Wallace: Confident of success

Lib Dems Predict Victory in Scotland

He predicted that with growing support the party could return enough members to the Scottish Parliament to mount a serious challenge to Labour's electoral dominance north of the border.

With no Tory MPs in Scotland, the 10 Scottish Lib Dem MPs returned at the general election already form the main parliamentary opposition to Labour.

But in a speech to delegates at the second part of the Scottish Liberal Democrats' spring conference in Perth, Mr Wallace said hard work would be required to raise the party's share of the Scottish vote from the 13% achieved on May 1.

As its opponents have pointed out, under the proportional representation system proposed for the Parliament and supported vigorously by the Lib Dems, on this showing the party would ironically be behind both Labour and the Tories.

Mr Wallace's comments came after delegates voted overwhelmingly to join Scotland Forward's campaign for a double yes vote in the referendum.

In a speech given a rousing reception, Mr Wallace said: "With a system of proportional representation, with a party increasing in strength, and with the opportunity given to us, as the main Parliamentary opposition to this Government, there is every realistic possibility of Liberal Democrats being in Government in Scotland by the turn of the century."

"That puts a tremendous responsibility on us, and we cannot start too soon in developing the policies we will want to place before the voters in 1999," he continued.

"This is not heady pipe dream talk in the aftermath of a good election result, but rather a hard-headed assessment of the opportunity lying before us," said Mr Wallace.

He added: "But it will take effort, not just from MPs and candidates, but from staff, volunteers and local party members. For the reality of the Scottish Parliamentary elections is that targeting seats alone will not be sufficient. Our real challenge is to build up a popular vote."

Mr Wallace welcomed conference's decision to back the Scotland Forward campaign and emphasised that great effort would be required to persuade voters to choose tax-raising powers in the second referendum question.

But he called for the party to retain its distinctiveness, to argue for a new kind of Parliament totally different from Westminster and for tax-raising powers to improve Scottish health and education.

Earlier, in a debate on electoral strategy, the party's Treasury spokesman, Malcolm Bruce, told delegates it was time to end the image of the Lib Dems as a "fountainhead of ideas and constructive opposition".

"I think the first point we have to recognise is that we have to have a positive objective of increasing our share of the vote. Indeed at least doubling our share of the vote will guarantee us a pivotal place in the Scottish Parliament," he said.

He attacked Labour for demonstrating that it was unreliable when it came to delivering good government for Scotland.

"Every time Tony Blair opens his mouth, he shows a total lack of understanding of Scottish politics and proves once and for all for anybody who had any doubt that Fettes is just a misplaced English public school," he said.