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Alexander to continue SNP attack SNP 'not fit for purpose' - Reid
(about 3 hours later)
Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander will close Labour's conference in Oban with another attack on the SNP. Home Secretary John Reid has become the latest Labour heavyweight to attack the Nationalists at the Scottish Labour Conference in Oban.
Mr Alexander will claim the SNP strategy of independence runs counter to global political trends. Dr Reid, MP for Airdrie and Shotts, said the SNP were unfit to face the great challenges of the coming decades.
He said international terrorism, organised crime, mass migration and the environment did not stop at the border.
His comments come after similar attacks by Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown.His comments come after similar attacks by Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown.
First Minister Jack McConnell also took a swipe at the Nationalists as he unveiled his plans for a third term Labour administration at Holyrood. Border guards
Home Secretary John Reid will later lead a fresh onslaught on the Scottish Nationalists. The attack also follows an ICM survey for the Sunday Telegraph which suggests support for Scottish independence has reached 52% among Scots and 59% in England.
While the SNP pursue their single issue, the people of Scotland will lose out Jack McConnell Dr Reid told Labour delegates: "The true liberation of this country lies not in the rhetoric of the Nationalists but in developing the talents of each and every one of our children through education. That is the Scottish heritage."
He is expected to tell the gathering: "The nationalists are unfit to face the great challenges of our coming decade - the great issues of the environment, organised crime, international terrorism and mass migration. He added: "In the face of the environment, international crime and terrorism, and mass migration the narrow Nationalists stand helpless.
"None of these will stop at the border." "Because these challenges cannot be tackled by putting border guards at Gretna Green."
It is set to come after an ICM survey for the Sunday Telegraph suggests support for Scottish independence has reached 52% among Scots and 59% in England. For the first time in history almost half of all Scots have relatives from south of the border John ReidHome secretary
Meanwhile, Mr McConnell has rounded on SNP leader Alex Salmond's plans for an independence bill within 100 days of an SNP victory. Dr Reid also emphasised the "interdependence" of Scotland and England.
He said: "Every action, every motivation from those 100 days onwards will be to break up Britain. He said that almost one million Scots lived and worked south of the border.
"And while the SNP pursue their single issue, the people of Scotland will lose out." "A million Scots working in England in every trade and every profession up to the prime minister - and I'm told the next prime minister might be Scottish as well," Dr Reid said.
Ancient conflict The home secretary said that in 1707 when Scotland first entered the union only 30,000 Scots had English relatives.
Promising an education bill within 100 days of a Labour victory at May's Scottish Parliament election, Mr McConnell said: "Education is the answer, not separation." "Now there are over two million of us, who either have an English partner, as in my case, or have family in England, as in many other cases.
On Saturday, Mr McConnell pledged that by 2012 no 16 or 17-year-old would leave school without being "meaningfully engaged" in education, work or vocational training. "For the first time in history almost half of all Scots have relatives from south of the border."
He also said he would boost the importance of science in schools. Dr Reid said separating the two countries would not be acceptable to these people.
And he unveiled plans to extend foreign language teaching to the youngest pupils in primary school.
On Sunday, Mr Alexander, the Labour MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South, will accuse the SNP of concentrating on ancient conflict.
He will claim that while other countries are teaching their children Cantonese to move into the new economy, the SNP wants to restage Culloden.