For instance, quoting Admiral West, I will spare

:52:04. > :52:07.you the accent. If this was forced on us by separation and a lot of

:52:07. > :52:14.the cost of the clean-up for want of a better word should be carried

:52:14. > :52:18.by Scotland. Philip Hammond, the UK defence secretary he also seems to

:52:18. > :52:24.unable to equip the troops he sends abroad, that he would pay the costs

:52:24. > :52:31.for relocating. And to not lose out on it three days later, Laura

:52:31. > :52:39.Roberts and said we would pay multi-billion-pound compensation.

:52:39. > :52:49.Both touch on the break-up of the USSR and International law is clear

:52:49. > :52:49.

:52:49. > :52:56.on these matters. MoD officials were talking about the nightmare

:52:56. > :53:04.scenario for Trident and that scenario was that the London

:53:04. > :53:08.government would pay any price to keep Trident at Faslane or Coalport.

:53:08. > :53:13.If Scott and remains firm on this issue and that uncertain that we

:53:13. > :53:17.will, -- of Scotland remains firm, the UK will have to abandon the

:53:17. > :53:23.nuclear programme. This is not a blue for triumphalism, we will have

:53:23. > :53:30.to be patient and responsible and that to be global citizens on this

:53:30. > :53:34.issue. Without sounding editor, can I give the words of the First

:53:34. > :53:40.Minister from January this year. "it is inconceivable that an

:53:40. > :53:46.independent nation of 5.5 million would tolerate the continued use of

:53:46. > :53:50.mass destruction weapons on its soil. Please support the motion,

:53:50. > :53:58.thank you. Our Association does not stop at nuclear weapons. We want to

:53:58. > :54:06.get rid of those horrible radioactive waste making buildings

:54:06. > :54:10.called nuclear power stations. I don't know if you know the record

:54:10. > :54:15.of these stations but they have never worked at 100%, not one. One

:54:15. > :54:21.of them has never met its criteria, what it said it would make in

:54:21. > :54:26.electricity. Because we have got so many natural electricity making

:54:26. > :54:30.hydropower stations we do not need them. As you know, some of them are

:54:30. > :54:39.mothballed now but we are still paying to get them cleaned up. But

:54:39. > :54:43.I basically with the Trident programme... Your councillors

:54:43. > :54:48.throughout Scotland are trying to clean up all the debris kept here.

:54:49. > :54:52.Am glad to have an opportunity of speaking on this resolution because

:54:52. > :54:58.it is the most important issue, it seems to me. Have you noticed that

:54:58. > :55:02.these various people who propose some form of devolution max or

:55:02. > :55:07.devolution something or other always say, foreign affairs and

:55:07. > :55:17.defence can be left in Westminster. That is absurd because the most

:55:17. > :55:23.

:55:23. > :55:27.dangerous aspect of politics... British Governments, Westminster

:55:27. > :55:34.governments, usually cling to the illusion that Britain is still a

:55:34. > :55:44.great power which it is not, of course. It makes them a puppet for

:55:44. > :55:45.

:55:45. > :55:48.the United States. They need united States support for

:55:48. > :55:54.submarines maintenance and to play the kind of role they want to play.

:55:54. > :55:59.What does it mean? It means getting involved in things like Afghanistan

:55:59. > :56:03.and Iraq. Scotland should be a prosperous, medium-sized European

:56:03. > :56:07.country like our neighbours across the North Sea with moderate

:56:07. > :56:10.armaments, non-nuclear and we should to be able to be sensible

:56:10. > :56:13.about these things. The extraordinary thing about the

:56:13. > :56:17.British Government and the nuclear weapons is the policy is a

:56:17. > :56:21.contradictory. They are in favour internationally of a policy to

:56:21. > :56:26.reduce nuclear weapons but do their best to encourage other countries

:56:26. > :56:29.not to go nuclear put on the other hand not only to maintain these

:56:29. > :56:35.submarines in the Scottish territory but they are proposing to

:56:35. > :56:42.renew them and strengthen them at very great expense indeed. One

:56:42. > :56:46.estimate was �100 million. The whole thing is an utter disaster.

:56:47. > :56:51.One of the worst aspect of British policy and it is the real reason -

:56:51. > :56:57.one of the major reasons - we must escape their control. I am joined

:56:57. > :57:00.now by one of the MSPs who spoke in the debate, John Finnie. Thank you

:57:00. > :57:05.for joining me. Your motion stated that the conference believes that

:57:05. > :57:08.an independent Scotland will have the right to decide that the

:57:08. > :57:13.Trident nuclear submarines should be moved. One critic said that

:57:13. > :57:18.allowed a bit of wriggle room to have the right rather than calling

:57:18. > :57:22.for the immediate removal of them. There are practical considerations

:57:23. > :57:27.connected with this. First of all, the Scottish people must decide

:57:27. > :57:31.first and foremost in the independence referendum. The good

:57:31. > :57:41.thing about this is the cross-party consensus on the obscenity of

:57:41. > :57:44.

:57:44. > :57:51.having weapons on our sure. And of UK politicians, while having

:57:51. > :57:54.munitions of death on our own shores. It is important to

:57:54. > :57:58.recognise the practicalities that will be disposed of. A how will it

:57:58. > :58:04.take place in an independent Scotland? The cost of clean-up will

:58:04. > :58:09.be absolutely enormous. Be clean up the facilities in coal port,

:58:09. > :58:15.missiles could not be placed anywhere else in the UK. To think

:58:15. > :58:19.that in in Faslane and Coalport would be removed... Coalport will

:58:20. > :58:23.play an important role with a conventional fleet in an

:58:23. > :58:28.independent Scotland. It would be more comprehensive than the Royal

:58:28. > :58:34.Navy fleet deployed in Scotland at the moment. The reality is they

:58:34. > :58:38.cannot be redeployed. The report I alluded to in my speech highlighted

:58:38. > :58:43.that if we revisited the site initially considered 15 years ago,

:58:43. > :58:47.no where feasible in the UK exist. The idea of the eastern seaboard of

:58:48. > :58:52.the United States is also in a no for Non-Proliferation reasons. Also

:58:52. > :58:56.difficulties associated with the French. That leaves one option

:58:56. > :59:04.which at one time might have been acceptable. 60 safety regulations,

:59:04. > :59:12.that is a floating facility. That is no longer acceptable. Only

:59:12. > :59:17.independence will bring the removal. How do you think UK politicians and

:59:17. > :59:22.the rest of the UK will think about removal of weapons in the entire

:59:22. > :59:25.United Kingdom? I think and hope that the UK realise that there are

:59:25. > :59:29.many challenges. We don't agree with the way they are going about

:59:29. > :59:33.business as regards dealing with the economic situation, there

:59:33. > :59:39.should be capital investment. That should not be in weapons of mass

:59:39. > :59:43.destruction. The obscene sums of money for replacement to keep hold

:59:43. > :59:48.of this so there will have to be disarmament. John Finnie, thank you

:59:48. > :59:55.for joining me from the conference. Just a few moments before we cross

:59:55. > :00:00.back to the SECC 4 Alex Salmond's speech in a few moments. A moment

:00:00. > :00:10.for him, John Curtis? He spoke before the Scottish parliamentary

:00:10. > :00:11.

