The situation is more desperate by the hour. A general election looms but we no longer really know the structure and shape of the UK polity for which we will soon be invited to choose a parliament (and thereby, more indirectly than ever, a government).
Labour and the tories have so transparently put party trickery ahead of the national interest and are offering no credible way forward for the constitution.
English votes for English laws (EVEL) would give the tories an opportunity to hobble a Labour or Labour-led government - no surprise therefore why tories are pushing for it and Labour running and hiding from it.
An English Parliament looks increasingly attractive. Give the fullest devo-max powers to Scotland and Wales but in return, the House of Commons becomes an England-only parliament. We cannot possibly, in any short timescale, create a second parliament 80% of which would duplicate the UK parliament and its members. We struggle to find credible MPs as it is - how would we suddenly find nearly twice as many? And how absurd to ask people to vote for an English MP and - for the same constituency - a UK MP?
Instead, radical and simple action is needed. Turn the House of Commons into the English Parliament (with seats only for England). The cabinet (ie government) must reserve seats for the first ministers of each of the three smaller countries plus a deputy from the next largest party in each of the devolved parliament) and a representative set of MPs from England should make up the rest of the cabinet posts.
That way, Scotland and Wales and NI get direct representation at the heart of government, backed by the legitimacy conferred by the devolved assemblies. We get an English parliament without having to duplicate most of the House of Commons. May's elections would be for England only, and there would be a tory-UKIP coalition. It would show itself to be utterly repugnant and therefore it would be brought down within a couple of years to make way for a Labour- Green coalition. Labour should look to the future and to the need for a sustainable future for England (either independent or within the UK). It should NOT pursue tricks and short-term tacking designed to do nothing more than defend it against tory trickery.
What's not to like? Can we go ahead with this please?
Labour and the tories have so transparently put party trickery ahead of the national interest and are offering no credible way forward for the constitution.
English votes for English laws (EVEL) would give the tories an opportunity to hobble a Labour or Labour-led government - no surprise therefore why tories are pushing for it and Labour running and hiding from it.
An English Parliament looks increasingly attractive. Give the fullest devo-max powers to Scotland and Wales but in return, the House of Commons becomes an England-only parliament. We cannot possibly, in any short timescale, create a second parliament 80% of which would duplicate the UK parliament and its members. We struggle to find credible MPs as it is - how would we suddenly find nearly twice as many? And how absurd to ask people to vote for an English MP and - for the same constituency - a UK MP?
Instead, radical and simple action is needed. Turn the House of Commons into the English Parliament (with seats only for England). The cabinet (ie government) must reserve seats for the first ministers of each of the three smaller countries plus a deputy from the next largest party in each of the devolved parliament) and a representative set of MPs from England should make up the rest of the cabinet posts.
That way, Scotland and Wales and NI get direct representation at the heart of government, backed by the legitimacy conferred by the devolved assemblies. We get an English parliament without having to duplicate most of the House of Commons. May's elections would be for England only, and there would be a tory-UKIP coalition. It would show itself to be utterly repugnant and therefore it would be brought down within a couple of years to make way for a Labour- Green coalition. Labour should look to the future and to the need for a sustainable future for England (either independent or within the UK). It should NOT pursue tricks and short-term tacking designed to do nothing more than defend it against tory trickery.
What's not to like? Can we go ahead with this please?