Scottish Liberal Democrat Willie Rennie gave his speech to Conference yesterday. Unlike Kirsty, he didn’t dwell on the coalition years. He did, however, offer a devastating critique of the SNP Government, citing its illiberal and centralising instincts.
He set out his agenda for the elections to the Scottish Parliament next May:
Our election campaign will be about liberal values.
At our heart we want every individual to achieve their potential.
So we will bring in childcare and the pupil premium for children who need it, wherever they live in Scotland. Giving opportunity to every child to get up and get on – no matter the circumstances of their birth.
We stand with the powerless against the strong. Mental health will be taken seriously. No more six month waits. Professionals on standby in every A&E.
We say power is safer when it is shared and will trust communities and individuals with the power to control their own lives – putting an end to the Holyrood-knows-best mentality.
So we will put democracy back into the police and return to traditional Scottish policing by consent.
We will empower public sector workers – teachers, doctors, nurses, police and more;
Stripping back top-down targets, controls, league tables and testing to give them the freedom to do their job.
And we will share power across the whole UK to give a stable constitutional future for Scotland;
A federal system is a positive, unifying future for Scotland and the rest of the UK.
This is our positive vision;
Here is the speech in full:
What on earth is going on in Scotland?
That’s the new greeting for all Scots in Bournemouth this week.
Well, I’m here to help.
I’ll tell you what’s happening. The unvarnished truth.
I want to tell you about the challenges and the threats as well as the opportunities.
And I want to tell you what Scottish Liberal Democrats offer for next year’s elections – our positive, liberal, centre ground vision.
Before I start, though, for those of you who are interested in the fortunes of our former First Minister I can bring you unexpected news.
Alex Salmond recently recorded a video for the Church of Scotland and declared at the end of it that he “preferred” people of faith to those of no faith.
That is unexpected. For this reason.
It’s the first time Alex Salmond has ever acknowledged the possibility of the existence of a higher authority than himself.
But what of the Scottish Government he left behind?
This is the story they don’t want to tell you themselves.
They took their eye off the ball to focus all their efforts on their independence referendum one year ago this week.
And they haven’t taken the decision to get back on top of the job they are paid for – to run Scotland’s domestic government.
And as I will show you, the problems are mounting for people in Scotland who rely on anything the Scottish Government is supposed to be doing.
Mental health services neglected. Specialist staff numbers are down. Waiting times for young people are horrific.
GP services under threat. The Royal College says Scotland will be 700 short in just four years’ time.
On civil liberties, we still haven’t heard the SNP abandon their super-ID database, which threatens to lock the personal details of all our citizens into a secretive system.
On schools, a once proud education system, has since been slipping with falling literacy and numeracy standards.
Children at school today have only ever had the SNP running their schools. But SNP ministers behave as if it’s their first day in charge.
It isn’t. Their eye has been off the ball for years.
And there can be no more potent and tragic example of the failure of the SNP Government than their new national, centralised Police Scotland.
You will have seen the news from earlier this summer.
That young couple that were left by the police at side of the motorway for three whole days.
The horrific event epitomised a police service in crisis, it repulsed a nation and tore apart a family.
We must never forget the SNP forced through the centralisation of the police, at a break-neck speed, with no costed business plan, imposing a top down, target driven culture on a police service that had served Scotland well for decades.
They were warned of the consequences, not just by us but, by rank and file officers – repeatedly.
It is shameful that it took the deaths of John Yuill and Lamara Bell to force them to act.
This shows more than any other single issue that there is something wrong at the heart of the SNP Government.
They were warned.
They should have known.
They should be ashamed.
There is no hyperbole in what I now say.
If it were not for the small team of determined Liberal Democrats in Holyrood the SNP would go unchallenged on the police, on justice and on the protection of our civil liberties.
The SNP are an illiberal, centralising, arrogant and increasingly incompetent government who have put their party before my country for far too long.
So there is no doubt we are punching above our weight.
We may only have five MSPs today but the work we do shows why we so desperately need more.
Liberal Democrats stood against the creation of the single Scottish Police force.
And we have shone a light on it ever since.
We exposed the scandals on armed police on our streets, industrial-scale stop and search rates five times higher than England, and a lack of accountability that have harmed staff in the police and the communities they serve.
Liberal Democrats campaigned on childcare for two-year-olds and shamed the Scottish Government to take the first, small steps to provide more.
Thousands of two year old children now skip through the doors of their local nurseries thanks only – only – to the intervention and doggedness of the Liberal Democrats.
We led the way in discovering the Scottish Government’s plans for the ID database that intrudes on privacy and lays the foundations for an ID card system in Scotland.
For all of the reasons I have just outlined, 2016 should be an election about domestic policy.
Liberal Democrats have shone the light and led the way:
For the health service;
For education;
For liberties.
They must not be ignored.
We must make sure they cannot be ignored.
And, for those very same reasons of failure, the SNP will try to distract people and get them to talk about absolutely anything else.
They will talk about councils.
They will talk about their opponents.
They will talk about international affairs.
