Chuck it in the Bin Mr Clarke
Details of a report from the Tory democracy taskforce set up by David Cameron and chaired by Ken Clarke have been revealed to the press, the Telegraph’s Philip Johnson looks at the main suggestions regarding the West Lothian Question and argues that an English Parliament is unacceptable because it would damage the Union, the old Tory policy of EV on EM has obviously been shelved probably because the argument ahs been accepted that it would create two separate types of MPs. The task force has come up with a compromise solution that English matter would be debated in committee by English only MPs but the legalisation would come back to the full house for final vote.
The problem is that this will not address the inequality in our system caused by setting up separate Parliaments in Scotland and Wales, because this is a compromise between those who want EV on EM and those who want to maintain the imbalance created by Labour. It is not a compromise between those who want an English Parliament and the present situation, in fact it is a step back from the original Tory policy because it still allows Scottish MPs to vote on matter that do not effect their own constituents.
(more…)
