Indyref: Community Powers Promise From LibDems

The Liberal Democrats are taking their case for a No vote in the referendum to the Highlands.

Their Scottish leader Willie Rennie, Highland MP Charles Kennedy and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander are sharing a platform in Inverness.

Mr Alexander is setting out their vision for enhance powers for communities across the country, after a No vote next month.

At the meeting, Danny Alexander MP will say:
 
"A lot of the debate has focussed over the last few weeks on the clear commitment to more powers for Scotland. We Liberal Democrats were at the forefront of setting up the Scottish Parliament, and under Willie Rennie we are leading the campaign to empower that Scottish Parliament with real financial and money raising responsibilities.
 
"That is already on its way thanks to the recent legislation passed by the House of Commons, and the clear commitment from all parties means that the Scottish Parliament is guaranteed to get more money raising powers in the event of a ‘no’ vote. 'No thanks' does not mean no change – far from it.
 
"But our philosophy of federalism does not stop at further empowering Holyrood, important thought that is. A federal approach means distributing power to the most appropriate level - Europe, UK, Scotland, and local. Federalism means devolution from Edinburgh, not just devolution to Edinburgh.
 
"I believe a fundamental part of a new settlement in Scotland after a 'no' vote must be more powers held and used here in the Highlands and Islands, and in other local communities in Scotland.
 
"The nationalist philosophy means deliberately trying to airbrush out the different identities and communities that exist within Scotland and instead centralising as much power as possible to themselves and the Holyrood elite.
 
"Of all the regions in Scotland, the Highlands and Islands has the most distinct needs, challenges, ideas, and indeed culture and identity. So it no surprise that the massive centralisation of power that the SNP have presided over the last seven years has generated the greatest anger and frustration here.
 
"In that time, we have seen Northern Constabulary abolished – and their distinctive community policing approach replaced with a one size fits all model designed for the central belt. There is simply no need or support for armed police officers on the streets of communities in the Highlands. If other parts of Scotland want that – and I doubt they do – then fine, but we should be able to do that differently here if that’s what our communities feel.
 
"You could also look at the centralisation of fire services, the removal of local control rooms, and the reduction in autonomy of local government. And especially here, the emasculation of Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
 
"When Russell Johnston first proposed the creation of a board to foster the economic and social development of the Highlands, the idea was precisely to be able to meet and respond to the very different economic development needs of the Highlands and Islands. That’s what the HIDB was able to do, and HIE was too in its early days. But increasingly HIE is simply an arm of Scottish Enterprise, implementing strategies dreamed up in Edinburgh. It has excellent people, who do a great job, but the shift in power is palpable from an SNP government that wanted to abolish HIE back in 2007.
 
"As Charles Kennedy has observed, if these changes had been made by the Tory government in the 1980s, SNP supporters would have been up in arms. Instead, they have pushed these damaging changes through without a murmur.
 
"We Highland Liberal Democrats want a different approach. We want those powers to be handed back to the Highlands and to our communities. Stronger local government, with more power and a general power of competence to take decisions that are right for their area. And we need to think about whether there needs to be a forum with more clout that the convention of the Highlands and Islands to bring together elected representatives and all levels of government to make sure that decisions are being made in the best interests of our area.  The University of the Highlands and Islands, the fulfilment of a decade's long vision, should be central to this too.
 
"We particularly need greater influence over Scottish infrastructure priorities. Transport investment in the A9, A96, and A82 is vital for our area yet has been given a low priority by the SNP government.  I believe nothing would boost the economy of the whole of Scotland more than the rapid dualling of the A9. Yet instead we have the imposition of average speed cameras that no-one locally wants and which will not make the road more safe. We need to keep up the campaign to remove them, and to accelerate the dualling instead.
 
"In Government, Scottish Liberal Democrats have delivered for the Highlands and Islands. With strong support for renewable energy, funding the roll out of superfast broadband, fuel duty discounts for islands and – hopefully – for remote mainland communities, support for mountain rescue teams, investment in sleeper services, support for the ski industry, a new regional air connectivity fund, a coastal communities fund that reinvests marine revenues from the Crown Estate directly into projects in the Highlands and Islands, as well as freezing fuel duty and cutting income tax for thousands of people here.
 
"But the next phase of the challenge for us will be to make sure that after a 'no' vote politicians in Holyrood act as decisively to pass power back to Scotland's communities as the UK parties will to ensure more powers for Scotland.  There is nothing radical or liberal about independence – the really radical liberal approach is federalism –and here the rallying call for that must be 'more power for the Highlands"

He's telling us devolution shouldn't stop in Edinburgh: