Good morning, and welcome to Holyrood‘s daily digest of the SNP conference. Follow @HolyroodMandy on twitter for updates from the conference hall, and keep an eye on our blog for news updates from speeches and fringe events.
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Session 1
14.00: Welcome address by Alex Salmond MSP, First Minister
14.20: Panel on progress in local government, chaired by Bruce Crawford MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Parliament
15.00: Address by Elin Jones AM, Plaid Cymru
15.15: Resolutions -
1) International relations strategy
“Conference believes that an independent Scotland would be a force for good in the world…”
Jamie Hepburn MSP & Julie Hepburn, Political Education Convener
2) Foreign language skills
“Conference believes that the decline of foreign language skills among young Scots represents a threat to Scotland’s economic and cultural future…”
Edinburgh Newington and Southside branch
3) European Free Alliance
“…the SNP should continue to work closely with independence-seeking political parties in the lead-up to the independence referendum…”
Ian Hudghton MEP & Colin Keir MSP
4) European Peace Corps
“Conference welcomes the first pilot projects of the new European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps…”
Alyn Smith MEP & Linda Fabiani MSP
5) Student Exchanges – ‘Year of Outgoing’
“Conference notes the benefits of Erasmus and other student exchange programmes…”
Federation of Student Nationalists
6) Scotland’s improving engagement with Europe and the EU
“Conference recalls and reaffirms its previous resolution in favour of the introduction of a tax on financial transactions…”
Alyn Smith MEP & Angus Robertson MP
16.45: Address by Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs
PICK OF THE FRINGE
17.30 – 18.30
A just Scotland: Ideas for a modern constitution
Alyn Smith MEP & Constitutional Commission
Playhouse Cinema, Ground floor, Eden Court Theatre
17.30
Can Scotland’s problem of reoffending every be solved?
Kenny MacAskill MSP, Justice Secretary & Laurie Russell, Chief Executive, the Wise Group
Jim Love Studio, 1st floor, Eden Court Theatre
17.30
Will the Scottish Government’s route map for renewable energy meet the energy needs of the future?
Rob Gibson MSP & Professor Patrick Corbett, Heriot-Watt University
Studio 2, 2nd floor, Eden Court Theatre
Paris Gourtsoyannis
Paris joined Holyrood in September 2011, and became education correspondent in May 2012. Born in Canada into a Greek family, and raised in Belgium, he came to Scotland in 2005 to study at the University of Edinburgh, where he was involved with award-winning student publication The Journal. Before working at Holyrood, Paris contributed to the Edinburgh Evening News, the Guardian and Guardian Local, and interned at think-tank Demos. His beat takes in all areas of Scotland's education and skills sector, including early years, adult learning, and employability...