There is no reason why this desire for independence would be definitely quenched by the adoption of a “devolution max” type of scheme. The adoption of “devo max” would also give birth to a new set of constitutional questions, and in particular, it might reopen the debate on the so-called “West Lothian Question” (now often known as the “English Question”), as Scottish MPs would find themselves in the situation where they could now vote in Westminster on financial matters that only had a direct impact on England and Wales, even though Scotland itself would be financially autonomous from the rest of the United Kingdom.
Two general conclusions can be drawn from the circulation and mainstreaming of the “devo max” notion and of the proposal of a multi-option referendum to which it is linked.
Firstly, the SNP’s invention and promotion of the idea of “devolution max” and of a multi-option referendum have allowed it to carve out a new political space for itself. The main Unionist parties in Scotland (in other words, the Labour Party, the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats) have also been forced to redefine their place on the Unionist-independence continuum.
Secondly, the UK-wide parties’ attitudes towards the “devolution max” concept has brought to light the difficulties that they have in adapting to the new multi-level politics in the UK, born of the introduction of devolution in 1999.