devolution – Page 6 – Slugger O'Toole

Scottish referendum: ‘Devo more’ could be a unionist runner

Brian Walker on February 20, 2012, 8:13 pm

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On the subject of greater powers for Holyrood, there’s something of a right wing split between the Telegraph newspapers and the darling of the Tory grass roots, blogger Tim Montgomerie of ConservativeHome. The Sunday Telegraph leader dealt with the subject with a knowledge of the subject that would disgrace an unpaid intern: To concede greater powers to the Scottish Assembly is always to raise the question: why should they not be given more? This kind of condescension is an English …

It’s the English question now, stupid

Brian Walker on February 17, 2012, 12:58 pm

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The Scottish media were a PhD dissertation about chippiness all unto themselves,” reflected Mr Blair in his memoirs, the Times editorial (£) recalled. By those standards, it seems Dave’s nervous apologia for the Union in Edinburgh fitted the bill after all, presentation wise. Substance was more problematical. In the Times (£) the august Scots unionist Magnus Linklater, conscious of every kink in the Scottish soul saw the problem of staying schtum for two whole years about devo max or (devo …

The UK comprises four nations not two and its history is a lot more complicated than many seem to appreciate

Mick Fealty on January 30, 2012, 3:44 pm

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Nice piece from David Torrence at the Steamie (H/T Phil) Is any of this important? I think it is, not only because the history of any state is important, but also because the story of the United Kingdom gave rise to much of the political terminology we still use today. For example the term “Unionist”, in party political terms, refers not to those wishing to preserve the Union between Scotland and England, but those who want to retain the Union …

How the Scots don’t yet understand the English…

Mick Fealty on January 25, 2012, 8:06 am

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Fascinating piece by Peter Jones in the Scotsman in which he highlights how Tory newspapers sowed a senior discontent not simply with the Scots, but with the United Kingdom: …the advent of devolution is one of the factors which appears to have contributed to this rising discontent. The fact that it has appeared some 13 years after devolution first occurred is most likely due to recession. The media in England regularly feed their audiences with a diet of stories about …

Unionists too distanced from the future of the Union debate?

Mick Fealty on January 17, 2012, 8:41 am

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One of the reasons I argued that making the proposed marriage between the Conservatives and the Ulster Unionists would work well for both parties was that it would shore up Cameron’s party colleague’s woeful lack of understanding of the constitution of their own country. Something at Reg Empey shows a residual grasp of: “I feel that there is a real danger of the UK sleepwalking itself into a major constitutional crisis unless there is a proper and open debate on …

Only a fool would call the Scottish independence referendum at this distance

Gerry Lynch on January 10, 2012, 8:02 am

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“Scots, wha hae wi’ Wallace bled – Scots, wham Bruce has aften led – Welcome to your gory bed. Or to victorie!” Punditry is not an art that suits the modest. Anyone asking people to take time and trouble to read their writing, let alone expecting them to pay for the privilege, is usually best advised to claim some sort of special knowledge or insight that repays the time invested in reading their thoughts. In that context, I suppose I …

David Cameron has transformed the SNP’s long game of Scottish independence into a penalty shootout

Brian Walker on January 9, 2012, 6:49 pm

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David Cameron has hugely raised the stakes over Scottish independence by planning to give the Scottish Parliament legal powers to hold a binding referendum, provided it takes place within a tighter time frame than that envisaged by the SNP government. See the chess analysis by the doyen of Scots commentators Magnus Linklater in the Times (£, unfortunately) If this were a game of chess, the Prime Minister would probably be judged to have used yesterday the King’s Indian …

Back to the future with IONA?

Brian Walker on October 13, 2011, 12:03 pm

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Three cheers for the Guardian for giving space to the future of the Union ( the English-Scots version) and two to Simon Jenkins for trying to shake the Westminster establishment out of its complacency. Partly, he has in mind the commission being set up to review the conundrum of the “West Lothian Question” under which Scots ( and to lesser and different extents NI and Welsh MPs) can vote on English-only domestic measures but English MPs can’t vote on matters …

Devolution – the Respect Agenda

Dewi on June 1, 2011, 2:53 am

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The Devolved leaders’ statements from Scotland Alex Salmond, Carwyn Jones, Peter Robinson and Martin McGuiness set their stall for next week’s Joint Ministerial Committee meeting. There’s a bit of tension between Salmond and Jones on the next steps. To use one of those terrible business phrases it’s important to be on the same page….maybe I’m reading too much into it but unlike the FM and dFM Jones didn’t thank Salmond for his hospitality. Anyway – again from the BBC here’s …

To protect the Union, recast the Scotland Bill

Brian Walker on May 9, 2011, 10:13 pm

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A strategy for recovery for Unionism in Scotland comes from the unexpected source of John McTernan, a New Labour strategist much respected in Cameron’s Downing St. He’s here talking about a revival for the Scottish Conservatives whose low vote is actually underrepresented in both Parliaments. But he could just as easily be talking about the Lib Dems and even Labour, mutatis mutandis. The unspoken dimension of the debate about more powers for the Scottish Parliament is that Scots will be …

