Stephen Flynn's speech to the SNP conference
Conference, if you'll allow I wish to begin my remarks with a
personal congratulations.
Just yesterday my Dad, the best man I will ever meet, became the
leader of Dundee City Council.
After a long and distinguished career as a toolmaker………
Forgive me, after a long and continuing career as an engineer, he
has taken the important responsibility of ensuring that a Dundee
United fan remains in charge of Scotland's fourth city -
maintaining that particular natural order.
Now my wife who will hopefully be watching this from home, will
currently be rolling her eyes that I'm once again talking about
football.
It may have been spoken about once or twice in my house over
summer thanks to the Euros.
As a proud European I believe I backed 8 teams in total, even
picking the winner.
--
But friends, I am afraid that is where success this summer mostly
begins and ends.
Because there can be no hiding from the fact that I stand here
today as the leader of a much smaller Westminster group.
8 short weeks ago we lost 15% of our 2019 vote share, we lost
dozens of good colleagues, and we lost the election.
In this room, we all know - and we all understand - that hiding
from that harsh reality will fix nothing.
Our job is to face up to that result and accept the true depth of
our defeat.
Because the right response never lies in easy excuses - the only
right response is rooted in reflection and responsibility.
Because the brutal honesty of democracy means that we need to be
brutally honest with ourselves.
It wasn't our political opponents, and it wasn't the media, who
sent us a stark message at the general election.
It was the people we serve.
It was the Scottish people who sent us that message - it came
directly from the communities we all grew up in - the communities
and the people we are part of.
And when the Scottish people - the very same people who have
previously placed their trust in us - send us a democratic
message, the only right response is to listen, and then act.
And those actions must involve change.
The change of knowing that we must re-root ourselves in the
priorities of Scottish people - the priorities they are telling
us we have moved away from.
The change of knowing that the standards the public expect from
their politicians are as high as they have ever been.
The change of knowing that when you say you are going to do
something, you deliver it.
In committing to that change, let me be very clear about
something else too.
In a team you don't point fingers, you accept that the mistakes
of others are yours too.
That's what we all signed up to when we joined this political
party.
Just as recent results are our collective burden to bear, so too
is it now our collective challenge to mend the trust that we have
lost with the Scottish people.
And collective change will only ever come from the individual
actions we all now decide to take.
It was once famously written that - "Everyone thinks of changing
the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."
I think there is probably a fair degree of truth in that.
But that is exactly the challenge and the change we all now
face.
Embracing the humility and honesty of defeat in order to renew
our relationship with the Scottish people.
Showing that we can speak again to their aspirations and that we
have the competence to deliver for them and their families.
Reimagining our offer and re-earning the right to represent
them.
And yes - still being honest with all our people that we firmly
believe that independence remains the road to a better
future.
That is the path to recovery for this party but - more
importantly - it is the path to delivering for the people we
serve.
And friends let's remind ourselves that whilst the sea has flowed
back, our tide mark remains.
And collectively the SNP will not just rise to that mark again,
but together we will surpass it - and that is the hope that must
lead us forward together.
But Conference,
For those many colleagues who lost their seats at the general
election, I do want to take the chance to say this.
The result was no reflection on their individual work - it was a
consequence of circumstances beyond their control.
On opposing austerity economics, in being the first to call for a
ceasefire in Gaza, on calling out the madness of Brexit, in
rejecting the racist race to the bottom on migration policy,
stopping Boris' illegal lockdown of parliament, on standing up
for the Waspi women and on fighting for Scotland's democratic
right to choose our own future -
- our colleagues did this party proud.
In the often hostile environment of Westminster - they were
Scotland's voice and they were a voice to be reckoned with.
They worked with the knowledge that their commitment is to a
cause which is bigger than every single one of us.
And that's why their commitment to this party and movement is far
from finished.
But friends, it is also worth remembering that every election has
a silver lining.
Up in whisky country, service is now being delivered by Graeme
Leadbitter.
Whilst a little along the coast was a wee
bit concerned that Ross still had
one too many work commitments.
And in fairness it's worth saying, that the only people happier
than Seamus and his team that night - were Ross' own
colleagues.