:00:11. > :00:16.elections so it has been an It has been an enormous change and

:00:16. > :00:21.last year was truly remarkable. It was so remarkable it has put the

:00:21. > :00:25.SNP in a position they probably never expected to be in and that is

:00:25. > :00:28.a position to have the votes in Scottish parliament and as

:00:28. > :00:33.legislation and hold a referendum on independence and therefore, as

:00:34. > :00:37.we have seen, almost undoubtedly most of their time in office,

:00:37. > :00:41.certainly through to the autumn of 24 team, is going to be

:00:41. > :00:46.overshadowed by this big question about Scotland's constitutional

:00:46. > :00:50.future. It presents the SNP with a problem because in the meantime

:00:50. > :00:59.they have a government Iran and they have to maintain popularity as

:00:59. > :01:04.a party -- a government to Rome. Doing things in office to promote

:01:04. > :01:13.Scotland's interest in government. They have two balls to keep in the

:01:13. > :01:18.air. I have to stop you there. We will go straight to the SECC.

:01:18. > :01:25.You might have noticed, a couple of other conferences last weekend with

:01:25. > :01:32.some empty seats, not here this weekend. I am going to ask you now

:01:32. > :01:42.to say a big hello to the people watching in the, wait for it, for

:01:42. > :01:54.

:01:54. > :02:00.over spell balls in the exhibition Delegates, it is my great pleasure

:02:00. > :02:05.now to introduce the main event of our conference, the address by the

:02:05. > :02:09.main man. The speech to conference by our first minister Alex Salmond.

:02:09. > :02:16.When I introduced Alex to the conference in October, I was able

:02:16. > :02:20.to announce to you that he had just been awarded the South Australia

:02:20. > :02:28.international climate change Leadership Award. Since then, the

:02:28. > :02:35.First Minister has won the Harold politician of the year award, the

:02:35. > :02:39.UK political Studies Association and politician of the year award.

:02:39. > :02:43.The Spectator magazine's politician of the year award and the best

:02:43. > :02:47.politician award at the Scottish Green Energy awards. You guys

:02:47. > :02:53.thought I used to have a tough time keeping his feet on the ground,

:02:53. > :03:03.didn't you. After all of that on 27th December last year, our first

:03:03. > :03:12.

:03:12. > :03:17.minister was awarded the Times 2011 I think it is part of my job to

:03:17. > :03:22.bring his feet back down to earth, so I am going to remind him today

:03:22. > :03:32.that he is in Glasgow, the great city of Glasgow and in Glasgow, you

:03:32. > :03:34.

:03:34. > :03:41.are nothing until you have won the Delegates, our first minister is a

:03:41. > :03:46.worthy, extremely worthy recipient of all of these rewards. He has led

:03:46. > :03:52.our party to unprecedented success, but even more importantly than that,

:03:52. > :03:57.he has bought the independence debate to life and he has put our

:03:57. > :04:01.country centre-stage. Delegates, he is our leader, he is Scotland's

:04:01. > :04:11.first minister, I ask you to welcome to the stage with rapturous

:04:11. > :04:41.

:04:41. > :04:48.applause, the First Minister, Alex Delegates, speaking to you now as

:04:48. > :04:52.Britain of the year... Delegates, at some of you who have been going

:04:52. > :04:57.to these conferences for even longer than I have will notice that

:04:57. > :05:02.we swapped the speeches from the leader and the deputy leader. I

:05:02. > :05:05.used to speak on the Sunday, Nicola would speak on their Saturday. We

:05:06. > :05:10.change them a run because I felt that if I had to introduce Nicola

:05:10. > :05:16.on their Sunday, that would temper what she says about me on the

:05:16. > :05:23.Saturday. Another great idea bites the dust. Delegates, we also

:05:23. > :05:27.remember that almost a year ago to the day I stood on this very stage

:05:27. > :05:32.and spoke to you about Scotland's future. We were behind in the polls,

:05:32. > :05:37.the press did not give us a chance, but we believed in our course. I

:05:37. > :05:41.said, if we worked hard and and the support and trust of the people and

:05:41. > :05:47.were working together, we could make the nation stronger, fairer

:05:47. > :05:56.and better. Just refused short weeks later, the Scottish people

:05:56. > :06:05.place their trust in us and did so in record, overwhelming numbers. --

:06:05. > :06:08.just a few weeks later. Every action we have taken as a

:06:08. > :06:13.government to since then has been about repaying that trust.

:06:13. > :06:17.Honouring our commitment to the people. In every town and community

:06:17. > :06:24.we are working as never before to make Scotland the country we all

:06:24. > :06:33.know it can be. Building recovery, creating opportunity, working for a

:06:33. > :06:38.Scotland that can truly prosper. A strong economy and a just society.

:06:38. > :06:43.What a difference those extra SNP votes have made. The special votes,

:06:43. > :06:49.the ones which built as an absolute majority in a proportional

:06:49. > :06:55.Parliament. This time last year, we had just passed our final budget as

:06:55. > :06:59.a minority government. Plans scraped through despite the

:06:59. > :07:07.opposition of the Labour Party. Back then, Labour opposed and

:07:07. > :07:12.almost stopped our plans for 25,000 modern apprenticeships. They

:07:12. > :07:17.rejected an almost defeated our plans to protect family budgets

:07:17. > :07:22.were the council tax freeze to keep our streets safer with 1000 extra

:07:22. > :07:28.police officers. The Labour Party, yes the Labour Party, voted against

:07:28. > :07:32.work and training for young Scot. Once upon a time delegates for

:07:32. > :07:42.Labour said they were the People's Party, but in May last year, the

:07:42. > :07:48.

:07:48. > :07:51.people spoke and they chose What a difference a year makes, but

:07:51. > :07:58.the difference is not in the nature of the Labour opposition we face,

:07:58. > :08:03.if we say black, Labour will still insist it is white. If I was to say

:08:03. > :08:07.that the sky was blue, then Labour and the parliament say -- would say

:08:07. > :08:12.no it isn't. As we move forward they will still do everything they

:08:12. > :08:17.can to hold Scotland back. Even in this year's budget they could not

:08:17. > :08:21.help themselves. They've voted against the 25,000 modern

:08:21. > :08:30.apprenticeships a game. They voted against the council tax freeze

:08:30. > :08:34.again. They voted against the extra police officers again. The Labour

:08:34. > :08:39.Party currently want every single family in Scotland to pay hundreds

:08:39. > :08:43.of pounds more in council tax despite the pressure on family

:08:43. > :08:50.budgets, everyone has to pay hundreds of pounds more according

:08:50. > :08:56.to Labour. Except in their case of spelling council where they voted

:08:56. > :09:01.with the Tories to reduce it by 23p per week. That is right, a whole

:09:01. > :09:06.23p. At the same time they voted with the Scottish Tories against

:09:06. > :09:10.the freeze. The only consistent thing about Labour in Scotland

:09:10. > :09:20.right now he is they vote with the Tories at every opportunity. That

:09:20. > :09:28.

