give Holyrood powers but structure them in a way that stops them doing what they want?
Holyrood has had tax varying powers since devolution and theres never been a discussion about using them
SNP ….. want a more homogeneous re-distribution of wealth
So do labour, at a Scottish and UK level*. The problems is – its not what the party wants it what voters will pay for. Its easy to look at countries with more equitable societies, see how happy they are and say ‘hey, we could be just like them’ but between where we are and where they are is a long process and a lot of taxation that the people being taxed won’t see the benefit of until after they’re dead. It would take at least a generation to make that re-distributed, fairer, happier country but governments can only work in 5 year instalments and they know that an electorate would boot them out before they could even half start the job – and more to the point if they stated the plan they just wouldn’t get elected at all.
Doing anything sustained or important with tax varying powers in Scotland would require scotland to have an entirely different species of voter, rather than one that is just dissatisfied with the status quo. If a fair society was an ideal that we’d really put our weight behind rather than our voice then we’d have started that generation-long journey 15 years ago. Thats the difference between being ‘Independent’ and just being separate.
* Frank Fields’ Report under the Blair government where he was briefed to ‘think the unthinkable’ which basically concluded that the change you could bring about by properly progressive taxation would be amazing – a happier society and ultimately a cheaper to run government as there would be less of the costs of unhappiness to be met – but that ultimately the programme to get there would make any party unelectable as you’d asking the electorate to pay now for people’s happiness later.