Scottish devolution

There are lessons from Northern Ireland for the SNP’s row over Nick Robinson and the BBC

Brian Walker on September 1, 2015, 1:49 pm

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The row between the BBC’s outgoing political editor Nick Robinson and the former Scotland first minister Alex Salmond reminds me of experience in Northern Ireland during the Troubles where there was a similar lack of fundamental agreement about the political destiny of the country. Nick’s row arose out of questions he put to Alex at a news conference towards the end of the referendum campaign. The SNP were playing down the theme which turned out to be the clincher in …

A spirit of genuine power sharing is needed to make more powers work for the Scottish Parliament

Brian Walker on January 22, 2015, 6:08 pm

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Power sharing of the genuine sort is clearly needed to make work the complexity contained in the 44 draft clauses of legislation to grant sweeping new powers to the Scottish Parliament. But not for a while yet, if ever. David Cameron’s visit to Edinburgh to present the Command Paper was marked by political jostling much more complicated that the heady simplicity of Yes or No in the referendum. It was preceded by the Chancellor yesterday pledging to try to bar Scottish MPs …

New powers for Scotland threaten constitutional crisis for the UK

Brian Walker on November 29, 2014, 11:37 am

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David Cameron’s claim that the Smith report will create “a stronger Union “ rings hollow when set against his insistence that the case for English votes on English laws is “ unanswerable,” If it means that English MPs should have a veto on any measure they don’t like that a future Labour government proposes, it will create a constitutional crisis . Equally hollow sounding is Scottish Labour’s praise for a good deal from Smith on the transfer of income tax powers …

For Scotland today, idealism like Ireland 1916, or be careful of what you wish for?

Brian Walker on October 23, 2014, 1:46 pm

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Guardian columnist Martin Kettle makes a bold comparison between the generational change in Ireland 1916 and the “energising “ impact of the Scottish independence referendum of 2014. He’s inspired by Roy Foster’s marvellous new book which I’m only just into: “Vivid Faces.” In his review Maurice Hayes quotes Holywood’s Bulmer Hobson who faced house arrest by his own compatriots who feared his dissent from the countermanding order. Those who began the great adventure with high hopes for social and political …

The pro-Union wheels are starting to turn in Scotland. But they could still come off the bus

Brian Walker on March 27, 2013, 11:08 am

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Not before time, the wheels may be turning at last in the creaking pro-union machine to craft an effective reply to the SNP’s delivery vehicle for Scottish independence. The leader of the Scottish Conservatives Ruth Davidson has done a U-turn (£) to explore the idea of more and greater taxation powers for Holyrood. I wonder if The Herald’s editorial is right, that this is as much a problem as an opportunity for Ms Davidson? The problem for the Tory leader is …

No chance of a Sinn Fein Scotland

Brian Walker on November 21, 2012, 10:30 am

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Jim Gallagher in his days as a civil servant one of the architects of developing Scottish devolution and still a leading authority on the Scottish Question discusses rival scenarios for Scotland’s future in the Scotsman, concentrating on the bottom line issue of control over tax and spend. Either way, whether the outcome is “devo more” as he calls it, or independence, he makes it clear that the English can’t be left out of the Scottish story. The detached reader might …