:09:28. > :09:34.is why the people of Scotland vote Just as last year's election took

:09:34. > :09:39.away the power of the Labour Party to block progress across Scotland,

:09:39. > :09:44.so too can the upcoming elections in May. The people can call times

:09:44. > :09:49.up on Labour's local thief bums. If there is any place that needs

:09:49. > :09:54.relief from a Labour Party that has lost its way, it is the City of

:09:54. > :10:04.Glasgow. Friends, Scotland can flourish and Glasgow will flourish

:10:04. > :10:08.

:10:08. > :10:12.with the SNP. Delegates, last year I spoke of Glasgow from this

:10:12. > :10:18.platform and the influence it has which has stressed that --

:10:18. > :10:24.stretched across the globe. First as the workshop of the empire and

:10:24. > :10:27.now as the creative city building a new empire of the mind. I announced

:10:27. > :10:37.that �90 million investment, government and private sector

:10:37. > :10:37.

:10:37. > :10:43.working together at Strathclyde University. That was a substantial

:10:43. > :10:47.announcement. At the very cutting edge of the Green Revolution and

:10:47. > :10:52.the knowledge economy combining Scotland's greatest strength, our

:10:52. > :10:58.environment, our people and a education. It was a promise, a

:10:58. > :11:02.signal of better days to come. A first step in in the greenery

:11:02. > :11:08.industrialisation of the city and this country. It is a project that

:11:08. > :11:13.is already bearing fruit. One year on I can tell you there are already

:11:13. > :11:18.100 jobs directly linked to the innovations Centre. 100 high is

:11:18. > :11:21.valued jobs in this city that will keep Scotland at the forefront of

:11:21. > :11:27.green energy research and create opportunities across this nation

:11:27. > :11:37.and that, delegates, is just the start. We can expect a further 600

:11:37. > :11:44.

:11:44. > :11:51.high-skill, high-value jobs will be That is just one Investment amongst

:11:51. > :11:55.many in recent months. North, south, east and west, energy finance

:11:55. > :12:01.engineering, international companies making Scotland their

:12:01. > :12:06.home combining with Clyde Blowers, Global Energy, Scottish companies

:12:06. > :12:13.making the world their oyster. Jobs and opportunities, that is the SNP

:12:13. > :12:17.priority. Last December we appointed a minister for youth

:12:17. > :12:22.employment. The first such appointment anywhere in these

:12:22. > :12:26.islands. Angela has an additional budget of �30 million at a clear

:12:27. > :12:31.instruction to do all that she can to improve the life chances of

:12:31. > :12:37.young Scots. We have a clear commitment to our young people who

:12:37. > :12:41.yearn to be productive. No young person should go through school

:12:41. > :12:47.only to become an unemployment statistic at the age of 16, we will

:12:47. > :12:52.not allow that in Scotland. That is why we have delivered 300,000

:12:52. > :12:58.Training Opportunities since 2007 including those record 25,000

:12:58. > :13:03.modern apprentices -- apprenticeships. Each one of those

:13:03. > :13:09.linked to a real job. These 25,000 apprenticeships on not just for one

:13:09. > :13:13.year, they are for every single year of this Parliament. We are

:13:13. > :13:17.taking forward opportunities all, an initiative that will see every

:13:17. > :13:22.single 16-19 year-olds in Scotland offered the training or a learning

:13:22. > :13:28.place if they are not already in a job, Modern apprenticeship or full-

:13:28. > :13:33.time education. More can and more must be done. Today I can announce

:13:33. > :13:38.a �5 million package which will insure a further 2500 young people

:13:38. > :13:42.are given the right support to help them towards the world of work.

:13:42. > :13:50.This will engage young people in volunteering opportunities in

:13:50. > :13:54.international and national events. Let me be clear, conference, this

:13:55. > :13:59.Government's commitment to young men and women is unwavering. We

:13:59. > :14:09.intend to create conditions in this land which will see a live

:14:09. > :14:14.

:14:14. > :14:19.opportunity for every young Friends, this conference is about

:14:19. > :14:24.progress. It is about Scotland moving up a gear. It is about the

:14:24. > :14:28.path and the opportunities that lie ahead. In this land of

:14:28. > :14:32.possibilities, in this Scotland, we have much to look forward to. In a

:14:32. > :14:36.little over two years, this city will host the Commonwealth Games

:14:36. > :14:43.and preparations continued to be on track and on budget. Construction

:14:43. > :14:47.began last summer in the athletes and is it -- village. Once the

:14:47. > :14:53.Games are done, that great facility will be used to provide affordable

:14:53. > :14:57.homes for local families. Around this very conference venue,

:14:57. > :15:03.delegate, around this venue today is being built the Scottish Hydro

:15:03. > :15:06.arena, the venue for netball and gymnastics from the Games. The

:15:06. > :15:12.arena will seek 12,000 people and become one of Europe's busiest

:15:12. > :15:17.venues contributing an estimated �130 million annually to the

:15:17. > :15:24.Scottish economy. Her longer will we be turning away big act like

:15:24. > :15:34.Barbra Streisand and! If his party keeps growing at its current rate,

:15:34. > :15:42.

:15:42. > :15:47.we may need that menu far Our Own As First Minister, I am committed

:15:47. > :15:54.to ensuring that we make these gains the greatest sporting event

:15:54. > :15:57.our country has ever seen. -- these Gains. I look forward to them not

:15:57. > :16:04.because Scotland compete in its own right but I know that on a global

:16:04. > :16:08.stage up is where we belong. In 2014, our light will shine for the

:16:08. > :16:13.world to see. The Commonwealth Games, the Ryder Cup in the second

:16:13. > :16:16.home coming year. As well as having great ambitions for Scotland's

:16:16. > :16:20.sporting stars in the 2014 games, this government has great

:16:20. > :16:25.aspirations for the event to be a catalyst for economic and social

:16:25. > :16:30.regeneration. Real benefits for communities and individuals, for

:16:30. > :16:34.our society as a whole. That is why I am delighted today to announce a

:16:34. > :16:38.new Legacy initiative. The establishment of a �10 million fund

:16:38. > :16:43.that will allow communities to bring the local sports facilities

:16:43. > :16:46.across Scotland into the 21st century. Whether it be the

:16:46. > :16:50.renovation to a community hall, returning of a bowling green or a

:16:50. > :16:54.new multi-purpose sports field, it is to inspire the young to seize

:16:55. > :17:00.the opportunity presented by the games and its legacy to become a

:17:00. > :17:06.better nation. Yes, these are exciting times for Glasgow. Jobs

:17:06. > :17:11.are coming. The Commonwealth Games are coming. And as far as local

:17:11. > :17:21.election are concerned, the SNP are coming.

:17:21. > :17:30.

