The UK is too dominated by London and the south east

Most of the debate about the referendum has been looking at the issue from the wrong end of the telescope. First we were obsessed with the process, including the date of the vote, the age of the voters, and the number of questions. Then we became fixated on the constitutional powers under independence and the implications of those powers.

What is important for good delivery of public services is that each level of government is clear about what services it is providing

We have become stuck on if it will works or not, whether or not we can remain part of Europe, keep the pound, or operate our own pension schemes. However only a fraction of the debate has focused on what those powers do for Scotland and how we make Scotland a better place. Why not reverse the telescope and focus the debate by asking what areas of responsibility should lie with each level of government, including local government and community councils? Politicians and the media have a habit of continually underestimating the intelligence of the voter. People are much more multi-faceted than they are given credit for. Most of us are happy to consider ourselves European, British, Scottish or Glaswegian all at the same time, and we can accept that different levels of government are good at different things – it’s the same analogy that enables someone to cheer on the European Ryder Cup team, Team GB in the Olympics, the Scottish rugby tram, and Celtic, without feeling any conflict. What is important for good delivery of public services is that each level of government is clear about what services it is providing and who is responsible for delivering those services with the right tools and incentives. Most people would accept that environment or defence are better managed at large government level, waste removal or housing are best done at a local level while transport lies somewhere in between. This is born out by the 2013 Social Attitudes survey where 65% of people polled felt welfare should be more controlled at Holyrood, whilst only 32% wanted it to have more control of defence. Once the responsibility for delivering a public service has been set at a particular level of government, then its politicians should be given the tools to deliver it, including powers to raise the money they spend and control over benefits and credits. This provides the right incentives to get the job done. There has been far too much talk about nationalism, whether British or Scottish. It is however an increasingly outdated concept in the changing global world. What is more important is the process of empowering those responsible for providing the public service. In the UK this means decentralising power from Westminster and putting it closer to the people who are the consumers of public services. The UK has great strengths but its weakness is that it is too dominated by London and the south east. If that problem can be addressed, much of the debate about independence becomes less relevant. That would be a relief from the next few months of political wrangling over whether independence will or will not work.