There was great excitement last week amid another clamour for further powers to be devolved to Holyrood whatever the result of the independence referendum.
The ScotCen Social Attitudes Survey showed, as it has consistently, that the majority of people want “devo max”. This would see control over everything bar defence and foreign affairs shift north of the border.
“Fair enough”, you might think. That is the will of the people. Indeed it is. However, there’s an interesting question not asked here. That is: “Why do we want more powers?”
It’s an important query, not least when you look at what those surveyed wanted to do with the powers. Nothing at all.
Income tax was the only issue explored in anything approaching an extensive manner by the survey. Half of the 1,497 people asked said they wanted taxes to be “decided and collected by the Scottish Government” while 46% thought Holyrood funding should be a “sum of money from the UK Government”.
So what would we do with such power? That’s right, nothing! Asked what the basic rate of income tax should be, 52% said “alwaysthe same in Scotland as it is in England”.
If we as Scots want more responsibility, we have to decide why. There’s no point in taking on more powers not to use them.
Constitutional naval gazing has gripped this country for too long with big issues side-lined. Further devolution is not necessarily bad but it is in danger of becoming pointless.