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7th November 2007

Whose Parliament Is It Anyway?

Media discussion of the West Lothian question usually excludes Wales but it increasingly applies to us too - at least some of the time.  Of the 23 bills announced in the Queen’s Speech yesterday 4 apply to England and Wales, 13 are UK-wide and six are England-only.  So for a quarter of this session, Westminster will be an English Parliament to all intents and purposes - but for the presence of a phalanx of Celtic MPs. 

Should we as Plaid MPs vote on these England-only bills?  The SNP do not vote on England-only legislation as a matter of principle.  This was easier in their case because a separate legal system meant that even before devolution most domestic legislation had to have a separate Scottish bill.  The much more transparent constitutional settlement for Scotland sets out a clear divide between devolved and reserved matters.  In Wales it is not always so clear: health is devolved, but medical training is not, for example. Sometimes a bill can have indirect consequences for Wales some way down the line, by setting a precedent etc.  But as Wales begins to develop its own policy agenda alongside its legislative competence that argument is beginning to weaken. 

Rifkind’s idea of an English Grand Committee is fundamentally flawed because it simply perpetuates the half-baked nature of the current settlement.  As Leanne Wood pointed out on Question Time last week, it would sometimes have to meet as an English and Welsh Grand Committee and at other times it wouldn’t.  Would the Welsh MPs only be allowed on the Welsh clauses in the bill?  The only durable long-term solution is ‘home rule all round’: a Parliament for Wales and a Parliament for Scotland and a new relationship of equality between the nations of these islands.   

But, while we are waiting, should we abstain on English legislation - or use our votes to defeat ideas like ‘foundation hospitals’ that we oppose?  In a hung parliament this could become a crucial question.  

4 Responses to “Whose Parliament Is It Anyway?”

  1. An answer for Adam « Rebellion Sucks! = a blog for socialism & self-determination says:
    November 8th, 2007 at 12:49 am

    [...] Comrade Price has some words on the English Question: Of the 23 bills announced in the Queen’s Speech yesterday 4 apply to England and Wales, 13 are UK-wide and six are England-only. So for a quarter of this session, Westminster will be an English Parliament to all intents and purposes - but for the presence of a phalanx of Celtic MPs. [...]

  2. complexsystemofpipes says:
    November 8th, 2007 at 1:58 am

    It is indeed a crucial question, and one I think Plaid would do well to address as publicly as possible.
    In the absence of a significant left-of-Labour political party (Respect etc are trying, but it’s two steps forward one step back), it’s hard for English voters not to despair, but people are watching the developments in Wales and Scotland with interest.
    I would even go so far as to say it’s central to political debate among my less political friends and acquaintances; some resentful of the progress won, especially in Scotland, with what’s presumed to be “our” (English) taxes, others mix admiration with hopeful envy.
    However - predictably enough - what mainstream debate there is on the “English Question” is very, well, Tory in nature, fostering divisions between the English, Welsh and Scottish working classes. In fact, the programmes of the SNP and especially Plaid are very close to what most of us want to see here and there’s great potential for solidarity.
    I think a strong statement from Plaid, perhaps made jointly with the SNP, bringing this dilemma into the mainstream, could do a lot to acheive that solidarity. A better understanding of what the progressive nationalist movements stand for would help the English better understand our own position, but would also gain a lot of respect and sympathy for your own cause.
    (BTW, kudos on the Misrepresentation of the People Bill :))

  3. Smokypam.Com » Whose Parliament Is It Anyway? says:
    November 8th, 2007 at 9:16 am

    [...] Martens wrote an interesting post today on Whose Parliament Is It Anyway?Here’s a quick [...]

  4. The English Question « Complex System Of Pipes says:
    November 8th, 2007 at 6:00 pm

    [...] his blog yesterday, he addressed what we might call the English Question (h/t Charlie Marks): Of the 23 [...]

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