OVER the last few months, as the debate over whether there would or should be a second independence referendum continued to rage, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was continually accused by her critics of ignoring the “day job”. It’s fair to say the legislative programme she set out in the Scottish Parliament yesterday was an attempt to silence them.
The SNP leader had promised her “most ambitious plan ever”, and in terms of the sheer number of bills, it’s difficult to disagree.
Ms Sturgeon outlined 16 in all, across the economy, justice, education, health and the environment. There was just one fleeting reference to independence near the end of her speech to MSPs; the focus here was on portraying Scotland as a forward-thinking, progressive, innovative nation.
Perhaps keen to differentiate her administration from a UK Government in stasis over Brexit, Ms Sturgeon ensured there was plenty of meat on the bones. Lifting the 1 per cent public sector pay cap will likely please many Scots workers, while the strong focus on the economy, with the announcement of a Scottish National Investment Bank and targeted help for entrepreneurs and innovative industries clearly aiming to boost business at a time of continued economic fragility and uncertainty over Brexit.
A raft of justice measures were also announced, including the raising of the criminal age of responsibility to 12, pardons for gay men criminalised under outdated laws and improved electronic tagging, while green-friendly policies included an expansion in electronic charging points for cars and the phasing out of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2032 - eight years ahead of the UK as a whole.
Taking over as First Minister in 2014, Ms Sturgeon staked her reputation on education and the proposals she announced aim to improve the system at every stage, from support for expanding nursery provision, through school governance and teacher training, to increased help for poorer students.
How all these measures will be paid for was also central to the speech; while announcing the lifting of the public sector pay cap the First Minister moved smoothly on to tax, announcing she would consider the case for more “progressive” tax policies – shorthand for tax rises – as part of a review that would look at proposals from other parties. Scottish Labour, for example, wants to put up income tax by a penny for those earning above £21,500.
Some may see this move as a genuine attempt to work more collaboratively, perhaps an acceptance that minority Government requires a more collegiate approach. Others, meanwhile, are likely to view it as a canny - arguably cynical - attempt to spread the “blame” for any tax rises that may result.
Whether or not Ms Sturgeon’s critics will be silenced, then, remains unclear. What matters, however, is what the voters think. On that score only time will tell.
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