"We would like to see a system where the Scottish Parliament is more responsible and accountable for its spending decisions, and we will work with others - the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, business and trade union leaders - to move this debate on."
We’d all like to see a more responsible and accountable parliament, no one could argue with that surely? All depends on your definition of “accountable” and “responsible” although I'm pretty sure Mr Murphy's won't correspond to the one set out in the Herald's headline.
Ahead of today's publication, Mr Murphy said that for all the "spats" that would inevitably occur between Westminster and Holyrood, devolution was built on consensus.
"No-one would expect a system not to have any issues at the margins," he said.
"That there are so few despite the significant powers granted to the Scottish Parliament is testament to the strength of the system and the work of both Governments in ensuring that devolution is fully integrated into policy-making.
No, no, no. That goes slap-bang against the Nat Narrative-
For the sake of the SNP, (if most definitely not Scotland):
Conflict=Good
Consensus=Bad
"However 10 years on since the Scotland Act is the logical time to take stock of the experience of devolution and to consider ways in which we might make sure that it remains relevant and continues to be the best form of governance for Scotland and the UK."
Again, who could argue against against those measured words?
Murphy’s softly, softly approach, much more so than any perceived" Brown Bounce", is what’s presently showing up the Salmond populist bombast and putting the SNP on the backfoot tactically.
8 comments:
I like Murphy so far. Best Secretary of State we've had in a long time, and actually managing to carve out a role for the office in a post-devolution world.
One of my friends went to university with Murphy. Lets just say Murphy's unionism does not extend to your part of the world.
Murphy has come out this morning to all intents and purposes for a UK Olympics football team.
Oh dear. There goes the honeymoon!
Problem is this. If the Spanish are the bunch of vicious sods as is claimed and they would veto anindependent Scottish membership of the EU,membership, then ipso facto the Spanish would use the Olympics to boot Scotland etc out of FIFA.
The aim of this would be to permanantly slam the door in the faces of the Catalan and Basque teams who want seperate FIFA representation and have been using the "Home Nations" as the precedent. Getting rid of Scottish etc representation would rid Madrid of this argument.
One of my friends went to university with Murphy. Lets just say Murphy's unionism does not extend to your part of the world.
Having read quiickly his biog he seems to have done quite a few volte-faces since his days as NUS Secretary. can't see too much he's said on the subject since then, perhaps his pov has matured?!
Murphy has come out this morning to all intents and purposes for a UK Olympics football team.
Entitled to his opinion, afaik I believe such a team without the support of the IFA, SFA and WFA will be impossible to set up- despite Seb Coe's pronouncements to the contrary
How interesting. A veritable army of unionist drones has been propogating the idea since before May 2007 that an SNP administration would simply mean grudge, grievance and conflict with Westminster. Yet here, we have the SoS not only saying that disagreements are inevitable, but that they've actually been few and far between.
That seems far too sensible a point of view for it to be allowed to persist. Never mind the imagined 'nat narrative' - is this evidence of a Murphy malfunction, necessitating a product recall for a software update?
"Never mind the imagined 'nat narrative' - is this evidence of a Murphy malfunction, necessitating a product recall for a software update?"
Heh! Reading more and more about his background, his present approach seems a bit out of synch with his previous. Seems more like new tactics tbh rather than a Damascus Experience...but even if that is the case, then a bit more "consensus" politics between Edinburgh and Westminster, everyone wins surely?
I think you're right about Mr Murphy's current approach contrasting with his 'previous'.
I've never understood why some folks seem to think that the SNP has an interest in provoking any 'conflict'. It's pretty clear that a big part of the SNP strategy is to show that it can govern Scotland better and more imaginatively than the last lot. Why anyone thinks that causing needless turbulence would aid that approach in any way is beyond me.
Regards,
Richard
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