RUTH DAVIDSON:
A genuine alternative to the Left-wing consensus
TOMORROW, we hit another major milestone in the referendum campaign, as we mark 100 days until we vote to decide whether or not to leave the United Kingdom. With thousands still to make up their minds, it’s my hope that last week’s Conservative vision on devolution will give them the reassurance that the pro-UK parties aren’t just focused on the next 100 days but also on the next phase of Scotland’s devolution journey.
Our plans mean that, finally, MSPs would have to think about where Holyrood budgets come from – you, the taxpayer – rather than simply thinking about how to spend them.
Firstly, the power to set income tax will be transferred to Holyrood. Under our plan, the Scottish parliament, not Westminster, will decide how much of your pay packet stays in your wallet and how much goes to the tax man.
Secondly, we think that when you buy goods or services in Scotland, a share of that cash should stay in Scotland and make up part of the Scottish Government’s budget.
Thirdly, ministers in Edinburgh shouldn’t be stopped from supple-
A No vote means that we can all have the best of both worlds
menting welfare payments run by the UK Government if they want to and can find the money to do so.
I held meetings to discuss these reforms with David Cameron and George Osborne. It’s true to say that, within Whitehall, there was some resistance. But while some officials may have been wary, I found I was pushing at an open door with my colleagues. With devolution now bedded in, the Prime Minister and the Chancellor saw the essential logic in the proposals drafted by Lord Strathclyde and his Commission.
This bold, radical vision will be in our manifesto, not in spite of our Conservative and Unionist values but because of them. We see no reason why we should not be able to deliver it early in the next Parliament if the Conservatives win the general election in May.
Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have also put forward plans for more powers. With the Conservatives now completing the set, it sends out a clear message that No does not equal no change. A No vote means we get to keep the benefits we already have as part of the most successful union on the planet, as well as a more powerful Scottish parliament that is directly answerable to you, the Scottish taxpayer. That’s a clear offer.
Alex Salmond may be passionate about independence but the truth is that this passion has blinded him to the hard truths about independence and the problems it will create. On our side, we have matched passion for Scotland with a practical approach to securing Scotland’s future.
And that future is tremendously exciting. My hope is that, with the referendum won, the sour cat-calling of Scotland’s constitutional debate will end. My hope is that, once we’ve pushed through our plans to boost devolution, we’ll bring real ideological debate back to Scotland.
I know some fear handing tax powers to the Scottish parliament would be like putting a child in charge of a sweet shop? Won’t they simply spend our money and ask for more? I don’t think so. Why? Because the Scottish public don’t want it. The SNP has tried to propagate a myth during this referendum campaign that Scotland is vastly different to the rest of the UK, a Left-wing fantasy land where we yearn to pay higher taxes if only England wouldn’t stop us. We are Cuba – with drizzle. This is patent nonsense.
The Scottish Social Attitudes Survey found only four in ten Scots want government spending to rise, down from 60 per cent a decade ago.
I will press the case for the majority who want to bear down on the cost of government. I look forward to leading a rejuvenated Centre-Right voice in Scotland in a more powerful Scottish parliament that can offer a genuine alternative to our Left-wing establishment.
This is the exciting future we face after a No vote. Crucially, people don’t have to separate from the United Kingdom to get it. Instead, we can look forward to the best of both worlds: a strong and secure UK and, in our parliament here in Scotland, a genuine contest of ideas. I can’t wait
for it to start.