Tom Peterkin: Delivering the most radical reform since devo

THE Conservatives may have signed up to the Calman Commission when it was set up in 2007.

But it was always suspected that their enthusiasm for the project – which now looks likely to deliver the most radical constitutional upheaval for Scotland since the birth of devolution – was, at the very best, half-hearted.

Annabel Goldie did appear alongside Wendy Alexander, the then Scottish Labour leader, and Liberal Democrat Tavish Scott at the launch of the commission formed by the Unionist parties when confronted by an SNP government at the height of its popularity.

Born out of an attempt to seize back the political initiative, its formation was an attempt to satisfy a demand for constitutional change while safeguarding Scotland's Union with England.

But Sir Kenneth Calman's radical recommendations to give the Scottish Parliament borrowing powers, the right to set income tax levels and stamp duty plus new powers over firearms, speed limits and drink driving was fraught with difficulties for the Tories.

Why mess about with the giving the Scottish Parliament more powers, Tory sceptics argued, when time could be more productively spent tackling the economic crisis?

Conservative reticence on Calman has given way to the Liberal Democrats' enthusiasm.

But in some ways, Calman could play well for the Tories. It will be sold to sceptics as a means of ending English taxpayers' subsidising Scotland's block grant.

And putting Calman on the agenda could also prove an astute tactical move when it comes to dealing with the only main party in Scotland that did not sign up to the commission.

Alex Salmond's SNP argued that Calman was a Unionist stitch-up. He has, however, said that a multi-option referendum could include a question on Calman.

Faced with a Scottish Parliament set to vote down his Referendum Bill, Salmond had planned to offer Calman as a third option in addition to independence or the status quo. With MPs set to knock back the referendum, Mr Salmond would have been able to argue that his Unionist rivals were denying the public the chance to vote on something that they supported.

The prospect of Calman in the Queen's Speech pre-empts that argument and could spike SNP guns.