Think Positive

The Prime Minister - David Cameron - gave a bravura performance in Edinburgh yesterday - as he delivered a thoughful speech on the importance of maintaining a strong union of nations - between Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The PM spoke with passion and conviction - and put forward a positive case which his immediate predecessor - Gordon Brown - could never have matched.

Because Gordon Brown always focused on wildly overblown claims - that the nasty Nats are intent on dragging us all off to hell in a handcart.

Whereas David Cameron had no angry words of denunciations for the SNP or its leader - Alex Salmond - in fact he spoke with due respect for a Conservative party which has little support in Scotland - and even made a few decent jokes at his own expense.

Had this been Gordon Brown the audience would have been treated to a series of attacks upon the evil deeds of nationalists - and their leaders.

Instead of building a case that refuses to insult people's intelligence - bearing in mind the track record the Labour party has in Scotland.

And for Labour's tendency to look at issues from a London or Westminster point of view - just consider for a moment where all the best Labour politicians are based - or where the Labour supporting trade unions have their headquarters.

So David Cameron deserves 10 of of 10 for effort and presentation - and for trying to conduct a constructive debate and resisting the temptation to attack other people's charatcter.

But where I think his speech fell down is on the question of whether there should be - more than one question on the ballot box.

Because the Prime Minister surely does not believe - that we Scots are not smart enough to hold two thoughts in our head at the same time?  

The arguments for and against independence are already well developed - even if there are lots of people who have still to make up their minds.

The point is that many people do support the proposal to give the Scottish Parliament more powers - and to deal with Westminster only on issues which are clearly better done at a UK level - such as defence and foreign policy.

Which would allow us to get rid of most of Scotland's MPs at Westminster - who have little to do with their time anyway. 

Now that would save the whole country a bob or two - even more if we got rid of the House of Lords at the same time.