 | Alex Salmond has been reflecting on his party's achievements |
Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has opened his party's annual conference by claiming a "solid record" of achievement in 160 days of power. The SNP leader used his welcome speech to announce a �100m investment in Scotland's colleges and universities. The conference, in Aviemore, is the first since the SNP won the Scottish election in May. Mr Salmond warned delegates that the Labour Westminster government would "make life difficult" for Scotland. Despite the jubilant atmosphere at the three-day conference, party bosses are keen to focus on serious policy announcements from the minority government's cabinet secretaries. | CONFERENCE AGENDA - DAY ONE 1000 - Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon arrive 1030 - Conference opens 1045 - Resolution on housing 1130 - Address by Finance Secretary John Swinney 1150 - Resolutions on planning gain supplement, compulsory competitive tendering, cities growth fund and social enterprise. 1400 - Plaid Cymru fraternal address 1410 - Topical and emergency resolutions 1445 - Resolutions on the Europe national forum, nuclear weapons in Scotland and Burma. 1540 - Ministerial address |
Mr Salmond said more people were identifying with the Scottish national party, adding: "The Scottish Government in the last 160 days or so, has moved forward very quickly on the programme. "The ministerial team, our members of the Scottish Parliament, our representatives in local government, our delegation at Westminster. "These people are working hard on Scotland's behalf. They're living up to the expectations, not just of Scotland's party but Scotland as a whole." The first minister outlined what his administration had achieved so far, including; - reversing decisions made by the previous Labour/Liberal Democrat administration to close accident and emergency units
- abolishing "hidden" NHS waiting lists
- scrapping the graduate endowment fee for students
- a timetable for tolls to be scrapped on the Tay and Forth road bridges
- a council of economic advisers set up to boost competitiveness
- and the new broadcasting commission, which had already resulted in a commitment from the BBC to increase network commissions in Scotland
Mr Salmond said: "This is a government, this is an administration and this is a conference which will be setting its eye to the future, and I can tell you, that pace will start very strongly." Turning to his political rivals, he quipped: "Labour lost their first election for 50 years in May. As you can probably detect, they don't like it very much." "We must expect Westminster to make life difficult for Scotland,. "I don't think they're sitting round the Cabinet table and cheering us on. "I don't detect any great level of enthusiasm from Gordon Brown, from Des Browne and still less from Douglas Alexander over the last few days about the progress that Scotland's making." Finance Secretary John Swinney also told the conference that the UK Government was making the case for the SNP's top goal of Scottish independence by handing the nation the "tightest financial settlement" in years. Public services He said the real terms increase in next year's Scottish budget was 0.5%, compared to 11% in recent years, while claiming that contrasted with rising oil revenues going into the Treasury. "The London way means taxes on small businesses go up and a squeeze on Scotland's public services takes an effect," he said. "At the same time our black gold is filling the chancellor's self-inflicted black hole." The finance secretary also told delegates he was working on a new deal with councils to freeze council tax levels ahead of introducing the SNP's plan to replace council tax with an income-based alternative - a move which may struggle to gain parliamentary approval.
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