Scottish Labour Party Conference: Ed Miliband speech

Scottish Labour Party Conference: Ed Miliband speech; Ed Miliband speech continued SOT - And let me also say that I will be supporting the Scottish election campaign with Jim's excellent successor, a woman with grit and determination, Ann McKechin. In fact, we have a record number of women in the Shadow Cabinet. And I can tell this Conference I won't rest until we have true gender equality in our party. And let me pay tribute to the best fighter for gender equality and equality in every sense that our party has, our fantastic deputy leader Harriet Harman. Let me also thank our formidable Scottish General Secretary, Colin Smyth and his team for the work they do and the dedication they show. And I want to acknowledge the excellent work of our councillors all across this country. We must make sure that as well as winning the Scottish elections in 2011, we also win back control of councils across Scotland in 2012. Coming back to Scotland reminds me of the many occasions I have come here with the person I worked with for a number of years, Gordon Brown. He taught me many things about Scotland and about politics. It was my privilege to work with him to help win those first Scottish Parliament elections. He has an incredible legacy: he improved the lives of millions of people here and around the world. I am proud to call him my friend. We should pay tribute today to Gordon Brown for his leadership of our party and our country. I remember visiting Gordon at his home in Fife and looking over the River Forth where my father served in the Royal Navy during the war. Along with my mum, he came as a refugee from the Nazis and built a life here. It was his values, it is my mum's values that explain why I am standing on this stage today. They taught me some basic principles: most of all, a sense of optimism that politics, that people can change our society and be a force for good. Fundamentally this is an optimism about people acting together, and their ability to c...