The sovereign will of the Scottish people, by a margin of, give or take a bit, 55%-45 %, is to stay in the UK. In voting No, they put their trust in David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg to deliver more powers to the Scottish Parliament.
Here’s how senior Liberal Democrats reacted. First, Nick Clegg:
I’m absolutely delighted the Scottish people have taken this momentous decision to safeguard our family of nations for future generations.
In a dangerous and uncertain world I have no doubt we are stronger, safer, and more prosperous together than we ever could be apart.
But a vote against independence was clearly not a vote against change and we must now deliver on time and in full the radical package of newly devolved powers to Scotland.
At the same time, this referendum north of the border has led to a demand for constitutional reform across the United Kingdom as people south of the border also want more control and freedom in their own hands rather than power being hoarded in Westminster.
So this referendum marks not only a new chapter for Scotland within the UK but also a new chapter of constitutional renewal across the UK.
Willie Rennie:
Today Scotland is stronger.
Scotland has made. Proud and conscientious choice.
The people of Scotland have examined our relationship with the people of the rest of the United Kingdom and have decided no to walk away.
Scotland will never be the same again.
And as a result of Scottish votes, Britain will never be the same again.
These are exciting times. This No vote means we can get on with delivering more powers inside the UK this morning.
Kirsty Williams
I am delighted that the people of Scotland have chosen to remain part of the United Kingdom. This is good news for Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom, Wales included. However it’s clear that the UK will never be the same again, and as the entire country discusses its future Wales must not be left behind.
I’m absolutely clear that all parties must unite and speak with one voice as we call for power to be brought closer to the people of Wales. If we don’t, there is a huge threat that our nation could be marginalised and our voice diminished.
Labour and the Conservatives need to get their houses in order and make it clear to the people of Wales about where they stand on devolving powers. I challenge all parties to fully sign up to the recommendations of the second Silk commission as the Liberal Democrats have already done.
Wales needs its own say on taxation, policing, rail franchising, large energy projects and much more. Any further dithering on these powers will cost Wales dearly.
Liberal Democrats will continue to be the driving force behind bringing power closer to the people, fighting for a federal UK. We must unite to promote and build a new Union, not continue to stubbornly defend the old. Wales must have a properly functioning Parliament of its own, and I will not accept anything less for our nation.
Alistair Carmichael:
I hope all parties will now accept this vote was fair, legal and decisive and we have settled the question in a way which means we will not keep coming back to it.The decisive choice of people in Scotland to remain part of the UK is the beginning of a new, stronger country for us all.It comes at the end of a hard-fought two year process which has raised important issues for Scotland and engaged a huge number of people in the debate.We will continue that process by working together as one country, across the whole political spectrum, making life better for the people who live and work here.It’s also clear that the people of Scotland have overwhelmingly voted for a stronger Scottish Parliament within the United Kingdom based on the cross-part plan for more powers. That work will begin today and we will deliver it for everyone.
Finally, for now, Danny Alexander struck a balanced and measured tone speaking on the BBC’s results programme an hour or so ago. Thanking the almost 2 million Scots who voted to stay in the UK, he said that his main emotions were humility and a sense of responsibility to deliver the powers promised in the timescale set out -eg, to have a Bill ready by the end of March next year. He confirmed that there would be an inclusive process to deliver more powers.
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13 Comments
So, the cheap last-minute cobbled-together bribe, together with the two week disinterring of Gordon Brown, worked – or possibly it might not have been actually needed though the majority would likely have been microscopic? Once it has been established whether these ‘vows’ to Scotland on further devolution are written on the back of a fag packet or a brown envelope, somewhere under a mountain the people of England and Wales are stirring and wait to speak.
We have been assured throughout the referendum campaign that Scotland is, per capita , richer than England. So who has given any authority, on behalf of the poor people of the North East, North West, South West, Yorkshire and Wales for their cash to continue to be subsidised by an expanded Barnett formula with added goodies on top? Are our English and Welsh MPs going to sit back quietly and allow this? From what I can see,they never gave any consideration or endorsement to the detailed plans and timetable which the three Stooges put out last week. Will they do so retrospectively and expect to survive electorally? The idea that they can bring forward any kind of sensible constitutional settlement for England within the same timetable as that laid out for their skeleton promises for Scotland is completely laughable.
There is a lot more to regional English and Welsh concerns than just the Barnett Formula and some hastily-cobbled fudge for to the West Lothian Question. Providing our norther neighbours with powerful democratic and financial tools for their industrial and commercial development places our people at a gross disadvantage. Are we going to get another expensive useless intervention like the Elected Police Commissioners? Another set of NHS reforms, bedroom taxes or rules for sanctioning Benefits? Mr Farage will be rubbing his hands.
