Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Tory u-turn on foxhunting vote welcome
Whatever the merits of the SNP's decision to abandon their policy of not voting on English-only matters, their rather tenuously-argued determination to vote against changes to the hunting ban has had an impact.
The Guardian reports that the UK Government has now withdrawn the vote as they have calculated that they cannot win. Instead, Downing Street is expected to revisit the issue in autumn after the proposed introduction of English votes for English laws in parliament. This would make clear whether a majority of non-Scottish MPs were in favour of weakening the foxhunting ban.
Whether this will make a difference or not is a moot point as even under EVEL, the Government needs a majority of both English/Welsh MPs and all UK MPs to effect change.
What it will do is to throw the SNPs decision to participate in this vote into stark relief and put pressure on them to revert to their original stance. I hope that they stick to their guns.
If the Tories really want to reserve these matters to those affected then they need to grasp the nettle and introduce a proper federal system in which the various national parliaments are fully empowered to deliver their own agendas.
In the meantime, I will be rejoicing that the Hunting Act remains intact for the time being and working with others to keep it that way.
The Guardian reports that the UK Government has now withdrawn the vote as they have calculated that they cannot win. Instead, Downing Street is expected to revisit the issue in autumn after the proposed introduction of English votes for English laws in parliament. This would make clear whether a majority of non-Scottish MPs were in favour of weakening the foxhunting ban.
Whether this will make a difference or not is a moot point as even under EVEL, the Government needs a majority of both English/Welsh MPs and all UK MPs to effect change.
What it will do is to throw the SNPs decision to participate in this vote into stark relief and put pressure on them to revert to their original stance. I hope that they stick to their guns.
If the Tories really want to reserve these matters to those affected then they need to grasp the nettle and introduce a proper federal system in which the various national parliaments are fully empowered to deliver their own agendas.
In the meantime, I will be rejoicing that the Hunting Act remains intact for the time being and working with others to keep it that way.
Comments:
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I am assuming that the English will organise themselves as they see fit. Will a Yorkshire Parliament authorise the hunting of Lancastrians? :)
The English can do what they like; my nationality is Yorkshire :P
I, personally, wouldn't hunt Lancastrians; you can't eat 'em so there's no point O:-) But what the democratic will of the Yorkshire people might be, who can say...
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I, personally, wouldn't hunt Lancastrians; you can't eat 'em so there's no point O:-) But what the democratic will of the Yorkshire people might be, who can say...
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