James Forsyth James Forsyth

A ‘no’ to Scottish independence won’t save the Union

The longer the Scottish referendum campaign goes on, the more I fear for the long-term future of the Union. I suspect that the pro-Union campaign will win this September, but the way in which they will do this is storing up problems for the future.

The pro-Union campaign has, so far, concentrated on two messages: the dangers of independence and the fact that there’ll be more devolution if the Scots vote no to independence. These tactics will help with this September’s referendum—indeed Hamish Macdonell argues persuasively that a ‘devo plus’ offer would deliver victory. But strategically they are storing up problems for the future.

Gordon Brown is today proposing a whole slew of extra powers for the Scottish parliament. If the Brown blueprint was implemented, it would exacerbate the problems posed by the West Lothian Question.

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