Friends,
The relief of getting rid of the Tories has been rapidly replaced
with the reality of a new Labour Government.
And for a moment, let's give credit where it is due - there is no
denying that Labour ran a very effective political campaign.
Campaign slogans can be powerful things.
'Change' was a powerful, simple and winning slogan.
But for many people in Scotland and beyond it was much more than
just a word - it was a promise.
The promise of totally transforming the way in which politics
works after 14 long years of the Tories.
And it's that promise which is already being pulled
apart.
Because only 8 weeks on, that hopeful promise of turning the page
on the Tories has been replaced with the new Labour promise of a
painful politics this autumn.
We've already seen the preview.
Keeping the two-child cap, cutting the winter fuel payment,
energy bills heading up 10% and laying the ground for a new era
of austerity.
And the Prime Minister is all too eager to assure us that the
worst is yet to come.
You will all know that one of the oldest saying in politics is
that you campaign in poetry and govern in prose.
Labour has gone one step further - campaign in poetry and govern
painfully.
From the poetic promise of change to things can only get
worse.
Taking a hammer to public services seems apt for a toolmaker's
son.
***********************
In fairness to the new Government, politics is about choices. And
all too often those choices are tough.
The Tories did trash the economy, they did leave a shocking
inheritance.
All of that is true.
In fact, I think I even remember saying
that once or twice during the election campaign
- or maybe I wasn't reading his lips properly.
But the serious point is this.
If politics is about choices - then there is a fundamental choice
that all parties face during every election.
And this summer the public witnessed Labour's choice.
Deliberately choosing to say one thing to the public when asking
for their votes.
And cynically choosing to say the exact opposite just weeks after
it.
And this Labour Government will now have to live with the choice
they made.
They deserve to be reminded of that choice every single day and
that's exactly what SNP MPs will do.
And conference,
I don't think I'm the only one thinking that the early political
positioning of this new Labour government all sounds vaguely
familiar.
For instance, listen to this.
"This Budget is needed to deal with our country's debts.
This Budget is needed to give confidence to our economy.
This is the unavoidable Budget.”
You would be easily forgiven for believing that those words had
come from in the
last few weeks.
But they aren't.
They are actually the words of - 14
years ago.
The Westminster roundabout have turned full circle - the same
political lines and the same political choice to impose
austerity.
and
- the
architect and the apprentice of austerity.
And friends,
As this new era of austerity has been announced in Westminster -
what else has been put on offer for Scotland.
A Secretary of State who siphons off £150 million into the
Scotland Office, whilst his Chancellor picks £160 million from
the pockets of our pensioners by cutting the winter fuel
payment.
In this very city - the new Labour Government has cut nearly a
billion pounds from an AI project in Edinburgh University.
And, of course, we've got the establishment of GB Energy.
Friends, that's a move we've all seen before is it not.
Westminster casting its gaze North to Scotland's resources, with
pound signs in their eyes.
Well let's remind them here and now that whilst they may brand it
GB energy, we all know that it's Scotland's Energy!
**************************************************************************
And while all of this has been going on - what of Labour's man in
Scotland.
I seem to remember very carefully placed media articles promising
that would be
the first man to stand up to and his
government if he disagreed with their decisions.
We were promised that he would be the hard man of Scottish
politics and wouldn't be found wanting in standing up for
Scotland.
Turns out he's less hard man, and more hard man to find.
Because he's tucked away trying to think of the latest excuse to
justify the shifting sands coming from his bosses in London.
And conference,
When it comes to Anas and his arguments - it's time to put one
thing to bed.
If you are a unionist, if you believe that economic policy should
be primarily set in London - please stop this nonsense that the
economic and budgetary position in Scotland is somehow nothing to
do with Westminster.
You can't on one hand boast about the so-called broad shoulders
of the union whilst at the very same time wash the other hand of
any responsibility for the financial decisions that same union
imposes.
The seriousness of the situation we face demands better. The
Scottish people will not be treated as fools.
Friends,
The mood music set by the new Labour government are a warning
that difficult days lie ahead for Scotland.
And those difficult days will demand experienced and principled
leadership.