:17:30. > :17:34.2014 will see another significant event for Scotland. In January, the

:17:34. > :17:41.Prime Minister tried to lay down the law and dictate the terms of

:17:41. > :17:45.Scotland's referendum. But I have got a message for Cameron, Clegg

:17:45. > :17:55.and Ed Miliband, the days of London telling Scotland what to do and

:17:55. > :18:15.

:18:16. > :18:22.think, these days are over! But delegates, of course we should

:18:22. > :18:29.thank the Prime Minister. LAUGHTER After his intervention,

:18:29. > :18:33.SNP membership has surged, over 2,400 in the weeks that followed as

:18:33. > :18:43.Robert Burns might have said. The best laid schemes of mice and

:18:43. > :18:48.

:18:48. > :18:54.Friends, the support will continue to rise because home-rule with

:18:54. > :19:04.independence beat Tory rule from Westminster any time and any day.

:19:04. > :19:07.

:19:07. > :19:14.Because, delegates, there is a simple and winning truth about

:19:14. > :19:18.independence. It is fundamentally better for our nation with our

:19:18. > :19:23.decisions about our success are taken by the people who care most

:19:23. > :19:29.about Scotland. That is and always will be the people who live in

:19:29. > :19:33.Scotland. We have the greatest stake in our nation's well-being.

:19:33. > :19:39.In good times or bad, it is the people of Scotland who will work

:19:39. > :19:45.hardest and care most. No one will do a better job than the people

:19:45. > :19:48.living here. The people of Scotland in charge, speaking with our own

:19:48. > :19:52.voice and reflecting our own priorities and voices, we will make

:19:52. > :20:02.our country better. That is our message of hope for this nation.

:20:02. > :20:10.

:20:10. > :20:14.And what a contrast with the London parties' message of fear. They want

:20:14. > :20:20.to knock Scotland's confidence, Scotland's self-belief. Basic

:20:20. > :20:25.victory through negativity -- basic victory and they are not in and

:20:25. > :20:30.that good at that. -- they seek victory. We are being treated to

:20:30. > :20:33.some very bizarre contributions from the anti- independence parties.

:20:33. > :20:39.Wiliam Hague said that the British embassies would no longer promote

:20:39. > :20:43.Scotch whisky according to the Daily Mail. But I have dug a little

:20:43. > :20:48.deeper and discovered that Mr Wiliam Hague actually charges the

:20:48. > :20:53.Scottish Government every time we hold a Scotch whisky reception!

:20:53. > :21:00.Then the Daily Mirror reported that a threat to take away our pandas.

:21:00. > :21:10.Don't worry, they will be staying in Scotland. I have decided to

:21:10. > :21:15.

:21:15. > :21:22.offer them political asylum... The United Kingdom Government did

:21:22. > :21:29.not contribute a single R'n'B to the pandas in our capital city of

:21:29. > :21:32.Adana. The people of Scotland have got wise to the scare stories. A

:21:32. > :21:37.Westminster tactic tried before to stop devolution, it failed because

:21:37. > :21:43.these people of Scotland saw it for what it was - empty, hollow,

:21:43. > :21:53.negative scaremongering. It failed then and it will fail now.

:21:53. > :21:53.

:21:53. > :21:59.We know the achievements that have been made with the power that

:21:59. > :22:03.Scotland already has. We have seen progress as a country that has been

:22:03. > :22:08.made in those areas where our nation has already some

:22:08. > :22:13.independence. He in our National Health Service, a record low

:22:13. > :22:23.waiting times. Record high satisfaction in jobs that our

:22:23. > :22:29.

:22:29. > :22:33.health professionals do. Certain It is in the spirit that the SNP

:22:33. > :22:38.and government continues to protect frontline spending despite the

:22:38. > :22:41.Westminster cuts and despite the huge pressures on our budget. With

:22:42. > :22:47.the people of Scotland in charge to Scotland health service we can

:22:47. > :22:51.choose and have chosen a different path. The path that reflects

:22:51. > :22:59.Scotland's social-democratic consensus, a shared progressive

:22:59. > :23:03.value, as a society. A Tory Prime Minister once told us there was no

:23:03. > :23:07.alternative to those policies. On the health policies we are showing

:23:07. > :23:12.friends in England but there is an alternative and let me be

:23:12. > :23:14.absolutely clear. Because of the independence we have over

:23:14. > :23:18.Scotland's National Health Service, this government, this SNP

:23:18. > :23:28.Government, will ensure that Scotland's National Health Service

:23:28. > :23:41.

:23:41. > :23:48.is never for sale. In education, I remember back in

:23:48. > :23:55.1979. Well, I was just a day denounce -- just a babe in arms

:23:55. > :24:00.then. Even then, I remember that some of the foremost sceptics about

:24:00. > :24:06.devolution were in our universities. Is there anyone now on the campus,

:24:06. > :24:10.student or academic who were rather that the Tories were in charge of

:24:10. > :24:14.our universities? If they were and run from London, free education

:24:14. > :24:17.would be a thing of the past. Public funding would be slashed.

:24:17. > :24:23.Tuition fees would today be creating an insurmountable barrier

:24:23. > :24:28.for thousands of young Scots. A barrier to inspiration, aspiration

:24:28. > :24:32.and talent. Our universities to buy a huge international success. Five

:24:32. > :24:36.in the world's top 200. More research papers per head than

:24:36. > :24:40.virtually any other nation on the face of this planet. With a

:24:40. > :24:42.protection of independence that we as a Scottish Parliament have given

:24:42. > :24:52.them from the philistines of Whitehall.

:24:52. > :24:58.

:24:58. > :25:03.So, conference, we have even just a taste of independence. We have been

:25:03. > :25:07.able to deliver fair policies, more so than anywhere else in these

:25:07. > :25:11.islands. In higher and further education and of that we should be

:25:11. > :25:16.rightly proud. As a party and government, we will never kick away

:25:16. > :25:22.the ladder opportunity. Never put a price on learning that undermines

:25:22. > :25:26.the value of learning. The Tories'' decision to scrap the educational

:25:26. > :25:32.maintenance allowance is part of that same agenda. An agenda that

:25:33. > :25:36.Scotland rightly and completely and roundly reject. Just as our

:25:36. > :25:41.Parliament stood firmly against tuition fees, so we do behind the

:25:41. > :25:46.educational maintenance allowance in favour of proper support for our

:25:46. > :25:51.college students. For 35,000 young Scots, with the SNP, the

:25:52. > :26:01.educational maintenance allowance is here to stay.

:26:02. > :26:05.

