Sunday 12 October 2014

The Evil of EVEL for the UK Parliament

Gogs ''Am an ex-politician, so a am!" Brown: 

“The Conservatives have got it wrong. I think they are 100% wrong on this 100% devolution of income tax. They have got to understand their measures are a gift to the separatists and will play into the hands of the nationalist party. They would drive a wedge between Scotland and England and make the constitution unstable.”

Brown helpfully ignores the fact the majority of Scots (70%), in poll after poll, wish full fiscal autonomy and believe the 'Vow' published in the Daily Record is a commitment to deliver just that. The London media are also (deliberately?) failing to pick up on the increasing misgivings amongst a section of No voters as they increasingly consider they were duped, once again, by Westminster.

The real constitutional elephant in the room remains the only way you can deliver EVEL is by recalling the English Parliament and giving it the same powers as the Scots at Holyrood.


MP's are elected to the UK Parliament from their constituencies to represent their constituents - not their national identity in the UK Parliament at Westminster. To exclude MP's from the UK Westminster Parliament on the basis of nationality ends the Union, just as surely as a Yes vote would have.

Brown admits this is the reality:

“If Scottish MPs were prevented from voting on big issues the unity of the UK would be under question,”


A recalled English Parliament ends the Union because the question then arises - just what will be the point of a UK Parliament at Westminster. Further what happens to the 'House of Lords' and who is going to pay for it as it is a peculiarity of English constitutional practice?

The Tories have upped the pressure on Labour to support their EVEL plans for the UK Parliament or be blamed for the fallout when the Tories kick the erroneous 'Vow' to the people of Scotland into the long grass (the Scots will walk).

"....the leader of the house, William Hague, insisting he will press ahead with only English MPs voting on English laws, (EVEL)"


The irony is EVEL will end up with the Scots electing to walk whether there is a recalled English Parliament or not. The political plan of a binary 'Yes' / 'No' vote on independence putting the whole problem of Scottish devolution to bed has not worked and has simply highlighted the need for some form of English devolution settlement on the lines of Holyrood - the very thing the red and blue Tories are seeking to avoid.

In the back ground is the growing sense amongst a section of Scots that Westminster 'rigged the vote' as Police Scotland investigations into voting irregularities now involve senior Unionist politicians and fixers being interviewed under caution while a story which was considered to be a conspiracy theory has actually some grounding in objective evidence causing Police Scotland to take the claim seriously.


Time will tell just how big the inroads UKIP will continue to make, forcing the Tories into even deeper 'Little Englander' mode creating a greater division between the Scots and the English. Meanwhile Labour are facing a 'Unified Left' campaign in their West of Scotland heartlands as the Radical Independence Movement morphs into a new coalition of the Scottish left looking to work with the SNP to oust as many Labour MP's in they West of Scotland they can in May 2015 and looking to do the same to Labour MSPs in May 2016.

6,000 of their supporters pitched up in George Square Glasgow this afternoon for a rally - it is increasingly clear it does not matter what the London media try to spin 'Politics in Scotland went back to normal on a No vote' they are fooling no one but themselves and large sections of the English Electorate who they continue to seek to keep in ignorance.

The Yes Campaign may yet fulfill their dream courtesy of the incestuous nature of politics at Westminster, totally focused on points scoring amongst themselves rather than the needs and expectations of the electorate

2 comments:

  1. “MP's are elected to the UK Parliament from their constituencies to represent their constituents - not their national identity in the UK Parliament at Westminster. To exclude MP's from the UK Westminster Parliament on the basis of nationality ends the Union, just as surely as a Yes vote would have.

    “Brown admits this is the reality:

    “ “If Scottish MPs were prevented from voting on big issues the unity of the UK would be under question,”

    “A recalled English Parliament ends the Union because the question then arises - just what will be the point of a UK Parliament at Westminster.”

    And again: “MP's are elected to the UK Parliament from their constituencies to represent their constituents - not their national identity in the UK Parliament at Westminster.”

    Perfecto, Peter.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The House of Lords would have to be abolished and replaced with a federal chamber if there was an English parliament. Another boon.

    ReplyDelete