CLACKMANNANSHIRE was the first to declare in the
Scottish referendum and piloted the way to a No victory. The final result was
Yes 44%, No 55%: but this is not the end of the matter regarding national
constitutions – particularly in England.
Twelve
days ago the Sunday Times published
its now infamous poll showing for the very first time in over two years of taking
such polls leading up to the Independence referendum that the Yes vote was in
the lead for the first time. Considering such an incongruity, one would have
thought that our three party leaders south of the boarder would have waited for
such a poll to become a trend before they took to the pages of the Daily Record to award the Scots with the
over generous endowment known as devo max (something which Cameron had refused
to allow as a third option on the ballot paper).
Panic had set in, and Gordon Brown was chosen
to set the ball rolling[1] by
promising his native countrymen all sorts of goodies in order to keep the Union
safe. This was followed by, what in Scotland are known contemptuously as the
'Three Amigos', rubber stamping Gordon's promise of more beads and blankets for
the Scottish people.
The
Vow as it was christened by those who made it, reads like a begging letter for
the Scots to stay as part of the Union. Once the Vow was made, Alex Salmond
knew he could not loose either way. Sure. He faced personal disappointment at
not getting full independence; but he had a weak hand anyway according to the
polls; on top of which he set the cat among the pigeons in England regarding
new constitutional arrangements…not a bad result for someone who has lost.
In the end the 'Three Amigos' folded with a Royal Flush. Thiers was not a promise made behind closed doors (although it had been made on the back of an envelope) which they could argue over after the result: the whole country had the ability to see and read it. Salmond will now have comfort of knowing that what he had been offered was 99% of what he would have had under independence. He had made Cameron promise, in the end, what he would not allow on the ballot paper…devo max.
NOW THE 'THREE AMIGOS' are left to face their own
electorate south of the border. For not only will the Scots be allowed to raise
their own taxes; but also be allowed to continue enjoying the unequal Barnett Formula
which allows a far greater per capita head of spending on the Scottish people
than on the English, who pay the taxes that gift the Scots their greater worth.
During
the campaign Lord Barnett (now 91) gave
an interview where he said, what has been described as his 'formula' was in
fact ‘a subterfuge of a formula’ meant only as a
temporary measure for Scotland to last two years: and, asked whether he thinks
it should be axed, he said, 'I do now'; adding that he was now prepared to call
for a debate in the House of Lords to try and force a debate on the issue.
It
is now time for the English to have their say. Their voice has been all but
ignored principally by the Westminster parliament on countless political issues;
but also by the Metropolitan London elite who see themselves as the beacon for
the rest of the country, without knowing or even trying to understand what the
rest of the country thinks. It is on their say-so that immigration is welcomed;
it is on their say-so that multiculturalism has to be accepted.
The
London liberal 'progressive' tide that has brought this country gradually to
its current impasse over the past 45 years, cannot have any say in the new
English constitutional settlement that must follow yesterday's result in
Scotland.
First
of all, only English MPs should make laws and vote for purely English
legislation. Secondly we must be given an English Parliament if the various
English regions are to be accommodated. If the Scots and the Welsh have their
own devolved parliaments; then so must the English.
THE ENGLISH have been ignored
because of their passivity and tolerance by the self-regarding liberal elite
that have swamped this English nation with their progressive diatribe for
near-on 40 years. An invective that has wrought fear through opposing all forms
of political correctness and multiculturalism.
This
Scottish result has reverberated across the UK, and has hopefully awoken the
English from their passivity and fear of challenging the status quo regulated
from London. In parliament Tory backbenchers are already seeking to challenge
Cameron for what he, along with his other two amigos, are prepared to offer
Scotland; and many Labour backbenchers are also appearing in somewhat querulous
mood about Miliband's performance in all of this.
This
is not all over by any means. This is not the end, or even the beginning of the
end. There is a long road to yet travel. The English have yet to have their
say. A say on the Union which they were disenfranchised from; as they have
already been from any say on any aspect of the European Union .
It
is now time, after this vote, for England to have its own say. The English will
be the financial providers for Scottish devo max through their taxes, promised
them by the sweaty panic stricken 'Three Amigos'.
The
English should thank Alex Salmond for unlocking the key to a more equitable constitutional
arrangement…but we English must treat with the greatest caution and judge the
political motives of any contribution from any of the party leaders towards
this farer English constitutional arrangement. My advice for what it is worth
to all the supporters of the three main parties is side with and vote Ukip. By
doing so, who knows, the 'Three Amigos' may put in another appearance – this time
on England's behalf.
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