Scottish Labour conference: John Mcternan: Coalition needs to sell the case for Calman

The race is on to get the Scotland Bill ready. In all the flurry around the Comprehensive Spending Review and the Scottish parties limbering up for the election next year it has been somewhat overlooked that the most important event in the Scottish political calendar will be the publication of the legislation to implement the Calman Commission.

This was promised as a priority by the Labour government and has been fast-tracked by the coalition.

The politics are clear. Cameron and Osborne are unionists to the core. No 10 sources confirm that neither wishes to be known as the Conservative who lost the union. For the Lib Dems it's even more straightforward - 11 of their MPs come from Scotland, if they don't deliver they will be, to use a technical term, toast.

How have they been proceeding? First, make no mistake this has dominated the waking lives of Scotland Office officials - and they have put their most talented team on to it. The writing and the parliamentary process of passing a piece of legislation is gruelling. It's no surprise that they say there are two things you should never watch being made - laws and sausages. The bill team will never know a greater pleasure than when the bill becomes an act - and they are shot of it.

Second, I understand that there is a commitment to a full process of parliamentary deliberation.

The Scottish Government argued for enacting large changes through secondary legislation - the coalition have rightly rejected that. This is a major constitutional change. It needs scrutiny from both Houses in Westminster. And, I would hope, a role for the Scottish Parliament - otherwise what precisely is the point of the "respect" agenda?

Third, they are struggling with the need to resell the whole package to Civic Scotland - and, in particular, to business.

Here's a real rub. Talk to business now and they want to focus on the additional administration costs of the variable rate of income tax.

What is Calman about in this age of austerity, they ask, isn't it a cost we can't bear? In vain will you argue that this is an alternative to independence.

This is a real problem for the coalition - and actually a lesson for politicians everywhere - it's not enough to be solving a problem, you have to keep selling your solution.

If you're too busy to stop and sell your arguments, however good, will go by default. This needs a campaign - and Moore and Mundell need cross-party support.

A paradox about the Scotland Bill is that the current Scotland Office needs the former Scotland Office to help sell it. Can the coalition have the sense to reach out?

Finally, no big change in politics succeeds without a sense of theatre. My advice? Go for it - publish the bill on St Andrew's Day