 | 'In a clear bid to wrong-foot the SNP, which is clear favourite to win the Glenrothes byelection, he signalled he would back growing calls for the Scottish parliament to have greater financial freedom and accountability.' Severin Carrell, Scottish Labour Correspondent in the Guardian, 4 th September 2008. |  |
Gordon Brown launched Labour's campaign to retain its crucial seat in Glenrothes with a bitter attack on Scottish nationalism and a warning that Fife could lose thousands of jobs if Scotland became independent.
Speaking to Scottish business leaders, the prime minister accused the Scottish National party of "self indulgent posturing" by ignoring the fact the modern world was increasingly interdependent and Scotland heavily reliant on the UK economy.
In a clear bid to wrong-foot the SNP, which is clear favourite to win the Glenrothes byelection, he signalled he would back growing calls for the Scottish parliament to have greater financial freedom and accountability.
In a riposte to complaints about Holyrood's restricted financial powers by the SNP leader, Alex Salmond, Brown implied they would be increased.
"The Scottish parliament is wholly accountable for the budget it spends but not for the size of its budget. And that budget it not linked to the success of the Scottish economy."
Brown admitted this was a "critical" part of the remit for Sir Kenneth Calman's commission into enhanced powers for Holyrood. This is a significant concession to Labour, Liberal Democrat and Tory MSPs who are pressing for greater fiscal powers for Holyrood to neutralise demands for full independence.
Implying that he expected even greater devolution of powers to Holyrood, Brown said there was now a "modern case" for devolution, based on partnership. He cited remarks by Olympic triple medal winner Chris Hoy that "Scotland is part of Britain Ð they are not mutually exclusive. I wouldn't have three medals hanging round my neck if I wasn't part of the British team."
He added: "Be under no illusion about my purpose. Devolution is intended to preserve the unity of the United Kingdom Ð and developing devolution is intended to strengthen Scotland's place within it."
The prime minister devoted nearly a third of his CBI Scotland speech tonight to a detailed defence of the UK, outlining several of the key arguments Labour will use when the Glenrothes byelection campaign officially begins.
Brown said the UK's significance to the area was underlined by the thousands of defence jobs being safeguarded at Rosyth dockyard from new Royal Navy aircraft carrier and frigate contracts from the Ministry of Defence.
At the same time, Scotland's employment levels were now the best in the UK and among the best in Europe, while 10 years ago there were 200,000 fewer Scots in work.
This was another example of the union dividend, through the UK government's employment programmes, he said.
"I believe there is a real risk of waking up one day to find that the many benefits of the union had been too long taken for granted and thoughtlessly thrown away," he warned.
The collective strength of the UK through shared markets, economic power and wealth-creation would be replaced by a new border, increased business costs and bureaucracy, and legal and regulatory fragmentation. The SNP, he said, would make England a "foreign country".
He went on: "Set against the global challenges facing us today, the bleak separatist obsession of the nationalists to split Scotland from the rest of the UK looks at best like self-indulgent posturing. At worst like a wilful denial of the realities of the world we live in."
Brown's attacks on Salmond's party reflect growing anxiety among SNP officials that the Glenrothes byelection is likely to be far tougher and bloodier for them than July's contest for Glasgow East.
While they require an achievable 14.5% swing in Glenrothes, against the 22% they achieved to win Glasgow East, they fear its proximity to Brown's neighbouring seat and its critical significance for his political survival means Labour will fight fiercely to retain it.
Salmond's chief spokesman said Brown's new concessions were proof that the prime minister was desperately trying to stem the SNP's rise in popularity and influence in Scotland because he feared losing Glenrothes.
"Only last year, Gordon Brown was rejecting all calls for any increase in the powers and responsibilities of the Scottish parliament," he said.
"Since then, we have had SNP success in the Scottish parliament election and in Glasgow East, and now Gordon Brown is singing a very different tune.
"With the Glenrothes byelection around the corner, Gordon Brown is caving into pressure from the SNP and the people of Scotland."
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