Alex Salmond: Let the people decide now

Published on Saturday 28 November 2009 19:11

IT IS now more than a decade since Winnie Ewing first gave voice to Scotland's reborn democracy with the memorable words that "the Scottish Parliament, adjourned on the 25th day of March in the year 1707, is hereby reconvened".

That day on the Mound in Edinburgh in May 1999, was memorable in more ways than one. Aside from the truly epoch-shaping change in Scottish public life that it ushered in, it was also a day of consensus for change.

All the parties who took their seats in the new parliament did so with enthusiasm and commitment to a new Scottish political ideal. The Tories may have been reluctant converts, but even the Conservative MSPs brushed aside their party's previous staunch opposition to home rule to pledge their efforts to work through the parliament in Scotland's interests.

That day on the Mound was also one which many people thought they would never see, given the false dawns and let-downs that had characterised the history of the home rule movement. But the key point was this: once given the opportunity in a free and fair vote, the people of Scotland enthusiastically chose to take the country forward.

Fully ten years on from that day, there is a new consensus emerging in Scotland. The argument is no longer between change or no change – it's about the kind of change we seek. And, just as before, we believe that it is only right and proper that the people are given the chance to have their say in a referendum.

The key principle of public engagement is at the heart of the white paper which we will launch tomorrow, and the subsequent Referendum Bill we will bring forward early in the New Year.

It is a historic document which lays out the case for independence with unprecedented depth and clarity.

The white paper sums up the National Conversation which the SNP government has embarked on since we were elected to office in 2007, an exercise which has seen thousands of people attend public gatherings with cabinet ministers the length and breadth of the country, and which has had well over half a million hits on its web pages.

The National Conversation papers we have published in recent months and the white paper itself set out the options for Scotland as we move into the next decade of self-government. Those options, in short, are the status quo, the limited change offered by the Calman Commission proposals, maximum devolution including full fiscal autonomy, and independence.

We believe that independence is the best option for Scotland, because only then will Scotland have the chance to reach its full potential with the powers needed to fight recession and build success, protect Scottish interests in Europe, and ensure that never again could we dragged into illegal wars such as Iraq.

And while not everyone shares our view, there is now a genuine consensus among the people that the status quo is not an option. Unfortunately, some of the political parties are behind the people, as we saw last week when Labour and the Tories tried to outdo each other by seeing who could kick the Calman proposals furthest into the long grass.

We welcome many of the Calman recommendations, and are disappointed that Labour at Westminster has not matched our actions in seeking early implementation of those measures where we should all agree – such as devolving responsibility for air weapons, drink-drive and speed limits, and Holyrood's own elections. The Liberal Democrats and many others share our disappointment.

Nonetheless, the overall Calman proposals fall far short of what Scotland needs.

At a time of recession, when the country needs real economic and fiscal levers to boost growth and take advantage of the opportunities which will come with recovery, the Calman suggestions on tax are at best half-baked, and at worst damaging.

Not content with that, Labour have watered Calman down further, with last week's announcement on so-called borrowing powers by Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy amounting to nothing more than a bogus sham.

By refusing to act now and delaying any positive changes until after a UK election, Labour has shown that it cannot be trusted to deliver for Scotland. The Tories, likewise, have reverted to type by making it abundantly clear that Scotland would not be anywhere near the top of their list of priorities should they win the election. They clearly want to water Calman down further still, leaving virtually nothing of strength or substance in the glass.

The Calman consensus between the London parties has completely collapsed. But there is a clear way ahead for Scotland, and our White Paper points the way. It encompasses and galvanises all those strands of opinion that want Scotland to move forward – and which represent the vast majority of the people.

We owe it to the people of Scotland to let them have their say.

To those who said there would never be a Scottish Parliament, Winnie Ewing gave them their answer that day on the Mound. To those who thought there would never be an SNP Government, the election of May 2007 proved them wrong. And to those who question the desire of the people of Scotland to move towards independence, we say: let the people speak.