Double Standards

Nigels seems to be hogging all the news headlines these days - first it was Nigel Farage (pronounced Forridge) whose Arthur Daley/Del Boy impression - seemed to impress at the recent local elections in England and Wales.

Then a big blast from the past comes along as Nigel Lawson - Margaret Thatcher's former chancellor - announces that come the referendum in 2017 (assuming there is one) - he's voting to pull the UK out of the European Union (EU).

Now I don't agree with either of the two Nigels, but I can see that the second one has at least a serious political argument to make - which is that the the UK should be free to make its own big decisions on tax and spending - and how to run the economy in the best interests of UK citizens.

In other words, why do we need or want a giant, overblown bureaucracy in Brussels telling us how to do these things - when all we want is the ability to trade freely and on a friendly basis with our good European neighbours - instead of getting into bed with them politically and culturally speaking, as well.

Well to my mind that's exactly the sort of relationship that I would want to see  between Scotland and the rest of the UK - a settlement whereby the control of the Scottish economy rests with the Scottish Parliament - not the Westminster Parliament in London.

The Scottish Parliament would then raise all taxes and then pay our fair share in terms of  issues that are arguably better and more efficiently handled UK-wide - for example, defence spending and foreign affairs. 

Now this is the so-called Devo-Max option which recognises that Scotland is very different from the rest of the UK and should have strategic control over its own economy - instead of all the key decisions being made by another government in London.

In which case why do the two Nigels both support economic freedom for the UK outside the EU - while opposing economic freedom for Scotland inside or even outside the United Kingdom?

So it seems to me the two Nigels are operating to a double standard - in the sense that they are demanding something for the UK which they are keen to deny Scotland.

Or to put it another, they are just trying to eat their slice of cake and yet hold on to it at the same time - two slices for them and only one for the rest of us, is how I would put that.   

But in my opinion you can't have it both ways and so if things continue in this dishonest fashion - I'll need to think carefully about my preference for Devo Max.

If I'm denied a vote for what I think is best for Scotland in Devo Max - then maybe I should just vote Yes to independence after all.

Because as things stand there's a real good chance that the UK voters will support a withdrawal from the European Union by 2017 - or whenever people finally have their say.

And whatever your politics, you have to admit the people having their say over Europe is long overdue - it's a glaring a democratic deficit, if you like, particularly against the backdrop of the people of Scotland having their own referendum on Scottish independence in 2014.