Comments on: Devolved Parliaments (with additional points added at 10.50 am Thursday) http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2007/01/04/devolved-parliaments/ Incisive and topical campaigns and commentary on today's issues and tomorrow's problems Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:18:37 +0000 hourly 1 By: Little Man in a Toque » Blog Archive » Cameron shows his hand http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2007/01/04/devolved-parliaments/#comment-181 Little Man in a Toque » Blog Archive » Cameron shows his hand Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:13:13 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=36#comment-181 [...] fees, foundation hospitals or fox hunting, and there will be others like David Davis, Roger Gale, John Redwood and Mark Field who will say that it doesn’t go far [...] [...] fees, foundation hospitals or fox hunting, and there will be others like David Davis, Roger Gale, John Redwood and Mark Field who will say that it doesn’t go far [...]

]]> By: Little Man in a Toque » English Pauses for English Causes http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2007/01/04/devolved-parliaments/#comment-180 Little Man in a Toque » English Pauses for English Causes Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:14:09 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=36#comment-180 [...] decide to kick Clarke’s answer into touch. MPs like David Davis, Roger Gale, Malcolm Rifkind, John Redwood and Mark Field will have their say, and Jack Straw will pop up and ask inconvenient questions about [...] [...] decide to kick Clarke’s answer into touch. MPs like David Davis, Roger Gale, Malcolm Rifkind, John Redwood and Mark Field will have their say, and Jack Straw will pop up and ask inconvenient questions about [...]

]]> By: English Pauses for English Clauses « OurKingdom http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2007/01/04/devolved-parliaments/#comment-179 English Pauses for English Clauses « OurKingdom Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:14:58 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=36#comment-179 [...] Clarke’s ‘answer’ into touch. MPs like David Davis, Roger Gale, Malcolm Rifkind, John Redwood and Mark Field will have their say, and Jack Straw will pop up and ask inconvenient questions about [...] [...] Clarke’s ‘answer’ into touch. MPs like David Davis, Roger Gale, Malcolm Rifkind, John Redwood and Mark Field will have their say, and Jack Straw will pop up and ask inconvenient questions about [...]

]]> By: CEP News Blog » Blog Archive » An Apology (of sorts) to John Redwood http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2007/01/04/devolved-parliaments/#comment-178 CEP News Blog » Blog Archive » An Apology (of sorts) to John Redwood Fri, 09 Nov 2007 15:29:11 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=36#comment-178 [...] all because I took this line ‘It would be up to the elected English MPs to decide what office holders they wanted to carry out the...‘ to mean that John wanted his dual-mandate English MPs to choose who were the ministers with [...] [...] all because I took this line ‘It would be up to the elected English MPs to decide what office holders they wanted to carry out the…‘ to mean that John wanted his dual-mandate English MPs to choose who were the ministers with [...]

]]> By: Don Beadle http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2007/01/04/devolved-parliaments/#comment-177 Don Beadle Fri, 09 Feb 2007 14:39:14 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=36#comment-177 I applaud your courage in realising that EVoEL, the current Conservative policy, is not practical and no full and adequate solution to the English Question. Your new proposal that would have an English Executive with powers similar to those accorded to Scotland would be a big step forward. It is similar to the original "Westminster solution" put forward by Lord Baker some years ago and mo doubt you will have discussed it with him. However it would not be easy to persuade the Scots and Welsh to give up their existing members of the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly to conform to your proposed English system of devolution and they should not be allowed the opportunity to veto English devolution. It should be possible for the English system to be different from theirs but of course it would have to be put to the people of England in a referendum. As a first step it is suggested that you should persuade the Conservative party to participate in the English Constitutional Convention that has been set up by the English Democratic Party and the Campaign for an English Parliament to try to agree a proposal likely to attract a majority in a referendum. Meanwhile it is good to see that some in the Conservative party are now ready to consider the deeper implications of the constitutional problem that goes much deeper than the West Lothian question. Unless there is some progress soon in solving the wider English Question of who governs England it is feared that the Union will not long survive. I wish you every success. I applaud your courage in realising that EVoEL, the current Conservative policy, is not practical and no full and adequate solution to the English Question. Your new proposal that would have an English Executive with powers similar to those accorded to Scotland would be a big step forward. It is similar to the original “Westminster solution” put forward by Lord Baker some years ago and mo doubt you will have discussed it with him.
However it would not be easy to persuade the Scots and Welsh to give up their existing members of the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly to conform to your proposed English system of devolution and they should not be allowed the opportunity to veto English devolution. It should be possible for the English system to be different from theirs but of course it would have to be put to the people of England in a referendum.
As a first step it is suggested that you should persuade the Conservative party to participate in the English Constitutional Convention that has been set up by the English Democratic Party and the Campaign for an English Parliament to try to agree a proposal likely to attract a majority in a referendum.

