Alex Salmond today urged his party to use their record in government to help make the case for full Scottish independence.

The First Minister told the SNP conference: "Winning the argument for independence and delivering good government in Scotland are two sides of the same coin.

"The better we govern, the stronger the case."

His speech to the first conference in the party's history as a party of government was greeted with a standing ovation before he began, and a longer four-minute ovation when he finished.

The mood of the 700 delegates who watched in the main conference hall, and hundreds more who watched from an overflow hall was celebratory but self-controlled.

The tone of Mr Salmond's speech was likewise celebratory within bounds, and otherwise serious and businesslike.

The speech contained two policy announcements - a pledge to complete the missing link of the M8 Glasgow-Edinburgh motorway, and a promise to scrap a quarter of Scotland's 200 quangoes.

The M8 is mostly motorway but is dual carriageway for a stretch through Lanarkshire and Mr Salmond said this was "not acceptable in the 21st century", adding: "I can therefore tell this conference there will finally be a complete end-to-end motorway between two of our great cities."

Of the quango cull he said the minority SNP administration came to power in a Scotland "dominated by a lobbying culture, a country almost frightened to know itself, always nervously glancing over its shoulder to Westminster".

One result of that was a crowded public sector with 200 national bodies created by legislation.

"It is our intention in the course of this parliament to reduce the number of quangoes and government agencies in Scoalnd by a quarter - smaller, fitter and better government for Scotland, more money for people's priorities."

But the bulk of Mr Salmond's speech was on a visionary scale, saying the SNP's election victory had ended "the days of Labour domination of Scottish politics" and would help pave the way for the goal of independence.

Recalling the "disappointment" of devolution in practice he said: "The election of an SNP government has given Scotland a second chance.

"Our job is to seize that opportunity, to be radical, to reform and renew."

He mocked former Scottish Secetary Douglas Alexander and his sister Wendy, Labour's Scottish leader - "one apologises to Labour for losing the election, the other apologises for almost wrecking the election".

Meanwhile, Scottish MPs will be stripped of the right to vote on English matters at Westminster under plans to be unveiled by the Conservatives.

Party leader David Cameron is being urged to back a radical plan which is designed to address the perceived growing constitutional imbalance which has grown up since devolution to Scotland and Wales.

The proposal, which has been championed over the past few weeks by Sir Malcolm Rifkind, the former Secretary of State for Scotland, will form the key recommendation of Mr Cameron's democracy taskforce, led by former Chancellor Kenneth Clarke.

It is due to report in the coming months. Under the plan, a new English Grand Committee - open only to English MPs - would be established to deal with matters, such as schools and hospitals, relating solely to England.

MPs from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland would continue to sit together in the Commons to vote on UK wide matters such as taxation, foreign policy and defence.

A Conservative Party spokesman confirmed that the plan was being considered, but said that no decision had yet been taken on whether it would be adopted as party policy.

"Ken Clarke's democracy taskforce is looking at the issue and will report back on it, but nothing has been decided yet," the spokesman said.

The plan is the brainchild of ex-Scottish Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind who drew up a paper as a response to the so-called "West Lothian question" of why, under devolution, Scottish MPs can vote on matters relating to England while English MPs cannot vote on issues relating solely to Scotland.

Sir Malcolm told a Sunday newspaper: "Since devolution there has been a growing English consciousness and that has given credence to the unfinished business of devolution.

"The issue is not an English Parliament. It is how you reform the way in which the House of Commons operates so that on purely English business, as opposed to United Kingdom business, the wishes of English members cannot be denied."

However the plan was denounced as "utterly unworkable" by Scotland Office Minister David Cairns.

He said: "Once you breach the principle that all MPs should vote on matters before them in Westminster you get constitutional anarchy."

The disclosure of the plan comes amid signs that English MPs from all parties are becoming increasingly restive at the way Scots are enjoying more and more benefits denied to their constituents.

At its party conference in Aviemore this weekend, the SNP confirmed plans to abolish prescription charges.

The announcement came after the previous Labour-led administration had already introduced free personal care for the elderly and scrapped university tuition fees.

It led Tory MP Graham Brady to directly challenge Gordon Brown in the Commons on Wednesday as to why his English constituents had to pay more tax so that the Prime Minister's constituents in Kirkcaldy could get free prescriptions.

Under Sir Malcolm's proposals, it would be up to the Speaker to decide which matters should be referred to the English Grand Committee, which would sit in the Commons chamber.

Welsh MPs would be able to sit on the committee for a transitional period as the Welsh Assembly has only secondary legislative powers.