Nigel Smith was “the most influential campaigner you’ve never heard of” and one of the architects of devolution. Two years after his untimely passing, his family have published his thoughts on the Scottish Parliament’s record – and how we can revive the “new politics”.

Everybody cares about local matters. Yet if previous local elections are anything to go by, fewer than half of us will bother turning out to vote for local politicians on May 5th. If only to restore interest in local democracy, Scotland would benefit from a renewed debate about where power lies and how services are best delivered.

Local government across the UK faces some of its biggest economic, political, and social challenges since the immediate post-war era. The Covid-19 pandemic amplified such inequalities, putting increasing demands on already stretched local authorities. Recent global events have also accelerated a growing cost of living crisis playing out in local communities.

A recent poll from Our Scottish Future found that 47% of respondents agreed with the statement that ‘a serious plan to change Britain could be more attractive than independence’. This raises the million dollar question  – what would a serious  plan to change Britain have to look like in order to convince ‘middle Scotland’ voters to remain part of the UK?

Despite 15 years of manifesto promises to replace it with a more progressive alternative, council tax will not be reformed this Parliament. Yet Council Tax is widely agreed to be a regressive tax and there is already cross-party support for its replacement. As even SNP council leaders accuse Holyrood of a power grab, perhaps it’s time for a fresh start in local government.

Waiting for publication of the list of election candidates reminded me of my sister’s reaction when I constantly check football scores during some family event. “Why are you checking it every 2mins! You won’t make anything happen by checking!” She is unlikely to read this so I can safely say, she’s probably right!

Why is the level of devolution so misunderstood?  I would argue it’s because politics in Scotland has become mired into a simple binary debate between Yes/No on the issue of Independence. This helps  Nationalists as they have no interest in answering for their record on devolution because they see devolution as the wrong solution.

If you’re like me, new year’s resolutions are rarely new. They’re the same as last year’s. Here’s a policy resolution which should be kept precisely because it’s not new: the Scottish Government should set up a First Minister’s Strategy Unit. The appeal is that numerous countries have similar units. They blend futures, foresight and strategy work.

We know the divisiveness of the constitutional question has led many to believe nothing can be better without Scotland becoming independent, that’s not new. But a side-effect of our current polarisation is a reduction in understanding of the various different levels of government, and in voters confidence it can deliver better and fairer outcomes. 

We are looking forward to a big year where – Covid permitting – we finally hope to engage properly with communities across the country. Our basic plan is the same one as last year: we hope to set out a positive argument for Scotland’s future as part of the UK, which is open to change and reform, and which reflects the views of “middle Scotland”.