Getting a seat at the top table

By Glenn Campbell
Political Correspondent, BBC Scotland

This picture of Jack McConnell, as Scotland's first minister, proudly taking his seat at the 2002 Earth Summit in Johannesburg raises an important question about the devolved government's voice in the world.

If he was able to take part in the official UK delegation then, why can't one of Alex Salmond's ministers join the UK team at the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen in December?

The official answer is to prevent confusion.

In a letter to the Scottish government, UK climate change secretary Ed Miliband explains his desire "to ensure clarity that it is the UK government negotiating on these issues and to avoid any danger of mixed messages".

The Scottish secretary, Jim Murphy, claims the SNP is receiving "parity of treatment" with Jack McConnell.

The BBC understands Tony Blair overruled objections from some of his ministers to make it possible for Mr McConnell to take part at Johannesburg

In other words, if Mr McConnell was still first minister, he too would only be allowed to send a civil servant.

The Nationalists say that is "simply not true", because of the apparent precedent set by Mr McConnell's status in Johannesburg "representing Scotland and the United Kingdom," as he later told the Scottish Parliament.

Could there be party politics at play? There is certainly fierce rivalry between Labour and the SNP.

But one senior Labour source blames Ed Miliband's "inexperience" and complains that he has "never been engaged with devolution".

Labour's Holyrood leader, Iain Gray, takes a different view - that SNP ministers should concentrate on delivering real cuts in carbon emissions at home.

Foreign affairs are, after all, not a devolved matter.

Sympathetic sounds

On the other hand, tackling climate change is a shared responsibility - and the Scottish Parliament has approved the world's toughest targets for reducing carbon emissions.

That is why the World Wide Fund for Nature thinks a Scottish minister should be included in the UK team in Copenhagen, to help persuade other countries.

The Liberal Democrats and Greens agree and the Conservatives sound sympathetic.

The BBC understands Tony Blair overruled objections from some of his ministers to make it possible for Mr McConnell to take part at Johannesburg.

Ed Miliband spoke of the need to avoid mixed messages at the talks

Seven years later, Alex Salmond is urging the current prime minister to step in on his behalf.

The first minister has written to ask Gordon Brown if he will make his climate change secretary "reconsider".

The UK government did change its mind over Scottish attendance at a recent EU council of ministers meeting on culture.

Copenhagen is a much bigger occasion.

If an SNP minister does not join team UK - one will be sent to Denmark anyway to find alternative ways to spell out how Holyrood is tackling climate change.

Following the publication of the above, a Scotland Office source got in touch to make the distinction between the Johannesburg and Copenhagen summits clearer.

The source said: "The difference is that Copenhagen is an international treaty negotiation and Johannesburg was a gabfest.

"Scottish ministers will be fully represented at Copenhagen by Ed Miliband."