AS FAR back as 1951, to my knowledge, the Liberals were calling for devolution.

You would have thought that at some time in 63 years there would have been a serious discussion about how to go about it.

But no, the issue has been brushed under the carpet. It has taken an outbreak of Scottish nationalism to bring the matter into the open.

Your paper is doing a useful job in trying to provoke a debate. There is no one right way for devolution. There are a lot of dilemmas.

For example, more power could be devolved from Westminster to a region than to a county.

Should there be a regional government?

If so, should we go on having county councils or would that mean too many levels of government? We need a serious debate about the possibilities. It does not need to be rushed, but it must not last another 63 years.

ROBIN HARRISON, Chandler’s Ford.