Small world

Ruth Davidson believes that as citizens of the union in a devolved Scotland we live in the best of both worlds.

Speaking at a school in Glasgow, Davidson urged the young people present to vote for a union that offered them the best widest opportunities for the future, while allowing local decision making through devolution.

Davidson said voting No provided: “A resounding endorsement to Scotland staying in Britain, to Scotland advancing through partnership and not division, to delivering for the devolution generation, to ensuring future generations of Scots enjoy greater opportunities, not narrower horizons.

“Young people in Scotland want to make it in life – they see the opportunities their parents had, and they want those opportunities too, and more besides. Time and again our young people tell us that they want to be part of something bigger.

“Let’s listen to their voices as we go to the polls. Let’s give them the future life chances they deserve – not pull the ladder up behind us. When the argument and debate is done and we cast our vote, it will all come down to belief.”

It is a nice line, but the ‘best of both worlds’ slogan – highlighting the benefit of devolved power within a strong UK – is undermined by her previous promise to draw a ‘line in the sand’ against more power to Scotland.

Sands shift and Davidson’s party’s stance has moved. It had to offer something more than the status quo and it duly delivered, promising more devolution in the event of a No vote.

But despite this manoeuvring the leader of the Scottish Conservatives has been left in a tricky position by her party – past and present – and her speech reflects that.

She has been undermined by Cameron bungling his opposition to Juncker’s appointment, meaning that the UK will likely struggle to re-negotiate its relationship with the EU.

Juncker’s appointment was then followed by the decision to appoint eurosceptic Philip Hammond to the Foreign Office in the reshuffle.

The UK could yet pull out of the EU altogether.

If Scotland is one world, and the UK another (we get the best of both) – where does that leave the EU? Is it the third world in this metaphor? The way that Davidson’s party talks about it you would be forgiven for thinking it was.

But surely an EU exit would mean an even smaller world for young Scots in an era of globalisation?