Sarah Boyack, Scottish Labour leader candidate and MSP for the Lothians.
These are momentous times for Scotland and for the Scottish Labour Party.
People voted in September for a stronger Scotland within the UK.
We now need to use the powers from the Smith Commission to deliver on that ambition.
The Scottish Parliament is coming of age, with powers to raise taxes as well as to spend public money.
I want to lead Labour in that new, strengthened parliament.
But devolution should not stop in Edinburgh.
I’ve made the case for double devolution – powers devolved from Westminster to Holyrood but also from Holyrood to local communities and local government.
The last couple of years have seen the Scottish Government centralise services away from communities in the north and north-east, in particular our police and fire services.
But there is far more to Scotland than the central belt and Scottish Labour must look to reverse that trend.
As a minister when we were last in power, I was determined that Scotland’s devolved government should address the transport and energy needs of the north-east and the Highlands and islands.
With new powers we can refocus that effort. I want to build on the progress made in bolstering the power of island councils and apply the same principles to our mainland communities too.
Scottish Labour backs devolution because we want power closer to people.
I believe I am the best candidate to turn that objective into reality after 2016, and that is why I am standing to be leader of Scottish Labour.