A couple of Holyrood notes to catch up with:
- GORDON BROWN is refusing to call the body tasked with reviewing devolution a "commission" because he believes it would give an "incorrect impression about its status".
The prime minister used that phrase at a Downing Street summit on the Union, a full account of which has been leaked to this newspaper.
He also backed a review of Holyrood’s financial powers only after he was pushed on the issue by UK justice secretary Jack Straw and Scotland secretary Des Browne. {Sunday Herald)
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The big message [from Nick Clegg]? That the LibDems want maximum devolution to emerge
from the proposed Commission/review backed by his own party, the Tories
and, of course, the UK governing Labour Party.
As with Nicol Stephen earlier, it’s no to Gordon Brown’s two way street.Instead, the LibDems want one way traffic: more powers to
Holyrood, then on down the road to local communities. (Brian Taylor –
BBC News) - Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Nicol Stephen has urged the Scottish Government to work with his party to scrap council tax.
Mr Stephen said it was time to team up with the Scottish National Party to bring in a local income tax. (BBC News)
Perhaps the Lib Dems will play a more astute Scottish game under Clegg than they did under Menzies Campbell. A tilt towards the SNP would be a good way to distance themselves from both Labour and the Tories without making them appear irrelevant.
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