Speech by the Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Nicol Stephen MSP to the Scottish Parliament before the election of the First Minister.
16 May 2007
Nicol Stephen MSP
I speak in this important debate as the first Liberal Democrat to be formally proposed for the post of First Minister.

I am proud to stand on liberal democrat values:
for fairness, decentralised power; for individual freedom; for justice.

Liberal Democrats have proposed a full and costed programme for government.

We want to get things done, to make a difference to people’s lives.

This morning, Liberal Democrats have tabled motions to move our policies into action:

To support the Edinburgh Airport Rail Link and the Edinburgh Trams;

To promote a commitment to 100% renewable energy;

A motion calling for the Scottish business rates to be reduced to below those in the rest of the UK, to give real competitive advantage;

A motion for an expansion in free nursery places, and free playgroup places for 2 year olds;

A motion to identify funding and give priority to the development of 100 new local health centres;

We have launched a proposal for a Member's Bill to abolish the graduate endowment for Scotland’s students;

And a motion for the next spending review to meet the bid for funding from Universities Scotland in full;

A motion for the Executive's international aid budget to be doubled;

And a motion on a new target for an hour a day of physical activity for every child in Scotland with the PE teachers and sports coaches to make that happen.

But if I don’t get that late swing in this election today, and Scotland is not to enjoy a Liberal Democrat First Minister for the next four years, I have a commitment to make.

The Liberal Democrats will be an adventurous opposition. We will be prepared to work with and support the government on some of its key policies – scrapping the council tax, tackling climate change and tough new community sentences.

But we will be prepared to take on the government - even if nobody else will – if it falls for the same old story of blaming and demonising young people, or if it shows lazy thinking on renewable energy, or if it struggles for the radical edge on the environment, switching investment away from public transport projects as it threatens to do.

I made a commitment in the election to be part of a Parliament that delivers, that gets things done for families and for children. My party will work across this Chamber to make sure that imaginative, exciting changes can take place in Scotland.

The renewable energy revolution needs determination. Scotland won’t be transformed into the ‘renewables powerhouse of Europe’ if Ministers turn off wind power or rely simply on research prizes to develop wave and tidal power. That will not be good enough.

On young people, we need to see real commitment and real funding to employ more teachers and to reduce class sizes.

So, constructive and positive.

Bold and adventurous.

We stand ready to be part of Scotland’s future, promoting a fair, free and open society, in which no person is held back by poverty, ignorance or conformity. We exist to champion freedom, to foster diversity and to celebrate creativity.

It is a privilege to have the opportunity to serve in this Scottish Parliament.

A privilege further to build these liberal democrat values and to deliver radical policies for the good of each individual and the benefit of every community across all of Scotland.