A second referendum drive opens in Aberdeen

John Swinney closed the Scottish National Party conference at the P&J Live arena in Aberdeen on Saturday, 17 October, saying the campaign for a second referendum on independence 'has already begun'. The first minister described a new drive called Choose Scotland, which starts this weekend and which he said would be backed by a 'six-figure war chest'. He presented it as the most sophisticated campaign the party has undertaken. Pointing to the wider Celtic nations, he said the stars were aligning for independence and referred to a recent stage appearance with pro-independence leaders from Wales and Ireland.

Insisting that the country could already take the step, he told delegates:

“Scotland is ready to be independent.”

Bus network and fares

Swinney pledged that the bus network would be brought back into public control by the end of the current parliament in 2031, through franchising and regulation. Under the plan, regional transport partnerships would gain more say over routes and fares without the government having to own the operators, and a bill is due to be tabled in Holyrood next year. He also extended the £2 fare cap, which now covers greater Glasgow and the Highlands and Islands, to Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire from April, with the government planning to cover the whole country by the end of the parliamentary term in 2031. He argued that cheaper travel was only one part of the story.

“We need more buses and we need more frequent buses.”

Ralph Roberts, chair of McGill's Buses, which he described as the largest independent bus operator in Scotland, said the company would fight the plans 'tooth and nail' and called the move theft of private companies. Paul White, director of the Confederation of Passenger Transport Scotland, argued that public control should reflect local needs, because no single model suits every community. Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie welcomed the pledges to extend the fare cap and bring buses under public control.

Funding and social policy

Swinney also announced a three-year £30 million Scotland Together Fund to support community groups fighting racism. He said harassment and abuse based on misogyny would become a specific criminal offence within the coming months. On Friday, 16 October, Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth told the conference that the cap on a cash fund for women fleeing abusive relationships was being lifted. Her speech came on the second day of the three-day event.

Political arithmetic

The SNP currently holds eight seats at Westminster, and speakers at the conference argued that a hung parliament offered the most realistic route to a second referendum. Gilruth said her party would welcome an early general election, arguing that polling showed the SNP could hold the balance of power. Lara Bird, MP for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, told a podcast run by the pro-independence newspaper The National that another poll could be negotiated if the overall results were tight. The SNP lost seats at May's election instead of winning the majority Swinney had set as a benchmark. Prime Minister Andy Burnham had offered to work with the SNP on designing a new model of regional empowerment, and Swinney countered that offer with his own push for a referendum.

The conference programme

Stephen Flynn, transport secretary at Holyrood, delivered the welcome address on Thursday, 15 October, and called on the prime minister to act on the referendum question. On Friday afternoon, Plaid Cymru politician Sioned Williams, Wales' Deputy First Minister, gave a fraternal address. Swinney's keynote on Saturday closed the event.