The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #153423   Message #3596361
Posted By: GUEST,Allan Conn
28-Jan-14 - 06:06 PM
Thread Name: BS: 25 Reasons to love Scotland
Subject: RE: BS: 25 Reasons to love Scotland
"Unprecedented degree of autonomy"

Actually the UK of GB&NI has been a devolved state basically from its inception. Stormont was only suspended because of The Troubles.

"no-one has offered the English a regional parliament"

Scotland wasn't just offered a parliament! It was campaigned for on and off for over a century and a massive public call for it in the mid 20thC was simply ignored. If there was the same call for devolution within England then it would be quickly provided in comparison. Sheer demographic ensure that.

"all the Scots MPs in Westminster - you have more influence over decisions that affect just us than we have over decisions that affect just you"

For a start Westminster is not your pie! It is the UK parliament. The devolution settlement is half arsed and incomplete but it has to be kept in perspective. First I have to mention that the SNP (ie the main party calling for independence) do not actually vote on so called English only matters anyway! Secondly it is only in general a theoretical imbalance as Scottish votes have only made a difference on a couple of occassions at most. In fact with over 60 Sewel Motions carried out by unionist parties since devolution started the imbalance has still been the other way round. Over 60 pieces of supposed devolved legislation which were voted on by MPs at westmisnter rather than MSPs at Holyrood. Thirdly again this situation has been the case since the UK in its present form was created. Northern Irish MPs always voted on Scottish, English and Welsh matters. Why was there never a West Belfast Question? It seems the English Tories never minded non-English people voting on their English matters especially when the MPs in question were Ulster Unionits who largely sided with the Tories - they only took exception to Scots doing the same who of course tend to be anti-Tory

As to the subsidising thing. Come on catch up with the debate. Even the UK gvt itself no longer tries to claim Scotland is subsidised. For almost the past half century it has been the other way round!