Opposition parties attack SNP delay in holding referendum

ALEX Salmond has predicted the Scottish public will soon form an “independence generation”, telling MSPs his landslide election victory in May showed people’s “fear” of secession had disappeared for good.

Putting forward the SNP’s programme for government on the opening day of the Scottish Parliament’s new term yesterday, the First Minister declared his mandate from the SNP’s election success proved beyond doubt that people wanted Holyrood not Westminster to hold the major powers on taxation and spending.

The people, he declared, “are ready to move on to the next chapter of Scotland’s story”. They “do not fear” independence, he said, adding: “We have won their trust and we will not abuse it.”

“They share our excitement about the project at hand – to build a better nation. Independence will improve the future for all these people: It will be the Independence Generation.”

Independence, he said, was “the opposite of dependence, of limited ambition, of negativity, caution and pessimism”. And he said backing for an independent country would be to reject the arguments of “those who tell us we are too lazy and too poor”.

But Mr Salmond’s legislative plans did not include a bill to hold a referendum on independence, which he has said will be held in the latter stages of this parliament. That prompted a united onslaught from opposition parties, which said he was duty bound to offer full details of his plans and to bring forward the date of the referendum.

They accused Mr Salmond of deliberately delaying the vote so he could spend the intervening years complaining about his lack of powers, in order to build up support for independence, or so-called “devo max”.

The business group CBI Scotland warned last week that uncertainty over the referendum could damage the economy.

The exchanges came as a new Ipsos/Mori poll gave a boost to the SNP cause, showing 35 per cent of Scots would vote Yes to independence, up 13 points on a similar survey less than a year ago. It also showed 67 per cent believed MSPs’ responsibilities should be extended so they have control over “all tax-raising powers while Scotland remains part of the UK”.

Mr Salmond has suggested since May that he wants both independence and “devo max” to be included in a two-question referendum when the vote is eventually held.

Without a referendum bill, the legislative programme for next year will be dominated by plans for a single Scottish police force, a new minimum price on alcoholic drinks and a crackdown on sectarianism.

But Mr Salmond showed the constitutional battle would be pre-eminent, by devoting much of his statement to a barbed attack on the UK government’s economic policy. He called on Chancellor George Osborne to loosen the purse strings to allow the country to grow its way out of the economic mire, with a major fiscal stimulus in infrastructure investment.

He said he had the backing of Scots to make those decisions himself, by getting more “control, flexibility and freedom” over economic policy.

Mr Salmond’s aides said afterwards the Scottish Government’s stance on the economy would be a key part of its attempt to build support for winning more fiscal powers.

Mr Salmond’s attack on the UK government’s record comes a week after UK ministers began a more hardline approach to the SNP’s independence proposals.

That approach continued yesterday, as Labour, Tory and Lib Dem MSPs all accused the First Minister of deliberate vagueness over the independence plan.

Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray said: “He cannot tell us what currency it would have, how it would defend itself, which institutions it would share with our neighbours, whether it would be a member of Nato or not, how or if it could enter the European Union, how our benefits and pensions would be secured.”

He added: “The First Minister has a mandate for this now. He has a majority for it in this parliament. He has no credible excuse for not bringing that bill forward.”

Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie said: “Alex Salmond will grind on and on, day after weary day about the powers he doesn’t have. Scotland says get on with your independence referendum. Get it out the road.”

Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie said: “This parliament is to be dominated by independence but that’s the one issue the SNP government is determined to avoid discussing.”