Salmond sets out five-year vision for Scotland

Published on Thursday 26 May 2011 13:47

TACKLING alcohol and sectarianism is among the key priorities of the new Scottish Government announced by First Minister Alex Salmond today.

• Alex Salmond today revealed his party's main commitments in government

Delivering a secure economy and the reform of public services will also be the major goals of the newly-formed majority SNP government.

In his first major policy speech since being re-elected, Mr Salmond signalled his intention to create a "social wage", to bring about circumstances that "allow Scots to meet their ambitions".

Addressing MSPs at Holyrood, he said: "Already within the Scottish Government, we have secured a no compulsory redundancy deal covering 30,000 workers in this government and its agencies.

"Our commitment is to extend this first to 160,000 workers in our NHS, before then working to ensure no compulsory redundancy policy spreads across the public sector."

• In full: Alex Salmond's statement on the SNP Government plans

On the social wage, the First Minister said: "A social wage is part of the pact, the promise, between politicians, public services and people.

"We shall deliver the social and economic circumstances that allow for people to dream, to aspire, to be ambitious - but it is for the individual to realise their dreams, to reach for their hopes, to meet their ambitions."

On sectarianism and alcohol, he said: "Part of the social wage is that we should work towards a safer society. In the age of Twitter and texts, the dreams of a free-speaking world are contaminated by strains of bitterness.

"Technology has given fresh energy to old hatreds and petulant sectarianism again seeps across our land. It will be, it must be stopped. I will not have people living in fear of some idiotic 17th-century rivalry in the 21st century.

"Sectarianism must stop and it will. Such hatred of the self, of others of society must end.

"And it travels at least in part hand in hand with another scourge of our safety and happiness - the booze culture.

"I think we have confused our appetite for fun with a hunger for self destruction. We tolerate a race to the bottom of the bottle which ruins our health, our judgment, our relationships, our safety and our dignity.

"Early legislation in this parliament will address bigotry and booze."

Mr Salmond said MSPs should be united to create a better nation.

"The steps this Parliament has already taken: free personal care, the abolition of tuition fees, the scrapping of tolls and the delivery of free prescriptions are our side of the bargain," he said.

"The next steps, including the freezing of the council tax until the end of this Parliament. We know the pressures on family budgets. We know that tough times force difficult decisions in homes the length and breadth of our nation. Many people have accepted a wage freeze. People understand that public spending must be restrained."

Mr Salmond said the Government would protect the health budget, improve rights for victims, improve conditions for carers, and provide opportunities for jobseekers and students.

He went on to pledge his commitment to a 250 million Scottish Futures Fund, which will support five separate initiatives covering young people, warm homes, transport, the digital revolution and Sure Start - to provide life chances for newborn Scots.

On constitutional issues, Mr Salmond said the people of Scotland wanted more powers for real change.

He said "Scotland should have control of her destiny" and set out plans to achieve more powers for Holyrood through the Scotland Bill, including control of the Crown Estate, more borrowing powers and control of corporation tax.

Mr Salmond said the Scotland Bill was an immediate priority, while a referendum on independence would come in the second half of the parliament.

He said: "Constitutional change is not an end in itself, but a means to a better nation.

"Constitutional progress is only part of our ambition for our nation."

Mr Salmond added: "My aim is now, has been in the past, and always will be to deliver a better society for the people of Scotland.

"It happens that we need full powers to do this, but the people come before the powers, the community before the constitution, the children before the state."