Is the Union still relevant?

TWO senior Scottish politicians have revealed how their parties plan to fight on the key battlegrounds that will decide this May's Scottish Parliament elections.

Speaking at Scotland on Sunday's debate on the future of the Union on Friday night, the SNP's Holyrood leader, Nicola Sturgeon, and former Labour minister Wendy Alexander clashed over the economy, national identity and the position of Scotland in the world.

Alexander showed how Labour will deal with the problematic issue of Iraq by arguing that whatever voters think of Britain's policy in the Middle East, they should not forget the 300 years that Scotland and England have stood together to defeat greater enemies, such as the Nazis.

Meanwhile, the Nationalists plan to challenge Labour on the question of why the Scottish economy is lagging behind other parts of the UK and will argue that an independent Scotland would be free to make its own foreign policy and not be dragged into "illegal foreign wars".

In front of an audience of 100 Scotland on Sunday readers, Sturgeon and Alexander began the run-up to what is likely to be Scotland's most crucial election in a generation by clashing over whether the 300-year-old Union has run its course.

For Alexander, it was a question of, even if the current settlement was "broken", there might be ways to fix it other than separation. She argued that those who wanted more powers for the Scottish Parliament could easily argue for them to be granted without breaking up the Union.

She said: "Devolution is a process. So if you favour more powers, that is fine - you can still be a committed Unionist. And if the last decade teaches us anything, it is that you do not need to tear up the Union to reform it."

In a plea which many will see as admitting the unpopularity of Tony Blair's policy towards Iraq, Alexander said: "We heard about foreign policy. It is understandable, given the last three years, to say that we don't like the foreign policy. But that is not the same as saying that [national] identity is the answer to the challenges."

She added that with Scotland needing to take its place in tackling the big problems of the world, such as globalisation, the environment and international security, Scots should not divert their energies into pondering their own constitutional future.

Turning to the SNP, Alexander said the Nationalists needed to choose which small, independent country it wanted to emulate. The SNP has often cited the success of countries such as Norway and Ireland, which have radically different social and taxation policies.

Alexander said: "Norway has high taxes; in Ireland you pay €40 when you go to see a doctor. It's Swedish public services or low Irish taxes, because you can't choose both."

For Nicola Sturgeon, the issue was one of giving Scotland the flexibility to take the lead in its own way.

She said: "The real issue is how we can use the powers of independence to grow the economy. Scotland's economic growth rate over the last 25 years has lagged behind the UK and been amongst the lowest in the European Union. With independence, we can choose policies that will make our economy more competitive and grow faster. Without independence, our hands are tied."

Sturgeon was challenged by the audience on how the SNP expected to make up the shortfall in the nation's electricity supplies if it was committed to a non-nuclear future. She replied that she hoped to make Scotland a world centre for renewable energy.

Her party was also challenged on what the point of independence would be if many powers remained with the EU, how Scotland could manage its currency, and the status of the monarchy.

Sturgeon answered that in an independent Scotland, the Queen would remain the head of state until such a time as the people voted otherwise in a referendum. She added that her own personal preference would be for an elected head of state, but that an independent Scotland would have to deal with a number of other issues first.

In a sly aside at the end of the debate, Alexander said the prospect of an elected head of state might be one of the plus points of an independent Scotland.

Meanwhile, Alexander was challenged over the Iraq war, with one questioner claiming the UK's foreign policy had made him "ashamed to be British". While the SNP has so far been reluctant to use anti-war sentiment as a campaign tool, public reaction to comments about Iraq made it clear that many Scottish voters are deeply unhappy about UK policy in the Middle East and believe it has weakened the argument for the Union. Comments by both Sturgeon and questioners, which criticised the invasion and continuing occupation, were greeted with warm applause.

The two politicians were also asked whether the Union had made Scotland a safer or a more dangerous place, another clear reference to the situation in the Middle East.

Sturgeon was wary about being seen to imply that pulling out of the UK might mean that terrorists would vent their anger on England alone, rather than the whole of the UK, instead saying that Scotland would decide its own foreign policy. Alexander insisted Scotland was safer and more secure as part of one of the most important countries in the world.

Alexander was quizzed on why Labour objected so strongly to the idea of a referendum on Scotland's constitutional future. She retorted that Scots had - by not voting for the SNP - endorsed the Union on many occasions.

One questioner, Victoria Freeland, asked Alexander why, if the Scots were so enthusiastic about the Union, the 300th anniversary was not being celebrated more. She replied that one of the features of being Scottish was the reticence to make too much of such occasions.

At the end of the debate, just under two-thirds of those present said they wanted to end the Union. The rest - with the exception of three don't knows - chose the status quo.