FEAR AND WEST LOTHIAN IN THE WEST MIDLANDS

30-10-2007

If the Tories get into power, they'll consider banning Scottish MP's from voting on issues affecting only England such as health and education. Yes it's the old "West Lothian Question". Dr David Nicholl says we should just refuse to answer it.

"David Cameron is to throw his weight behind the most radical shake-up of Parliament in more than a century by endorsing a plan to strip Scottish MPs of the right to vote on English matters at Westminster" was the announcement in this week's Observer.

The perception that England is subsidising Scottish decisions which are electorally popular, such as scrapping tuition fees and free prescriptions is simply not true.

There has been no change in the proportion of taxation that goes towards Scotland since devolution. Just because something is not true, won't stop the opposition from putting in a quick jibe at Gordon Brown.

However the proposed Tory solution to the 'West Lothian question' is a dangerous route to follow and potentially could threaten the Union.

The West Lothian question, was asked 30 years ago by the then MP for West Lothian, Tam Dayell, when he asked why Scottish MPs should be allowed to vote on matters relating to England when English MPs have no right to vote on matters relating solely to Scotland.

Imperfect though they maybe, the Scottish Parliament, and Welsh and Northern Irish Assemblies have helped stabilise the Union. In seeking to embarrass the Scottish Prime Minister of the UK Parliament, David Cameron could seriously risk other parts of the Union.

Almost a century ago, there was another constitutional crisis, after 2 elections in 1909, the then liberal Prime Minister Asquith was desperate to hold onto power, but was only able to do so with the votes of Irish nationalist MPs.

The leader of the nationalists, John Redmond, agreed to back Asquith's wish to break the power of the House of Lords in return for the introduction of a Home Rule Bill.

Although the independence of Ireland was an inevitability, the resultant constitutional crisis led to tens of thousands of Unionists taking to the streets of Belfast with the formation of the Ulster Volunteer Force on the one hand, and also the Irish Volunteers on the other(the forerunners of the IRA).

Given that it took most of the Twentieth Century to attempt to resolve the problems in Ireland, the Conservatives need to be very careful that in trying to resolve the West Lothian question, they don't set up a Belfast question or a Cardiff question along the lines of "why do Welsh and Northern Irish assembly members not have the same power as the members of the Scottish Parliament?"

There are many things that the Conservatives could take Gordon Brown to task over, his assault on civil liberties and free speech, his proposed ID cards, his support of an inequitable extradition treaty with the US, his continued use of 'spin'.

In Cameron's desperation to attack Brown on the basis of his Scottish roots, he could endanger a lot of other parts of the Union.

David Cairns, the Scotland Office minister, stated this week: 'Once you breach the principle that all MPs should vote on matters before them in Westminster you get constitutional anarchy.'

I, for one, sincerely hope that Mr Cameron lets sleeping dogs lie.

Should Scottish MP's be allowed to vote on matters which affect only Engand? Leave a comment on the Message Board.