Salmond aims to form 'just society'

Mar 23 2013

Independence will allow Scotland to build a "prosperous economy and a just society", the First Minister has declared ahead of the SNP's spring conference.

Alex Salmond said much had been achieved north of the border since the advent of devolution, but much more could be done with the powers that full independence would bring.

"With the partial independence the Scottish Parliament has in health, education, justice, business support and social services, we have achieved much - and with the full measure of independence we get by voting Yes, we will achieve much more for Scotland," he said as his party gathers in Inverness.

The conference opens just two days after he set the date for Scotland's independence referendum as September 18, 2014.

Nationalists will use the gathering to affirm their arguments for leaving the UK, and Mr Salmond added: "Conference will set out the 'why of independence' to the people - what won't happen in an independent Scotland will be getting dragged into illegal wars, having Trident nuclear weapons dumped on the Clyde for another 50 years, or the imposition of bedroom taxes.

"And what will happen will be the mobilisation of the human and natural resources of Scotland to build a prosperous economy and just society."

He said that in the six years the SNP has been in power in Scotland, it had "taken trust in the Scottish Government to a high of 71% - four times more than trust Westminster".

The First Minister will use his conference speech on Saturday afternoon to argue that Scotland would be better off economically if the country was independent.

He will also seek to contrast policies north of the border with those in England, highlighting the provision of free personal care for the elderly, the increase in police numbers since the SNP came to power and the abolition of university tuition fees for Scottish students.