Alex Salmond would have preferred the 100-day programme he had set out on the election campaign trail.

Alex Salmond would have preferred the 100-day programme he had set out on the election campaign trail: an action-packed agenda for new laws, more spending, challenges to Westminster power and setting the independence ball rolling.

But the start to his administration was less a time for bold announcements than one for gentle persuasion. All his intentions as First Minister involved appealing for opposition support, and flattering opponents as he adopted their ideas.

"Scotland's new politics starts now," he said. Lacking a majority, his priorities would be a first draft and not a final position.

He would not be dogmatic or intransigent, but he challenged the opposition to be open to persuasion on what he is trying to achieve.

Much of the speech was dedicated to the economy, energy and the environment. This was partly to respond to the Westminster white paper on energy set out yesterday, confident he has enough support to block new nuclear power plants.

On the economy, he promised small businesses rates reductions, citing the need to help bring high streets back to life, with the money required to finance the cuts being identified this calendar year.

He promised to set up an independent Council of Economic Advisers, an idea borrowed from Washington DC, and he welcomed Green advice to include an environment expert on it.

There was only a brief mention of his commitment to share the benefits of econ-omic growth among all Scots.

Taking questions for the first time, he confirmed plans to reform Scottish Enterprise, bringing tourism into its more streamlined role, and handing local economic development to councils.

On plans to abolish Forth and Tay bridge tolls, he refused to say how he would handle the estimated 20% increase in traffic that could generate, and appealed to Labour and LibDem MSPs in Fife to split from their parties' position and back his bill. Labour later made clear that it would not oppose toll abolition, which means it should sail through.

The economy will be the first in a series of Holyrood debates before its summer recess, drawing ideas from opponents and building consensus across public health, crime and education.

Mr Salmond had nothing to say about them, but he did pledge his independence cause will be pursued outside the Holyrood debating chamber, implicitly acknowledging it cannot be won inside it.

A "national conversation" is his new way to build the case and try to exert public pressure on the majority of MSPs who are opposed.

There was little mention of the much-hyped battles with Westminster. Nuclear power is already acknowledged in London as facing a veto at Holyrood.

Only on Europe was there the first hint of a battle with Whitehall, where ministers jealously guard access to Brussels power. There is a "huge cultural challenge" for Scotland to be more outward-looking and more directly engaged with the world, said the First Minister, and it would be "a profound failure of leadership" not to assist that.

"We see, in the European Union, immense opportunity to influence the debate in the Scottish interest, whether that be on energy or on farming, fishing or ferries," he told MSPs. "This is not a time to be timid in an increasingly global world, but rather a time for Scotland to find its voice".

List of priorities

• National conversation about independence, appealing to the people over MSPs' heads.
  
  
• Overarching aim of faster and more sustainable economic growth.
  
  
• Setting up Council of Economic Advisers for independent advice.
  
  
• Reduce rates for small businesses, with funding identified this calendar year.
  
  
• A bill to abolish tolls on the Forth and Tay road bridges.
  
  
• Announcement of Green Energy Day in the next few weeks, the point when renewables capacity exceeds nuclear.
  
  
• No new nuclear power stations, but support for clean coal and carbon capture technology.
  
  
• Climate Change Bill, setting annual emission cuts targets.
  
  
• Support for Tory ideas on increased police numbers and drug treatment.
  
  
• Support for Labour on raising the smoking age and clamping down on alcohol abuse.
  
  
• Promise of "the most outward-looking government Scotland has ever had", influencing debate in EU.
  
  
• Debates on five key areas over coming weeks.
  
  
• Less legislation. Parliament should be less intrusive and less interventionist.