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The Guardian reports that the UK Government has now withdrawn the vote as they have calculated that they cannot win.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.
Welsh Liberal Democrats Councillor for Cwmbwrla Ward, City and County of Swansea - Please buy my novels at Author Page
Pages
▼
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
4 comments:
I am happy to address most contributions, even the drunken ones if they are coherent, but I am not going to engage with negative sniping from those who do not have the guts to add their names or a consistent on-line identity to their comments. Such postings will not be published.
Anonymous comments with a constructive contribution to make to the discussion, even if it is critical will continue to be posted. Libellous comments or remarks I think may be libellous will not be published.
I will also not tolerate personation so please do not add comments in the name of real people unless you are that person. If you do not like these rules then start your own blog.
Oh, and if you persist in repeating yourself despite the fact I have addressed your point I may get bored and reject your comment.
The views expressed in comments are those of the poster, not me.
You're including a Yorkshire National Parliament in there, right? ;)
ReplyDeleteI am assuming that the English will organise themselves as they see fit. Will a Yorkshire Parliament authorise the hunting of Lancastrians? :)
ReplyDeleteThe English can do what they like; my nationality is Yorkshire :P
ReplyDeleteI, 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...
As I read Adrian Sanders, this is only a temporary reprieve.
ReplyDelete