They are experts on everyone else’s things.
There is scarcely a country in the world to which SNP members have not offered detailed policy advice through motions tabled in the Scottish Parliament.
They have even been known to strike up a debate on space travel to prevent scrutiny of their record at home.
They will talk about their next referendum.
It is only a year since the last.
You will remember the SNP standing beside banners and posters proclaiming “One Opportunity” and promising that it was a once-in-a-generation vote.
Well SNP ministers, MPs and MSPs are now moving as quickly as they can away from that promise and commitment.
They have a list of excuses for a second referendum which now encompasses Trident, the EU, UK Labour poll ratings, the legislative timetable for the new devolved powers and, of course, the opinion of Sean Connery.
It is hard to keep up to date with the latest manoeuvres.
But each one is deliberately meant to distract from their domestic record.
And when all else fails they will distract everyone with an attack on the BBC.
The nationalists have declared an unofficial war on the BBC.
Like Mrs Thatcher before them, they have been seduced by the billionaire media tycoons who want the BBC brought down.
And they spy unionist plotters in every recess of the BBC Scotland studios in Glasgow.
So that is the warning I give you today about what the SNP will try to do.
The election next May should be about the way they are running things in our country, in Scotland.
But by jumping into international affairs, extra referendums and the BBC the SNP will try to take the focus off the NHS, education and policing.
The SNP want the lights to be turned off on scrutiny of their domestic record. We must not let them get away with it.
So I need you to help me by making sure that SNP politicians, when they pop up in TV and radio studios, are always asked about their record in government.
They need to be asked about the shortage of GPs;
Why they’ve cut the number of mental health professionals;
Why Scotland lags the UK on childcare for two-year-olds;
Why the Pupil Premium is not on the table in Scotland;
And why their single police force is in chaos,
And the election next year should be about sorting out the mess.
Scotland deserves better.
Liberal Democrats have an alternative vision for Scotland that embraces hope and opportunity.
Unlike those who are veering to the left or right we are sticking to the radical, liberal, centre ground.
We offer a combination of economic discipline with social justice so that there is opportunity for everyone, no matter what their background.
And how we do our politics is important too.
I am inspired by people like David Steel – 50 years in Parliament this year.
The title of his biography is “Militant for the reasonable man”. It sums up his mission, style and manner.
On apartheid, abortion, breaking the political establishment, home rule and so much more David Steel was a radical, even a militant, not threatening but reasonable.
It was the style that Charles Kennedy nurtured too.
Almost everyone seems to have a special, personal story about Charles.
This is mine.
On his first public appearance, after he stood down as Leader, he was mobbed in the streets of Dunfermline, campaigning for me in my by-election.
Supporters, journalists and camera crews made progress slow. As we passed a shop doorway, a lady of some years called out, “We love you Charles.”
Quick as flash, he replied, “Thanks, but keep it quiet. The party’s in enough bother as it is.”
Charles had a unique combination of political talent and public affection.
With that cheeky smile, Highland lilt and a few simple words, Charles Kennedy captured the political hearts of the nation.
The best tribute we can pay to Charles is to carry on his manner, his style and his approach to politics.
Opportunity, community, sustainability and an open mind.
These values have been central to my political being.
Opportunity: helping people to get up and get on in the world to achieve their potential.
Community: where local people know best, not remote officials and bureaucrats;
Sustainability: long term solutions not quick fixes.
Open mind: prepared to help our neighbours, if they are round the corner or across the world.
I have always felt frustrated that people can be burdened by the circumstances of their birth.
I have always been frustrated that power is too often arrogantly hoarded. Power is safer shared.
I have always been frustrated that when the chips are down we are often blind to the needs of future generations.
And I have always been frustrated by the idea there is something to fear about the foreigner when they have so much to share.
As a liberal my core belief is in the power of the individual. I trust in the innate ability of individuals to do great things when they have power in their hands.
In short we are for the aspirational with a social conscience.
Our election campaign will be about liberal values.
At our heart we want every individual to achieve their potential.
So we will bring in childcare and the pupil premium for children who need it, wherever they live in Scotland. Giving opportunity to every child to get up and get on – no matter the circumstances of their birth.
We stand with the powerless against the strong. Mental health will be taken seriously. No more six month waits. Professionals on standby in every A&E.
We say power is safer when it is shared and will trust communities and individuals with the power to control their own lives – putting an end to the Holyrood-knows-best mentality.
So we will put democracy back into the police and return to traditional Scottish policing by consent.
We will empower public sector workers – teachers, doctors, nurses, police and more;
Stripping back top-down targets, controls, league tables and testing to give them the freedom to do their job.
And we will share power across the whole UK to give a stable constitutional future for Scotland;
A federal system is a positive, unifying future for Scotland and the rest of the UK.
This is our positive vision;
This is our creative plan;
Our liberal, radical offer to create real freedom for people in Scotland.
We have six months to make that positive case.
I am ready for it.
With your help we can do great things.
9 Comments
Strong stuff.
