Nailing Jelly and EU Laws

I must confess that I had lost touch with Martin Coles of Ironies Too, I used to read his original Blog Ironies. Here Mr Coles has a blinder, the President of the EU parliament Hans-Gert Poettering, reacting angrily to the perceived insult to the EU metered out by Czech President Vaclav Klaus during his speech [...]

For the Love of England

Little Man in a Toque One of my daily reads, says George Monbiot informed us that you don’t have to be a nationalist to support an English parliament, you just have to be a democrat. I understand what George is getting at, for it’s certainly true that the campaign for an English parliament is a [...]

Would Britain be allowed to leave the EU?

Rupert Matthews a candidate to be a Conservative party MEP is the author of a two part article posted on Conservative Home Blog, comparing the similarities between the constitutional position of the states of the USA in the 1850s and that of the states of the EU today he says these are striking
The US supreme [...]

The Scottish Mafia

The Times reports that Gordon Brown is being urged to cull his Scottish ministers and promote English voices to the cabinet in their stead, to better enable new Labour to speak directly to middle England as the election approaches. Amid concern that Labour is risking a landslide general election defeat, some English MPs question [...]

The Fire Scottish of Nationalism

Telegraph article concerning the Labour parties problems in Scotland, we all know that they messed up the devolution process and by turning a deaf ear to the visionists, even those in their own party like Tam Deayl, have indicated the imbalance in the British constitutional settlement.
Now faced with the real possibility of going [...]

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, [...]

A New Bill of Rights

Recently there have been a few articles emanating from Conservative circles with regard to the
Parliamentary sovereignty means that law is made, and if necessary unmade, by elected Members, who are democratically accountable to the people.
balance of power between Parliament and the judges. This trickle of comment from conservatives is in all probability in order to [...]

Its all England’s fault who would have guessed it?

Apparently according to some the The English are to blame for Scottish nationalism it our fault that they want independence.

Whilst the Freedom and Whisky Blog argues the avoidance of the word England in Scotland has been one of the main contributors to the growing desire for independence in Scotland, there [...]

Challenge to Eurosceptics

Possibly foolhardy but you cannot dispute the chupaz of one Europhile, a certain J D Bovington, Horsforth has issued a challenge to EUsceptics.

He wrote in the Yorkshire Evening Standard apparently for the umpteenth time I challenge eurosceptics to state which new sovereign power is being transferred exclusively to the EU. There is no [...]

After Horse has Bolted

The British Prime Minister waxing lyrical about a United Kingdom, in the Telegraph perhaps he and his party should have thought about that before they constructed this asymmetrical mess of the British constitution.

But when secessionist forces are loudly at work it is not the time for silence and [...]

Why we do not need an English Parliament

The short answer is because the Labour party would loose influence over England because they would never gain a majority in an English Parliament. And it would make Westminster even more redundant that it already is, if that were possible.
But Helen Goodman decided to opt for the longer answer in her reply to a [...]

Euro Regions to be Scrapped

Reports in local press in the North East and South West suggest that the Regional Assemblies – which are deeply unpopular in those euroregions – will be disbanded and their responsibilities and budgets transferred back to local authorities.

The Regional Development Agencies (RDA) are then likely to become the single biggest body responsible for the [...]

It`s All Our Fault

Alan Cochrane writing in the Telegraph says it is “good to hear the Tory leader reject the populist appeal of English nationalism.”
I find it rather odd that when writing about the elections to the Scottish Parliament it is somehow the English which are to blame for the present mess the Scottish raj which is controlling [...]

British Parliament Controls EU Legislation Not

Phillip Johnston Home Affairs Editor of the Telegraph has an article in Mondays edition on how measures of constitutional significance are handled in the British Parliament. One might wonder exactly what Mr Johnston has been doing with his time if he has only just realised the impact our membership of the EU and the way [...]

