Nobody who is confident in their argument ever fears democracy
by Good afternoon, Conference.
Delegates, it’s great to be here back in Aberdeen.
This has been one of the most upbeat and positive party conferences I can remember – and no wonder.
Because we’ve got a lot to be positive about.
In May we secured an historic fifth Scottish election victory for our party.
The voters also delivered the biggest pro-independence majority in Holyrood’s history.
Independence leads most of the opinion polls.
There is a growing consensus behind Scotland’s right to choose.
And we now have a UK Prime Minister forced to accept the inevitability of independence.
Friends, make no mistake – it is the SNP who are setting the agenda.
It is the SNP making sure that Scotland is on the road to our independence.
Delegates,
First and foremost, May’s historic election victory gives us the opportunity to go on serving the people of Scotland.
To take decisions that improve the lives of the people of Scotland.
Decisions made in Scotland – for Scotland.
Decisions that would never have been taken for us by any Westminster Government.
Decisions like the Scottish Child payment, lifting more children out of poverty.
Decisions like free tuition in our universities, investing in our nation’s future.
Decisions like removing prescription charges
Free bus travel for young people, pensioners and those with a disability.
And the best cost of living support anywhere in the UK.
That – and more, much more – is what the SNP delivers in Government.
Week in, week out.
Making choices that are always focused on making Scotland a better place to live.
Repaying the trust that the people of Scotland have placed in us.
Friends, since that historic election win in May, I have had the extraordinary privilege of serving as Deputy First Minister of our country.
To get up every day with the opportunity to serve the people of Scotland is something I will never take for granted.
But I want to say that, for me, it is not just an honour to be Deputy First Minister.
It is a particular honour, to have been asked to serve as Deputy to this First Minister.
Because in John Swinney we have a leader who we can all be proud to stand behind.
As First Minister John Swinney is head and shoulders above the competition – his experienced and trusted leadership is something no politician on these islands can match.
As leader of our movement, he answered our call to serve when we needed him most.
And John Swinney’s integrity and decency shine through in every duty he undertakes as our First Minister.
So too does his love for our Party and for the cause that we all believe in.
There is no greater privilege than serving as his deputy as he delivers for Scotland and leads us forward to Scotland’s Independence.
Because no matter the issue, our First Minister leads from the front.
And for me, that can be seen most clearly in his mission to eradicate men’s violence against women and girls.
He has turned the full weight of our Government to tackling this scar on Scotland.
Because it requires action across every portfolio area.
Yes, it is a justice issue.
But it is also a public health issue.
And a social justice issue.
And an equality issue.
It is about education.
And yes, it is about finance.
So as Finance Secretary, I know there is action for me to undertake.
Because for too many women, financial worries can be a barrier to getting out of an abusive relationship.
So we must act.
And I must act.
Women can often find themselves followed by debt that has been accrued within that abusive relationship.
That can make them think twice about leaving – or it can make leaving even harder.
That debt will often be owed to private companies.
But where we have the power, we will act.
Conference, I can announce today that in cases of domestic abuse we will create a statutory exemption to joint liability for council tax debt.
No more will we allow a debt to the state to tie women to men who abuse them.
Of course, we have already been providing financial support to women to support them to leave abusive relationships.
The Scottish Government’s Fund to Leave has been tackling financial uncertainty, which we know often leaves women in unsafe situations.
It has made a huge impact, giving that vital financial support for the essentials women need.
Paying rent. Transport costs. Food and clothes for their families.
Many women and their children have been helped.
But that fund has previously been capped – yet it is increasingly clear that there remains unmet need.
So today I can announce that this SNP Government will remove the cap on the Fund to Leave.
No woman will be turned away from support.
Any woman who needs financial support to leave an abusive man will receive it from the Scottish Government.
Delegates,
The Unionists say – “Just prove you can deliver “
Then, they say, you can have another Referendum.
But we are delivering – each and every day.
No matter how much the UK parties decry us, the people of Scotland know it.
