[A-List] Scotland: constitutional deform

["Michael Keaney" <michael.keaney@xxxxxx>]

It is extremely important that the SSP does not allow the Conservative Party
to hijack this issue. Then it is only a short journey to some of the more
wild rightwing elements in English politics. As a matter of principle there
should be a Scottish-led campaign insisting upon the limitation of Scottish
Westminster MPs with respect to non-Scottish legislation. In the longer term
some kind of effort should be made to support the establishment and building
of an English-based socialist party capable of tackling the national
question as that relates to the British state. As George Galloway and his
new SWP chums have made clear, they will not be engaging in this vital work,
preferring instead to rescue "Britain" from that awful traitor to socialism
Mr Blair. The path to political oblivion is wide open.

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Ban our MPs' vote on English issues, say Scots

MICHAEL SETTLE and DEBORAH SUMMERS
The Herald, December 09 2003

MOST Scots believe Scottish MPs should be banned from voting on English-only
legislation at Westminster, a poll for The Herald reveals today.

The NFO System Three survey also shows that most Labour supporters in
Scotland disagree with the government's position on the issue, and feel
Scottish MPs should abstain when the Commons votes on laws that do not
directly affect their constituents.

The findings underscore the post-devolution concerns of opposition MPs: that
Tony Blair is relying on Scotland's Labour MPs to push through contentious
England-only laws, as happened with foundation hospitals and which could
happen again next month with university tuition fees.

For its part, the government recognises the anomaly of the West Lothian
question - where Scots MPs can vote on English legislation but English MPs
cannot vote on matters devolved to Scotland - but insists all MPs are equal,
and so are entitled to vote on all laws.

The survey of 927 adults shows that 51% of Scots believe Scottish MPs should
not be allowed to vote on English-only legislation at Westminster, 37%
believe they should, and 12% do not know.

A majority of supporters of all parties think Scottish MPs should be banned
from voting on English-only matters: 50% Labour (41% against); 65%
Conservative (30%); 57% Lib Dem (34%); 49% SNP (37%); and 51% SSP (44%).

The West Lothian question has become a hot topic at Westminster because of
the slashing of Mr Blair's parliamentary majority from 161 to 17 on the
issue of foundation hospitals last month. The Tories complained that the
prime minister's flagship bill was saved by 44 Scottish Labour MPs voting
for it. Unusually, the SNP took part in the vote, arguing that while it was
English-only legislation, it had a direct bearing on Scotland.

The same argument will apply on the tuition fees vote in January. Tam
Dalyell, author of the West Lothian question, who normally abstains on
English-only matters, will also take part, arguing that the fees policy for
English universities will have a knock-on effect in Scotland.

Peter Duncan, the Tories' only Scottish MP, takes a self-denying ordinance
on English-only matters and is expected to abstain on the fees vote.

The issue was raised by Michael Howard when he made his first visit as Tory
leader to Scotland at the weekend. Branding it as a "constitutional outrage"
that Scottish MPs can vote on English-only matters, he called for a
"certification" system in which the speaker would rule that Scots MPs could
not vote on some types of legislation that applied only to England and
Wales.

In the Commons, Mr Dalyell, Labour MP for Linlithgow, raised the
"certification" issue. He told The Herald: "I have now asked for a formal
letter setting out the position from the speaker's point of view."

In a speech to the Newspaper Press Fund in Glasgow, Robin Cook, the former
foreign secretary, rejected the argument that tuition fees raised the West
Lothian question. He argued that top-up fees were not solely an English
issue. "Many Scots students go to English universities. They . . . have a
legitimate right to have a view on whether the price of going to those
universities should be set by a market which will widen the gulf between the
prestigious old universities and the rest."