House of Lords Reform II

I said I was going to post on Jonathan Freedland article in the Guardian about the reform of the House of Lords, I do not intend to actually comment on Freedland`s article, except to say he is suggesting a fully elected house and use that as a springboard for my own thoughts. Although many belive [...]

House of Lords Reform

I am going to post my thoughts on Jonathan Freedland article in the Guardian about the reforom of the House of Lords, but first this e-mail from Anne Palmer
A thought provoking article on the proposed Lords reform by Jonathan Freedland and his desire for an all elected second chamber. I doubt very much that [...]

Scottish Referendum Question

Is the SNP offering something to Scottish electors that is not within the powers of the Scottish parliament.
Rodney Brazier Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Manchester in the Times
Sir, How could the SNP, if it had power in the Scottish Parliament, legally hold a referendum on independence? Under the Scotland Act “the Union of [...]

The poor old EU

Dennis the Bloody menace MacShame writing in the Independent is a calling for a celebration of the both the Acts of union 1707 and the Treaty of Rome, he say that the both of theses two acts of unions have altered profoundly the nature of our nation-state.
Three hundred years ago England and Scotland [...]

Future Britain Bill of Rights

The Observer home affairs editor Jamie Doward reports on the formation of “Future Britain” which he describes as the broadest coalition in history devoted to constitutional change. He says “Future Britain” is an unprecedented alliance, including the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties, Charter 88, Justice, Liberty and a host of constitutional reform organisations, and is [...]

Scottish Nationalism Good English Nationalsim Bad

Faced as we are with the prospect of the SNP wining the Scottish Parliamentary elections next year and then calling a referendum on Scottish independence, it is amusing that some commentators do not seem to understand that this would be the cause of the break up of the United Kingdom. David Clark a former Labour [...]

It`s in the details

The presiding officer of the Welsh assembly has said that devolution in England would help deliver a “United Kingdom in a united Europe.”
Lord Elis-Thomas said giving people in England a similar say in their domestic affairs would help achieve a more secure constitutional settlement.

“There should be a proper English parliament, and that [...]

Scottish Border

The Scotsman seems to be conducting a series of article on Scottish independence, today it looks at the Border Issue. Pensions and Benefits, Financial Services and Tax.
On the border issue, I cannot see that there would need be a border between Scotland and the England, for as long as the residual part of the [...]

Subsiding Scotland

Scottish National MP Angus MacNeil writing in the Telegraph says;
“This week Labour, Tories and the Lib Dems have taken great delight in telling the Scots that they are subsidised by over £11 billion”
Although he argues that this figure is disputed by the independence movement in Scotland, he does not offer any evidence to [...]

The West Lothian Question

From Little Man in a Toque a letter to Sir Menzies Campbell who has only ever had one email on the West Lothian Question.
westminster_office@mingcampbell.org.uk

Who says
the English do not want their own parliament
that the English don’t want another layer of government
that an English parliament would put the English off politics

As the e-mal explains [...]

Scotland Does Not Want Independence

I know a lot of Scots would take issue with that headline but I will try to explain why I belive it to be true.
But first I would like to explore why some Scots are calling for the break up of the United Kingdom.

Brian Adam is the MSP for Aberdeen North

Independence [...]

Gordon Brown and the Constitutional Labyrinth

Just a few years ago the idea that Gordon Brown should not become Prime Minister of Britain would have not even been worth comment, no one except the most radical English Nationalist would have even questioned a Scotish or Welsh politicians’ right to become the first minister.

Unfortunately that is no longer the case; there [...]

ENGLISH VOTES ON ENGLISH MATTERS

The Campaign for an English Parliament has just issued a full report on the devolution process, going by the title of
DEVOLUTION FOR ENGLAND
A CRITIQUE OF THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY POLICY
‘ENGLISH VOTES ON ENGLISH MATTERS’

The report details the devolution progress to date and explores some of the problems that have been created by [...]