That is why they keep re-electing us.
The Unionists say:
“You just need to reach a certain level of support”
Then you can have another Referendum – but of course not just yet!”
But friends, the support is there for all to see.
Five successive Scottish Parliament election victories.
The biggest majority for independence in our Parliament – ever.
And consistent polling that showing independence solidly ahead.
Yet still too many powers remain held by a Westminster Government for whom Scotland is – and always will be – an afterthought.
Energy bills, Defence, Pensions – all controlled by Westminster.
On each issue, successive UK Governments have failed the people of Scotland.
We are now cut off from the EU and our businesses have been left to pay the price.
Low growth, low wages, stagnant living standards.
Immigrants demonised and the far-right on the rise.
Grangemouth left to close while industry is saved south of the border.
Our natural resources squandered, while our people pay some of the highest energy bills in Europe.
Thousands of jobs lost in the North Sea, while tax revenues continue to flow to the Treasury.
Our people struggling to make ends meet while we spend billions on nuclear weapons.
Children going to foodbanks while the rich just keep getting richer.
That is the reality of Westminster control.
That is the Union dividend that we heard so much about in 2014.
There was no dividend.
There has only been decline.
And that, Delegates, is reality of the Union – a reality that must be changed with the fresh start of independence.
Friends,
Seven hopeful candidates have led the United Kingdom since the 18th of September 2014.
One had a shorter shelf life than a lettuce.
Another partied his way through lock down.
But this one is different… apparently .
He’s on TikTok.
He’s got a fancy new office in Manchester.
Sometimes, he doesn’t even wear a tie.
That, delegates, is what passes for serious change at Westminster.
But while the messenger might be a bit different, much of the message is exactly the same as it was under Keir Starmer and the others.
Nothing to offer Scotland.
No real action on the cost of living.
Energy bills hundreds of pounds higher than Labour promised.
And another attack on pensioners incomes, this time to fund social care in England.
The people of Scotland deserve better.
But conference, in fairness, there is one area where Andy Burnham differs from his predecessors.
For the first time since 2014, we now have a UK Prime Minister who has accepted that Scotland has the right to decide her own future.
We should welcome Andy Burnham’s conversion.
But, he’s not quite there yet.
Because although the Prime Minister accepts that we have the right to decide, he doesn’t think we should do it quite right now.
Or indeed at any specified time in the future.
Well, Prime Minister, that won’t do.
Have the courage of your convictions.
Let’s have that referendum, and let’s see who is right.
Because nobody who is confident in their argument ever fears democracy.
Conference,
John Swinney has already said that Andy Burnham will be remembered in history as the last Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
And when you look at how he is governing, you could be forgiven for thinking it is already the case.
Every major announcement he makes seems to be England only.
He even creates a ‘Number 10 North’ – but puts it firmly in the southern half of the UK.
So let’s just call it as it is.
Andy Burnham isn’t just going to be the last Prime Minister of the UK.
He is already acting like the first Prime Minister of England.
Today, during our party Conference, Andy Burnham has decided to pop up to Scotland for the first time in months – although he hasn’t quite made it as far north as Aberdeen.
Wait until he finds out about Shetland!
It is a real shame that the Prime Minister can’t join us today.
We welcome Labour leaders to SNP conference, as my wife can attest to.
Earlier today the Prime Minister refused to rule out a second Independence Referendum because he knows fine well – the Union’s time is up.
One by one the No campaign’s arguments against independence deployed in 2014 are crumbling.
Pensions. Defence. The EU.
And ironically in the 12 years since the first referendum, the Unionists themselves have destroyed each of their own arguments.
But, delegates, that has not happened in a vacuum.
That has happened because the SNP has put in the work.
Your campaigning, your activism, your doorstep conversations are making the difference where it counts.
Why on earth do you think Andy Burnham is bothering to love- bomb us so badly?
Friends, yesterday, we launched the biggest campaign for independence since 2014.
