Des Browne: A year of governing dangerously

AS THE first anniversary of the minority SNP administration taking office approaches, it is worth examining the reality of government in Scotland.

Whilst government is not about legislation alone, it is nevertheless interesting to reflect on the levels of activity of the two legislative bodies in Scotland. At the UK level, every month we are passing laws that are relevant and important for the lives of Scots: an energy bill paving the way for new technologies to provide energy security and tackle climate change; securing occupational pensions for all through the Pensions Bill; tackling deep-seated worklessness through the Welfare Reform Bill.

In the UK Parliament, Scots elected by Scots to represent Scots are passing more legislation for Scotland than the SNP in Holyrood. In the current session of Parliament, 24 of the 26 pieces of legislation in the Queen's Speech impact upon Scotland. The UK Government is actively legislating – with the SNP's agreement – in devolved areas. In climate change and environmental protection, skills and criminal justice.

This week, the UK Government is shaping the lives of Scots families by increasing the child element of the child tax credit, making changes to the working tax credit to increase the amounts going to families with children, and improving the consultation rights of Scottish workers. At the same time, occupational pension schemes are being extended. To protect workers, corporate homicide laws come into effect today. In business, simplified accounting and reporting requirements for small and medium enterprises come into effect, as does a reduction in corporation tax.

While the Scottish Parliament could be designing innovative and imaginative policy solutions for Scotland, the SNP choose to use parliamentary time to provide a platform for Alex Salmond to grandstand, to debate issues outwith their responsibility and to promote disagreements with the UK Government, seemingly for the sake of it.

Outside the Scottish Parliament, it is clear that the SNP are seeking to use the recess fortnight to quietly shelve manifesto promises – such as the £2,000 first time buyer grant – and ramp up a row to seek to blame the UK Government as the reason for other flagship policies, such as the local income tax, being abandoned in the months ahead.

The propaganda exercise to support the myth that the SNP is the only level of government with any interest in Scotland is both demonstrably ridiculous and, from the evidence of this week, the central focus of their activity. In the parallel universe that the SNP inhabit, everything the UK Government does is portrayed as either an act of betrayal or interference in Scotland.

Whilst Alex Salmond parades around America, comparing himself to Thomas Jefferson, John Swinney has been demonstrating the SNP's inability to either understand devolution or take responsibility for ill-conceived policies. Only in this parallel universe could a letter from a UK Government Treasury Minister, in response to correspondence asking for views on a local national income tax, be described as interference. A statement of fact that to introduce such a tax would require legislation to change the operation of the HMRC is characterised as a threat.

A statement of fact that council tax benefit has never been part of the block grant is labelled as meddling. A statement of fact that there is a huge hole in the SNP's shoddy calculations in the document which they issued to the Treasury for comment, is derided as bullying. All of the above is calculated to shift attention from an ill-thought through policy that will make families across Scotland worse off, and Scotland the highest taxed part of the UK, and to blame its likely failure not on those who designed it, but on those the SNP demand should administer it.

In this parallel universe the Scottish Executive ignores the record £30bn budget they have to spend on devolved areas in favour of seeking to contrive a row about access to additional funds they know there is no entitlement to. In the same parallel universe, before a UK Marine Bill is published, the SNP minister responsible has contrived a demand for a power grab when he is being pressed by responsible groups to work together with the UK Government to safeguard the marine environment.

Is it that Swinney simply does not understand how calls on the reserve from the UK Treasury are handled? Is it that Richard Lochhead is unaware of the desire of policy officials and specialists to work together on measures to protect the environment?

It is, I suspect, much more about the blatant tactics of a separatist minority who want to promote discord and foster disagreement to attempt to kickstart support for wrenching Scotland out of the UK. When this, the only issue which binds the SNP, is losing support in any authoritative measure, then manufacturing rows is where Alex Salmond and his cohorts go to political comfort eat.

The first problem for the SNP is there is no support for separatism in Scotland, and misusing statistics about demand for a referendum fails to mask that fundamental truth. The second problem for them is that there is no need for a referendum when a year ago two thirds of electors in Scotland rejected the notion that our country should be broken up.

The third, and most fundamental, problem for Alex Salmond is that his emphasis on grievance rather than government is not only a disservice to the interests of people of Scotland, it is also beginning to wear thin amongst Scots. It's time they got on with governing rather than fostering grievance.

• Des Browne is Secretary of State for Scotland