Truss’s promising stance on Scottish independence

Much to the chagrin of colleagues, friends and ex-friends, I’ve spent the past few years raising the alarm about how Scottish devolution is gradually eroding the Union.

I’ve noted how the devolution settlement was devised as a fiefdom by arrogant New Labour architects who, unable to imagine anyone else coming to power, failed to include sufficient checks and balances. I’ve catalogued how the SNP has seized on this flaw to transform the Scottish Government into a permanent, taxpayer-funded campaign against the UK state. I’ve remonstrated about Westminster’s failure to notice the problem and its unwillingness to do something about it. I’ve proposed various models for reforming devolution so that it returns to its original purpose and becomes less of a threat to the Union.

Nicola Sturgeon’s decision to press ahead with a unilateral referendum — with a pitstop at the Supreme Court in October — is mostly a diversion to appease her party’s grassroots but it does helpfully illustrate the points I’ve been making.