English Votes for English Laws
Ken Clarke was out of order during the week when he undermined David Cameron's excellent policy speech on replacing the Human Rights Act with a Bill of Rights.
Today he has all but repaired that damage by confirming that his Democracy Task Force will endorse English Votes for English Laws, preventing Sottish MPs from voting on issues only affecting England and Wales.
I am sure this is the right way forward. I know those that support a separate English Parliament will argue that it does not give us equal status, and quite rightly, but I do not see the sense in adding an additional level of bureaucracy to the state when we already have a Parliament that is more than capable of dealing with the issues.
When this eventually happens I hope that the next step is to withdraw funding for the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments and mandate a separate tax for Scottish and Welsh taxpayers so they fund their own. I have no problem with them having a Parliament, but I do not believe the English should pay.
Today he has all but repaired that damage by confirming that his Democracy Task Force will endorse English Votes for English Laws, preventing Sottish MPs from voting on issues only affecting England and Wales.
I am sure this is the right way forward. I know those that support a separate English Parliament will argue that it does not give us equal status, and quite rightly, but I do not see the sense in adding an additional level of bureaucracy to the state when we already have a Parliament that is more than capable of dealing with the issues.
When this eventually happens I hope that the next step is to withdraw funding for the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments and mandate a separate tax for Scottish and Welsh taxpayers so they fund their own. I have no problem with them having a Parliament, but I do not believe the English should pay.
posted by Martin Curtis at 12:54 PM
7 Comments:
EVoEL is so flawed, it will not pass through the house.
How is an EP an extra layer of governent? You all but creating one with EVoEL, but leaving in the democratic injustices.
You were happy to bomb Iraq into a democracy, yet refuse to allow England the same courtesy. Democracy is not cheap, but it is certainly our right.
Protest all you want, but we will get one, with or without your Party.
The Scottish Labour MP on the Politics Show today, wiped the floor with your argument. Even he supported an EP. They may have created this mess, but if Gordon Brown comes out and says we can have one, he will get plenty of English votes out of it.
1. Don't *ever* associate me with the Iraq War. I resigned as an MoD Civil Servant because I objected to being lied to.
2. A Scottish MP is bound to pick holes with EVoEL, it will mean a significant loss of influence for them, and would probably lead to calls for salary decreases.
3. An English Parliament would inevitably add an extra layer of bureaucracy - an extra parliament for a start.
4. It is simple to operate, anything that involves just England, English MPS only vote. Anything that affects England and Wales, English and Welsh MPs vote. There may be some issues when there is a Labour Government who cannot carry out their mandate in England because of EVoEL, but they are the ones who have created (and ignored) this mess.
3. An English Parliament would inevitably add an extra layer of bureaucracy - an extra parliament for a start.
Wrong!!
An English parliament would sit at Westminster. The house of Lords would become a British assembly for non devolved matters. You can then reduce the Scotish and Welsh over representation leaving them with thier own SMP's WMP's, this would actualy save money and sack people like Gordon Brown and the rest of the Scotish Rhaj at the same time. HEAVEN!!
"EVOEM" is a step forward, but it is NOT a solution, the ONLY solution is an English Parliament (we already have the building - the mother of them all).
We WILL get an English Parliament one day, do yourselves a FAVOUR Mr Cameron, offer an English Parliament and throw in a referendum on EU membership and theres your landslide.
England is the only nation in Europe without it's own Parliament.
We can achieve an English Parliament by chucking out the Scots, Welsh and Irish from the House of Commons to make the House of Commons into an English Parliament (no need for a new building), and convert the House of Lords into an Elected Senate for British Matters.
It this is not satisfactory then ablolish the Scottish, Welsh and Irish Assemblies and go back to a British Parliament.
ED
Ken Clarke did the right thing by attempting to protect the nation against any further erosion of their human rights.
The Labour Government introduced devolution on the quick with no attention given to the West Lothian Question. It is only right and proper that we have English Votes for English Laws. However, the problem with pursuing this policy via the existing Commons is that England could find itself in the middle of a political log jam and stale mate, the result of a majority of English MP's (likely to be Conservative) voting down legislation from a British Labour Government, thus denying the people of England any sense of direction. Far better to have a devolved English parliament with a First Minister and Executive able to provide real purpose and leadership. I see no reason why the House of Commons couldn't sit as the devolved English Parliament, with the House of Lords sitting as an elected British Senate.
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