As a bare minimum, Danny Alexander should clear his desk at the Treasury. As an Englishman I do NOT want a Scottish MP, dabbling in the affairs of English budgetary matters.
@John Dunn – I think you will find Danny Alexander is British (as I am very glad to find myself this morning).
And I also think that you’re putting the cart before the horse. The problem isn’t that the Chief Secretary to the Treasury is an MP from Scotland “dabbling” as you out it in English matters, it is that the financial responsibilities of England remain at the UK level, rather than being devolved down to the regions.
Danny Alexander *as a Scottish MP* has made two statements this morning :
1. He thinks the Barnett Formula is fair. ( Not only is it NOT fair, it needs to go.)
2. He sees his priority as making sure devolved powers to Scotland transition as smoothly as possible. (If his priority is devolving power to Scotland, *and intends to keep the Barnett formula untouched*, then he by definition, sees less priority in English matters.)
In short, he now has a conflict of interest, and should do the decent thing and clear his desk at the Treasury.
We will be rushed into accepting an English Parliament if we are not careful. I submit that an English Parliament would be too big and no nearer the people than the current UK Parliament with its preponderance of English MPs.
Party policy has always been against an English Parliament and in favour of more local solutions. Now is the time to go for real powerful regional parliaments with the UK Parliament – greatly reduced in size – to deal with UK wide matters, foreign policy and defence.
Mick Taylor
Too late! Cameron all but announced an English Parliament in his Downing Street speech this morning.
Tories must be breaking open the champagne this morning. In English matters they will remove all those Labour, Liberal Democrat and nationalist Westminster MPs bringing about the probability of unfettered, unaccountable Conservative power. MPs will be elected in a UK wide election with foreign affairs, defence issues, anymosity tomthe EU being important but those from English constituencies will have exclusive voting rights on English domestic matters even though they are not accountable to the voters in an England only election.
A piecemeal, cobbled together, last minute fudge so typical of the Cameron+Clegg years.
I agree with Mick. Unfortunately no-one near power at Westminster does.
@Mick Taylor – agreed. An English parliament would be too distant. It would also be far too big. The population of Wales is 3M, Scotland 5M, Northern Ireland 2M. England is 53M. To have the same powers at the level of England would be to engineer in a gross democratic deficit from the start. So Scotland might be better served by two regions, but certainly you wouldn’t want any region bigger than Scotland, and I don’t think you’d want them smaller than NI. East Anglia (Norfolk / Suffolk / Cambridgeshire ) would be ~2.4 which seems about right to me.
@JohnTilley – and how is Cameron going to get that through without an overall majority?
Perhaps as a Party we should get things moving by setting an example, scrap our English Party and devolve all powers and responsibilities to the regional parties.
@JohnTilley – sorry. In a hurry, didn’t mean to sound that abrupt. What I meant was this is actually an opportunity for the LDs to reach out to Labour / Nationalists and others and outvote the Tories to create a new constitutional settlement. The LDs don’t have to follow the Tories lead, and might just come out of the coalition with credit, if they can deliver regional parliaments (for which the precedent is a voting system with an element of PR (hint, hint)).
Good comments here. The Tories are outmanoevering us all with the following plan:
1. Rush away to give the Scots the earth – full income tax raising powers etc – within Gordon Brown’s ridiculously short timescale. Make a virtue of sticking to the timetable and explain that in order to do that, we have to leave it to the next parliament to sort out what to do in the rest of the UK.
2. Then, sit back and wait for Tory backbenchers to make a clamour for “English laws for English people”. Point out that if we are going to provide a reasonable counterweight for England, now that we have given Scotland the earth, Regional Assemblies will not cut the mustard. We need an English parliament which matches the Scottish parliament in strength, which makes its own laws, which sets its own tax levels. Regional assemblies cannot do that.
3. Storm back to power in 2015 by campaigning for an English parliament. Tell the Lib Dems that their federalist ideas are weak, weak, weak.
4. Thus create an English parliament with an inbuilt Tory majority. By 2020, it will probably be obvious that the English and Scottish parliaments are where all the power lies, and the House of Commons can either be scrapped or else retained with the same sort of marginal utility that now apples to the House of Lords.
As JUF says, we need to work with others to kybosh this plan!
Cameron can announce anything he likes, but this side of the general election he can’t deliver it without our votes.