On further Scottish and Welsh devolution, it would be entirely consistent and honourable for the party that legislated for the present arrangements to say that that the matter should be left there, and that in any case the whole thing was a side issue while there was both an economic crisis and a war on. That is certainly the private view of most of its MPs from Scotland and Wales, and the public view of a few of them. On that basis, there is an alliance to be built with the backbench Conservative Right.
It was only the absence of the hope of office at Westminster, combined with the positive expectation of it at Holyrood and Cardiff, that made the Lib Dems enthusiasts for devolution. But they are now in office at Westminster while no longer in office either at Holyrood or, for quite a while, at Cardiff. Scottish and Welsh Lib Dem support is concentrated in areas where devolution has never been terribly popular, and the party is not doing very well at all in Wales.
As local communitarian populists and as battlers for single issues, Lib Dems are interested only in institutions that deliver the goods. As on the EU, so also on further devolution, they, too, can say with entirely straight faces that having supported the creation of what currently exists does not necessarily compel support for anything further. At least on their back benches, they may very well say so publicly, as they already do privately. Especially if they are given opportunities to do so. By the Leader of the Opposition.
Ed Miliband, over to you.
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there is a new post up at http://thequestforthepearl.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteStrangely the Scottish papers are reporting the opposite of what you want. Indeed John "guest of Scotland Yard" McTernan wrote in the Scotsman at the weekend the need to accelerate the implementation of Calman. He even called for the Scottish Parliament to have a role in analysing the new devolution bill as well as the UK Parliament.
ReplyDeleteTo quote:
"This is a major constitutional change. It needs scrutiny from both Houses in Westminster. And, I would hope, a role for the Scottish Parliament - otherwise wat precisely is the point of the "respect" agenda"
(I will allow you to scream and hurl things at the wall that Blair's former political secretary could suggest such a thing)
Feeling better?
To quote him:
"A paradox about the Scotland bill is that the current (Con-LD) Scotland Office needs the former (Labour) Scotland Office to help sell it. Can the coalition have the sense to reach out?
Finally, no big change in politics succeeds without a sense of theatre. My advice? Go for it - publish the bill on St Andrew's Day."
Who asked him? He's just some Blair bag man from the past. Probably has no motivation beyond subverting Ed Miliband.
ReplyDelete