The decisive No vote in the independence referendum hasn't just changed Scottish politics.
Its impact is resonating across the UK, signalling a major revision of where powers should rest. Change is coming and, for Glasgow, it can't come soon enough.
The vow to transfer additional responsibilities to Holyrood will be honoured but, across Britain as a whole, it is cities and city-regions that are best placed to deliver the opportunities to flow from the next phase of devolution. This is part of a global metropolitan revolution that is gathering pace.
Humanity is an urban species. More than half of the world's population lives in cities that generate 75 per cent of economic output. By 2050, two-thirds of the world's population will live in cities. Today, I will join the leaders of Cardiff and England's eight biggest cities outside London for the first meeting of the UK Core Cities cabinet since Glasgow became the first non-English city to join.
Together we are a powerful voice for economic and constitutional change. We have an impressive track record of regeneration and are powerhouses of the UK economy but we have the potential to achieve so much more.
Our message is simple. Transferring powers and resources from both Whitehall and devolved governments to cities and city-regions is the most effective way to achieve economic growth, rebalance an over-centralised Britain and tackle persistent inequalities.
This is a vision shared by Glasgow and Aberdeen as much as by Newcastle and Birmingham. It is based on outcomes, not borders. The No vote has started a process that is changing the constitutional environment of the UK forever for the better.
Change must come and it must come promptly. However, if we simply demand that more powers are centralised at Holyrood rather than also devolved to city regions we will have squandered a once-in-a-generation opportunity. We will be putting Scotland at an economic disadvantage because the rest of the UK will pursue the city-region agenda regardless.
Glasgow has already secured a £1.13 billion City Deal. It was agreed and signed off by both the UK and Scottish governments shortly before the referendum. We are strategically placed to capitalise on a progressive shift of power and responsibility to cities. I hope and expect that other Scottish cities will soon follow suit with their own City Deal plans.
For perfectly understandable reasons, the Scottish Government appears to have been somewhat torn between recognising the role and future potential of cities (which it does) while, on the other hand, presenting a more unified view of Scotland as it encouraged us to become independent.
During a highly charged referendum campaign it suited the Scottish Government to present a picture of, say, Aberdeen as being more like Crieff than Cardiff. For its part, the UK Government has had an easier time in understanding that our core cities are alike, regardless of where they are in these islands.
That is why I believe this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. With the question of independence put aside for at least a generation, it will never be easier for the governments in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast to agree that making each city stronger will make us all stronger.
This is also an opportunity for people from different political viewpoints to put their differences aside. The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats at Westminster, the SNP in Edinburgh and Labour in the Clyde Valley are in the early stages of what could be a productive and successful long-term relationship.
I and my fellow council leaders across Clyde Valley will work in a spirit of mutual respect and partnership with both governments to deliver the economic growth at the heart of our City Deal. There can be a real legacy from the current constitutional debate: a stronger Glasgow, a stronger Scotland, and a stronger UK; more economic growth, more jobs, and less poverty. There is a prize to be won if we have the vision to fight for it.
Gordon Matheson is leader of Glasgow City Council
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