:26:05. > :26:10.Progress in our National Health Service and education in creating

:26:10. > :26:17.say the communities. Earlier this week official statistics were

:26:17. > :26:25.published showing 17,343 police officers in Scotland. For the 4th

:26:25. > :26:29.year in a row, the SNP Government has delivered a -- and protected

:26:29. > :26:32.the officers in our communities. A truly remarkable achievement given

:26:32. > :26:40.Westminster government's funding cuts and one of course but the

:26:40. > :26:46.Labour Party said would take us 13 years. In this, another area of

:26:46. > :26:50.public life, where we have an element of independence we can

:26:50. > :26:56.choose a better way. As we work to keep the police officers in our

:26:56. > :27:03.communities delivering a 35 year low recorded crime and the fear of

:27:03. > :27:08.crime that continues to fall. Down south, they look to privatise. Yes,

:27:08. > :27:15.privatise... Key police functions. Investigating crime, attainment and

:27:15. > :27:18.even controlling neighbourhoods. Contracts open to the highest

:27:18. > :27:26.bidder and the lowest common denominator and now the United

:27:26. > :27:30.Kingdom Government's own figures reveal that England will see a

:27:30. > :27:37.16,000 reduction in police officers. The contrast is clear. More bobbies

:27:38. > :27:47.on the beat in Scotland, or cuts to coppers under Cameron.

:27:48. > :27:49.

:27:49. > :27:58.So if a measure of independence on health, education and law and order,

:27:58. > :28:06.we have made Scotland a better place. I think what we could do

:28:06. > :28:10.with Scottish control of the economy and security. Right now,

:28:10. > :28:16.our economy needs bank lending and security. We have sent a list of

:28:16. > :28:21.shovel ready projects to London and we demand that they are redeemed.

:28:21. > :28:25.We have major banks largely in the public sector, why are they not

:28:25. > :28:35.instructed to lend to force the pace of economic recovery?

:28:35. > :28:39.

:28:39. > :28:44.Of course, we now know from the official figures from last year

:28:44. > :28:54.that with control of our own finances, Scotland would have been

:28:54. > :28:54.

:28:54. > :29:01.to �0.6 billion better off. �510 for every man, woman and child --

:29:02. > :29:05.2.6 billion better off. In a devolved Scotland, we can command.

:29:05. > :29:15.In an independent Scotland, we can deliver.

:29:15. > :29:22.

:29:22. > :29:29.On international representation, why would we wish to be isolated

:29:29. > :29:34.and ignored in Europe on we could be influential and respected? On

:29:34. > :29:37.defence, why would this nation of 5 million people elect to waste

:29:37. > :29:41.billions on weapons of mass destruction while we still have

:29:41. > :29:51.thousands waiting for a decent home and a live chance?

:29:51. > :29:56.

:29:56. > :30:01.Independence, friends, means real security. Westminster would spend

:30:01. > :30:04.on nuclear-weapons which could destroy the world, Scotland should

:30:04. > :30:14.spend on social provision which should be the envy of the world.

:30:14. > :30:21.

:30:21. > :30:26.Friends, our task is nothing less than to transform Scotland, to

:30:26. > :30:31.change our nation for good. In the local elections in May at we can

:30:31. > :30:36.take the next steps on that journey. Elected a strong team of SNP

:30:36. > :30:40.councillors who will put their communities first. Conference,

:30:40. > :30:45.these elections are about local services. Help for hard-pressed

:30:45. > :30:49.families with their council tax freeze. Safer streets and keeping

:30:49. > :30:54.the 1000 extra police. About giving are unpaid carers more of the

:30:54. > :30:58.support that they need. Every vote for the SNP is a vote to build

:30:58. > :31:03.recovery with investment in new homes, new schools, investment in

:31:03. > :31:08.jobs and training. We here and we understand the pressures

:31:08. > :31:13.individuals and families are facing across our nation. Step-by-step, we

:31:13. > :31:19.will deliver. We will use the powers that we have to date and

:31:19. > :31:23.together we will make Scotland better. That is right and good in

:31:23. > :31:29.itself, but friends, it is a statement of intent, a signal of

:31:29. > :31:34.the nation that we can be and will be with the powers of independence.

:31:34. > :31:42.The parents, for young Scots, we know what Alan met -- nation should

:31:42. > :31:45.be. And we know how we can get there. Already new investment in

:31:45. > :31:52.children's centres, a re targeting of resources through the early

:31:52. > :31:57.years fund and that these elections, a new step forward. We, as a party,

:31:57. > :32:04.have long cherished the ambition to increase pre-school education. In

:32:04. > :32:09.our first term, we moved from 412 hours to 475 hours' free pre-school

:32:09. > :32:14.per annum benefiting 100,000 children a year. Now we intend to

:32:14. > :32:19.move further and to place it in statute so that families in every

:32:19. > :32:23.part of Scotland can share in that benefit. Conference, we will place

:32:23. > :32:28.into the new Children's Bill introduced to Parliament next year,

:32:28. > :32:38.a statutory guarantee of though the 600 hours of free nursery education

:32:38. > :32:44.

:32:44. > :32:49.for every Scottish three and four- For every Scottish three and four-

:32:49. > :32:52.year-old and for every looked after a two-year-old in our land. The

:32:52. > :32:58.best package of free nursery education on offer anywhere in the

:32:58. > :33:02.United Kingdom. A statement of faith and commitment to the future.

:33:02. > :33:08.Flexible in its delivery, using the wisdom of the early years past

:33:08. > :33:15.force to help us, but definite in a intent. For every young mum or dad

:33:15. > :33:25.juggling work and payment, the S -- the message is clear, they SNP is

:33:25. > :33:32.

:33:32. > :33:37.Friends, the SNP is here to build a fairer Scotland. My ambition is to

:33:37. > :33:43.reduce inequality. To give all Scots a fair chance in life. Across

:33:43. > :33:48.the world, the evidence is Clear - the more equal society, the better

:33:48. > :33:53.it is for all of us. I want a Scotland where a fair wage is a

:33:53. > :33:58.living wage and that is what we can achieve with independence. We have

:33:58. > :34:03.taken the first steps already. Every employee at of the Scottish

:34:03. > :34:08.government, National Health Service are now guaranteed but least a

:34:08. > :34:15.living wage of �7.20 per hour. Two- thirds of thousands benefiting

:34:15. > :34:20.Shelby women. Delegates, where we have the power, we shall act. I can

:34:20. > :34:30.another day when every single SNP lead council elected in May will

:34:30. > :34:41.

:34:41. > :34:45.Thousands more of our lowest-paid workers will receive their pay and

:34:45. > :34:49.fair play with the SNP putting more money in their pockets, putting

:34:49. > :34:59.more money to boost the local economy is as we build towards a

:34:59. > :35:03.

:35:03. > :35:08.Scotland that is a living wage Conference, by our deeds we have

:35:08. > :35:12.been known and by our deeds we shall be known. If we make the

:35:12. > :35:16.right choices for a universities and for fairness for families, who

:35:16. > :35:21.can doubt that we will also make the right choices in the economy

:35:21. > :35:25.and on Scotland's place in the world. Scotland's social democracy

:35:26. > :35:30.can survive and flourish, but only where we have the power. We can be

:35:30. > :35:35.a beacon for social justice, but only if we allow that light to

:35:35. > :35:40.shine. Delegates, the lesson is a simple one, a little independence

:35:40. > :35:50.has been good for Scotland, but real independence will be even

:35:50. > :35:59.

