HAROLD Bradbury's letter to the Star ("Too little too late") underestimates how Labour were not only wrong-footed by Salmond and Cameron but how the Tories finally panicked.

The Scots will get far more without the financial risks under Devo Max than with full independence, something Cameron said he would never give.

As Harold's letter indicated, we now see the consequences as politicians try to satisfy English, Welsh and NI voters and also appear not to renege on the promises made to Scotland.

There is no doubt that Labour voters in Scotland, mainly around Glasgow and Dundee, felt, as do many Labour voters elsewhere, that they had been abandoned by their party as well as Westminster and could see no difference in its policies to those of the Tories when they were in power.

How Labour pulls them back into the fold from their move to the SNP and "yes" nationalism is difficult to see. They could end up like the Tories in Scotland with few seats. In a perverse way, the 40-plus Scottish MPs may not even get elected next year.

No wonder the Tories are pushing for the end of the Scottish influence of Labour in Parliament, which could mean a permanent Tory Government. Salmond has made the job easier for them.

The solutions are suggested as federations, regional and city governments.

In other words, politicians haven't a clue and perhaps the ball in the long grass will never be found. All I see is yet another layer of bureaucracy, politicians on inflated salaries and egos for which we will all have to pay. Will St Helens be run from Liverpool by its mayor or by a regional commissioner?

At the conferences it will be interesting to see how our leaders twist and squirm, all with an eye on next year's general election. Snake-oil will be in full abundance. What they say and what they do are often worlds apart. We will see.

Bill Bradbury, Billinge