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Cardigan - "Scotland needs a democratic First Minister. Not a Viceroy."
#1
Alex Cardigan today announced new, bolder, more radical proposals for a Scottish Parliament than Labour or the Conservatives in Glasgow City Centre. Flanked by Charles Kennedy and Ming Campbell, the leader spoke with a more fiery and less jovial tone than usual, dressed in a grey tweed suit.

We’ve heard a lot from the Conservatives and Labour about proposals for the “new” idea in town, the Scottish Parliament, recently. I must confess, I am a bit set aback by it all. The acceptance of devolution as an idea across all parties is a new concept - if you can call what the Tories are proposing devolution. The amount of conference debates I have sat through on the intricacies of the Scottish Parliament over the last decade or two as a card-carrying liberal is enormous. That’s because devolution, as a project, as an ideal, is a fundamentally liberal concept. The Liberal Democrats have always, always, always been the firmest supporters of moving power down a notch - taking it out of Westminster, to the regions and nations and cities and towns and villages of Britain. 

We’ve heard a lot of talk about history. James McCrimmon references the 18th century and his Scottish heritage; the now departed Dylan Macmillan spoke about Perth’s role as the seat of Scottish monarchs and aristocrats. I am afraid that I stand here before you as a Welshman. However I think that if one is being truthful, and open, about British political history, an acknowledgement about the case for Scottish home rule has to be made - that it has always been a liberal case. From Gladstone setting up the Scottish Office, to the Government of Scotland Act so brutally abridged by war, to John McCormick, a great Liberal Party home rule advocate of the 40s and 50s, to the Kilbrandon Report, to the 1979 referendum, ONE party - just one - has been on the side of those who believe Scottish powers should rest with the Scottish people. The Liberal Party is that party, and the Liberal Democrats are carrying the baton forward a generation. 

At every step of the way, the case for devolution, to allow people to govern themselves, has been batted back by the Conservative Party. That is why their flimsy, ill-thought out, workload-doubling proposals for the Scottish Parliament are an absolute waste of our time. I have been known to be perhaps too mild-mannered at times; I was raised a Methodist, I find it difficult to be abrasive to my fellow man. But this is not a case of a step in the right direction but a different interpretation of devolution, or a movement that I don’t like, or don’t find offensive. I do find these proposals offensive. They are a shameless attempt to placate the Scottish people, who quite rightfully, and democratically, have clearly expressed at the ballot box repeatedly that they are tired of the Tories, and tired of being ruled by diktat from Westminster. People want power over their own lives and own futures - these proposals do nothing to that end.

The Prime Minister talks about cost-efficiency. It is a smokescreen. That’s why he refused, in Parliament, just the other week, to support my bid to save the taxpayer money on cutting MPs salaries. It’s why his party are so willing to waste their time on promoting an economic system that have put two million out of work and led to a topsy-turvy free market monstrosity being imposed on this country for a decade. It is why he wasn’t so worried when Scotland had to experience the brunt of the Poll Tax. Devolution, in its real form, is about giving power to those who can exercise it representatively - the Conservatives cannot be trusted on Scotland. There is a reason why 200,000 Scots have abandoned them, along with over half their Parliamentary seats, have been lost over just two elections - I’m proud to say, a huge number of whom are now reliably going out and voting Liberal Democrat.

It, by the way, is an utter nonsense to suggest that devolving power is expensive. It is the opposite. Bureaucratic diseconomies of scale that form throughout the rotting halls of Westminster are the waste of money. Paying enormous salaries and luxuriant expenses out to politicians who live in castles and country estates is a waste of money. Creating a layer of government that is efficient, understands local needs, and is actually representative of the people is a way of saving money, not losing it. The fact that civil servants in Whitehall have such a say over what goes on on the ground in Scotland leads to countless inefficiencies - inefficiencies that a modern, democratic Scottish Parliament would not have. Otherwise, the question of local and regional power becomes more existential. One imagines the Tories arguing Whitehall run your bin collections and pothole repairs too, if he feels power should be in Westminster so passionately.

This debate has also brought to highlight the stunning inequity of our First-Past-The-Post electoral system. How can a Parliament function democratically when nearly seventy percent of its members are members of the same party? It doesn’t work at Westminster, as we can see, and it doesn’t work here. We need government of all the people, of all the talents, and scrutiny of the highest level. It’s all well and good to make sensible devolutions of policy areas - education, health, the environment, the law, welfare, and in my eyes, to plan to devolve further powers after the first term. However, the people of Scotland will not have a government any more accountable unless this new Parliament adopts proportional representation. We have a historic opportunity for constitutional reform here. The Liberal Democrat proposal is to have a Parliament of 101 - as Scotland is a nation, not a local authority - where you get a real local representative in a constituency, alongside a proportional member elected on a regional list, and salaries far lower than at Westminster. To make our democracy more open, transparent, and to bring power down to the people is our aim - the way to do that is by creating a truly democratic chamber, not this sham democracy proposed by the Prime Minister. 

Scotland deserves a real Parliament. The Scottish people deserve a real say over how they are governed. The Liberal Democrats have been at the forefront of this movement from day one. There is good reason why we have, even in our darkest moments, returned a strong contingent of Scottish MPs - because people trust us, and know we will stand up for them, and provide first class local representation for them. We must approve this Scottish Parliament via a public referendum so it has popular approval, and is a Parliament of the people, not of the patricians. At this pivotal moment in our nation’s history, we must not turn to the past, and allow leaders like myself, like James McCrimmon, and like Bibi Lauria to point and blame others. We must look to the future. We need a Scottish Parliament that does not look backwards, but that is truly modern, accessible, dynamic, cost-efficient, and that strives to make the public services that people in this country rely on even better. To do so, we need it to be democratic and open - and proportional representation, public approval, and a not just a new level of Government, but a new style of governing, is the way to do that. Scotland needs a democratic First Minister. Not a Viceroy.
Alex Cardigan MP
Deputy Prime Minister (1992-present)
Leader of the Liberal Democrats (1990-present) | MP for Montgomery (1983-present)
Former BBC Broadcaster | Liberal Party | XP: 20 | Issue Champion | Safe Pair of Hands
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#2
Devolution and in particular issues relating to Wales and Scotland are always going to be of significance to the Liberal Democrats given their presence in such regions. In the wake of Conservative and Labour proposals, Cardigan needed to set his own stall out here ahead of the upcoming election.

He does a reasonable job of presenting his proposals and in pointing out the weaknesses of other proposals. He also does a good job of critiquing the other party leaders, responding to media and polling feedback that the public were looking for a 'punchier' Cardigan for the election campaign.

1XP for Cardigan.
Redgrave | A-Team
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