:36:00. > :36:05.Let us set out the task that lies before us. We have to import the

:36:05. > :36:08.vast resources of this country to work for the benefit of the people

:36:08. > :36:15.creating a competitive economy and in doing so creating new

:36:15. > :36:19.opportunities and jobs. Saving and investing in offshore energy wealth

:36:19. > :36:24.is a guarantee for a safe and secure a future. Scotland, not just

:36:24. > :36:28.a nation of promise, but a potential fulfilled standing tall

:36:28. > :36:34.in the world speaking with our own voice, a partner for justice and a

:36:34. > :36:40.partner for peace. Friends, these things and more are just a yes vote

:36:40. > :36:46.away. When the UN was formed, there were just over 50 independent

:36:46. > :36:51.countries in the world. Today that figure has risen to almost 200.

:36:51. > :36:56.Some still say independence is difficult, but conference, these

:36:56. > :37:01.numbers don't live. Other 10 countries that join the European

:37:01. > :37:06.Union in 2004, a majority have become independent since 1990 and

:37:06. > :37:12.Scotland is bigger than six of these 10. Each and every one of

:37:12. > :37:15.these nations has a seat at Europe's top table, how right they

:37:15. > :37:20.cherish, a right that Scotland should embellish. Being independent

:37:20. > :37:25.is the most natural thing in this world. It is what we seek as

:37:25. > :37:29.individuals for our own families. A point where we take responsibility

:37:29. > :37:33.for our own future and success. We are able to speak with our own

:37:33. > :37:37.voice, choose our own direction and contribute in our own distinctive

:37:37. > :37:43.way. With independence we stand on our own two feet, but we don't

:37:43. > :37:49.stand on our own. We gave a more modern relationship with the

:37:49. > :37:52.nations of these islands, a true partnership of equals. At 21st

:37:52. > :37:56.century Social Union replacing a political union that has long

:37:56. > :38:01.passed its sell-by date. It will require effort and commitment to

:38:01. > :38:05.make our country as good as we know it can be. In Scotland that is

:38:05. > :38:10.better than the one we have today, a more successful Scotland that we

:38:10. > :38:18.can pass on proudly to future generations. So let us now heed the

:38:18. > :38:28.words of the Patriot, go forward into the community of May --

:38:28. > :38:35.

:38:35. > :38:41.nations to lend our own independent Leader of the SNP Evette, Alex

:38:41. > :38:44.Salmond, receiving a standing ovation at a SECC following his

:38:44. > :38:50.speech at the spring conference saying that people had placed their

:38:50. > :38:55.trust in the SNP and has since been about repaying that trust. He says

:38:55. > :39:02.that people of Scotland are now voting against Labour. He says a

:39:02. > :39:07.series of funding packages and in terms of independence, he says home

:39:07. > :39:13.rule with independence beats Tory rule in Westminster. Working his

:39:13. > :39:16.way down the Cabinet. I am still joined here by Professor John

:39:16. > :39:22.Curtis of Strathclyde University. We are watching these pictures

:39:22. > :39:27.coming in, what did you make of that speech?

:39:27. > :39:35.Verdi tell about the independence referendum and arguably, at least

:39:35. > :39:38.by SNP stampers, a rather independent slight speech.

:39:38. > :39:42.Independence was one of two principal themes, but another

:39:42. > :39:45.important motif going through it was a question of the local

:39:46. > :39:50.elections and in particular the SNP objective of trying to win control

:39:50. > :39:55.of Glasgow. I think it was interesting to hear the arguments

:39:55. > :40:00.he was using in favour of independence. It was not primarily

:40:00. > :40:06.about the economy all about making Scotland better off financially, it

:40:06. > :40:11.was primarily saying look under the SNP record. Under that record

:40:11. > :40:14.Scotland has been more socially democratic with respect to the

:40:14. > :40:17.health service and education. He was trying to say the reason why

:40:17. > :40:22.you should have any independent Scotland is that you will have a

:40:22. > :40:28.more socially democratic Scotland and I think he was trying to argue

:40:28. > :40:32.with people -- are due to people that is if this is what we can

:40:32. > :40:37.deliver it through devolution, then surely you can trust us on in

:40:37. > :40:42.dependency. You're trying to use a sense that he knows well from the

:40:42. > :40:47.opinion polls that the SNP is currently more popular than the

:40:47. > :40:51.idea of independence. They have been trying to make this link ever

:40:51. > :40:55.since 2007 between people's perceptions of the SNP as a

:40:55. > :40:58.government and the arguments in favour of independence. We will

:40:58. > :41:06.wait to see if he is more successful this time around. I

:41:06. > :41:11.think that was an indeed -- bed good way to make his point heard.

:41:11. > :41:16.He said home-rule undimmed independence beats Tory rule. What

:41:16. > :41:22.is home rule and the independence? He is borrowing a phrase that the

:41:22. > :41:27.Liberal Democrats used, home rule. In a sense there is an implication

:41:27. > :41:32.that he is trying to acquire some of the language that has been used

:41:32. > :41:35.in favour of various varieties of more devolution and in a sense

:41:35. > :41:39.trying to associate them with independence and say to people that

:41:39. > :41:43.if you are wanting a stronger Scotland this is what you go for.

:41:43. > :41:49.He did very carefully talk about the issues of foreign affairs in

:41:49. > :41:52.defence which are very much to do with independence. I think his

:41:52. > :41:56.argument at the end of the day was won for independence and not just

:41:56. > :42:05.for devolution. Ahead of local elections there were a few

:42:05. > :42:13.sweeteners will people. 600 hours of free nursery education, a legacy

:42:13. > :42:17.fund for the Commonwealth Games. The idea of in any way requiring

:42:17. > :42:21.young people to do any kind of work without being paying for it has

:42:21. > :42:27.certainly got the UK government in hot water, one assumes the SNP will

:42:27. > :42:31.not make that mistake. On child care, he said the SNP would

:42:31. > :42:36.legislators 600 hours of free child care as compared with 475 at the

:42:36. > :42:41.moment, but did not tell us when it would happen. It may be that the

:42:41. > :42:45.devil lies in the detail. The first half of the speech was the extent

:42:45. > :42:49.to which it was an attack on the Labour Party. One thing we know

:42:49. > :42:54.about why the SNP won last year was not simply because people thought

:42:54. > :42:59.the SNP had done a good job, but because they had lost confidence in

:42:59. > :43:03.the Labour Party. In truth, we saw in this strong attack on the Labour

:43:03. > :43:08.Party they hope that people will again say, we look at the SNP and

:43:08. > :43:14.the Labour Party and think the SNP are better. I think he's trying to

:43:14. > :43:21.build that momentum. Which was crucial to the opinion polls.

