The creation of the Scottish and Welsh parliaments along with the revived Northern ireland assembly was one of the Labour government’s (very) few policy success stories. Now, however, that successs story is beginning to work against them, creating a ‘constitutional crisis’.
Each of the parliaments now have their own funding and spending priorities, but it seems to be causing some jealousy and resentment on the English side. Many of the controversial policies that Labour have been put forward since 1997 had only affected England, voted in by many of their own Scottish MPs. A controversial funding formula meant that English taxpayers are ‘supporting’ the rest of the country (England has a larger population than Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland put together).
The Scottish Parliament, now led by the Scottish National Party after their stunning election victory earlier this year, plans to hold a referendum on independence from the UK as soon as possible. If a majority had voted “yes”, this would set them on a collision course with Westminster. Now the Scots are planning a referendum, why not the Welsh and Northern Irish be allowed to hold one too (In Northern Ireland’s case, how about a referendum over whether they wish to be governed from Dublin)?
Surely it’s time to let the four nations free from each other’s shackles… and for those ministers in the UK government to start growing up.
London
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