Monday 5 March 2007

Come on England?



The following article by Louise Dunderdale has been published in the Dorset Echo:

NORTH Dorset MP Bob Walter will present a Bill to Parliament this week in a new bid to stop MPs from Scotland and Northern Ireland voting on issues that only affect England and Wales.Mr Walter's Private Members Bill would provide an answer to the "West Lothian Question".It would allow the Speaker of the House of Commons to decide when a particular issue only affects England and Wales, allowing it to be debated and voted on only by those MPs.

Mr Walter said: "Scotland is essentially internally self-governing but they still send 59 Members of Parliament to London. They can vote on laws which only affect England and Wales. "I think that is very unfair particularly when we as English MPs have no say on healthcare or schools or roads in Scotland but they can have that say on what happens in England."

There are many who believe that this proposed bill does not go far enough.

This is from the Campaign for an English Parliament:

Devolution has brought about major constitutional changes within the United Kingdom. Scotland now has its own parliament, Wales its own assembly. The Scottish Parliament hasn't just given Scotland legislative powers independent of England in such major matters of governance as education, health, transport, law, planning and many more but has established Scotland constitutionally and politically as a distinct country and the Scots as a distinct nation within the UK. The Welsh Assembly has done precisely the same for Wales and the Welsh people. The Scots through their Members of the UK Parliament can legislate for England in every possible area of law and governance whereas no English MP can participate in the making of any legislation in matters reserved to the Scottish Parliament. For example, Scottish MPs can both initiate and vote on Acts of Parliament concerning education and the NHS in England. No English MP has any voice at all in such matters as they affect Scotland. It is a grotesque injustice.

Devolution however has not been extended to England and the English people at all. England has neither a parliament nor an assembly. Constitutionally and politically it still does not exist because, by the express and explicit intent of the UK government, it is being denied any national political institution of any sort to make the statement that the people of England are a distinct nation.
An English Parliament will bring clear practical benefits to the People of England. The concerns of England will not be lost in the multitude of issues which the UK Government has to deal with. An English Parliament will mean greater democracy because it will bring government immediately and directly to the people of England without it being mediated through the UK Parliament.


Q. Should we have an English Parliament?

To view the results go to:

http://dailyreferendum.co.uk/ (These result are archived by the British Library)

There is also a No10 E-Petition submitted by Gareth Young:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to initiate a Parliamentary debate on the adoption of a national anthem for England that is distinct from the British national anthem.

To sign the E-Petition please click: HERE

3 comments:

Jeremy Jacobs said...

I thought we were one country, the United Kingdom. Voting for an English parliament is short-sighted and plays into the hands of the federalists.

Newmania said...

I agree with all of this , it enrages to me to see that time and time again we are treated so much worse than anyone else.

Daily Referendum said...

Newmania,

Thankfully more and more English citizens are waking up to these injustices.