If Not Now, When?

I admired the way that Alex Salmond rounded off his speech to the SNP conference at the weekend by asking voters - "If not now, when?" - in relation to Scottish independence.

Now I'm not a member of or a supporter of the SNP - in fact I disagree with lots of its policies - but I'm one of many Scots who would readily concede that the SNP have done a good job as the Scottish Government.

The First Minister is a class act and while the SNP is not above the fray when it comes to the rough and tumble of 'Yah-Boo' party politics - nonetheless Alex Salmond and his ministerial team have displayed a seriousness of purpose and got on with the job of governing Scotland without becoming too tribal or nakedly partisan.

Unlike the Labour Party which treated Scotland like a fiefdom for many years and - in doing so - managed to fall out of love with the Scottish people, from whom it remains estranged to this day.

Now I don't believe that all of Scotland's problems are caused by the 'nasty' Tories - nor do I believe that all Scotland needs is the return of another Labour Government at Westminster  to sort things out.

So when Ed Miliband told his party conference 'We can do better than this!' - I have to say I found his claim completely unconvincing, not least because Ed was a key figure in the last Labour Government which the voters decided, wisely in my view, was well past its sell by date.

Not that I am wearing 'rose coloured' spectacles when it comes to the SNP - of course.

For example, the SNP is up in arms over changes to housing benefit - the so-called bedroom tax (as is Labour to be fair) - yet the sums of money involved are relatively small compared to the scandal involved over the 1999 Single Status (Equal Pay) Agreement which short changed low paid council workers in Scotland to the tune of around £500 million a year.

Which makes me wonder why the SNP gets so worked up about housing benefit and bedroom taxes - while ignoring the elephant in the room that is equal pay - which affects the lives of tens thousands of low paid council workers.  

I suppose the saving grace for the SNP is that Labour and the other parties are no better in determining their priorities - remembering fact the last Labour/Lib Dem Government (1999 to 2007) managed to find £800 million a year to fund a bumper 23.5% pay increase in the year 2000 for Scotland's teachers.

Who gets what and why? - remains a big issue for the Scottish Parliament, but by the time we get to the next elections in 2015 I suspect the track record of the SNP will compare favourably with that of Labour and the Lib Dems.    

Not that this means I'm voting Yes in next year's independence referendum though - I've still got an open mind and I would prefer a second question on the ballot paper proposing 'Devo Max' and more powers for the Scottish Parliament.

But as the powers that be have denied voters that choice - I now need to weigh up  whether I think that Holyrood would make a better fist of running the Scottish economy than Westminster. 

I'll let you know what I decide.