The aftermath of the Scottish Referendum has confirmed one thing, that Britain is going to change forever. It has also highlighted more than a few complications such as English votes for English laws. Of course the creation of two classes of MP, which would be a direct consequence of English votes for English laws, is for myself a non-starter. Plus it can occasionally be ambiguous as to what constitutes an English only law.
As a supporter of Regional Assemblies for English Regions, I do acknowledge that the appetite for Regional Assemblies at present is not particularly brilliant. What is particularly frustrating is that the best case for Regional Assemblies has not been made. Furthermore, Regional Assemblies do not necessarilly mean a further unnecessary layer of Government; a drastic reduction in the number of Westminster MPs could address this.
The transfer of further powers to Scotland's Holyrood Parliament will result in what is known as the Devo Max scenario. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland's power sharing executive at Stormont has little appetite for taking on further powers. The Welsh Assembly in Cardiff also has a level of power at present which is not as great as those currently in Holyrood.
What is needed is for any English Region or UK Nation with a devolved Parliament or Assembly to have less MPs. As Scotland is heading for Devo Max, the Scots could have their present number of Westminster MPs cut in half. The Welsh and Northern Irish could have their numbers cut by a quarter.
This would then leave the English Regions in a fairer position, and with a fair choice. That choice would be for an English Region to either reject a Regional Assembly and retain their current number of MPs, or embrace an appropriate level of devolution for their region which would accordingly cut that region's number of MPs.
So let's say that at some point in the future the South East has no devolution whatsoever, the North West votes for a level of devolution comparable to Wales, and the North East votes for Devo Max. In that scenario the South East would retain it's existing level of Westminster MPs, whilst the number of MPs in the North West would be cut by a quarter, and the number of North East MPs would be cut by a half.
So whilst the Conservative and Labour Politicians squabble and fight for their own party interest, here is a very simple and non-partisan way of meeting the UK's devolution challenge.
As a supporter of Regional Assemblies for English Regions, I do acknowledge that the appetite for Regional Assemblies at present is not particularly brilliant. What is particularly frustrating is that the best case for Regional Assemblies has not been made. Furthermore, Regional Assemblies do not necessarilly mean a further unnecessary layer of Government; a drastic reduction in the number of Westminster MPs could address this.
The transfer of further powers to Scotland's Holyrood Parliament will result in what is known as the Devo Max scenario. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland's power sharing executive at Stormont has little appetite for taking on further powers. The Welsh Assembly in Cardiff also has a level of power at present which is not as great as those currently in Holyrood.
What is needed is for any English Region or UK Nation with a devolved Parliament or Assembly to have less MPs. As Scotland is heading for Devo Max, the Scots could have their present number of Westminster MPs cut in half. The Welsh and Northern Irish could have their numbers cut by a quarter.
This would then leave the English Regions in a fairer position, and with a fair choice. That choice would be for an English Region to either reject a Regional Assembly and retain their current number of MPs, or embrace an appropriate level of devolution for their region which would accordingly cut that region's number of MPs.
So let's say that at some point in the future the South East has no devolution whatsoever, the North West votes for a level of devolution comparable to Wales, and the North East votes for Devo Max. In that scenario the South East would retain it's existing level of Westminster MPs, whilst the number of MPs in the North West would be cut by a quarter, and the number of North East MPs would be cut by a half.
So whilst the Conservative and Labour Politicians squabble and fight for their own party interest, here is a very simple and non-partisan way of meeting the UK's devolution challenge.
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