SNP Leadership contest 2004

'We intend to lead a government of purpose and direction so we can offer the people of this nation the opportunity to move forward to independence, democracy, and equality.' SNP leader, Alex Salmond MP, 3 rd September 2004.

Alex Salmond acceptance speech

From The Scottish National Party, 3 rd September 2004

Mr Salmond began his victory speech by declaring: "Well folks, it's good to be back."

He paid tribute to the campaign team and to his predecessor, John Swinney, whose one-member-one-vote reforms had, said Mr Salmond, been vindicated "so spectacularly".

"Nicola and I pledge to make political progress at next year's Westminster election.

" Nicola and I intend to win the 2007 elections and we will do that by offering a vision to the people where currently there is a vacuum.

" We intend to lead a government of purpose and direction so we can offer the people of this nation the opportunity to move forward to independence, democracy, and equality."

Mr Salmond said the party would develop a new economic policy which recognised there could not be a competitive economy if individuals and companies were facing interest rates, water charges, and other charges higher than in competing economies. He pledged to develop a new vision of social democracy in Scotland.

" We currently, as Scots, pay social democratic tax rates, we have social democratic levels of spending - but we don't have social democratic levels of service.

" We have to offer a Scottish way to deliver the standards of services which the people of Scotland are entitled to.

" We intend to lead with the head and the heart and touch the soul of Scotland. " Over this entire campaign there is one statistic that has dominated my thinking - the finding of the Rowntree Foundation that 73% of people in Scotland would like to vote for the SNP if we provide them with the circumstances.

" It is going to be my job, Nicola's job, the SNP's job, to provide these circumstances.

" Independence, freedom, self-determination, self-respect - that is the Scottish National Party's unique selling point.

"This democratic election, this one-member-one-vote mandate, will provide a springboard for a re-invigorated independence campaign that will carry us to progress next year, to victory in 2007, and freedom for the people of this nation."