The old adage that one day of a Labour government is better than an eternity of Tory rule is as valid today as it ever was. But if socialism is – as Nye Bevan famously said – the language of priorities, and politics the art of the possible, the only way we are going to break the Tory hegemony and achieve a Labour government is to fuse what is desirable with what is possible.

In the Scottish context this adage has been slightly fudged as the Scottish National party have been in government for the last nine years but have consistently said that their lack of power means they cannot deliver for Scotland.

We can now test that as this is the election when Scottish politics changes for good. It dispenses with the excuses and prevarication by putting real accountability and responsibility at the heart of the Scottish Parliament. This state of affairs has allowed the SNP to do very little for nine years and to complain that their lack of power renders this unavoidable. In government, they have fused pragmatic inaction with a healthy dose of populism.

But times are changing. For the past nine months, I have been leading Labour’s response to the Scotland bill in the House of Commons, winning some big concessions along the way, especially on welfare. Other parties may have approached it with a desultory dismissiveness, but I have always seen the Scotland bill for what it is – an enormous opportunity for Scotland that we cannot afford to pass up. Now that the bill is all but enacted, Scottish politics is about to be transformed.

Excuses and prevarication will no longer wash. The Scottish parliament will be the true locus of political power in Scotland, with all the responsibility and accountability that entails. Scotland will have one of the most powerful devolved parliaments in the world, and unlike the SNP, Scottish Labour will not dither or delay. Instead, we will use the upcoming Scottish elections to offer a real platform for change.

It is not just about the powers we are going to get, it is about using those we already have.

The Scotland Act of 2012 transferred 10p of income tax to Scotland. Scottish Labour leader, Kezia Dugdale MSP, made the bold decision to propose increasing the Scottish rate by 1p to 11p, and using all the additional revenues to ensure Scotland’s future is protected. By channelling the money into councils and education, we can avoid further damaging job losses and protect the local services thousands of Scots rely on.

Regrettably but not unexpectedly, the SNP teamed up with their 2007-2011 bedfellows, the Tories, to reject this. But faced with the choice between using the considerable powers of the Scottish parliament and cutting into Scotland’s future, Scottish Labour will always choose to use the powers.

Our political predecessors established the Scottish parliament in 1999 because they wanted to bring power closer to the people, and Labour colleagues in Westminster are understandably envious at the powers Scotland has accumulated since 1999. They see the opportunity it affords to break from Tory austerity, to change the political landscape and build a fairer country for everyone who lives and works here.

Donald Dewar wanted to devise ‘Scottish solutions for Scottish problems’. Now – in a whole host of areas – we have the ability to do that. To make difference choices on tax, create a fairer welfare system and continue to build world leading health and education services. Scottish Labour’s priorities have never changed, and now we have the possibility to act upon them.

That is the positive message we will be spreading in every town hall, on every doorstep and in every street across the country up until the election.

One day of having the opportunity to use powers to make a difference is better than nine years of refusing to acknowledge you can.

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Ian Murray MP is shadow secretary of state for Scotland

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