Landmarker
No representation, without
reciprocation.
Darling - Edinburgh south west
Alexander - Paisley & Renfrewshire South
Brown - Dunfermline East
BROWNE - Kilmarnock & Loudoun
Reid - Airdrie & Shotts
I must presage this little article by saying I love Scotland, I also
think the Scottish people have made a dis-proportionately large contribution
to the world at large in terms of science and industry. They have also
stood shoulder to shoulder with the English in our darkest hours of
the last century.
All
that said there are too many of them in positions of power and influence
at Westminster. Now there is a larger measure of self-determination
for the Scottish people, and their own Parliament in Scotland the ties
of the union have inevitably been loosened. I do not support the full
divorce of our separate countries as I think we would both be the losers
but Scottish M.P.'s and Ministers, primarily those with Scottish constituencies
should be limited in their influence of matters solely English. It's
high time the vexed 'West Lothian question' was answered.
I
do not suggest a Caledonian conspiracy, but amongst the people I have
met north of the border, and there have been many, a majority hold a
slight sense of antipathy, if not outright hostility towards England
and the English. In the cities these feelings are magnified. The average
Gorbals dweller, or even the slightly more refined version from the
'Morningside' of Edinburgh canna stand the 'Sassenachs'. Of course this
can often manifest itself only at times of huge sporting events, like
the recent football world cup. Such feelings are of course jettisoned
whenever we face a common enemy. There is though, an undeniable delight
whenever England fail. This mindset is undeniable. Do we fool ourselves
into believing that not one scintilla of a similar sentiment resides
in the minds of the political elite? There are good reasons for this
'dislike' and I put it no stronger than that. Over the centuries England
has not treated it's northern neighbour very well, on the whole. I'm
sure many will view this as a gross understatement.
Just
examine the names on the doors of the most powerful in this country.
From Tony Blair down. Next door is the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
Gordon Brown. Home Secretary John Reid, Des Brown the Defence minister,
and more junior ministers like Alistair Darling, Ian McCartney and Douglas
Alexander. Far, far too many to reflect population balance and representation.
Remember the population of Scotland is around the five million mark,
whilst England crams in excess of fifty million in a not much larger
land mass.
These
people hold the reins of power in a country they may well feel some
innate hostility toward. Do not fool yourself into thinking they do
not elevate their own homeland above England when push comes to shove.
I could hardly blame them for doing so. They are human beings. Cold,
calculating, career driven politicians, but still human beings.
Perhaps
this lack of total commitment explains some of the things which are
happening south of the border. The huge rise in immigration for instance
at the same time Scotland is still experiencing at best a levelling
off of years of population decline.
In Scotland, long term social & nursing care for the elderly is
free. Old aged pensioners too frail to care for themselves are not faced
with selling their houses to pay care home bills. At the other end of
the chronological spectrum University students do not pay tuition fees.
I'm not suggesting there is a conspiracy to do England down, though
looking at the way events have transpired would it come as a total surprise?
We are denied these privileges. Foundation hospitals - rejected north
of the border were foisted upon England, partly with Scottish votes!
So,
are these differences fair? How has this come about? Often because Scottish
members of Parliament are voting on matters which do not affect their
fellow Scots. Now Scotland has this measure of devolution it is only
right and fitting that England, and English MP's should decide on at
least the same matters which are now exclusively determined in Edinburgh.
Everything in fact except foreign policy and income tax.
Of
the seventy-two Scottish seats at Westminster, only ONE is held by the
Conservatives. If Labour decided to restrict the numbers of these representatives
they may well be cutting their own throats, metaphorically of course.
I do not think we need to go down this drastic route.
Yet, it irks me that so many of our leading politicians speak with
a Scottish burr, when clearly, so many of their countrymen and possibly
they themselves place allegiance to Scotland above any commitment to
England. If they wish to follow a path to power let them do it north
of the border, or do they not relish the prospect of being bigger fish
in a relatively tiny bowl?
I'm not sure the British people wanted to see the union weakened in
this way. The pledge of devolution was only a small plank of New Labour's
1997 manifesto. Previous referendums on the matter had proved less than
a ringing endorsement, and the Scottish National party 's experience
has always been mixed, at best. However, we are where we are. A weakened
union, yet still faced with too many Scots in the cabinet. The answer
is to ban those with Scottish constituencies from voting on English
matters. Fair and simple. Then the jocks representing the English voter
can quite rightly exercise their franchise on our behalf.
This will not got down well with hard line Scottish nationalists. They
would like the numbers of Scottish constituencies represented at Westminster
to be 'zero' They'd be dancing in the streets of MacDuff and all points
north but we need not go this far.
We should not hold a devolver to the head of our great United Kingdom,
but it is time the 'West Lothian question' was adequately answered.
landmarker
Landmarker's earlier social commentaries can
be found HERE....>>>>
