Scepticism about Scottish devolution is growing fast

A report suggesting that the £414m Scottish Parliament building could reach the end of its ‘useful life’ by 2060 – after just 45 years – provides the perfect metaphor for the state of devolution in 2017: a parliament that has been noticeably reluctant to use its powers in the last decade slapped with a ‘use by’ date. Irony can be awfully cutesy at times. The Scottish Parliament’s problems don’t begin and end with its building though. A poll by Panelbase gave voters an opportunity to declare themselves scunnered with the whole enterprise of devolution. Asked if, instead of independence or the status quo, they would rather shutter Holyrood tomorrow, 19 per cent of Scots said they are up for a return to direct rule from Westminster. That is, as far as I can tell, the highest level of support for abolition since the Scottish Parliament was established. 

Kevin Pringle, former special adviser to Alex Salmond, poses this as a problem for Ruth Davidson, both as the de facto head of Scottish Unionism and because the same poll shows four in ten of her voters want to reverse devolution.