Eddie Barnes: Salmond's speech, the morning after

Scotland on Sunday has plenty of coverage of Alex Salmond's speech and the SNP conference today, focusing predominantly on the SNP leader's decision to pitch himself against the cuts in public services. But there were some other bits of the speech which we didn't manage to analyse in the body of the paper. Here are three that are worthy of some scrutiny.

"In all 63 of our 94 headline manifesto commitments have already been achieved - two thirds at just over half way through our term."

Sounds good but the SNP won't say what those 94 commitments are, making the pledge completely meaningless. How can you base your own rate of success on an entirely made-up measure?

"Ed Miliband gave the game away when he said there was no difference between the Tories and Labour. Quoted in the Daily Telegraph - where else for a new Labour minister?- he said....."

This got a laugh from the audience for suggesting that New Labour ministers' first port of call was the English-based Tory-loving Telegraph.....but which paper was last granted an interview with our First Minister, after other Scottish based papers had been turned down?....er yes, the Daily Telegraph (last Saturday)

"Delegates, today Labour says no to Scotland at Westminster - no to our calls for a further acceleration of capital spending that would protect and provide thousands of jobs."

I thought this was a news line when I heard it yesterday. Had the Treasury said no to Salmond's request for a fresh advance of capital spending? In fact, Alastair Darling has yet to say, and won't until his Pre-Budget Report in the next few weeks. So, in this case, 'no' is defined as the current absence of the word 'yes'.

All a bit fly.....there must be an election coming.