BRITISH PRIME minister David Cameron yesterday offered Scots extra powers to run their own affairs if they reject an independence referendum sought by the Scottish National Party.
However, Mr Cameron and Scottish first minister Alex Salmond made little progress during an hour of talks in Edinburgh on the wording of the question to be put in the referendum.
Mr Cameron wants voters to be asked a straight Yes or No on staying in the United Kingdom, while Mr Salmond wants to keep open the option of asking the people if they want more powers for the Scottish parliament.
Speaking in Edinburgh, Mr Cameron repeatedly sought to display humility and counter charges that he doubts the ability of Scots to run their own affairs.
“I believe in the United Kingdom. I’m a unionist, head, heart and soul. I believe that England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are stronger together than they would ever be apart,” he said.
“I’m not going to stand here and suggest Scotland couldn’t make a go of being on its own, if that’s what people decide. There are plenty of small, independent nation states of a similar size or even smaller. Scotland could make its way in the world alongside countries like those.”
Offering more, but undefined, devolution if voters opt to stay in the union, the prime minister said: “When the referendum on independence is over, I am open to looking at how the devolved settlement can be improved further.”
The powers would be additional to those already included in the Scotland Bill, currently before the House of Lords, which would give Holyrood authority over 10 per cent of income tax – though the sum raised would be removed from the treasury’s current allocation to Scotland.
Later, Mr Salmond said he found Mr Cameron’s offer of extra devolution “surprising”, saying that Scots are being “offered something better, though he’s not actually saying what that is at the moment”.
Pro-independence supporters argue that Conservative promises cannot be trusted, since Scotland was offered a stronger Scottish assembly before the 1979 devolution referendum if they rejected the model then offered, but the promise was not honoured while the Conservatives were in power.
Before the encounter, Mr Salmond went to lengths to ensure Mr Cameron was offered a visual demonstration of the SNP’s current standing in Scotland.
In the meeting room, Mr Cameron was made to sit facing a map showing the SNP’s hold on seats in the Holyrood parliament, along with a copy of the 1320 Declaration of Arbroath.
In his later speech, Mr Cameron acknowledged the weak place enjoyed by the Conservatives in Scotland – where it now has just one House of Commons MP.
“More than a little humility is called for when any contemporary Tory speaks in Scotland. In fact, some say it might be wiser not to speak at all.”
