Vocal Voices

But not, I note, in the English. Lord Smith reveals that all this work for Devo Max for Scotland can simply (well probably with a lot of bloodletting), be undone by Westminster voting to repeal the Scottish Assembly. Oh he's worded is such that it will be painful for whoever does the dirty deed. But as we know of politics, it is horsetrading and expediency. Should some greater urgency require Westminster to repeal all the assemblies and re-unite the UK; they have the power to do it.

So Devo Max is really just "under sufferance". I wonder how many Scots realised that when they voted for it? I've been clear since day 1 on my stance for Scotland. In or Out. It's the same stance I have for the EU. This Devo Max is the worst kind of half way house and I never wanted it. Clearly people think they can have their cake and eat it...

Clearly people think they can have their cake and eat it...you can if your a politician and someone else's cake as well !

There is more chance of me becoming Pope than the Scottish Assembly being repealed. We are heading for a Federalised Europe and a Federalised ex-UK is all part of the plan.

Before B'Liar, there was more chance of you being mistaken for Marilyn Monroe than Scotland was going to get an assembly.

So, in truth, whilst there may be more chance of you becoming Pope than Scotland losing it's assembly.

The operative word is "Today".

What Smith said is not new, it is not news. It was always the case and it was not hidden from anybody, in fact it came up a few times in the run up to the referendum.

However, any UK government, and let us be clear here and now separate that from "the English", would have enormous difficulty putting the various devolution genies back in their bottles. As Lord Denning once observed: Practical politics will always trump legal theory.

The Scots need not worry, devo-max will be delivered - eventually. It's those bloody English who will have some cobbled together half-way / no-way house of cards foisted upon them, regardless of their wishes, who need to worry.

NI has its Devolved Assembly. Wales has its Devolved Assembly. Scotland has its Devolved Parliament. What has England got? Proposals for more "Boris Mayors", more regions, and calls from useless council leaders for more powers - all of which we have already rejected.

Workingman wrote:The Scots need not worry, devo-max will be delivered - eventually.

Well, yes and no. The working committee dumped a whole load of “too difficult” issues in file 13. Just because they are “too difficult” for the working committee to fit into a few weeks does not mean that it is not a key and crucial issue for Scots. Like welfare. So it leaves the door open to another referendum in a short timeframe. Especially after Scots have seen what the promised “Devo Max” really means.

As I said before. It will be the Scots, not the politicians, who decide what is “Devo Max”. If they don’t like it they know exactly what to do now. Vote in so many SNP that they get what they want.

Workingman wrote:It's those bloody English who will have some cobbled together half-way / no-way house of cards foisted upon them, regardless of their wishes, who need to worry.

Life is hard when the boot is on the other foot isn’t it…. The English like it way less than the Scots did. Probably because the Scots entered the Union knowing they were the junior partner and so had to compromise. Capricious thing fate isn’t it…

Workingman wrote:NI has its Devolved Assembly. Wales has its Devolved Assembly. Scotland has its Devolved Parliament. What has England got? Proposals for more "Boris Mayors", more regions, and calls from useless council leaders for more powers - all of which we have already rejected.

Well English only votes in Westminster would do it perfectly. After all they have this grand chamber and all that pomp and ceremony. Who really wants another Hollyrood? An edifice to the egos of small time politicians…

Workingman wrote:The Scots need not worry, devo-max will be delivered - eventually. It's those bloody English who will have some cobbled together half-way / no-way house of cards foisted upon them, regardless of their wishes

This is what I'm worried about. If we are going to have a federalised UK then it is simplest to have Scottish, Welsh and NI Parliaments - and an English Parliament as well, not some cockamamie "regions". We won't get it though.