Scotland is experiencing a political stalemate, why Holyrood needs to evolve

Co-authored with Professor James Mitchell of Edinburgh University, the book reviews, the history of Devolution since the early debates on Home Rule at Westminster in the 1870s, the start of the Scottish Parliament in 1999 and developments over the past 25 years.

The book argues that Scotland’s politics must move beyond the narrow preoccupation about whether Scotland should be independent or whether another independence referendum should be held. Instead other ideas, issues, policies and challenges demanding our attention are being ignored or neglected. The focus on independence and the divisions it creates are exhausting the political energy of the nation, avoiding much needed social and economic reforms, and undermining the Nation’s resilience.

New thinking on a range of policies is not happening. We are more like Westminster, than we think! Many issues could be taken out of the constitutional debate allowing for greater inter party collaboration across the political divide.

This is not to deny the importance of long term aspirations driving political parties, but Scotland is experiencing a political stalemate. The nation is stalled, major issues lie unresolved, the policy agenda looks frayed, political mood is low, independence has lost momentum and electors are anxious, angry and keen to protest.

There is no unity of national purpose or intent. Governance looks tired and lessons are not being learned. An atmosphere of uncertainty and electoral insecurity exists as political parties prepare for the Scottish Parliament elections in May 2026: likely to be the most important since 1999. Scottish politics is understandably low on the public agenda as the chaos and trauma of global, European and UK issues capture the attention of voters.

Campaigning and governing are different mindsets. Governing requires constructive engagement, mutual respect, trust and compromise. But issues of importance often become embroiled in battles within the governing party.

The growth of populism, feeding on disillusionment and disruption and speculation on the possibility of a major breakthrough for the Reform Party, previously UKIP and the Brexit party, cannot be ignored.

We need to reflect on the successes and failures of devolution and build a programme of reform, which could be embraced by a broad swathe of public and political opinion: a new conversation is long overdue.

Tim Harford in a column in the Financial Times in November 2014 noted that, “in countries gripped by anger and frozen by polarisation there is not enough room for the curious, humble practical problem solving of the experimenting society”. This book is a contribution to how fresh thinking and good ideas might be achieved.

Opinion polling suggests that electors are less trusting of the importance of devolution. This is worrying as electors may be influenced by party performance at Westminster when they vote in the 2026 Holyrood elections. The Scottish Parliament as an institution has not yet become sufficiently important in its own right.

This reinforces the need for Scottish politics to raise its game in its political offering for next year and tackle more seriously the issues that require urgent attention. Political parties in Scotland must embrace the comments of the late Donald Dewar speaking at the opening of the Scottish Parliament. He said, “A proud moment. A new stage in a journey which began long ago and which has no end.”

No party has a monopoly of wisdom on Scotland’s future. But to focus on a single issue at the expense of less exciting, but hugely more significant issues of real concern to the public, is divisive.

Making Scotland a better place to live is the overriding priority. Traditional political parties must adopt a more distinctively Scottish approach to major political and policy issues-free from the suffocating influence of Westminster.

Parties have been reluctant to discuss more radical policies or take issue with Westminster fearful of being associated with independence or nationalism, or undermining the Union or of being too “Scottish.” This thinking is dangerous and allows one party to monopolise Scotland’s future.

Westminster and Whitehall view devolution as an event completed rather an ongoing process requiring change at the centre. Something more akin to a “federal culture” has not developed. There is need for greater respect and appreciation of Scotland in London.

For Labour there is an important lesson to be learned: more independence of thought, comment, policy and action is needed.

After 18 years of virtual one party rule, the SNP is vulnerable to the idea, that this is a time for change with little if any progress being made on their campaign for independence. After the 2026 elections, our new book argues that the Scottish Parliament must be freed from the stifling control of the Scottish government, whatever colour, and become much more responsive to the needs of the electors, more governing, less campaigning. It is time to energise the committees of the Parliament to become a more powerful, assertive and authoritative legislative entity.

Devolution has been an undoubted success but the next 25 years provide an opportunity to consolidate success and to address substantial areas of policy where performance has been less than it might have been. The pursuit of a single policy for the last 18 years has become a distraction from political reality.

Making devolution work shouldn’t exclude any longer term vision for Scotland. The foundations of our parliament may not yet be secured.

Farage is a divisive figure embracing a darker democracy, a vehicle for protest, but still dangerous.

Whether Scotland becomes independent, federal, devolved, confederal or something different in the next 25 years, much more remains to be done to evolve into a more successful, progressive, and resilient world class nation.

We can and must be better.