Meanwhile it is good to see that some in the Conservative party are now ready to consider the deeper implications of the constitutional problem that goes much deeper than the West Lothian question. Unless there is some progress soon in solving the wider English Question of who governs England it is feared that the Union will not long survive.

I wish you every success.

]]> By: Tom Jackson http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2007/01/04/devolved-parliaments/#comment-176 Tom Jackson Fri, 09 Feb 2007 11:47:26 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=36#comment-176 John, I recall coming to see you with Christine Constable some years ago; then you pointed out that you haad received no communications from your constituents on the issue of an English Parliament. It looks as though you have either received many communications or you have become only too aware that the wind is blowing strongly for an English Parliament. I expect MPs to note what the electorate are thinking and it is good to see that your thinking has changed since we met at the H of C. I only wish that more MPs were prepared to be more open to change. Of course there is still the House of Lords to sort out and the government's proposals are a dog's dinner. The second chamber could function on the reserved matters not dealt with by all four parliaments. With all good wishes, Tom Jackson John,
I recall coming to see you with Christine Constable some years ago; then you pointed out that you haad received no communications from your constituents on the issue of an English Parliament. It looks as though you have either received many communications or you have become only too aware that the wind is blowing strongly for an English Parliament. I expect MPs to note what the electorate are thinking and it is good to see that your thinking has changed since we met at the H of C. I only wish that more MPs were prepared to be more open to change. Of course there is still the House of Lords to sort out and the government's proposals are a dog's dinner. The second chamber could function on the reserved matters not dealt with by all four parliaments.
With all good wishes, Tom Jackson

]]> By: revinkevin http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2007/01/04/devolved-parliaments/#comment-175 revinkevin Thu, 08 Feb 2007 20:18:16 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=36#comment-175 This is a better solution than English votes on English Matters and is agreeable to me. Those MSP and Welsh Assembly members would be redundant, but so what. With this set up England would have to charge the United Kingdom rent to use Westminster and the leader of the party with most MPs in England would probably be First Minister of England. The money inbalance would have to be restored as well, so that England does not have to subisdise the rest of the Union like it does at present. This is a better solution than English votes on English Matters and is agreeable to me.

Those MSP and Welsh Assembly members would be redundant, but so what.

With this set up England would have to charge the United Kingdom rent to use Westminster and the leader of the party with most MPs in England would probably be First Minister of England.

The money inbalance would have to be restored as well, so that England does not have to subisdise the rest of the Union like it does at present.

]]> By: John http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2007/01/04/devolved-parliaments/#comment-174 John Thu, 08 Feb 2007 17:59:44 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=36#comment-174 Might have made some sense in the 1980-90's but is now far too late for all that John . You are implying a disbandment of the Scottish and Welsh parliaments . This is not going to happen . You do accept that the constitution is now severely assymetrical and therefore unsustainable . Face it , EVOEM is a divisive and unsatisfactory can of worms - it'll finish the Union for sure ! An English parliament ( which will not be more expensive than the present setup ) with the same rights as the Scottish parliament will defuse the situation . Might have made some sense in the 1980-90's but is now far too late for all that John .
You are implying a disbandment of the Scottish and Welsh parliaments . This is not going to happen .
You do accept that the constitution is now severely assymetrical and therefore unsustainable .

Face it , EVOEM is a divisive and unsatisfactory can of worms – it'll finish the Union for sure !

An English parliament ( which will not be more expensive than the present setup ) with the same rights as the Scottish parliament will defuse the situation .

]]> By: arfur http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2007/01/04/devolved-parliaments/#comment-173 arfur Thu, 08 Feb 2007 15:27:12 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=36#comment-173 Instead wesminster mps elected to scotish seats would become msps, get it now ken, I can only see a group of Ulster mps not wishing to buy into this. agree this is a good way of keeping district councils and county councils and doing away with un-elected regional EUssr quangos. Instead wesminster mps elected to scotish seats would become msps, get it now ken, I can only see a group of Ulster mps not wishing to buy into this. agree this is a good way of keeping district councils and county councils and doing away with un-elected regional EUssr quangos.

]]> By: Stephen Gash http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2007/01/04/devolved-parliaments/#comment-172 Stephen Gash Thu, 08 Feb 2007 13:42:33 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=36#comment-172 It is not merely a matter of voting on England's matters. England needs a First Minister and its own executive. The UK Prime Minister could/should not be also First Minister of a constituent nation. How many MPs would Scots have? Before devolution they were even more over-represented than they are now, to redress the balance somewhat. Would this situation be returned? How would public spending be allocated? Would the Barnett formula be retained? This subsidy is one of the biggest bones of contention in England. It is not merely a matter of voting on England's matters. England needs a First Minister and its own executive.

The UK Prime Minister could/should not be also First Minister of a constituent nation.

How many MPs would Scots have? Before devolution they were even more over-represented than they are now, to redress the balance somewhat. Would this situation be returned?

How would public spending be allocated? Would the Barnett formula be retained? This subsidy is one of the biggest bones of contention in England.

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