Monday 18 July 2016

A Federal UK can't work because England will never accept a diminished role.

In what is probably a last ditch attempt  to prevent Scotland becoming a Independent Nation there  has appeared am "All Party" group calling for a Federal UK

According to their Website  the Constitutional Reform Group  state that 

The draft Act of Union proposes a constitutional relationship in which the peoples of the UK agree which centrally controlled policy areas should reside in Westminster, and agree the devolved powers to be controlled in the assemblies and parliaments of Holyrood, Cardiff and Stormont. The Act also contains options for the governance of England, including a directly elected English parliament sitting in the House of Commons, or a nationwide expansion of regional devolution similar to that seen recently in Manchester.

It goes on to say  

Rather than Westminster reacting under pressure for more devolution, the Act would provide that the four countries of the United Kingdom should agree what powers are to be transferred and reserved by Westminster (for example, national security, foreign policy and indirect taxation such as VAT), and what should be governed locally.
The new Act also provides an option for  the House of Lords to be replaced by a new elected chamber to represent a new federation of the UK.
The long title of the new Act of Union is: “A renewed constitutional form for the peoples of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to join together to form the United Kingdom” adding “that the peoples of those nations have chosen to pool their sovereignty for the specified purposes, and to provide universal citizenship together with social and economic rights”.

Can it work?

Well it depends on what they mean by Federalism.

Take Foreign Policy for Instance  to what extent would the views of the various Federal Governments be taken in to account?

The whole point about the Brexit referendum is that Scotland will be taken out of the European Union against their will?

To what extent would the new Union be dominated by English representatives  in a Federal UK Parliament.

Would it  have a permanent English majority or would it see equal  representation in the number of MPs from the Federal Nations or at least  some kind of Balance

For Example in 300 member Parliament  

150 English MPs
100 Scottish  MPS
50  Welsh MPs
50 Northern Ireland MPs (Which could see almost half boycotting it  )

This may be acceptable to some but would England still seeing itself as the senior Party accept a diminished influence in what it will still regard as its Parliament.


It would have to take a fundamental change  in Unionist thinking which quite frankly seems impossible 

Although the term "Better Together" apparently won the vote in the Scottish Independence  Referendum  they appear have to have lost the argument.

I can see the danger in pointing out that Better Together means that English legislators are in a majority  , because the last thing I want for the independence   campaigns in England and Wales to take up an Anti- English rhetoric.

But the fact is that even a small move to Federalism would  mean that English influence in the Federal Parliament    would be diminished  and I can't see them accepting this.

I'm afraid Independence is the only answer. 

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Glyn - I think the only way to make a federal UK work would be for each of the four constituent nations (Scotland, Wales, NI, England) to have a veto and for the federal parliament to comprise blocks comprising the 3 smaller nations with equal representation and England to be divided into regional blocks of population of similar size; so if Scotland for example had 10 members (only a hypothetical example), so would Wales and NI and each of the 10 or so English regions would have 10 members each. Of course this means England would be far more heavily represented so that's why the country wide veto. Only a thought.
Thanks - Gary.
But over all of this I'd rather see Scotland independent!

Anonymous said...

oh - and I forgot to add, I'd also prefer to see an independent Wales and then NI taking their own path too, whatever they decided - reunification with Eire, independence, or staying with England
Gary

Jim Morris said...

To have your split there will need to be 350 in you Parliament, and while we bear nothing but friendly intentions towards Welsh and Irish, I don't think the English will allow you to interfere in the propaganda war of unremitting lies that pours towards the Scots.

bringiton said...

Whatever happened to the Council of the Isles?
The only time Westminster talks about "devolving" power to it's regions is when it is threatened with Scottish independence.
Retention of power is what the London establishment is all about and any form of federalism they come up with would leave a Federal United Kingdom Unionist parliament,aka Westminster,firmly in charge.