The case for the Union needs to be made

Brian Walker on May 7, 2011, 11:48 am

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Two veteran commentators give instant pronouncements on the implications for the Union of the SNP landslide. Leaving aside the Northern Ireland overtones just for now (please!) Charles Moore in the Daily Telegraph makes the obvious point that the essential case for the Union has yet to be put. The trouble is, the English political class can be the least qualified to make it, as their version of Britishness is so often post-imperial Englishness with a bit of multiculturalism thrown in. …

“There will be a referendum on Scottish independence”

Brian Walker on May 6, 2011, 4:15 pm

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BBC Scotland’s Political Editor Brian Taylor says a referendum on Scottish independence will happen. He would not have put his ample shirt on it to be wrong, when he could have hesitated. Folk in Scotland understand devolution. They get the concept. But they believed that they were voting in a parliamentary election – a Scottish Parliamentary election. Not a rehearsal, not a dry run. The more Labour reminded people that the main Unionist party was back in Westminster power, the …

Scottish devolution: Legitimising devolution rather than developing new Scottish politics

Mick Fealty on March 11, 2011, 2:57 pm

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Nice, typically probing piece from Gerry Hassan, asking if the Scotland’s settled view of itself as a progressive has actually benefited its people in the era of devolution: We need to ask if Scotland has told itself that it is this centre-left nation, anti-Tory, anti-New Labour – why has our politics not advanced this agenda in such a favourable climate? We have a Parliament with a host of political parties which profess to be social democratic, and a decade of …

Law making powers for Wales – it’s old hat..

Dewi on February 19, 2011, 9:50 am

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To coincide with our referendum the National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth have been digitising their copies of the thousand year old Laws of Hywel Dda. To quote the preamble: “The Laws of Hywel Dda are one of the jewels of Welsh civilization which bare witness to a developed and literate society in early medieval Wales. Although the images from NLW Peniarth 28 manuscript of the Laws are better known, the newly digitised NLW 20143A manuscript also includes interesting drawings. …

Welsh Referendum – things hotting up.

Dewi on February 15, 2011, 9:54 pm

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Shane says Yes! With a little more than a fortnight to go before polling on March the 3rd the Yes campaign is continuing the strategy of big name endorsements. Whilst maybe not engrossing the nation it’s getting a little nasty. Here’s the Western Mail’s take on maverick No campaigner Len Gibb’s latest lies. More positively what AMs would do with new powers. A real positive input from Helen Mary Jones: Plaid deputy leader Helen Mary Jones suggested beefing up the …

New taxing powers for Scotland: a sensible step or a botched job?

Brian Walker on January 27, 2011, 1:50 pm

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A major but flawed step in developing devolution is being taken as the Commons debates the Scotland Bill today, giving the Scottish Parliament the right to levy up to 10% income tax and some lesser measures. Alan Trench powerfully critiques the Bill in his blog Devolution Matters. Already nervous NI opinion dipping their toes into the choppy waters of devolution finance over a differential corporation tax will probably have a fit when they read this. The Bill would make the …

No “No” Campaign = No “Yes” Campaign

Dewi on January 13, 2011, 8:18 am

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In the run up to the March 3rd referendum things are getting a little strange here. Carwyn indicates the dangers. ….It is up to the Electoral Commission to designate an official Yes and No campaign, but both must pass a series of tests before they can reach that status and get access to £70,000 to organise their campaigns.. Under the rules, the commission has to designate an official campaign group from each side, or none at all. Speaking at first …

Short, Sharp Yes for Wales.

Dewi on January 4, 2011, 10:20 am

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The BBC reports on today’s official launch of the Yes for Wales campaign to secure legislative powers in devolved areas by winning a referendum on March 3rd. The national launch is followed by a series of regional events as the campaign’s website shows. First Minister Carwyn Jones states the case (wait a mo for video to kick in). There’s no doubt that Scotland and Northern Ireland are taken more seriously. Why? My argument would be it’s because they’ve got more …

Student finance goes nationalist in a four-way UK split. Can it last?

Brian Walker on December 16, 2010, 9:53 am

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So devolution looks like producing four different solutions to the problems of student funding, at least in the short term. The latest from Scotland is to charge strangers from the rest of UK so that young Scots can continue to enjoy a no fees regime in their native land. The money follows Welsh students anywhere in the UK, as Dewi celebrates and recommends NI follow. Iain McWhirter may be right, that the SNP may take a political trick with this …

Welsh Referendum – “Yes” have the big Mo….

Dewi on December 13, 2010, 11:48 am

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Been away for the weekend so have only just seen Saturday’s Western Mail Poll on voters’ intentions in next March’s referendum. 60% of voters said Yes, 28% No. Of those certain to vote (a meagre 39% of the sample) a stunning 73% said Yes v 23% No. Over the last month the gap seems to have widened considerably. How? Here’s John Osmond from the Institute of Welsh Affairs on Labour’s plan for a seamless run in to Referendum and then …