Why Scotland, Northern Ireland and, though to a lesser degree of concern, Wales should be voting in the Westminster general election needs explanation. The matters of central concern to the electorate - health, education, housing (under whatever term building houses people can afford, with due respect for the environment and infrastructures, is currently masquerading) and working conditions, are all devolved to separate parliament or assemblies in Edinburgh, Belfast, and Wales. Why are their electorates sending representatives to stick their noses into other people's, ie our - business?
Foreign affairs, and Defence (or War as it has turned out to be under Labour) have also been devolved, since Lisbon, to the European Union; that the European Union Foreign Minister happens to be English is neither here nor there (as is she); her responsibilities are European, and policies are determined in the European institutions of governance (whatever we may think of them).
Constitutional affairs in the form of changes to the voting system, and judicial powers are already devolved so there is no basis for Scotland or Ireland or Wales having any say in what we do in England; the House of Lords is an irrelevance to their legislatures (though certainly it has to carry a large number of their troughers and placemen).
Angels would rather have interference in our governance from France, Germany, Italy et al., than Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. At least the French, Germans, and Italians are big enough and rich enough to make their interference less humiliating and profitless.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
4 comments:
Hear! Hear! I am a Welshman and as it happens I live in France. So I can tell you you want to have nothing to do with either. Don't get me wrong as people I like the French and love the Welsh but collectively politically no. Their political mind set is not Conservative, I put it down to what they put in the wine in France and a preoccupation with a dead language in Wales.
Having independent national assemblies has it's merit (I will think what it is in a minute, don't rush me). However the down side is the horrendous cost of another tier of government and the further opportunity for cronyism and corruption that it affords. So you have a valid point, why should countries within the UK have such a major say in English affairs of course they should not. There is an obvious answer eject all non English constituent MPs from House of Commons and reorganise the House of Lords so that it represents all the countries that make up the UK.
Perhaps I should add that my solution would involve doing away with the office of Prime Minister and having a President instead (it is a federal solution after all and is probably more likely than you think). However who will be the first President? Rottweiler Brown, Lap dog Clegg or Waggy taily spaniel Cameron, no not one of the above, how above Shih-Tzu Boris? Ok, it's a toss up between Spaniel an Shih-Tzu, well the Shih-Tzu has it, the Chinese are renown for their wisdom even if Boris is not, but hell Britain is entitled to a bit of hair letting down after the bunch of Cromwellian puritans who are in government now and besides what better way to piss off poodle Tony.
My Welsh friends speak Welsh so it can't be that dead a language, A. Though some of my Italian friends speak Latin but I've always thought they're just showing off, because that really is a dead language.
What kind of president did you have in mind? German? Italian? or the French, executive head, weak pm and parliament, Sarkozy variety? Our constitution would slip most easily into the French style if we wanted also to shed the monarch. Actually, come to think of it, that must be what Brown has in mind seeing as he's abolishing the Lords (which would leave the monarch like a shorn lamb) and has sidelined parliament by corruption temptations and guillotines.
I was using poetic license when I referred to Welsh being a dead language, I am rather proud that Welsh has been kept alive by an amazing number of Welsh speakers about a third of the Welsh population I believe, it points to the tenacity of the Welsh people. As for what type of President, now that is a quandary that is almost beyond solving. I am a monarchist (not awfully keen on the Prince of Wales, however his sons appear to make up for my perceived short comings of him) so that institution is important, I believe the monarchy contributes more than most people realise to the stability and well being of the the UK and British people. I truly believe that if the UK is not to fragment then a federal solution is the only one. A president is the natural choice of a federal state to maintain it's stability however the monarchy already fulfills that role. So the solution is simple move the office of prime minister from the commons to the reconstructed upper house. Q.E.D.
Post a Comment