CEP: Open letter to Mr David Cameron, Conversative party leader, on the future re-structuring of the union of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

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Thursday, 21, May 2009 12:00

Dear Mr Cameron,

In your address to Conservatives in Perth on 15 May, you called for an end to the ‘dual mandate’ whereby some representatives, primarily Mr Salmond, might sit in two legislatures, in his case in both the Scottish Parliament and the British Parliament at Westminster. At a time when our democratic institutions and the expenses of running them are under intense public scrutiny, this seems a fair proposal – but is it?

Devolution has created ‘two classes’ of MPs at Westminster. There are MPs from the devolved nations who are not responsible to their constituents on matters such as health and education; and there are MPs from England who remain responsible for legislation of every kind. Surely, the salaries and expenses of the Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish should be proportionately reduced? The accepted calculation is that their workload is a mere one third of that of England’s MPs. In addition your Party’s policy of English votes on English Matters means that MPs from Scotland, Wales & N Ireland will have even less to do than they have now. Surely you must accept therefore that Scottish, Welsh and NI MPs as the Union Parliament exists and function now should not receive the same salaries and expenses as MPs from England. They have far less to do.

The ideal democratic solution however surely must be different. It must be twofold: a Union Parliament which has a very reduced membership with only one class of MP from the three nations of England, Scotland and Wales and the Northern Ireland province who deal solely and equally with reserved matters such as taxation, defence, overseas aid, immigration and macro economic policy. And for each of the four to deal with all internal or devolved issues themselves(as set out in the Scotland Act 1998) in their own separate and separately elected parliaments, with the total number of MPs in both the Union and the 4 devolved parliaments not exceeding the number at present in the Union Parliament. We want better government, not more government.

Surely you recognise that your present policy, devised by Kenneth Clarke MP, of treating England differently from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will create confusion, even chaos, within the Union Parliament and will fatally damage and undermine the present role of Scottish, Welsh and NI MPs because in effect they will be excluded from English Matters which constitute the great majority of Westminster legislation. Equally damaging for the very existence, let alone the health, of the Union will be that your policy will both maintain and even make worse the basic flaw of the 1998 Devolution legislation, that it denies to the English people any constitutional and political recognition of their distinct and historic nationhood and the self-rule that goes with it, which has been given to Scotland and Wales.

This takes vision and strength. Do you have it?

Sincerely

The National Council

The Campaign for an English Parliament

Contact:

Michael Knowles CEP Media Unit.

Tel: 01260 271139 Email: michael-knowles@tiscali.co.ukk