Salmond targets Burns' Day for independence launch

FIRST Minister Alex Salmond was today marking the SNP's first year in power by unveiling a raft of new initiatives.

And he said the Scottish Government was looking at using Burns' Day 2010 to launch its independence referendum bill.

Mr Salmond was expected to tell MSPs the SNP had already implemented many of its manifesto pledges from last year's election and is well on the way to implementing others.

And among the new measures he was due to outline were an increase in the amount of government information that is put into the public domain.

He was expected to announce a pilot programme for the pro-active publication of more information, arguing that openness and transparency means more than responding to freedom of information requests.

And he was also expected to talk about a new online initiative on public accountability, to be called Scotland Performs, which would measure progress in the economy, health and education.

But opposition politicians were waiting to see what the First Minister had to day about more controversial policies which they believe could spell trouble for the SNP, such as the proposed Scottish Futures Trust, which is intended to replace Public Private Partnerships, and its plans to introduce a local income tax.

Speaking ahead of today's statement in the Scottish Parliament, Mr Salmond said the government was "looking at" January 25 2010, the birthday of Robert Burns, as the date to launch referendum legislation.

He said: "If you are launching a referendum bill you should launch on a propitious day.

"It would also give more than enough time to get the bill through, and a decision by the people, in the autumn of that year."

Labour yesterday appeared to back away from its previous promise that it would "not vote down" the chance for Scots to have their say.

Duncan McNeil, chairman of the Labour MSPs, said: "We have no principle objection to a referendum. But that doesn't mean we're going to give up our right to scrutinise that bill."

And asked whether that meant Labour could vote against such a bill, Labour chief Michael McMahon said "yes".

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gordon Brown was today seeking to regain the political initiative today by outlining the legislation the UK Government plans to bring forward over the coming year.

The draft Queen's Speech was expected to include measures to extend "personalisation" of public services like health and education, as well as reforms to regulation of the banking industry and new support for the housing market.

Mr Brown was expected to unveil plans for a community empowerment bill, giving the public more say over the police, NHS trusts and local government.

And he was expected to promise white papers on political party funding and House of Lords reform and a green paper on a British bill of rights and responsibilities.