The new Prime Minister rightly talks about politics returning to
the service of people.
And its absence in Westminster has been without doubt.
But the world does not begin and end inside the walls of
Westminster- there have been politicians on these islands who
have always held true to the trust of genuine public service.
Because all who know him, know that is the
living embodiment of a politics of service.
All his adult life has been dedicated to the purpose of this
party alongside a clear-eyed commitment to this country and its
future.
There is no man I'd trust more to take us through these turbulent
times.
As someone said once - this is no time for a novice.
We are lucky to have him, and Scotland is all the better that he
is leading us once more.
And friends,
The patient and purposeful leadership of our First Minister
should also inform our primary belief in independence.
Because it's that patience and purpose that will complete the
last hard yards of realising that future.
We should be honest that it has never been and never will be a
seamless path to self-determination and independence -
and at times over the last few years we should admit that we were
sometimes guilty of giving that impression.
I understand why that happened. Sometimes the non-stop nature of
modern politics fed the strategy of one last push.
But the intense immediacy of that narrative doesn't serve the
need for patient persuasion of those who still need to be
convinced.
And it does something else too.
It distracts us from the bigger trends and the broader sweep of
history.
Because in truth, real and lasting patterns in politics aren't
shaped and defined by any one day or by any one election.
And when we step back for a moment - when we pause - the bigger
pattern and bigger picture of Scottish politics comes into far
clearer view.
And it shows that amongst the massive electoral swings in
Scotland since the first independence referendum 10 years ago -
there remains an underlying stability in Scottish politics.
Neither of us, nationalists nor unionists, have been successful
yet in convincing the public of the overwhelming case for either
independence or for the United Kingdom.
Some present that as a negative - of the argument being
stuck.
But in reality, I think it reflects a deep faith in Scottish
democracy - the wisdom of a population who will decide our
democratic future when they - and no one else - deems the time to
be right.
And in that context, we must always be willing to reach beyond
our own comfort zones, beyond our own boundaries, to listen to
and engage with those who do not yet share our vision.
After all, we must never lose sight of the fact that just as it
is our Scotland, it is their Scotland too - and building a nation
fit for the future is a responsibility that all of us must
share.
And conference,
When we consider that bigger picture, we should always take heart
and hope from the fact that half the Scottish people still
believe that independence remains the most desirable destination
for Scotland's future.
That remains an unprecedented opportunity and would have been
almost unthinkable for all those who have served this party and
this cause since our foundation.
Because in the ongoing argument between the Westminster status
quo or a new Scotland - we still hold trust and faith that the
strength of our arguments will win the future.
No matter how many speeches the new Prime Minister makes, the
fundamentals won't change.
There is no fixing the foundations of broken Britain with a
Westminster migration policy that ignores its economic benefits
and demonises some of the most vulnerable people on our
planet.
There is no fixing the foundations of broken Britain when the
first policy that goes in the Westminster political bin is real
investment in green energy to drive green growth.
And there is definitely no fixing the foundations of broken
Britain if you won't even mention - never mind deal with - the
ultimate black hole that is Brexit.
But friends,
The failures of Brexit Britain alone can't be our sole argument
and it shouldn't be our primary motivation.
Because at times too, we have been guilty of straying from an
optimistic, aspirational vision.
Instead of resting and relying on the failure of the British
state, the real motivation of our message must be the potential
and possibility that Scotland is so rich in.
We can't get stuck in a cycle of constantly lowering expectations
instead of raising hopes.
Our argument, our belief and our offer to the Scottish people is
that Brexit Britain is not as good as it gets.
We believe that decisions made in Scotland, for Scotland can
deliver a better future for all.
That becoming a normal independent country in Europe can meet our
people's needs and their aspirations.
That it can deliver the basic belief that the next generation can
and should aspire to a higher standard of living and a better
quality of life than that which has gone before.
Those are simple things, but they are the most important of
all.
And that is a hopeful horizon we can offer and that we can argue
for.
And it's that hope, optimism and aspiration that must guide our
response to the challenges we face.
That's the path to recovery, it's the root to real change and it
offers the best road to independence.
