Captain of Titanic refuses to see icebergs ahead

'The strategy that delivers the message is also now quite transparent. It has sidelined Dewar and his team (widely regarded in London as having been ineffective in countering the SNP) and instead imposed a succession of cabinet ministers. George Robertson, before eyeballing Saddam Hussein, attacked on defence; Brown on the economy and on citizenship; Alastair Darling is being lined-up to join the cast with a contribution on social security and pensions. Blair can wrap them all up into one ex cathedra pronouncement, usually safe from interrogation by any but the hand-picked press. Those now involved have one thing in common: none of them are actually standing for the Scottish parliament.' SNP Chief Executive Michael Russell in the Scotsman, 16 th November 1998.

Dewar refuses to ease up on SNP

By Murray Ritchie, Scottish Political Editor, in the Herald

Scottish Secretary Donald Dewar will make clear today that Labour's North-East drubbing, which saw it forced into third place behind the Tories, has not forced a U-turn in tactics and that his pursuit of the Nationalists will be merciless.

In his St Andrew's Day lecture, the Secretary of State will promise to hound the SNP continuously "through every by-way and back alley to expose the weakness of their case."

However, his determination to carry the battle to the Nationalists is undermined today by a dramatic threat from the Liberal Democrats, who warn they are prepared to desert their Labour allies in favour of a Holyrood coalition with the SNP.

The Liberal-Democrat Treasury spokesman, Mr Malcolm Bruce, writing exclusively in today's Herald, warns: "It would be a great mistake, not least for Labour, to assume that a Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition is the automatic outcome."

Mr Dewar is under pressure to restore his party's battered morale following a weekend of criticism sparked by Thursday's result. Critics have called on the Scottish Secretary to dump Labour's "Nat bashing" tactics, although Mr Dewar insists that Ministers are merely scrutinising Nationalist policies.

He is now at pains to halt growing speculation that Labour might extend the Home Rule settlement to give the Scottish Parliament more powers such as broadcasting after the row over the BBC's plan to devolve the London-produced Six o'Clock News to Scotland.

One of his advisers last night told The Herald: "There is much loose talk about this. The fact is we will have to see how the Parliament works but we can say now that any change to the settlement will be on the margins and insignificant."

Mr Dewar will deliver his keynote speech after repeated indications over the weekend from party strategists who have calculated that the pursuit of the SNP should continue unabated.

"We will be asking serious and tough questions and expecting serious answers. Forget all this stuff about U-turns in our dealings with the Nats. That is all rubbish," a spokeswoman said.

Labour's high profile strategy of using senior Ministers to dissect SNP policies and warn of the dire consequences of independence for Scotland was strongly criticised at the weekend by maverick MP John McAllion, who warned "Nat-bashing" was a turn-off for the voters.

The Nationalists were happily proclaiming last night that Thursday's thrashing of Labour indicated a quickening public mood swing to the SNP.

However, Mr Dewar's language in his speech will be restrained, pledging Labour to listen to those who want the Parliament to work and to oppose those who would seek to "sour" the settlement or dismantle it.

"This is not hysteria, this is common sense," he will reason, invoking his old friend John Smith's phrase that a devolved Parliament is the settled will of the Scottish people, as confirmed in last year's Referendum.

Labour did not work long and hard for devolution only to stand by and do nothing at the first challenge, Mr Dewar will insist. He will warn the SNP: "Those who peddle alternatives, alternatives which I believe will be profoundly damaging to Scotland's future, will be pursued through every by-way and back alley to expose the weakness of their case. Their arguments cannot and will not go by default."

Describing the constitutional settlement as stable but not rigid, he will suggest it would be "absurd" to pretend this was the last word on every detail of the settlement but he will offer no encouragement of early changes.

He will reject SNP and Lib-Dem claims that Labour is all talk and little substance in health and education policy, pointing out, for instance, that "£1300m has been committed to Scottish education over the next three years".

In his article, Mr Bruce, MP for Gordon, says a Labour government in Scotland which does not use Holyrood's tax-raising powers to help health and education would be "just not credible". He serves notice the Lib Dems will not be anyone's poodle and adds ominously for Labour: "The arithmetic could deliver a situation where the SNP and Liberal Democrats could combine to form a clear majority administration."

His warning was emphasised last night by a Lib-Dem leadership decision, pressed by Mr Bruce, to back the Tories and vote against the Government's legislative programme tomorrow because the Queen's Speech failed to include freedom of information legislation or measures to promote public transport.

Meanwhile, the SNP emerged from a weekend of celebration to announce that the 15% swing notched up in North East Scotland would see it leading the administration in Holyrood if repeated next May. Party strategists said the swing would mean a 6% lead in Holyrood voting.

Party leader Alex Salmond said: "This would result in some 32 seats in the first past the post ballot, including gaining 20 seats from Labour and six from the Liberal Democrats. We would expect these results to be mirrored in the second vote next May, producing a large SNP group capable of leading the administration in the new Scottish Parliament.

"Weeks of negative 'Nat-bashing' by New Labour have proved totally counter-productive."

He added: "Our campaign for the Scottish Parliament is a marathon, not a sprint, but obviously we are running well, while Labour is beginning to run scared." - Nov 30