Does Labour Think More Of It's Scottish Vote Than It Does Of The Voice Of The English People?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/ed-miliband/11111632/Ed-Miliband-rejects-plans-to-stop-Scottish-MPs-voting-on-English-laws.html

No EU referendum from Labour, and now no exclusion of Scottish MPs from voting on English issues.

/// Grant Shapps, the Conservative Party chairman, said: “Ed Miliband failed to answer a very simple question of fairness – does he believe only English MPs should vote on laws that only affect England?" ///

[wolf63]

In my heart I would love for Scotland to be a separate county but the time was not right. It is a pity that the vote has caused unrest all over Britain.

I don't know the answer to your question - but they need to look at the situation. There have been many accusations that us Scots have been given extra financial help from the government - I don't know if this is correct but if it is I would be interested to know why.

None of our nations should have to suffer - we should all get a fair deal.

I don't know why anybody would want to be either a politician or a Prime Minister. Many people enter politics to help people and their country - then power seems to get in the way. I admit that I respected Margaret Thatcher but no PM has left the post without being demonised by the media.

[New Judge]

To be fair none of the three main parties seems to give a tuppenny stuff for the English constituents (who make up 85% of the electorate).

The entire ridiculous devolution project was compiled with no thought for England at all. There are the constitutional issues (such as the "West Lothian Question" which has once again, it seems, been kicked into the long grass); there are financial issues since it is obvious that if Scottish voters are provided with £1,600 more per head in public spending than the English then that sum is coming from the English.

Quite why it is deemed necessary to provide a small minority of the population with additional powers and revenue is beyond me. Nobody has satisfactorily addressed that question on the many questions that have appeared on AB in the past few weeks. English voters are being treated with contempt; party leaders have made rash promises with scarcely a thought for the impact those pledges will have on the UK as a hole. And all to keep together a Union for which there is scarcely any long term advantage for England at all.

I don't blame the Scots or the SNP for all this. Everybody is entitled to seek the best deal they can for themselves. I blame Westminster politicians, in particular Blair who began this entire nonsense, but also the current batch (of all persuasions) who seem intent on perpetuating and even worsening a system which was always bound to cause division and unrest.

[THECORBYLOON]

For all the talk of the West Lothian question, before the introduction of Direct Rule in '72, Ulster had its own Parliament but returnt Westminster MPs still. If there was any talk of inequity then, it didn't register with me so how come it became an issue only when Scotland sought additional powers?

[Old_Geezer]

Did you miss the situation that was the case in NI at the time ? One has to do what is necessary to solve a problem.

[Slapshot]

Labour couldn't give a damn about anything other getting re-elected, god forbid.

NJ, I have no gripes about Scots MP's not voting on specifcally English matters for which there are devolved powers BUT the demarcation lines have to be specific. As to the extra per head, that's the big argument, whats effectively Scottish oil and the whole basis of the argument is bootstrapping the economy so Scots feel they should get a fair deal from it, granted they are UK territorial waters hence my view that the share need to be such that the whole UK benefit, not just westminster

[New Judge]

They don't only benefit Westminster, Slapshot. The benefits are shared throughout the UK and Scotland gets more than its fair share courtesy of the discredited Barnett formula. It's strange that during the campaign constant reference was made by the SNP to "Scottish" oil, but all of the other UK assets (such as the Channel Tunnel and even the UK's embassy buildings abroad) were, apparently, not ringfenced due to their geography and were due to be shared in the event of independence.

[youngmafbog]

Millipede and Balls dont give two hoots for anyone but themselves and their union paymasters, this pretty much proves it.