Tossing Away the Veto on Justice and Home Affairs

THE spin machine is playing the resignation of Hartlepool MP Iain Wright as a matter of principle. This might be true, but the principle has more to do with his political career than with the best interests of the people of Hartlepool.
Not a single Member of Parliament, including Mr Wright, has enough [...]

West Lothian question

So Jack Straw and couple of Scotish MP`s think that the Tories proposal for English votes on English matters is” utterly disgraceful, anti-British, unpatriotic” and “would lead inexorably to the break up of the United Kingdom.”

One is tempted to wonder why it is that those same people do not see a problem with allowing [...]

The English will be heard, by George

Until a few years ago I, like most English people, thought of myself as British. Being English was something we did in our spare time, and gave little thought to. How times have changed.
The Blair Government, devolution and the rule of a majority in Britain (the English) by a minority (the Scots) have all sharpened [...]

Police Mergers should not cross regional boundaries

Home Office Minister Hazel Blears, has stated the following regarding the police mergers and EU-derived regional boundaries (Hansard, Nov 17, 2005: Column 1428W):
“We have made clear to the police service that the very strong starting presumption is that any new force areas should not cross Government office regional boundaries. It follows that very strong arguments [...]

What is so wrong with our democracy?

I was wondering if the MSM would pick up on Charlie Falconer’s interview in the Telegraph last week-end. When he suggested that “The right position for the Lords is that it should amend legislation to give the Commons the opportunity to think again but… then it should give way.”
Simon Heffer has done [...]

Part two of Excerpts from the Legislative, Regulatory Reform Bill

 
 
 
 
 
From Anne Palmer

Statutory Instruments. (Explanation)
 
There are two main types of statutory instruments, affirmative instruments, which Parliament must expressly approve: and negative instruments, which become law without a debate or vote – but may be opposed, or “prayed against”, by a member of either House. In both cases, Parliament’s room for manoeuvre is [...]

vital to democracy

 
 

Booker
If the Commons were ‘monitored’ like local councils, it would soon be empty
The Standards Board for England last week apologised to five Islington councillors who, after three years, had been cleared of charges made against them by a political opponent. This was the longest-ever investigation by the board, which was set up by John Prescott [...]

An English vote is of less value

An English vote is of less value  Times Letters
Sir – After listening yesterday to Lord Falconer’s rationale for devolution, I can see why the Government is so frightened of restricting votes on English laws to English MPs. It realises that, without the support of Scottish- and Welsh-elected MPs, it cannot [...]

EU law and British legislation

Times
EU law and British legislation
Sir, There is a stream of proposals for constitutional reform, most of which are well overdue. The latest is the Power inquiry (Political briefing, Feb 28).
Peter Riddell is right in calling attention to the number of revolts by MPs as one example of the assertiveness of Parliament. However, he underestimates the [...]

Apathy is a Problem for Democracy.

Neil Herron has a post about the opening of the New Welsh Assembly Building by the Queen yesterday and a link to the photographs from Caernarfon Online of the thousands of people who did not turn up in Maes.
At the request of the Assembly the BBC mounted a publicity exercise by putting up a big [...]

Reform of the House of Lords II

Commenting on Reform of the House of Lords by Stuart Wonko`s World
But it was the fact that the Lords got their position by lottery of birth that made them an effective check on the power of the Commons.
British MP’s will sell their grandmothers if it means they might win an election. How many [...]

Reform of the House of Lords

I have just noticed that Dr John Parkinson (a politics lecturer at the University of York) has a comment in the Guardian regarding the House of Lords reform, the government is revisiting this question. Earlier I appreciated the comments about the same thing by Nosemonkey at Europhobia.
Basically the argument is that it is not vital [...]

I could not have put it better myself

Telegraph | Opinion: “Not the judiciary’s fault
Sir – Your column has recently been full of letters lambasting the judiciary for frustrating the wishes of Parliament.
Don’t your correspondents realise that many of the unpopular decisions made in our courts arise because the judiciary are having to apply a Human Rights Act and a European Convention on [...]