Will Burnham’s devolution to the North extend north of the border?
The contributed piece by Jonathan Wills made for interesting speculation. Some interesting questions arise; not least the issue of more autonomy for Shetland and whether we are up to it, or not.
The most recent pronouncements from our President-in-Waiting show a determination to devolve to ‘the North’.
These proposed actions are however not, in and of themselves, sufficient to inject economic growth into those areas blighted by ruthless industrial decimation and decline, created by 35 years of Tory and Tory/Lib-Dem poverty creatin years in ‘the North.’
It takes at least two terms of uninterrupted government to turn the creaking and failing UK establishment around. This is proven by the Thatcher and Blairite years in government.
It takes but months to decimate a village, town or region with one or two major policy changes and related closures. It is easier to knock down or close, than to build, as the SIC have found out the hard way.
It has taken Scotland 26 years to make the progress it has. Relatively slowly, until the SNP finally found their feet and learned how to govern, sometimes with understandable fallibility for those new to power.
A new political class, as of this recent election, has finally come into being.This Scottish Parliament more than any other, is new. So will Burnham’s devolution to the North extended north of the border with perhaps finally the Devo Max we were promised in 2016?
We were lied to, of course. In more ways than one. We watched as England tore itself apart over Europe, wrecked the economy, at least three times, with Cameron-Clegg’s unnecessary austerity, then EU departure and Boris’s mis-management of Covid, seeing £millions in contracts go to his friends and Truss-economics, the final coupe de gras, that will take ten years to recover from.
But does New, New, New Labour have ten years? Will Andy Burnham play with honesty and integrity and at the very least give us Devo Max, to give us the opportunity to fully prepare for an autonomy referendum in five to ten years.
Finally, any change in Prime Minister who intends to stray from the core election manifesto should, in any democratic nation, hold a general election. But there has been enough upheaval.
James J Paton
Lerwick
