THE VOW - WORD FOR WORD:

The people of Scotland want to know that all three main parties will deliver change for Scotland.

WE ARE AGREED THAT:

The Scottish Parliament is permanent and extensive new powers for the Parliament will be delivered by the process and to the timetable agreed and announced by our three parties, starting on 19th September.

And it is our hope that the people of Scotland will be engaged directly as each party works to improve the way we are governed in the UK in the years ahead.

We agree that the UK exists to ensure opportunity and security for all by sharing the resources equitably across all four nations to secure the defence, prosperity and welfare of every citizen.

And because of the continuation of the Barnett allocation for resources, and the powers of the Scottish Parliament to raise revenue, we can state categorically that the final say on how much is spent on the NHS will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament.

We believe that the arguments that so powerfully make the case for staying together in the UK should underpin our future as a country. We will honour those principles and values not only before the referendum but after.

People want to see change. A No vote will deliver faster, safer and better change than separation.

Signed:

David Cameron, Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg

WHO WROTE IT? NOT THE THREE LEADERS.

From House of Lords Hansard 24 Nov 2015:

"It was invented by him: he rang up Gordon Brown and said, 'Gordon, can you get the other party leaders to do this and we will put it on the front page?'. Indeed, the description of the vow was not that of the party leaders but invented by a tabloid journalist."

Confirmed by Gordon Brown's own office:

"In conversation with Bruce Waddell, the former editor of the Daily Record and Murray Foote the then editor, the considerable weight of the Record was put behind what they called the Vow: an iron-tight commitment to be signed by all UK party leaders in support of more devolution on the timetable Gordon had previously outlined."

Record editors invented it, rang Gordon Brown, Brown got Cameron, Miliband, Clegg to sign.

GORDON BROWN'S TIMETABLE THAT WENT INTO VOW:

Gordon decided to move things forward by publishing his own timetable, in the hope that all the parties would follow it up. Two Mondays before the referendum and the day after a poll that suggested the No campaign would lose, he spoke in Midlothian and called for legislation within a year: specifically, he said that proposals should be agreed by St Andrew's Day in November and legislation drafted and published by Burns Night in January.

THE EDITOR WHO WROTE THE VOW NOW VOTES YES:

"Murray Foote, former editor of the Daily Record and the architect of 'the vow', is one of those who now support independence"

Timeline: 2014: Editor of Daily Record, invented The Vow, campaigned No March 2018: Quit Record June 2018: Wrote in The Times: Brexit and Westminster's "blatant contempt" for devolution = now Yes 2019: Hired as SNP Head of Communications

Quote

"Foote went on to become group editor at Media Scotland, and was editor-in-chief of the Daily Record and the Sunday Mail before stepping down in March 2018. Months later, he came out as being in support of Scottish independence. Writing in the Times in June 2018, he cited Brexit and the government's 'blatant contempt' for devolution among the reasons for his decision."

If the man who wrote The Vow now says Westminster broke it, what does that tell you?

WHAT WAS PROMISED vs WHAT WAS DELIVERED:

PROMISED: Scottish Parliament permanent DELIVERED: BROKEN - Supreme Court 2022: Westminster can abolish Holyrood, Sewel Convention not legally enforceable

PROMISED: Extensive new powers DELIVERED: PART BROKEN - Scotland Act 2016 gave some income tax powers, but 70% of tax, 85% of welfare, all pensions, minimum wage, immigration, employment law STILL Westminster

PROMISED: Continuation of Barnett allocation DELIVERED: BROKEN - Barnett still exists but fiscal framework changed, population share of cuts. Scottish budget cut 1.3bn real terms 2021-2024

PROMISED: Final say on NHS will be Scottish Parliament DELIVERED: BROKEN by Brexit - 8% NHS Lothian EU nationals left after Brexit, waiting lists doubled, Barnett squeeze

Quality FirstPROMISED: Faster, safer, better change than separation DELIVERED: BROKEN - Got Brexit (Scotland 62% Remain), Internal Market Act 2020 taking powers BACK from Holyrood, EU funds 31m to West Lothian gone

YouGov poll September 2015: Only 9 per cent of people in Scotland believe that the promise of "extensive new powers" was delivered in full.

THE ONLY NEW BIT IN VOW WAS BARNETT - AND THAT WAS FUDGED:

"The one thing that was said in the Vow that had not been said by the parties previously in their commitments was a commitment to maintain the Barnett formula."

BOTTOM LINE FOR SCOTTISHDOORSTEP:

The Vow was not written by Cameron, Miliband, Clegg. It was invented by Daily Record editors Murray Foote and Bruce Waddell, who rang Gordon Brown, who got them to sign it. The editor who invented it, Murray Foote, now votes Yes and ran SNP media because he says Westminster showed "blatant contempt" for devolution and Brexit broke Vow. Every key promise - permanent parliament, Barnett protected, NHS final say, faster safer change - broken by Brexit, Supreme Court, Internal Market Act, and budget cuts. Scotland voted No for The Vow, got Brexit instead. If you voted No in Bathgate in 2014 because of The Vow in the Daily Record, you were conned by your own Record editor who now says he votes Yes.

A wee note: You'll notice I've used the same picture of The Vow front page a couple of times in this section. That's my choice - I wanted you to see the actual words that were printed on 16 September 2014, not just my summary of them. In 2014 that front page was everywhere - shops, buses, kitchens across Bathgate and West Lothian. It was meant to be seen over and over. I've done the same here so you can read the promise at the top, then check it against what was actually delivered further down. Thanks for bearing with the repetition - the evidence matters. Alan