what is your view on scottish/welsh mps voting on english only subjects?

Question

given that the scots and welsh have assemblies where english mp are not allowed to vote in, is it democratic to allow them to vote on english issues such as education trans. health ect. or would it be your intention to let all legislation go through brussels

Answer 1

I guess there are three things I want to say about this.



Firstly, no it's not fair.



Secondly, I doubt you would find many Scots who oppose devolution to England or regions of England. Most either aren't interested in the subject or (like me) would prefer some sort of arrangement for England specifically to deal with this problem and shut up people like the English Democrats. We could have four national parliaments and a central federal one for UK-wide issues.



Lastly, you need to understand why devolution happened. For centuries every law was passed on the basis of English votes because England has 85% of the seats at Westminster. Laws continually ignored the needs of Scotland and, with the Thatcher government, actually set out to punish Scotland for not voting Tory (e.g. the poll tax). The situation was both profoundly unfair and extremely damaging to Scotland, socially and economically. People in Scotland campaigned for decades to get devolution. There just aren't the same pressures in England or a historic and long-running need for reform.

Answer 2

I think you'll find that the majority of Scots would agree with you and wouldnt give a fig if only English MP's were allowed to vote on matters concerning England. Why would we? England doesnt concern us. I dont think any of us give more than a passing thought to whats going on down there. Try also to remember that we dont get a say anyway in what happens - as you know, the MP's - and that includes the English ones - do as THEY like - not what their constituents would like.

While I'm here I may as well clear up two points which do not seem to sink in down South, no matter how many times its pointed out to them - and that is that we Scots DO pay for our prescriptions, where you lot get the idea that they are free is beyond me.

Same goes for all the rubbish you read in the newspapers (the Daily Mail is the prime suspect in this one) about how the Scots are getting access to such and such a drug for, lets say, pancriatic cancer, but the English are being denied. Cue hysterical postings by the dozen. No mention is made of the fact that English patients are getting access to a drug for, say cancer of the liver - but the Scots are being denied it!! That is because Scottish and English medicines are controlled by two completely different bodies - NICE dishes out what it thinks should be made available on the NHS to English and Welsh patients - and the SMC acts for Scotland - something the English media are very good at forgetting when they're reporting stories like this.

Answer 3

Are you suggesting that key issues like education apply only to the English. ? Parliament as a whole decides the budgets for all the uk areas. How the money is spent is the area for debate in regional assemblies. How is it that Welsh education money is a fraction per head of the English allocation? Perhaps you think that only English M.P.s should decide on the national education bodget.? Dont forget that natural born Scots could represent an English constituency, as could the Welsh We Welsh voters have for far too long been the poor relations when it comes to allocation of resources. Now you are saying Keep them out of debates Let the English dictate to them for the share of health and education monies. No my friend the boot is on the other foot. We have been left out of all allocation decisions with no powers in our Assembly to enforce bills made by the people of Wales for the distribution of our own share of resources.

Answer 4

Different subjects, health and education for example have different boundaries and affect Wales, Scotland and N. Ireland in different ways.

Contrary to popular belief we have trains in Wales as they do in Scotland, but the industry is regulated from England.

I think you will find that "English M.P.s are not allowed to vote on issues that the respective assemblies have control over, while "our" M.P.s vote on issues that concern Britain as a whole.



Hope this helps

Good luck

Answer 5

This is called the West Lothian Question. I don't agree with it. I think all the home countries should have their own parliament which deals with things such as education, transport etc. And the British government deals with things (the wider matters) like foreign affairs.



Brussels has got too much power as it is. A bunch of politicians elsewhere from the globe can't possibly make decisions for a country they don't know enough about. The people in Brussels aren't even elected, apart from those who we elect which can only alter and reject legislation. We didn't even elect the EU President - Brussels isn't democratic. UKIP's Nigel Farage spoke up about this, but he got fined for the "wet rag" remark though:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iulNvamNzeg

Answer 6

SNP rightfully do not vote on English-only issues already.



The like of Lab, Tory and Lib do vote as they are Unionists. They are not separate "Scottish" parties at all. No such thing. They are based in London.



It is very easy for them to stop this if they wanted, just like what SNP have done. They won't.

Answer 7

It's interesting though , that we have Blair and Brown who are both Scots. isn't it ! and the English have been stuck with them. Why should this be ?

I think it would be a good idea if we each had our own assemblies, after all, the so called UK parliament doesn't listen to the English voter anyway.



I am from North East England of Scottish / Irish ancestry, living in Cumbria, with many good friends in the Scottish Borders.