Cameron must say where Tories stand on more devolution

Published on Wednesday 18 November 2009 20:38

DAVID Cameron is learning the hard way that being prime minister-in- waiting is harder than it might appear. Last month, the Tory leader ended up looking foolish after he repeatedly refused to say whether he would back a referendum on Europe if the new EU treaty was passed before he took office. Eventually, under intense pressure, he had to come clean and admit he would not.

The episode left him looking evasive and indecisive – never a good combination for a politician. So, has Mr Cameron learned a lesson from this? Has he learned that it is incumbent upon him to be honest with the voters about his key plans for government, even when polling day could be seven months away? Not if his response to yesterday's Queen's Speech is anything to go by.

In Scotland, over the past decade, we have become used to Queen's Speeches in which the focus is firmly on what the government will do for England. That is an inevitable consequence of devolution. But amid yesterday's pomp and splendour at Westminster, there was a significant Scottish announcement – a white paper on Scottish devolution, which will "take forward" changes to the powers of the Holyrood parliament. The detail is still unclear, but there were hints last night that the government will look kindly on the main recommendations of the Calman Commission, the body backed by Labour, Mr Cameron's own party and the Liberal Democrats. The question now is, what does Mr Cameron think?

Last night, he seemed reluctant to say. It is understood he is not keen on borrowing powers for Holyrood. But what of Calman's radical proposals on widening the powers of Scottish ministers to vary income tax? What of Calman's suggestion of devolving power over stamp duty? And why not back borrowing powers that would give the government of Scotland the same freedom as that afforded to local authorities, allowing it to finance big projects such as a new Forth road bridge?

It could be argued the conclusions reached by Calman chime with some very basic Conservative nostrums. For example, his commission wanted to increase the Holyrood parliament's fiscal responsibility, so it was more accountable for the decisions it took on public spending. The aim was to further diminish the dependency culture. So, does the Tory leader trust the Scots to take on this responsibility? So far, he is not prepared to say.

This is simply not good enough. The debate on the governance of Scotland is entering a crucial stage, with Labour set to clarify its plans within a week or two and the SNP government poised to unveil on St Andrew's Day its legislation for a referendum on independence. Scotland needs an open, informed and intelligent debate, and it needs to know where the Conservatives stand. Mr Cameron and his government-in-waiting might prefer to hold back until nearer the general election, but this will not do. The debate is happening now. The Conservatives must be part of it.