Full House

Fascinating, impressive, impassioned and open debate on NATO membership at the SNP Conference in Perth this afternoon.

I have been a long term advocate of this change in policy but winning that position was , in the end, less important than seeing the party prepared to tackle difficult issues in public with civility and forensic skill.

I was in the balcony and was endlessly fascinated by the rapt attention given to every position and shade of opinion.

To me the whole afternoon was a hugely important demonstration of the good things in our national debate which will run forward towards the referendum in 2014.