EXCLUSIVE
Tom Gordon
VOTERS should regard the Smith Commission's plans on more devolution as "only the beginning" and tell Westminster themselves what home rule for Scotland should ultimately look like.
The Campaign for Scottish Home Rule (CSHR) will today launch a nationwide roadshow on the issue, as well as a new website and online consultation, with the aim of drawing out people's views on the final shape of a home rule settlement.
the UK Government last week launched a detailed command paper on how the Smith Commission would be translated into law after the general election, which LibDem minister Danny Alexander hailed as "the dream of Home Rule made real.
However the cross-party CSHR called the command paper a "missed opportunity" and "unsustainable", and said voters had yet to have their say on the issue and could help improve the current offering.
Hamira Khan, a member of the campaign's steering commission and chief executive of the Scottish Youth Parliament, said: "The aim now is to ensure Scotland's constitutional future is not just a political horse trade between politicians, and the people of Scotland have their say on what that is and how it is delivered.
"The Smith Commission proposals and Command Paper are only the beginning of this process.
"Poll after poll now shows that the majority of people in Scotland want a fair and meaningful Home Rule settlement and what was published last week does not represent Home Rule for Scotland."
She said feedback from the consultation would be published before the general election on May 7.
The roadshow includes public events in Edinburgh, Stirling, Glasgow, Inverness, Dundee and Perth in February and March in collaboration with the Electoral Reform Society, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, the Economic and Social Research Council and the Common Weal thinktank.
SCVO chief executive Martin Sime said: "What's missing is the opportunity for civil society and the wider public to analyse, critique and seek changes to the Smith Commission proposals.
"It seems our politicians still haven't understood changes to the devolution settlement need to be built on a wider consensus beyond party politics. "This roadshow is an important first step."
Willie Sullivan, director of the Electoral Reform Society Scotland, said: "Cross party agreement on Smith so far has provided some progress, but there has been a failure to consult on any meaningful level. This campaign will provide one space for engagement moving forward, and that is welcome. "Change needs to take place against a backdrop of public participation."
A Common Weal spokesperson added: "It's vital that the devolution process is improved.
"Our submission to the Smith Commission stated that substantial powers are needed for progressive policy solutions and to avoid inter-government conflict. The Campaign for Scottish Home Rule provides a space to support this change."
The Campaign for Scottish Home Rule was launched in November by financier Ben Thomson, the chair of the Reform Scotland thinktank who previously set up the Devo Plus group to call for more powers.
The steering group includes former Labour First Minister Henry McLeish, former LibDem MSP Margaret Smith, former Tory MSP Derek Brownlee, former SNP MSP Andrew Wilson, former head of media for the Scottish Greens James Mackenzie, former moderator of the Church of Scotland Dr Alison Elliot, and public services academic Professor Richard Kerley.
The campaign's three basic principles are that Holyrood and Westminster should have the tax and borrowing powers to raise the money they spend; that there should be a presumption in favour of devolving powers and the burden of proof should be on those arguing for powers to remain reserved at Westminster; and a written constitution should underpin mutual respect between the parliaments.
Website: homerule.scot
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article