Anthony Barnett (London, OK): When Gordon Brown began his premiership by opening up a wide-ranging consideration of the constitution, many of his colleagues and advisors questioned his judgement. But Brown was aware that deep and long-term forces are at work undermining the existing settlement: forces released by the New Labour reforms after it took power in 1997, but not tamed by them.
The London political class does not want to believe this. For it history equals this morning and the future is tomorrow’s headines.
Thus both the Guardian and The Times buried the Scottish White paper and spun the story as a retreat. This is how Angus Macleod of the Times saw it:
Alex Salmond appeared to concede for the first time yesterday that he will not be able to deliver the SNP’s manifesto pledge of a referendum on Scottish independence in 2010 in the face of the opposition of the country’s three unionist parties.
Similarly the Guardian's ran its coverage of the Scottish White paper with a a few brief inches on page 11 under the headline, "Salmond signals delay on Scottish vote" as if he was slowing things down. In almost identical words to the Times, Severin Carrell led the story as being that Salmond is conceding his failure.
What, no independence by 2010!
Only Colin Brown at the Indie reported that Scottish independence is back on the agenda and movement towards it is being deepened by Alex Salmond’s approach.
