Can Cameron Deliver on His Promise to Scotland?

Well, Pete, I’m not so sure that David Cameron done brilliant in Edinburgh yesterday. To put it mildly, he has complicated an already complex situation. How does the Prime Minister think Scotland should be governed? How much Home Rule does he think is enough Home Rule? What “further powers” does he mean? Neither his speech nor his answers to questions give us any real idea at all. As I said yesterday, at least we have a reasonable – if still imperfect – idea of what Alex Salmond means by independence. Cameron’s preferences? An utter mystery.

Moreover, if, as he plainly concedes there is a reasonable case for “further powers” then why must we wait until 2015 to discover what they may be or have a proper debate about the next phase of Home Rule’s evolution? The Prime Minister argues there’s no need to wait until 2014 to have an independence referendum but, on yesterday’s evidence, thinks there’s no rush to spell out what he means by “further powers”.