Tavish Scott says momentum has been lost over implementing the reforms suggested by the Calman Commission.
The leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats has accused other unionists parties of 'dragging their feet' over the recommendations in the report, which backed substantial new powers for the Holyrood Parliament.
Mr Scott believes that labour and the tories are playing into the hands of the nationalists by allowing a policy vacuum to develop over the report into Scotland's constitutional future.
His comments represent a major breach in the cross-party unity shown since the Calman Commission, set up by the three unionist parties, recommended sweeping new financial and other powers for Holyrood in its report three months ago. At the time the mood of the unionist parties was that momentum had to be maintained to offer the Scottish people an alternative to independence and the devolution status quo.
Meetings of the steering group, set up by the parties, have taken place but much of the discussion has been left to civil servants in London.
When the report was publish Alex Salmond tried to win back the initiative by urging the three unionist parties to agree to putting the Calman proposals into a multi-option referendum, which would include independence, to be held towards the end of next year. That offer is highly unlikely to be taken up but there are now rising anxieties that both main UK parties, labour and the tories, could shelve the Calman proposals until after the next general election.
“I was always concerned that when Calman reported it was not going to be turned into anything tangible very soon. ”
Mr Scott added: “If you are on the side of reform, these two parties must not drag their feet. But that is the reality. The only person that favours is Alex Salmond and the SNP.”
Someone has to benefit from this expensive Commission and I would agree it presently appears to be the SNP. Alex Salmond's spokeman said that Mr Scott's remarks showed that the Calman Commission was 'splitting up into it's constituent parts.'
Credit to Tavish Scott for bringing this back up the agenda. He could do worse than have his party support the SNP's call for the immediate implementation of parts of the report where all parties agree.
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11 comments:
busted flush
It's time the liberals agreed to putting their own question to a referendum and stopped worrying about the SNP.
It is indeed Wardog and I think Tavish is paving the way for that.
yes it is and always would be as long as it ignored the nationalist people. Now can we please have an inquiry into this waste of money and send the bill to labour, lib dems and Con (merchants) for a refund
There does need to be a look as to the costs of this commission right enough Dram.
I wonder if Alex Salmond can use it as a stick to beat the unionists? Appalling waste of time it was too.
It's rumoured that the Calman Commission cost over half a million pounds. The commisson was set up by Mr Brown in England, but paid for by the Scottish government.
It's a lot of money by anyones's standards. If there were some good to come out of it, it might be worth it, but, if Mr Brown refuses to implement any of its proposals, I would question whether perhaps HIS government should pay for it rather than ours.
The question thought tris is will they?
We know the answer.
I knew it would all fall flat. Its becouse thew SNP back some of the stuff the Calman lot have come out with and now Labour see this as a problem.
The whole review is a stupid load of rubbish. At what time did they ask the public about what they thought ? The calman review should me named " The also ran bit of pointles rubbish"
AMW, it was initiated by Gordon Brown to halt the popularity of the SNP. Somehow it's done the opposite. :)
It seems, Spook, that if the SNP want to scupper any of Brown's "policies", all they have to do is say... "what a good idea that is" and the whole thing gets shelved.
Aye Subrosa, of course we know they won't pay. They certainly don't want middle England to see them handing over half a million English pounds to us "North Britons".
Whinging, grasping North Britons tris.
I was talking to a Yorkshire couple today and they're considering moving to Scotland. They have visited many times but what impresses them most is the way the SNP government have improved the NHS (the husband was a retired top medic). He is just sick of how England's NHS has been left to 'market share' which absorbs around 30% of the money thrown at it.
It's true what Clarinda and others with in depth knowledge of hospitals say, the money is creamed off for the management/consultant boys clubs.
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