What actually did we vote for?

Well, it’s the morning after….

Two weeks ago we had one question on the ballot paper.  Should Scotland be an independent country. Yes or No.  That was till two weeks ago.  It was nice straight forward and simple.  Yes or No.

But that actually was not what people were voting on yesterday.  If people think it was, they need to think again.  The status quo was not an option according to the three party leaders and the shadow of Gordon Brown.  What we ended up with was should Scotland be an independent country or do you want Labours vision of Devo, or the Conservative vision of Devo, or the LibDems vision of Devo, or Patrick Harvey’s vision of Devo.  Or indeed, the SNPs vision of Devo.  All very very different.  Then there is the Plaid Cymru version of they want for Wales in this new Devo friendly world.  And the Cornish version.  And the English regions.  

Are we going to be given another vote to decide the options of Devo that Westminster is going to offer us.  It would hardly be fair of have one version which few may support being implemented while another version many would support stays in the sidings. Or will they just impose it.

Oh what a foolish thing the three party leaders and the shadow of Gordon Brown did by intervening. One rogue poll.  They panicked. Showed amazing lack of judgement. They made promises that broke the Edinburgh Agreement.  And they made promises that have now saddled the UK with one massive problem.  All the more remarkable as there was only one of the polls that suggested a No vote. I think most of us expected a very close, but ultimately No vote.  They have given away, or more accurately, have said they will give away, more powers from Westminster. It’s going to be an interesting time.

So if someone tells me they voted No, I will remind them that voting No actually did not mean the status quo.  So which version of Devo did they vote for?

It is quite ludicrous.  There were probably many people who voted No but certainly don’t want Devo anything.  As I head one person say, I just want things to be the same.  Where is their voice in all this?  

I think we can safely say, since the intervention of the three leaders, not only will it never be the same in Scotland, they have dragged the whole UK into this and now it will never be the same for them either.

And a closing thought for those of you who think any of the Devo proposals will sail through Westminster without he Barnett formula ending in tatters, think again.