SNP bad. Is that really it? How has this approach fared so far? And of course the elephant is still in the room when you try to claim the high moral ground. Meaningless generalisations. No actual policies. Willie Rennie is becoming a liability in Scotland. Is there no one else? Someone with a bit of gravitas and presence?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the only way we will be taken seriously as a radical Federalist Party is if the party reflects the federalist system we are trying to establish, not the the lopsided devolution system we currently have. At the moment our party does not look any different to the Tories or Labour so why would Scottish voters trust us to establish a different federal system for the UK?
We need to establish a network of English regional parties on a par with Scotland and Wales each with an elected leader. Our UK party leader cannot also be the defacto leader of the English Lib Dems.
You’d need to live in Scotland to understand the joke but ‘I’m with Willie’…. He speaks for me and he speaks well. We need to not be put off by the ‘SNP bad, really’ is that it? ‘type comments. Faux outrage…follow any opposition political websites in Scotland and you see it everywhere, anytime anyone dares to speak out against the SNP. Because no ‘it’s ‘ not everything, but right now holding our government to account is a huge part of ‘it’. When Lamara Bell died I was on holiday, I didn’t know her but she stayed a few miles from me. It broke my heart a little, that Police Scotland had let her and John Yuill down so badly. On holiday in France I sat there wondering how in today’s Scotland someone could lay for 3 days on the side of the M9 when the Police were supposed to be looking for them and die as a result. The morale in our police force is at an all time low and we need people like Willie who are brave enough to speak out and take the inevitable abuse that will follow from the mindless few who seem to do nothing else. It’s so transparent, it really is. Also, I see future manifesto ‘policies’ when I read this such as the Pupil Premium, (targeting those who need most not the SNP populist approach), mental health professional on standby in every A and E, de-politicising our Police force…there’s a few in case anyone else misses them because they can’t see beyond the ‘SNP bad’.
A very good speech. Nailing the SNP for things they have actually done wrong in power.
He even managed to give some examples of things the lib dems would actually seek to do should they be the ones in power which is essential if you expect people to vote for you which, lib dems rarely seem to do.
I live in willie rennies region but unfortunately I won’t be able to vote for him as he didn’t pledge that cannabis legalisation was something that the lib dems were serious about. I don’t understand why lib dems refuse to do this? I’ve been told on here that it’s a fringe issue but so was gay rights in terms of the number of people affected but that didn’t stop it being an important issue or stop the lib dems being serious about it.
Why will the party only stand up for some people’s rights to live their lives as they see fit and not others? Should t everyone have rights regardless of how popular it is?
Julie.
So you resort to personal abuse? Ignore the party’s current position in Scottish and U K politics. The mindless few? Deary me. You do know the results of recent U K and Scottish elections? You say nothing about the meaningless generalisations, the lack of actual policies, Willie Rennies position and status in Scottish politics, and the apparent lack of any real alternative to Willie to lead the party back out of the political wilderness. It is not enough to carp and complain. Concrete substantive proposals are needed. I am the first to hold governements of any hue to account for their failings and have been and will continue to be fiercely critical of those areas of Scottish government policy where I think the Government is failing, not least in Justice and policing. I will not however resort to personal abuse. It’s the resort of those who do not actually have a valid point to make. Read ANMAW’s post. I may not agree with it, but it’s thoughtful and proposing an alternative.
@Steve: He said a bit more than just SNP bad.
He gave an actual example of something they did wrong that has had serious consequences, in this case centralising the police force. The first job of the politicians who are in government (in this case the SNP) is to govern, and the first job of those that are not in government is to hold the government to account for every decision they make. Being held to account by an opposition is essential if you want good government.
When another high profile lib dem asked Salmond to explain himself when he said he preferred people of faith I said that I though this looked petty and just seeking to have a go for the sake of it. But in this case Willie has criticised the SNP for something the actually did. This is his job. This is what we pay him for. If the government are not held to account they will make bad decisions and become corrupt.
I found that speech rather hollow. I suppose I was looking for some concrete proposals for how Scotland should be governed. He mentions federalism but doesn’t directly address it or tell us what he thinks that looks like. Meantime he mentions the areas which need to be improved – and there will be cross-party consensus in that. And he (indirectly) implies that these should be the priority rather than constitutional matters. This was always the excuse made by the unionists as to not having a referendum. But now the cat is out of the bag, no party can dominate Scottish politics without having some kind of rallying cause and vision for Scotland. Sorry, but I wasn’t inspired.
The unified and centralised police force in Scotland was given broad cross party support in Scotland. I personally oppose it as I am long enough in the tooth to remember the politicisation of the police under Thatcher during the mining strikes. But to put it over as something the SNP did weakens the credibility of the very valid points you could make about a centralised police force. There are a number of police and justice matters the govt need to be brought to task over but focus on the issues, not the SNP. Willie rennie devoted a significant part of his speech to criticising SNP when he should have been focussed on telling people what his policies would be and why people should support them. Tim Farron’s speech today was positive and uplifting and would I think energise people and make them consider the liberals as a real voting option. Willie rennie was negative and carping in comparison.