Talk of powers is too little too late

ANDREW Wilson (“Wanted: national leaders willing to think 20 years ahead”, 18 May) pinpoints the deceit behind the London parties’ seemingly illogical policy of waiting until too near the referendum for further devolution measures to be investigated, so both sides might judge their relevance.

It is frankly insulting of David Cameron to expect Scots to surrender independence in return for some unspecified extensions of devolution; as Wilson reminds us, this promise was made after the 1979 referendum, yet five further Tory governments since then have delivered none.

Any such “rewards” would be unlikely to be arranged before the general election, and would therefore depend on: 1) a Tory government returned with overall majority and 2) Cameron remaining as prime minister. Both are doubtful.

As Andrew Wilson indicates, even the Scottish Parliament was given no more powers than those of the Scottish secretary, plus the unusable tax-varying facility – and we still have that secretary at Westminster. Now there’s an obvious gesture for the PM to make: establish that post in the Scottish Parliament where it belongs, then we might lose the feeling of being regarded as some colonial outpost.

Robert Dow, Tranent