When David Cameron and Alex Salmond signed the deal in October 2012 allowing the Scottish parliament to stage a legally binding referendum on independence, the consensus was that Cameron had “outplayed” the First Minister. After calling the SNP leader’s bluff in January 2012, the PM had denied him the second question he wanted on devo max.
I wrote at the time that this view was mistaken and that Salmond was “the winner” from the agreement. That this was the case is even clearer now, with all of the concessions the First Minister secured working to his advantage.
Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month
Content from our partners