:43:21. > :43:27.you very much. I am joined from Glasgow by the SNP's Deputy Leader

:43:27. > :43:33.Nichola Sturgeon. Thank you very much for joining me. For those

:43:33. > :43:36.people listening to that speech and perhaps anxious about independence

:43:36. > :43:40.and the referendum, there was really nothing new there about

:43:40. > :43:44.independence for people anxious for more information it was almost more

:43:44. > :43:48.about local government elections, wasn't it? I thought there was a

:43:48. > :43:54.very strong theme running through the first Minister's speech and

:43:54. > :43:58.that was to remind people of all of the areas of Scottish life where we

:43:58. > :44:05.already are to all intents and purposes independent. Whether that

:44:05. > :44:10.is it my own area all education or justice. To say that we take better

:44:10. > :44:14.decisions in areas with independent, so from that, let us be confident

:44:14. > :44:18.that the decisions we will take with independence and other areas

:44:18. > :44:22.will be equally good am equally better. I think it is a strong and

:44:22. > :44:26.compelling theme, we are not starting from scratch in the

:44:26. > :44:31.independence debate, we already have vital powers, but to transform

:44:31. > :44:36.our country and build a fairer society we need powers over economy

:44:36. > :44:40.and international representation as well. It sounds a bit like this has

:44:40. > :44:45.been a major theme of the conference, don't scare the horses,

:44:45. > :44:49.try to reassure people about independence. Just before the

:44:49. > :44:53.speech there was a debate in the Social Union trying to emphasise

:44:53. > :44:59.that the rest of the UK would not be broken, this is a big problem

:45:00. > :45:05.for the SNP, isn't it? A I don't think so. Our opponents are

:45:05. > :45:09.pejorative in the language that they used to talk about the economy.

:45:09. > :45:13.People across Scotland understand, appreciate and value the strong

:45:13. > :45:18.links that we have with the other countries in these islands. Social

:45:19. > :45:23.links, cultural links, family links. Independence does not break those,

:45:23. > :45:27.if anything it makes them stronger because it creates a partnership of

:45:27. > :45:35.equals between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom. We will

:45:35. > :45:38.continue to share -- shared among the key and currency. What Scotland

:45:38. > :45:43.gets with independence is the powers that are vital to create an

:45:43. > :45:48.economy that is growing, a country that is prosperous and also a

:45:48. > :45:52.country that is much fairer than it is just now. It is that message,

:45:52. > :45:56.that combination of protecting and valuing these things that matter

:45:56. > :45:59.about the relationship between different countries, but also

:45:59. > :46:08.stressing what we get with independence, that I think is

:46:08. > :46:12.If you are emphasising all the social connections, one wonders

:46:12. > :46:16.what the point of independence is? Pointing out about the bank bail-

:46:16. > :46:20.out, how an independent Scotland and the rest of the UK would have

:46:20. > :46:25.come together to bail out the banks. If we have got all the connections,

:46:25. > :46:35.what is the point? Brian Taylor is close by so I had better make sure

:46:35. > :46:36.

:46:36. > :46:40.I get this correct. What I was saying and did his point out the

:46:40. > :46:45.importance and joint interest of the Benelux countries. How clear it

:46:45. > :46:50.is in the interest of countries of the UK as happens across the world,

:46:50. > :46:55.they will come together and work together. What Scotland gets with

:46:55. > :47:01.independence is vital fiscal powers, economic powers, the right to speak

:47:01. > :47:04.with our own voice. The nuclear weapons on the Clyde, these are

:47:04. > :47:14.important matters for many people across our country. Those PoW was

:47:14. > :47:15.

:47:15. > :47:20.are very limited -- those powers. Terms dictated by the Bank of

:47:20. > :47:24.England and the English Prime Minister. With the greatest of

:47:24. > :47:28.respect, that is not what the First Minister said. He said that an

:47:28. > :47:31.independent Scotland would exercise fiscal discipline like any

:47:31. > :47:35.responsible, independent country should do. We have no difficulty

:47:35. > :47:41.with that. The SNP Government in a devolved Parliament has exercised

:47:41. > :47:47.that discipline in Barlaston our budget every single year. -- in

:47:47. > :47:52.balancing our budget. We would get the powers to borrow which we could

:47:52. > :47:57.do with now to grow our economy. To grow vast energy wealth in an oil

:47:57. > :48:00.fund like Independent Norway has done, the power to give incentives

:48:00. > :48:03.to some of our key industries to use tax and give ourselves a

:48:03. > :48:07.competitive edge. These are all vital powers that only come with

:48:07. > :48:12.independence. In trusting hearing what the First Minister was saying,

:48:12. > :48:18.that independence was an adequate just yes vote away". Is that a

:48:18. > :48:23.telling point? That there will not be a devo-max question in the

:48:23. > :48:28.ballot paper? In the midst of a consultation, we are in. The First

:48:28. > :48:32.Minister has it again that we believe in independence. We want to

:48:32. > :48:40.win with the yes vote. The independence question is one we

:48:40. > :48:45.bought -- one we want on the ballot paper. Other people favour other

:48:45. > :48:47.questions but it is not right to rule it out at this stage. We are

:48:47. > :48:51.democrats and we think the decision should live with other people and

:48:51. > :48:54.we think it is right to consider at this stage whether there is that

:48:54. > :48:58.demand to have another option on the ballot paper. My colour

:48:58. > :49:05.Sturgeon, thank you for taking the time to speak to us. -- Nicola

:49:05. > :49:12.Sturgeon. We are joined by Professor John Curtice. Nicola

:49:12. > :49:19.Sturgeon just made that point, just yes vote away in the speech.

:49:19. > :49:24.truth, clearly the SNP do now want to try to raise people's hopes and

:49:24. > :49:28.expectations. To that audience. That is an audience many of whom

:49:28. > :49:31.have spent many years campaigning for independence and now finally

:49:31. > :49:35.they can think they have got the prospect of trying to get a

:49:35. > :49:41.referendum on this subject. One also has to say, that together with

:49:41. > :49:45.many other parts of the speech were classic Alex Salmond. One of his

:49:45. > :49:50.great strengths is his continual ability to convey a sense of hope

:49:50. > :49:54.and optimism to his audience and I think that was a classic example.

:49:54. > :49:57.Trying to say to people but there are problems with the economy and

:49:57. > :50:03.difficulties, young people, too many of them are out of work but we

:50:03. > :50:07.can see a brighter future. People may not buy into it but it is

:50:07. > :50:12.undoubtedly one of his strengths, to continually convey that

:50:12. > :50:15.optimistic message of our future. Thank you, John. Over to the hall

:50:15. > :50:25.now where Brian has some delegates in the hall after the leader's

:50:25. > :50:27.

:50:27. > :50:31.And MSP and an MEP, have managed to gather two of them. Positing a

:50:31. > :50:36.dichotomy between independence on the one hand and the Tories on the

:50:36. > :50:38.other. Your opponents would say that is bogus, a choice between

:50:38. > :50:42.independence and dibbled self government, not Tory Government

:50:42. > :50:47.from Westminster. I think what the First Minister's message made very

:50:47. > :50:54.clear, there is clearly a dichotomy in terms of delivery of services.

:50:54. > :50:59.What we deliver as a devolved nation and what is delivered down

:50:59. > :51:04.south. He was describing what could happen if we have the power over

:51:04. > :51:08.some of the other factors. Where currently we allow a Conservative

:51:08. > :51:18.Government which cannot be trusted on other elements of public sector

:51:18. > :51:19.

