Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Skills

Check against delivery

Being an MSP is an enormous privilege and an important responsibility.

And it is with a great deal of pride that I stand before you today as one of the newest MSPs and one of the newest members of Labour's shadow cabinet in the Scottish Parliament.

I would like to personally thank Iain Gray for that chance.

When Iain appointed me to this new role - he gave me a some friendly words of advice - he said "John - be a team player and to get stuck in"

Perhaps conference I may have taken those words out of context in a recent football match involving the Scottish Parliament and a team of sports journalists.

Not only did that get me in trouble on the pitch - it got me in trouble off the pitch - as back then in October I had neglected to tell my wife I was going to Hampden as opposed to Glenrothes that morning.

Glenrothes was of course a special result for us all and while personal pride is one thing - nothing - absolutely nothing - can compare to the collective pride we all felt after that result.

We fought that by-election in the midst of the worst banking crisis in living memory - but the people of Glenrothes and central Fife supported us because they recognised that Labour were not prepared to look on and do nothing.

They recognised that Labour in Fife are standing up for the most vulnerable in our society.

They recognised that Labour in the Scottish Parliament are standing up for workers in our banks and financial services sector.

And they recognised that Gordon Brown is straining every last sinew to safeguard the British economy.

The people of Glenrothes rejected the SNP because they saw a party that puts its own narrow political objectives before the people of Scotland.

Of course opposition isn't where we want to be in the Scottish Parliament – but we are still fighting for the people of Scotland no matter where they live or what they do.

It's lucky for thousands of ordinary Scots that we have been doing that because the Scottish Government's response to the economic crisis has been not good enough.

We in the Labour Party instinctively put people first because we have always been part of a wider struggle for social justice – not just here in Scotland but throughout the United Kingdom and across the world.

We know that we can never return to the mass unemployment of the 1980's and that was our main focus during the recent budget negotiations.

And that's why Labour demanded the SNP support people facing redundancy.

We know how vital it is for young people to get the best start in their working lives.

And that's why Labour demanded the SNP safeguard the employment of all apprentices in training

We know how vital skills are to our people and our economy.

And that’s why Labour demanded the SNP increased the number of apprenticeships places for school leavers and adults by 8000.

I will remind conference today that these measures were the right thing to do but would never have happened without an effective Labour opposition in the Scottish Parliament.

Labour achievements - not for narrow political advantage - but for the future of thousands of Scottish workers

As a former trade union official you will not be surprised to hear me say that I am proud of the Labour Party's relationship with the trade union movement.

That relationship has stood the test of time and has never been more important to the future of the party.

If anyone doubts that they just need to see the joint work and campaigns being undertaken in the Scottish Parliament by Labour MSPs and unions such as Unite, Unison and Community.

Because of this relationship we are campaigning for more apprentices.

We’re pushing for more effective bus regulation.

We’re challenging the Scottish Government on hospital car parking charges
and we’re protecting some of the most exploited workers in our society.

I have been regularly meeting with people working in our banks who are concerned about their jobs.

In September last year – while the UK government was doing its utmost to protect our banking system – the SNP, Tories and Liberals were lining up to play politics with the jobs of Scottish banks workers.

We were the only party that met and listened to the concerns of workers in HBOS.

We listened then and we continue to listen now to all workers in the banking sector – particularly on the issue of bonuses.

And as politicians we have a duty to separate the ordinary workers – whose bonuses are effectively deferred earnings

Deferred earnings which are needed to pay the bills

We need to separate these ordinary workers from the mega-rich senior executives whose bonuses are more than a lifetime’s salary of most people in this hall.

Frankly conference those caused our banks to fail should get nothing for that failure.

It’s not just in the financial services sector that we face a challenge to employment.

That is why Government’s must continue to invest in the workforce of today as well as the workforce of tomorrow.

We are still paying the price now for years of under-investment by the Tories in apprenticeships and workplace training.

Leaving training to the market is not only what the Tories would do it's what the SNP are trying to do now in Scotland

That shouldn't surprise us - you just need to listen to the First Minister to know where his politics lie.

On a visit to America he told the wall street journal about his love of reganomics – supply- side right wing economics

And as Iain Gray reminded us yesterday there was that long lunch with a journalist where Mr Salmond said that Scotland didn't mind Thatcher's economic policies but weren't so keen on her social policies.

Of course we all painfully know that her record on social policy was directly because of her economic policy.

That's why achieving the extra 8000 apprentices places in this years budget negotiations isn't just significant for the people and business who will benefit.

It is significant in forcing a shift in political direction from the SNP and ensuring a greater level of government intervention and support for workplace training.

The reason that is important because the Scotland we all know is changing day by day

My dad, like me, worked in the dockyard at Rosyth. Both his dad and my other granddad were miners in Fife.

Their industrial perspective - shaped my view of the world from a very early age

It's 25 years since the miners strike officially began in Scotland this weekend.

We should never forget that struggle by our workers fighting for the right to provide for their family and communities.

That strike - the closure of Ravenscraig, the fight to save the yards on the Clyde and Rosyth and the Timex dispute told me – as it told all of the us the value of solidarity.

Thinking back it doesn't seem that long ago but this country has changed in so many ways..
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We were – and still are – proud of our skills in Scotland.

The single most important task facing Scotland is to nurture those skills in a new generation of young workers.

And that is why conference it will be Labour - and only Labour - in the Scottish Parliament who are seeking to deliver a right for all suitably qualified 16-18 to undertake an apprenticeship.


The policy process that are about to enter – looking ahead to 2011 – must focus on ideas both inside and outside the party.

I believe we can boost the economy and meet our environmental responsibilities.

Scottish companies are showing the way.

Companies like Allied Vehicles in Glasgow, who employ 360 people making taxis, vans and minibuses.

That’s electric taxis, vans and minibuses with zero emissions.

These clean, green vehicles are the outcome of three years research and development by Allied.

The batteries that power them are made right here in Dundee.
 
But to make them a common site on the High Street, they need local authorities to invest in recharging stations. And they are looking for help from the Scottish Government. 

They have asked the Government for £15 million.

An investment that could make Scotland Europe’s leader in the production of green cars

I believe they should get it. It could give us something we haven’t seen in this country since the Hillman Imp rolled off the production line at Linwood over 30 years ago and it would generate jobs right here in this city.

That is the future conference.

We are about to witness a period of economic restructuring of a degree and at a pace that will be hard to comprehend.

This new economic order will provide opportunities but it will also provide challenges.

I’ve told you about those challenges today.

The challenge of sustaining employment.

The challenge of meeting the skill needs of the future.

The challenge of doing all this without damaging our planet.

In the twenty-first century conference the 'white heat of technology' is green.

That is why this country needs a Labour Party at our best

We're at our best creating new jobs and employment

We’re at our best when we support new ideas and innovation.

We're at our best when we help people reach their full potential.

And conference we're at our very best when we're Labour.