NICOLA STURGEON - CONFERENCE SPEECH

 Speaking today to delegates at the party's conference at the Macdonald Aviemore Highland Resort, SNP Depute Leader Nicola Sturgeon MSP today laid out the party's policy platform as it sets it's sights on winning the Scottish Parliament Elections in 2007.

Ms Nicola Sturgeon said: 

"Fellow nationalists, we were privileged this morning to pay tribute to Winnie Ewing. To an outstanding political career; to a true Scottish patriot, and to a quite remarkable woman.

"I have to admit that I wasn't even born when Winnie won Hamilton in 1967. Yet her example has inspired me. And I know it has inspired each and every one of us.

"Hamilton was a by-election in which the SNP was the challenger but by no means the certain victor. It was hard work, inspired campaigning and a formidable candidate that made it a historic success.

"And it is hard work, inspired campaigning and the formidable talents of Angela Constance and Maire Whitehead, bright, able, determined women just like Winnie - that will produce historic success next week as well.

"Fellow delegates, this has been a Conference full of tributes to Winnie. But the very best tribute we can pay to her is not in words from this platform - heartfelt though they are.   It is in our actions today, tomorrow and everyday until we achieve what Winnie has worked so hard and so long to achieve.

"For it falls to us now to complete the work she started. To fulfil her dream. Our dream. To win Independence for Scotland, for our country, that every other country takes for granted.

"Delegates, as the opposition in Scotland, we have a duty to hold the government to account. And we will. But to win government and, from there, to win our Independence, we must do more. We must lead and inspire. We must be positive and confident. We must see not what's wrong with Scotland but what, with effort, can be made right.

"That's why I want my speech today to be different from what you might expect. We can spend too much time talking about the failings of our political opponents. And, let's face it, with Jack McConnell in charge, there are failings aplenty to talk about.

"But people in Scotland don't just want to hear about what doesn't work. They want to hear about what will work. What people want to hear from the SNP is the good news, the positive news, the news that makes us different.

"They want to know how we'll tackle long waiting lists in the health service; restore confidence in the justice system; get our economy growing; and put excellence back at the heart of Scottish education.

"Our job as we approach the elections in 2007 is to give the Scottish people the answers to those questions. Today, I want to make a start. To begin to set out how an SNP government will make a difference to the lives of people in Scotland.

"How we will build a successful, compassionate and confident Scotland. How we will foster a culture of Independence; Independence for Scots as well as for Scotland.

"I want the SNP to be the party of opportunity and aspiration. A government that puts the economy first because we know it's the only way to earn the wealth to fund the fair society we want.

"We'll cut corporation tax because we know from our European competitors, like Ireland and Sweden, that it's the way to grow our nation's wealth. But an SNP government will do more.

"We'll stand up for our businesses and our industries. We'll encourage them to grow and we'll defend them when they are under threat. That's what governments the length and breadth of Europe do. And it's what an SNP government will do.

"Yes, we will be economic patriots - and we will be proud to be so. Economic patriotism means that an SNP government would never have favoured a subsidised Polish shipyard over Ferguson's shipyard on the Clyde - a Scottish yard supporting Scottish jobs.

"The Labour/Liberal government that sold Ferguson's down the river tells us we need to play by the rules. Well, we will play by the rules. But the first rule will be this: we will never let Scottish industries and Scottish jobs be destroyed by those who are bending the rules.

"Jack McConnell was recently taken to task by two of Scotland's most successful business folk for not flying the flag for Scottish business. His response was to call them "idiots".

"They weren't being idiotic. It is not idiotic to promote Scottish business and Scottish jobs. It is idiotic not to and if Jack McConnell can't see that then he is not fit to be First Minister of this nation.

"Delegates, economic patriotism also means that an SNP government would never stand by, saying and doing nothing while our biggest industrial company is targeted for take-over by an overseas competitor.

"Scottish Power pays the wages of 6000 people across this country. It is of enormous strategic importance to Scotland. And we cannot afford to lose it. There are those who say we don't understand the global economy.

"Well, I say, we understand it all too well. We know that across Europe and the world, responsible governments defend their national champions and their national economic interest. And we understand that without major Scottish players on the world stage, Scotland can't take part in and benefit from the global economy.

"So, let me make this pledge loudly and clearly. We will stand up for Scottish Power. And it is to Labour's shame that they refuse to do so.

"Delegates, if the economy is the bedrock of our society, then people are the bedrock of our economy. The Scottish people are this nation's most valuable asset. Young people are the foundation on which our future will be built.

"One of the most disgraceful acts of this Labour government when it first took office was the introduction of university tuition fees. It was shameful to watch a whole generation of Labour politicians who benefited from a free education choose to pull up the ladder of opportunity behind them.

"I am proud that we have reaffirmed at this conference our unswerving commitment to free education. We will abolish tuition fees - front door, back door, any door - and we will restore grants.

"But we will do more. The average graduate now leaves university burdened with student loan debt. It is a drain on our economy and it holds young people back. That is why it is right that we should aim to write off that debt - that Tory/Labour/Liberal debt. And give our young people a clean slate and a fresh start.

"Delegates, young people will always want to see the world. But we must encourage them to put down roots here in Scotland, to help build our country. And so an SNP government will also introduce first time buyers' grants to give everyone a better chance of making a start with a home of their own.