:51:19. > :51:22.things, to take Scotland's decisions for us. But the choice,

:51:22. > :51:27.is it a legitimate argument? Your opponents would certainly say that.

:51:27. > :51:32.He said lots of things and the fact is we have had a taste of

:51:32. > :51:35.independence with devolution. If our health service or education

:51:35. > :51:41.service was under Westminster control, we would have a very

:51:41. > :51:45.different, negative set up. Devolution and a taste of

:51:45. > :51:51.independence has given as that and it is about Tory rule versus home

:51:51. > :51:55.rule with independent. Any party in Scotland would make a better fist

:51:56. > :51:59.of things than a Westminster government. He talked about being

:51:59. > :52:09.engaged rather than isolated. The vendors of the UK Government stance

:52:09. > :52:16.

:52:16. > :52:20.would say it is not the case. fisheries policy, other policies,

:52:21. > :52:30.there are systems going forward. We can do better at going forward on

:52:31. > :52:32.

:52:32. > :52:36.our two feet. At the top table making our and points. 2014, no

:52:36. > :52:41.specifics on whether it is two questions, one question. What is

:52:41. > :52:45.your view? They Clear position is that we are a party campaigning for

:52:45. > :52:49.independence but to recognise that there are the voices that must be

:52:49. > :52:53.heard in this debate and that there is a grandeur of the opinion that

:52:53. > :52:56.says a second question should be placed on the ballot -- if there is

:52:56. > :53:03.a groundswell of opinion, then we should put it. We are running out

:53:03. > :53:08.of time, thank you and indeed for joining us. Back to the studio for

:53:08. > :53:14.STUDIO: More conference analysis tomorrow on the Sunday politics

:53:14. > :53:18.with Isobel Fraser. For from the SNP conference here,

:53:18. > :53:22.Alex Salmond joins us live. How materialistic and your children?

:53:22. > :53:32.And a Nobel prizewinner tells how many things could work for Scotland.

:53:32. > :53:39.

:53:39. > :53:43.Let's go back to Brian for more It is a busy time. We promise to

:53:43. > :53:47.mayhem and confusion and we are delivering. Joined by two

:53:47. > :53:53.colleagues from Her Majesty's press corps. The singer of earlier, a

:53:53. > :53:56.wonderful song, great stuff. What did you make of the harmonies come

:53:56. > :54:01.in from Alex Salmond? I have not heard him make a speech like that

:54:01. > :54:06.before. It was like a Soviet tractor figure. So many figures

:54:06. > :54:13.being bandied around, no usual knockabout stuff because he is in

:54:13. > :54:20.power now and can deliver things. The nursery education and 5 million

:54:20. > :54:26.for youth unemployment. Sorry that should have been youth employment.

:54:26. > :54:36.Tom Gordon, what about this key element, the Independent on the one

:54:36. > :54:36.

:54:36. > :54:39.hand, Tory rule on the other. Quite a seductive and appealing argument.

:54:39. > :54:43.It is not a personality contest between the current Scottish First

:54:43. > :54:50.Minister and the current UK Prime Minister, and separately,

:54:50. > :54:55.independence would be for hundreds of years not just the immediate

:54:55. > :55:00.political future. To try to rebrand devolution as a form of prior to

:55:00. > :55:04.independence. We have a little independence on education, justice,

:55:04. > :55:08.if only we had more, it would be so much better. He is trying to make

:55:08. > :55:14.the argument that we are a little independent and if we were fully

:55:14. > :55:18.independent, it would not be a drastic break, it would be more of

:55:18. > :55:25.the same. Health, police figures, university tuition fees and then

:55:25. > :55:28.drawing from that an argument in favour of independence. He has to

:55:28. > :55:34.make the Independent's argument even if he really does want

:55:34. > :55:39.devolution max which some people have suggested. I thought it was

:55:39. > :55:44.very much that it was pitched at the local elections. Of course.

:55:44. > :55:49.living wage for all council employees with Glasgow is the big

:55:49. > :55:54.prize for the local council. Gordon, or what do you guess about

:55:54. > :55:59.the timing of the referendum, number of questions? Had you get it

:55:59. > :56:07.shakes down? 1,000 days is an awfully long time! I think the date

:56:07. > :56:14.probably will be 2014. Added that Westminster has a weight of

:56:14. > :56:17.dislodging Alex Salmond from that date. -- I don't think Westminster.

:56:18. > :56:21.There are other things coming out of the woodwork this weekend. One

:56:21. > :56:25.of thing that will probably make it onto the referendum ballot but it

:56:25. > :56:31.will have to be clearly defined. Lots of these things have a buzz

:56:31. > :56:38.about them and you have to be careful. Date and questions? 20th

:56:38. > :56:46.October 14 but it is which of the devolution options -- October, 2014.

:56:46. > :56:54.There will be a lot of horse- trading among the parties. You have

:56:54. > :56:57.done your bit earlier, thank you both of you for joining us. The

:56:57. > :57:03.exhibition area behind us is mobbed and I am sure that the coffee bars

:57:03. > :57:07.are mobbed as well but we will cover the party conference -- we

:57:07. > :57:10.are just covering the conference. STUDIO: One final thought and the

:57:10. > :57:16.company of Professor John Curtice. But very interesting now that we

:57:16. > :57:20.are on that footing for local government campaign, will we see a

:57:20. > :57:25.debate in this? Those looking for respite in have the referendum

:57:25. > :57:32.should be conducted maybe get a bit of respite because Alex Salmond was

:57:32. > :57:36.certainly trying to focus our attention on, "you want to look at

:57:36. > :57:41.voting in these elections, the emphasis is strong on Glasgow.

:57:41. > :57:44.Worth reminding people over two years ago in the Glasgow north-east

:57:44. > :57:51.by-election, the SNP were being challenged by Labour as being

:57:51. > :57:55.against Glasgow and notice today have the SNP are trying to dispel

:57:55. > :58:00.that motion and say they are very much a Glasgow party. We will wait

:58:00. > :58:03.and see if they succeed but if the objective is to see if they can

:58:03. > :58:10.when Glasgow, it seems that way. The Tory conference in two weeks'

:58:10. > :58:13.time as well. Interesting to see what will happen. Ruth Davidson and

:58:13. > :58:18.David Cameron are not necessarily singing from the same hymn sheet.

:58:18. > :58:21.John, thank you for your company. We have been on air for a couple of

:58:21. > :58:25.hours and that brings our live coverage of the conference to a

:58:26. > :58:29.close. Remember to keep in touch with all our coverage with the

:58:29. > :58:33.Sunday Politics starting at an earlier time of 11 o'clock tomorrow.

:58:33. > :58:38.We have got our online coverage which you can keep in touch with on

:58:39. > :58:44.the development there at bbc .co.uk and watch out for the highlights

:58:44. > :58:48.programmes on Radio Scotland and BBC TV tomorrow evening. From all