7467 items | 480 visits
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Updated on Mar 16, 15
Created on Sep 07, 08
Category: Government & Politics
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The publication of the Smith Commission, and David Cameron’s proposals for English votes for English laws (EVEL) has put the spotlight back on the future of English governance. James Dennison argues that there is a simple solution to the constitutional chaos in the UK: an English parliament.
It is vital that, as my colleagues Bernard Jenkin and John Redwood and I have insisted, the West Lothian question be settled before the election. We cannot risk a self-serving Labour government burying English rights in the name of power; we cannot risk a fair deal for England falling foul of any future coalition agreement. We cannot, and will not, accept the continued sidelining of the English people. One of the great issues of our time, one that lies at the heart of our democracy, of fair representation for all the peoples of our great union, must not be allowed to be a victim of petty politics. The time has come for the Prime Minister to take a stand on this issue, and make it clear that the entire weight of the Conservative Party will be thrown behind achieving a deal for England in tandem with transfer of powers to Scotland.
Council leaders demand devolution and an end to austerity: ‘After Scottish reform pledge, it’s our turn now’
Brown says a Labour mansion tax on the super-wealthy in London and the south-east of England will have clear benefits in Scotland.<br /><br />That’s because of the way the so-called Barnett formula is used to spread cash around the UK.<br /><br />Brown calculates the knock-on funding from the levy is worth about £250million to Scotland’s NHS.
In the Scottish higher modern studies exam paper for the class of 2025, I would not be surprised to read the following question: to what extent do you think the Smith commission played a role in bringing forward the second referendum on Scottish independence? Indeed, there would be a persuasive case for saying that it may even have hastened indyref2.
The English have been lamentably slow to wake up to the outrageous privileges enjoyed by the Scots since devolution 15 years ago.<br /><br />But if this week’s disgraceful recommendation to give Scotland even more powers (but leaving taxpayers south of the border to pick up the bill if things go wrong) is accepted, the English will soon realise they are being treated as mugs.
Like the title of his recent book, My Scotland, Our Britain, and his post-referendum agenda for further devolution to Scotland and broader constitutional reform, Brown’s vision has offered no place for or political recognition for England as a nation. For the future of the union, it is a fatal flaw. Brown has never understood or accepted that the people of England will never accept a constitutional settlement that divides England against itself.
Alex Salmond tonight mocked Labour leader Ed Miliband for claiming the first thing he thought when he saw a white van and England flags was ‘respect’.<br /><br />The former Scottish First Minister, accepting an award for ‘politician of the year’, took out a hanky emblazoned with the cross of St George, pretending to wipe away tears.
Proposals for English MPs to vote on English laws are to be published before Christmas, David Cameron has said.
The commission on devolving powers to the Scottish Parliament is to recommend it has full control over income tax rates and bands, the BBC understands.
Although a number of Mancunians saw the flag as a reference to football, they ultimately believed that the flag was all about the image and heritage of the nation.
A new paper, the National, launches with a pilot week in Scotland today. Given the parlous state of the newspaper industry, the fight for advertising and the near endless prospect of austerity, that’s pretty amazing. The fact it’s a pro-independence paper looks even more astonishing. After all, Scots voted no just two short months ago.
The reason Emily Thornberry’s picture and tweet was so damaging was it revealed Labour’s scorn for England. I can think of no other country in the world where democratic politicians in a major party would regard their country’s flag as a hostile sign, an unbecoming adornment of a voter’s house. Clearly Ms Thornberry does not warm to our flag even though she is an English MP which I guess is why she apologised for sending out pictures of it.
I'm a member of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority's Overview & Scrutiny Committee and this morning (through the post rather than by electronic means) I received a document that you good folk don't even know exists. It's entitled:<br /><br />Northern Devolution: West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership Joint Response<br /><br />You don't know about this document or the proposals it contains because, for reasons that entirely escape me, the covering letter accompanying the report is headed:<br /><br />Private and Confidential - Not for Public Circulation
Nigel Farage took a dig at Labour by calling it "anti-English" amid the party's embarrassment over a 'sneering' tweet by a senior MP.
There is only one way to watch England these days, and that is with the sound turned down to zero on the television.<br /><br />The reason? The England band, and the trumpeting of the Great Escape, and other tunes (I use the term loosely) on repeat.
An epic new history of England offers some eye-catching conclusions on Englishness – suggesting, among other things, that a “remarkable” level of cultural unity and a relative openness to other cultures are both key components of English national identity.
Disgruntled Conservative MPs are threatening to vote against fulfilling the 'vow' for Scottish independence - while the Liberal Democrats are threatening to block a vote on the pledge in the first place.
As a new report finds the English have unfairly born the brunt of £800m austerity cuts due to a glitch in the system, we look at cross-party voices who are demanding change
SCOTLAND is £1 billion per year better off thanks to a "flaw" in the mechanism that shares public spending around the UK, says a new report.
7467 items | 480 visits
Witanagemot Club links
Updated on Mar 16, 15
Created on Sep 07, 08
Category: Government & Politics
URL: