Britain:Alex Salmond yesterday set the SNP's eyes on independence and claimed Labour had lost touch with Scotland.
Opening the SNP's first annual conference as party of government, the first minister claimed Westminster would try to make life difficult for the minority government in Edinburgh.
Mr Salmond received a standing ovation when he entered the conference hall and a video featuring the highlights of the election victory was shown ahead of his speech.
He told delegates: "People's identity with politics is changing. Labour lost their first election in 50 years in Scotland.
"As you can probably detect, they don't like it very much." He went on: "I don't think they have just lost the election, I think they has lost touch - I think they are losing the connection with the Scottish people."
Mr Salmond's opening speech to the conference acknowledged the mood of celebration in a party still having a honeymoon period after winning power last May.
"I'm sure the country will excuse us over the next few days if a wee bit of celebration creeps into our proceedings," he said.
He promised a flurry of policy announcements over the next three days, including plans for a £100 million investment in colleges and universities announced later yesterday by education secretary Fiona Hyslop.
His speech also listed the party's achievements so far in its 160 days of power as a minority government, including moves to scrap road tolls, and scrapping of the £2,289 "graduate endowment" charge which Scottish university graduates are required to pay.
But he also set his party's eyes on the future in an upbeat speech.
He told the activists a recent poll showed people increasingly identifying with the SNP. "That is hugely significant for the SNP as Scotland's party.
"What it shows is the historical dominance and political allegiance in Scotland for Labour is now well and truly over." Mr Salmond told his party: "We must expect Westminster to make life difficult for Scotland.
"I don't think they are sitting round the cabinet table and cheering us on." Chancellor Alistair Darling's budget settlement for Scotland was "extremely bad" - and amounted to an argument for "independence and responsibility" in Scotland.
"People will look askance at the budget squeeze on Scotland when this morning's price of Brent crude is $86 a barrel, heading towards three figures - and the revenues from Scotland's resources flood into the chancellor's coffers even as he squeezes the Scottish budget over the next three years."
He added: "They are not going to stop us. Scotland is moving forward. We are changing and witnessing major advances in the nature of Scottish politics."