It will be the most sophisticated political campaign that Scotland has ever seen.
Over the coming months, we will reach one and a half million of our fellow citizens.
We will be asking people to choose a future where we make our own decisions.
To choose using our energy wealth to bring down people’s energy bills.
To choose ending the isolation of Brexit and rejoining the EU as an independent member state.
To support our pensioners with a triple lock, rather than short-changing them by £2,000 a year.
And to choose a Scotland that defends ourselves from the real threats that small nations in Europe face, rather than wasting billions of pounds on weapons of mass destruction.
That is the Scotland that we choose.
And increasingly, it is something that more people in Scotland are choosing.
But our task is not to rest on our laurels and look back at the progress we have made so far.
Our task remains, as it has always been – to speak directly to those who are not yet convinced.
That is where our focus must be.
And our opportunity has never been greater.
Increasingly I find that even those who are not yet convinced are ready to give us a hearing.
So many are now crying out for hope.
But conference, those who lead those right-wing parties, including those now in the Scottish Parliament, seek a very different and a very much darker view of Scotland.
A Scotland in which women are silenced.
LGBT people are intimidated.
Migrants are attacked.
That is not the Scotland we seek.
Of course, we all hoped that we had left such hatred and prejudice behind.
But it is clear now that we still have to fight for what we believe in.
Fight for what is good.
Fight for a better, more human, equal and compassionate Scotland.
And in that fight we can never – must never – be complacent.
It is a fight we must win. And go on winning.
Friends, in politics there is only one way to win.
We will win by confidently taking our positive message to every city, town, village, street and doorstep in Scotland.
So friends, let the message from this Conference be loud and clear.
The SNP will always stand against the far-right.
We will take them on and we will win.
We will go on putting our values into action in Government.
Consciously following a different path than that advocated by Farage and his ilk.
Or that laid out by Andy Burnham
The direction of Scotland’s journey is – and must be – for Scotland to decide.
Delegates, Scotland is a welcoming nation.
When people who have faced hardship and suffering seek sanctuary here in Scotland, this country welcomes them with open arms.
No just because it is the right thing to do.
But because we all benefit from people making their lives here.
The perfect example of that can be seen every single day in our National Health Service.
I am proud that this SNP Government has created routes for refugees to serve in our NHS.
And that is why I can confirm today that we will go further.
This SNP Government will not just increase funding for the Refugee Doctors Programme – we will almost double it.
That will allow more highly skilled and qualified refugees to look after their fellow citizens.
So conference, let us be clear today.
Scotland is a welcoming country.
Refugees are welcome here.
Friends, as Deputy First Minister, let me conclude with something quite personal.
It is very clear to me that there are growing forces on the far right who don’t really like seeing women in positions of power.
And to be honest, they particularly do not like seeing women like me in power.
An openly, proudly, happily married gay woman serving in Scotland’s Government – that seems to enrage some on the far right.
I know that some in our LGBT community are feeling scared in Scotland at the moment.
I have felt that fear myself and I can promise you this.
We will take on – and we will defeat – anyone who wants to drag us back to the past.
We will defend our rights.
We will stand up for equality.
We will not only protect the progress that we have made – we will always fight for more.
Because an attack on one minority is an attack on us all.
Friends,
Ours is a party that is focused resolutely on the future.
And from where I stand today, Scotland’s future is one that looks bright.
Yes, we have challenges.
But we will meet them.
We will leave no stone unturned as we seek to improve the lives of the people of Scotland.
But at all times, clear-eyed about the limitations of devolution.
Always driving forward to the goal of Independence, which unlocks the powers that we need to transform Scotland
We can do that together with a renewed confidence – knowing that the winds have never been more in our favour.
But guided at all times by our values.
Decency, inclusivity, equality, fairness and internationalism.
Those values that have brought us so near to the goal we seek.
And those values which will help us to take the next – and the final step.
For our future. For Independence. For Scotland.
Let’s get on and do it.
Thank you.