At SNP Conference this weekend, we’re moving forward
This will be my first conference since becoming First Minister, and it is the perfect opportunity to mark a new chapter in the Scottish National Party’s history.
It has been busy few months since I came into office, but it’s still as clear to me today as it was 4 months ago, why I stood to become leader of the party I love.
I am here to make sure the SNP gets back to doing what we do best, and that’s standing up for the people of Scotland and transforming the lives of people in this country.
This has been the hallmark of the SNP Government since 2007. We’ve worked tirelessly to create a better Scotland for everyone and there is so much we have achieved which we should feel proud of.
We have provided free university tuition and a massive expansion of free childcare.
We’re giving low-income families £26.70 a week for each child as part of practical action to lift children out of poverty.
We’re giving nurses, teachers, waste workers and other public sector workers higher pay as part of our drive for a high wage economy.
And we’re creating good jobs, helping to boost manufacturing in Scotland with new renewable energy factories to grow our economy.
We are building a socially democratic country – with public services run for people and not for profit, a social security system based on dignity and respect, and an economic model with solidarity and sustainability at its heart.
The SNP is using the limited powers of devolution in every way we can to make life better for people.
But Westminster austerity threatens all of this, and prevents us from delivering the kind of country we believe people want to live in.
A matter of weeks ago, the country voted to get rid of the Tory Government. Like the majority of people across Scotland, I was delighted to see them leave Downing Street.
However, we are yet to see any meaningful change from Keir Starmer’s government on the big issues that are impacting people across Scotland.
In fact, we have sadly seen more of the same.
Labour has chosen to continue Tory austerity that has hammered households for fourteen years and left families in Scotland struggling to simply make ends meet during this cost of living crisis.
It is unbelievable that Labour expect people to accept, as the Prime Minister set out this week, that ‘things will only get worse’.
The decisions Labour is making in government are political choices and they are fundamentally damaging the SNP government’s ability to deliver for people in Scotland.
Scotland must unite against Labour cuts.
Under my leadership, the SNP will offer hope for the people of Scotland and never succumb to Westminster despair.
The SNP government will argue for a better alternative, one that rejects Westminster cuts. But the question must be asked: if a Labour government, with a huge majority in Parliament, won’t invest in our public services then what Westminster government ever will?
Scotland is suffering the consequences of not being independent, but we have a lot to be hopeful about.
With all of Scotland’s renewable energy resources, all our brilliant universities, our industries and above all our people with all their talents – we have the tools to build an exciting and prosperous future.
The SNP gathers this weekend in Edinburgh for its annual conference to discuss and set out how we can take Scotland closer to that future.
As First Minister, I give my commitment for the SNP Government to do this by governing for everyone is Scotland – standing in solidarity with them as we tackle the challenges and as we seize the opportunities all around us.
I promise, with the limited powers of devolution, we will do all we can but I will also never shy away from stressing how much more we could achieve with the powers of independence.
Frankly, we must not see independence as a distinct issue from other priorities.
It is through using the powers of independence that I believe we improve the issues people care about such as the NHS, the economy and the cost of living.
Equally, Westminster austerity and decisions like Brexit make these issues much tougher to address.
Listening to people from right across Scotland, with many different experiences, provides energy and inspiration for how I can best play my part in creating a better Scotland for everyone.
This weekend, the Scottish National Party’s conference in Edinburgh will present a renewed focus on the public’s priorities despite the tough financial challenges-eradicating child poverty, supporting economic growth, improving public services and tackling the climate emergency.
This weekend, the Scottish National Party moves forward – for Scotland.