00:0027 years on, you led the way on devolution here in Scotland with the creation of the Scottish Parliament, and
00:06that was absolutely right.
00:08But devolution was never meant to stop there. It was never supposed to stop at the doors of the Scottish
00:14Parliament.
00:16Obviously, there's huge progress to look back on. Public control of water, public ownership of rail, free personal care,
00:24and these are all issues very close to my heart, and I applaud them.
00:28But they were always meant, as I understand it, because I was in Parliament, as Douglas said at that time,
00:33with him,
00:34it was always meant to be the start of something deeper, the foundations of a nation where communities had more
00:41of a say in their own future,
00:44and where the norm was always to push power out until it reached every person and every postcode.
00:49Instead, we've ended up with a situation where Scotland, the most devolved nation in the UK,
00:56is itself one of the most centralised nations in Europe.
01:02And I don't say that to score points. Genuinely, I don't.
01:08I say that because I believe we need to be honest about that if we really want to get growth
01:14in every postcode,
01:15if we really want to renew every part of the United Kingdom.
01:20Thank you very much.
01:20Thank you very much.
01:20Thank you very much.
01:20Thank you very much.
01:20Thank you very much.
