Landlords Wanted
Graham Stringer, MP for Blackley and Broughton, wants more :
THE Scottish people have voted decisively by a majority of 10% not to become an independent country. This means, as Alex Salmond says, there will not be even be the option for another referendum for a generation. This is good news for Scotland.
The Scottish Parliament can now move from being an elected quango to an elected assembly with the power to raise taxes, legislate and choose its executive to run the vast majority of public services. It was always anomalous that the Scottish Parliament did not have to go through the painful process of raising taxes to support its expenditure. The Scots had managed to achieve the enviable position of having representation without direct taxation. This has led to the fantasy world of SNP politics and the Yes Campaign where promise after promise could be made without the electorate being upset by tax hikes. The link between taxation and representation is at the heart of the democratic ideal.
These changes will transform Scottish politics. I hope they manage to combine the energy and enthusiasm from both the Yes and No campaigns for a better future for Scotland. One must also hope that the thuggish, nasty elements displayed mainly by the Yes supporters disappear from their politics along with religious sectarianism. The path for Scotland is now clearly set out; they should make the best of it.
The really interesting questions are what does all this mean for England and its regions.
The Prime Minster David Cameron’s performance during the campaign was pathetic. He tried three tactics each one worse than the last. First he was invisible, then he was tearful and finally he tried bribery. Panicked by an opinion poll 10 days before the vote which put yes to independence slightly ahead for the first time, he decided to offer more money and powers to Scotland. This was supported by Nick Clegg, the Leader of the Lib Dems and Ed Miliband, the Leader of the Labour Party. The awkwardly named ‘devo max’ option. This was distinctly peculiar as Cameron had decided that this option would not be permitted on the ballot paper.
The Scots will receive £4.5billion more for public services than they would get if they were supported at the same level as England. This amounts to £1,500 more for every person living in Scotland. The decision to do this was taken without consultation with MPs or appearing in any party’s manifesto. To perpetuate the unfairness of this funding formula in law is outrageous and will lead to more dissatisfaction in the English regions who already suffer from disproportionate amounts of money being allocated to London. It cannot reasonably be supported by English MPs. Cameron, having fleeced England as the price for his incompetence has now decided to knife the Labour Party. He intends to stop Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland MPs voting on English policies in areas that have been devolved to those three countries. The argument goes if a Scottish MP can’t vote on Scottish education because it’s devolved why should they be allowed to vote on English educational matters? This will give the Conservatives an almost permanent majority. Again the English regions miss out.
The real answer to the so called West Lothian problem is to devolve power to the English regions. Greater Manchester, which is more than half the size of Scotland and a similar size to Wales by population, should be given the same powers and financial support as Scotland. The three party leaders are trying to rush Parliament blindfolded into a major constitutional arrangement which will have devastating consequences for Manchester. This is unacceptable. Ed Miliband who was peripheral to the whole referendum debate needs to show real leadership. He should withdraw from the All Party Agreement which will do permanent damage to Manchester and other city regions. The current timetable proposed by Cameron cannot be delivered. Miliband needs to dig his heals in and not allow the Conservatives to take advantage of the headless chicken moment. We need to be fair to Scotland but even more consideration needs to be given to the English regions who have suffered over the last 20 years. It would be perverse if a vote in Scotland to remain part of the United Kingdom led to a constitutional settlement that permanently discriminated against the English region without English voters ever casting a vote.