Our Politics newsletter is now daily. Join thousands of others and get the latest Scottish politics news sent straight to your inbox. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

WHEN I told Parliament I wanted Daily Record readers to hold me to account for delivering The Vow published in this paper before the independence referendum, I meant it.

Today sees the start of one of the most important stages in making that happen and delivering to Scotland the powerhouse Parliament we deserve.

Over the next 48 hours, MPs will be debating our plans to give a huge range of tax and welfare powers to Holyrood through the Scotland Bill.

How these powers are used will have a direct effect on how much money a future Scottish government take from our pay packets and the level of

benefits paid in Scotland.

The Daily Record and its readers spoke for Scotland with The Vow. A strong Scottish Parliament within a strong United Kingdom. My party, along with all of Scotland’s other main political parties, promised to deliver on that after the last general election.

Now most of the big ticket items are agreed – even the SNP accept the Scotland Bill will give the Scottish Parliament big new powers over tax and welfare. And there are serious changes too in areas like energy, transport and elections which often barely get a mention.

At this crucial moment in making good on that promise, I want to spell out exactly what we are doing, why we are doing it – and maybe bust a few myths at the same time.

Is the Scottish Parliament being made permanent?

The Scottish Parliament is here to stay – and now the law will spell that out.

It is inconceivable that our Holyrood Parliament could be abolished without the consent of the Scottish people. If any government ever tried, it would spell the end of the United Kingdom, plain and simple.

The Scotland Bill puts that into law in black and white for all to see, as the Smith Commission said it should.

What about the talk of “vetoes”?

There are no vetoes – it’s as simple as that. In some areas, Scotland’s two governments will have to agree the timing of when a change is made, because these are huge transfers of power and money and we need to make sure we do it right.

But the new laws also make it impossible to hold things up unless there is an incredibly powerful practical reason for doing it – not just because we disagree on the policy.

That’s not a veto, it’s just plain common sense and it’s what people keep telling me they want to see – Scotland’s two governments working together to guarantee big changes in areas like welfare take place smoothly and without disruption to the public.

Should we go further in devolving tax and welfare powers?

First, let’s remember what IS being devolved: tax powers worth £15billion – including control over how much income tax comes out of your pocket – and a welfare package of

£2.5billion. Taken with everything else in the Bill, they will make Holyrood one of the most powerful devolved parliaments anywhere in the world.

They reflect what we voted for in the referendum – more big decisions taken in Scotland, while remaining part of the United Kingdom.

It delivers in full the recommendations of the Smith Commission set up to deliver The Vow.

Those recommendations were signed off by all five of Scotland’s main political parties, including the SNP.

And it is a package of tax and welfare powers which will work in the best interests of Scotland. For example, no one – not even the SNP – is calling for pensions to be devolved.

Why? Because it would be wrong to lumber our children and grandchildren with the burden of funding the state pension on their own. Instead, the cost can be shared across the UK.

We share risks and rewards with our friends, family and neighbours in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In other words, what we clearly said we wanted when we went to the polls in the referendum.

So there’s no chance of changing the Bill?

I didn’t say that. I have always made clear – and again I mean it – that we will listen to sensible suggestions which will be to the benefit of Scotland within the United Kingdom. Indeed the whole point of having the Bill examined line by line in Parliament is so people can suggest changes.

But those changes must reflect the will of the people as seen in the referendum result, must improve the Bill – and must make sense for Scotland.

What about full fiscal autonomy (FFA) then? Is that on the cards?

No – because that is about as far away from sensible as it is possible to get. Let’s put it into context: Accepting the SNP plan would leave us with £10billion less to spend by the end of this Parliament. And, according to the SNP’s own figures on oil tax income which were slipped out last week, it could be even worse.

Last year the Scottish Government spent £10billion on education and justice – that’s everything from schools and colleges to our police force, prisons and courts. Under FFA, that budget would disappear and the black hole would have to be plugged with either massive tax rises or severe cuts in public services.

The SNP might think that’s a price worth paying to get closer to their dream of independence, but I don’t think it is – and I don’t think Record readers do either.

This is a “deal or no deal?” moment for fans of FFA. They can either vote for a more powerful Scottish Parliament or they can support a plan that would cost Scotland the same amount as we currently spend on schools, the police and courts combined. It’s a no-brainer.

What happens next?

I want to get this Bill turned into law by early 2016 – in time for the Holyrood elections. That is important because we need to know how the next Scottish government are going to spend our money.

For the first time, Scotland’s political parties will have to look voters in the eye and say whether or not they plan to take more out of our pay packets through taxes.

That is the logic of what the SNP say they want to do – yet they seem awfully shy about being upfront with voters about it.

That is where the focus of attention should now rest – it’s the next great debate in Scottish politics.

This Scotland Bill really will give those who want the honour of serving in our Scottish Parliament real power.

It’s time for them to start telling us how they will use it.

Try our quick news quiz below: