Commenting on Iain Gray’s very short speech to the UK Labour
party conference which announced no new policies for Labour the SNP Minister
Alex Neil MSP said it failed to offer any new policies whilst rehashing
old ones, displayed a return to the arrogant assumption that Labour controlled
Scotland, and it’s length only showed how the UK Labour party takes Scotland
for granted.

Commenting Mr Neil said:

“This speech was so short you could be forgiven for
missing the soundbites. Did he have to ditch large chunks because he assumed
David Miliband would be leader?

“The time given over to this speech only shows how little
the UK Labour party really care about Scotland. Ian Gray’s call for a ‘Labour
Scotland’ only reveals how the party wants to control and own Scotland.

"As for his policy announcement this was the same
policy Labour announced last year and one which the SNP in Government is
already putting into practice. The SNP has led the way by freezing ministerial
pay for two years and restraining pay at the top of the public sector.

"The SNP agreed in 2008 that all Scottish Government
employees would earn a living wage of over £7 from August this year and we have
seen low pay improve across the public sector with Agenda for Change improving
pay rates in the NHS.

“It was also ironic that he was sandwiched in between Jim
Murphy warning that UK government cuts would where “even Thatcher feared to
tread”, only to be followed by Alistair Darling who established that Labour
would cut “deeper and tougher” than Thatcher. It exemplifies why no one can
trust a word labour says on cuts.

"At the next election voters will face a clear
choice between an experienced SNP Government, working with those across the
public sector to deliver our commitments to help the low paid at a time when
Labour's cuts begin to bite and a Labour party that is stuck rehashing old
announcements and making empty promises."