Globalisation is biggest the economic challenge of our age. Competition is increasingly not simply from “down the road” but from “across the globe”.

And faced with this enormous challenge the Scottish economy is picking up the pace. And it is not just the record profits of Scotland’s big banks I am thinking of.

Scotland’s biggest economic problem for the last half century – unemployment and jobs – now largely solved, more Scots in work today than ever before. Scotland second top in the European employment league. And a century of Scottish population decline now being reversed.

Today investment in research and development growing much more strongly in Scotland than in the rest of the UK, supporting star sectors like finance, energy, education and life sciences.

And even that traditional Scottish drag anchor – overall growth – now accelerating. Forget the last 30 years – in the last 10 years Scotland has outperformed its long-run average growth rate for 8 of those 10 years. And that means internationally Scotland has been catching up. Again over the last decade the growth in Scottish standards of living has outpaced both the average for all OECD countries and the average for EU15 countries.

All evidence of Scotland picking up the pace.

A track record delivered by choice not chance, built upon the strength and stability of the whole UK economy. And a partnership between labour in Westminster and labour in Holyrood

And yes Scotland can, and should, do even better – I will come to that in a moment — but we must also recognise that there is a lot to lose.

We must guard against trading hard won

Stability for instability,

Certainty for risk,

Or investment in skills for investment in statehood

We believe it is time to quicken the pace not to change direction.

And it means checking out the competition.

Next year China and India will turn out more graduates that the whole of Europe put together.

So Scotland’s top economic priority must be learning and skills, turning Scotland once again into the best-educated nation on the face of the earth.

Today 250k Scots are unskilled employment within a decade we will need only 50K unskilled workers – 200k Scots requiring retraining – that is why we will continue investing in our colleges and universities, raising the cap on student numbers – but also critically making modern apprenticeships more flexible to meet the needs of all those small and medium size companies who want to do more training but need help to do so in ways that do not disrupt the running of their businesses

We have begun an economic transformation. So whereas the Tories built 5 schools a year for almost 20 years – we are now building a new school a week – and we will move to building a new school every five days if re-elected

We will start young building on the guaranteed nursery school places – we will teach all youngsters the “I can” of self belief that is as important as your IQ – in later life

In primary schools new specialist teachers providing languages and science

At secondary level – we will create 100 skills academies – taking modern vocational education more seriously than ever before – letting youngsters embark on their careers from 14. We will commit to getting every single Scot “job ready” , abolishing the tail of NEETs those not in education, employment or training – guaranteeing training up to the age of 18. We will bring back the benefits of the arithmetic ograde and introduce a similar modern test for literacy

And for the most gifted we will create regional science centres – giving pupils access to university labs – nurturing the Scottish scientists, researchers and innovators of tomorrow

We are also committed to getting the conditions for business right – investing in the missing infrastructure that daily holds us back –the Glasgow and Edinburgh airport rail links , Edinburgh trams, the M74 northern extension, building the Aberdeen western peripheral route – and expanding further the fast growing air routes to Scotland’s airports.

And we will pursue reform in the public sector with even greater vigour – taking the hard pressing ahead with the planning reforms that were so vital but had so few supporters in the parliament.

So we will not shirk from using public private sector partnerships that is so vital in getting infrastructure built on time and on budget – again

We have a sbrrs and we should extend rather than abolish it

We will invest in our star sectors like financial services, life sciences and energy

And finally we will invest in our star cities – Edinburgh, and Glasgow whose success particularly in financial services is built upon its relationship with the City of London, itself the world’s most successful international financial centre.

These are the keys to future Scottish success

And as we accelerate the pace of reform – watch out for manifesto commitments on the regeneration of town centres, reducing the regulatory burden and a firm commitment to no introduction of a local income tax as finds favour with so many on the panel –

Scotland is moving forward –it is time to move further faster.

But not to tear it all up and start again!

This is the time, and this is the generation who can be remembered for building up Scotland, not breaking up Britain.

Conclusion

Imagine for a moment if the SNP win in May, and then fast forward to July. you are returning from holiday – by the time you get back we are promised that the referendum bill will be going through parliament – promised in 100 days by AS

Already investment in schools stalled by opposition to PPP, confusion about whether Scottish pounds will continue to be legal tender leading in turn to investment decisions in scotland being questioned, already planning reform has run into the ground, earl has been halted, the trams put on hold and major corporates like BP and Shell are looking to the rest of the UK when siting major renewable energy projects.

We have a choice. But it is not a choice between the present we have and the sunny uplands of independence.

It is a choice between 2 competing futures.

One where we continue to share risk, revenue and resources as we have done over the centuries. Taking that shared single market and building upon the benefits of UK wide networks.

Or we tear it all up and start again, with a risky one way bet on oil revenues, involving two regulatory systems, two tax and monetary systems, the disruption of all UK wide networks and an end to the union dividend

The costs would fall on all Scottish families

That is the choice

Maintaining stability v inducing instability

Investing in Skills v investing in statehood

Putting our foot on the accelerator or our foot on the brake

Success in the modern world is more than ever a team game. We need to work together, to strengthen links, not break them apart.

I believe that greater openness, competition and flexibility are why Britain has overtaken France and Italy in the last decade.

So it is time to move forward faster not to tear it all up and start again!

So Scotland has a choice in May – a choice between maintaining its new momentum, putting its foot on the accelerator or putting its foot on the brake.

And whilst no true nationalist really cares if “freedom” is a brake on the economy – for the rest of us the price of “freedom” matters. Because it is a price which we the people and businesses of Scotland will ultimately pay –

simply reeling off a list of other nations does not make Scotland successful.

Scotland needs its own strategy for success.