The Coo's Tail

I am finding it increasingly difficult to follow the twists and turns of Labour Party policy when it comes to 'home rule', Devo Max and more powers for the Scottish Parliament.

First of all, the Scottish Labour Party publishes its own, official submission to the Smith Commission which is considering the whole issue, on a cross party basis, on behalf of the UK Government. 

Now Scottish Labour's plans are, arguably, the most 'conservative' and least ambitious of all the political parties in Scotland since they propose that the Scottish Government should, in future, be able to raise 40% of its own budget (with the rest topped up by Westminster).

But hot on the heels of the official Scottish Labour announcement Gordon Brown unveils his own Plan B which would allow the Scottish Government partial responsibility for both income tax and VAT which would allegedly increase this figure to 54%.

So Gordon Brown, who is a part-time and backbench Labour MP these days, has effectively gazumped his own party and made its Scottish leaders look very silly by saying publicly that their ideas are not radical enough.

Yet the 54% and 40% proposals don't go even as far as the Scottish Conservatives who are arguing for the Scottish Parliament to have full control of income tax which alongside other measures would increase the 'controlled' spending figure to 60% of the budget.

The Scottish Lib Dems want to go still further by allowing the Scottish Parliament to control 'most' of its own spending (whatever that means) while the SNP are demanding full control over fiscal and tax policy, with responsibility for defence and foreign affairs only being reserved to Westminster. 

So the scene is set for an interesting battle of ideas, both inside and outside the Smith Commission, but I have to say I can't see Scottish Labour insuring many people because their proposals are bringing up the rear, or to use a good Scots expression the People's Party are at 'the coo's tail' yet again.