Gordon Brown says it’s time to ‘hit the reset button’ of Scottish politics

In a speech to the annual meeting of Scotland’s Labour Councillors in Glasgow this morning, Gordon Brown addressed the Smith Commission Report on future powers for Scotland by saying that it’s time to “hit the reset button” of Scottish politics. The former Prime Minister will say that the key test of Scottish politics is no longer how many powers the Scottish Parliament has but how those powers are used to improve the lives of Scottish people.

Brown also proposed five manifesto commitments for 2015:

1. An end to youth unemployment.

2. Expanding the 1.4 million plus Scottish jobs that are linked to global trade and making them more secure more skilled and better paid.

3. Radically improving the NHS with more nurses doctors and better cancer care and elderly social care.

4. Improving pensions for Scotland’s one million elderly people.

5. A radical attack on poverty and inequality. And in each area he will set out detailed proposals on how Scottish families will benefit.

Here’s what he said:

“It is time to move beyond two years of constant talk of constitutional change to a new focus in the next two years on the social and economic change that Scottish people have said they want.”

“I am pressing the reset button because it is time to move beyond the old issue of bigger powers for the Scottish Parliament, as we now have more powers than at any time, to the issue that really concerns Scotland – better lives for the Scottish people.”

“It is time to move beyond two years of constant talk of constitutional change to a new focus in the next two years on the social and economic change is the priority concern of the Scottish people who want better fairer greener and more prosperous lives.”

“I am pressing the reset button because it is time to move beyond the old issue of bigger powers for the Scottish Parliament – we now have more powers than at any time and more than in most federal states – to the issue that really concerns Scotland – better lives for the Scottish people.”

“With a £32.5billion budget, a £20billion tax base (up from £4billion today) and able to raise 62% of its spending in tax and with wider powers on welfare – spending £2.5billion – and jobs including the power to set the top rates of tax and top ups for benefits and influence the levels of poverty and inequality in Scotland, I can say that the Scottish Parliament has more powers over spending than most federal or devolved regimes – from the USA and Germany to Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands – and more powers over tax than most of them too.”

“So it is time to reset politics beyond the old issues of constitutional change – what powers the Scottish Parliament does not have, who can shout loudest against London and what grievances and gripes can bet stirred up against the UK with claims of being powerless. These issues have dominated in recent years. It is time to focus on what Scottish people see as the real issues – using the powers we have for the economic and social change that can make Scottish lives better, fairer, greener and more prosperous.”

“I am resetting Scottish politics today, for with the combined resources of Scotland and the UK we are showing we can take action in five key areas.”

“Our manifesto will be the only one of all major parties to stand for the principle of a Scottish Parliament that is enhanced by the benefits for Scotland of stepping up our sharing across the UK.”

“Our manifesto will differ from the SNP. We will concentrate NOT on what the Scottish Parliament cannot do but focus on what we can do, both from Westminster and Holyrood working together, to improve Scottish lives – for example the job prospects of young people, giving them a choice to stay in Scotland.”

“And our manifesto will differ from the Tories and Liberals. While they want to downgrade sharing across the UK and seem to have come to the view that in the UK it is ‘every nation for itself’, we will show how Scottish lives are enhanced by sharing the cost of pensions, job creation and health care across the UK.”

“We will show the best deal for Scottish families is combining the resources of the Scottish Parliament with a UK Labour government pledging to tackle unfairness, inequality poverty and social injustice.”