"We will do all of this because we understand that it is only if we invest in our young people, that will they invest in our future. But we want to foster a culture of independence for every generation.

"An SNP government will help pensioners and families too. We'll get rid, once and for all, of the unfair council tax. The council tax that has gone up by 55 per cent under Labour and which hits hardest those who can least afford to pay it.

"We'll put in its place a local income tax, based on ability to pay. Under our proposals, a majority of pensioners will pay nothing and most people will pay less than they do now.

"It is called fairness. It is a principle that old Labour used to believe in but that New Labour has betrayed.

"Delegates, By being successful economically, by reducing the burden on individuals so that they can make the most of their own lives, we can build success in other ways too. We can build a more compassionate Scotland.

"A Scotland that is proud to be judged by the quality of our vital public services. It is not acceptable that thousands of people in Scotland languish on hidden waiting lists - put there simply to make this Executive look a bit better.

"We will get rid of that duplicity and spin.   With the SNP what we promise is what you will get.  No ifs, no buts, no cover ups, no lies. Patients are people and they have a right to honesty and respect. They also have a right to be treated as individuals.

"Every patient has different needs. In a small, wealthy, oil rich country like Scotland, we should have a health service capable of meeting those needs.

"I can announce today that an SNP government will introduce a Patients' Rights Act. It will give every patient the statutory right to an individual waiting time guarantee, based on their own needs. And it will give them a right of redress if it is not met.

"But these ambitious targets will only be met with reform of our NHS.

Not simply by throwing more and more money at it. But by facing up to

the challenge of reform. We will build capacity in our health service.

But we will also introduce a new funding system for hospitals that will

increase efficiency and ensure that more patients are treated faster.

"But delegates, there will be even more clear water between Labour and the SNP on health. An SNP government will not privatise the health service. Not now. Not ever.

"We will not use taxpayers' money, like Labour, to help the private sector undermine the NHS. That will be the SNP guarantee.   And what we guarantee is what you will get. A truly national health service. Delivered by the nation, for the nation, free at the point of need.

"Delegates, the future of our country depends on the wellbeing and confidence of our people. Poverty, deprivation and ill health are evils that still stalk too many of our fellow citizens.  They blight lives and they break communities.   We will heal them by restoring compassion and justice to our society.

"Compassion and justice. I don't believe - as the UN reported a few days ago that Scotland is the most violent country in the world. But I do believe we need tougher action on violent crime.

"Everyone accused of a crime is innocent until proven guilty. But it wrong that every year more than 4000 people charged with a serious crime of violence, including murder and sexual assault, are freed on bail, too often to offend again.

"That must stop.

"Justice is the foundation of a safe society.   It is the foundation of a society in which people can feel confident. But confidence also comes from how we see ourselves as a nation.

"Look around Europe and the world and you will see many small, confident, successful nations, sure of themselves and of their place in the world. They all have one thing in common. Independence.

"Take Norway. This year Norway celebrates 100 years of independence. It is the second richest country in the world. Voted by the UN  for the 5th year in a row the best place on earth to live. It's no co-incidence that Norway is so successful.

"It is successful because it is independent. Norway has public services to be proud of. The people's wages are a third higher than ours. Norway has an oil fund of £100bn that is being invested in the future of her citizens.

"We could have all that too.  We could have had it a generation ago, if successive Tory and Labour governments had not lied about our oil wealth. And, delegates, they did lie. And they kept on lying.

"Do you remember the one about how it wasn't Scotland's oil anyway? Well, let me read to you from the secret document.

It says:

'Its hard to see any conclusion other than to allow Scotland to have that part of the continental shelf which would have been hers if she had been independent all along.'

"Put simply, delegates - it WAS Scotland's oil. It IS Scotland's oil. But it is never too late to learn.

"Delegates, our natural resources give us riches that many would envy. The only question we have to answer - we in each generation who inherit this land - is how we use those natural resources for the benefit not just of ourselves, but of those who come after us.

"This generation has that question to answer now. Will we use our oil riches wisely? Will we invest in a better future for our country? Or will we let that great advantage be poured away again?

"I think, deep down, everyone in Scotland knows what the answer to that question must be. For 18 long years, we let the Tories squander our oil wealth paying for unemployment. We are now watching Blair waste it on an illegal war in Iraq.

"Surely, it is time for Scotland to say enough is enough. To proclaim loudly and clearly that it is still Scotland's oil and that we are not prepared to be cheated out of one more drop. Let us send that message from this conference today.

"Fellow delegates, we are a lucky country. We have the prospect of a future , a bright future , secured by our natural resources and re-enforced by our natural talents. Not many countries get that chance once, let alone twice.    But we have it on offer at each and every election.   All that is required is a will to choose it.

"Winnie Ewing, standing in front of that crowd at Hamilton, almost thirty eight years ago, uttered those immortal words:

'Stop the world, Scotland wants to get on'. 

"Well, the world is spinning faster than ever.  There are challenges aplenty out there for Scotland to face. But our desire to get on, to join in, to be part of the world is greater than ever.   And the advantages of getting on, joining in, being part of the world is greater than ever too.

"We know that we can only join in if we choose independence.  If we choose, as a nation, a better future. The time is coming round again when that choice can be made. Our task is to persuade everyone who lives here to choose the best future for our country. To persuade them to choose Independence.

"There is no one else to take on that task.  It belongs to the Scotland's Party. Now we must do it, for Scotland's sake."