I am a confirmed Unionist. I believe in the United Kingdom and genuinely believe that England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are better together than we would be apart. I am English, but my father is Scottish and his mother came from Belfast, so it would be strange if I did not support the Union. I would be immensely sad if the Scots voted for Independence next week, not least because it would end a 300 year old partnership that has seen the United Kingdom lead the World in so many ways. But although I am a staunch Unionist I am not prepared to support the Union at any cost. Which is why I am not happy that the main party leaders have offered the Scots more devolved powers – the so called “devo-max” – if they vote to remain in the United Kingdom. Some have suggested that the Scots should be allowed to make their own decisions on everything except Defence and Foreign Affairs. This would include tax raising powers and spending decisions, which could open up the prospect of a Scottish Parliament spending more than it earned, leading to a run on Sterling that, in turn, would necessitate a bail out from the Bank of England. English taxpayers currently subsidise the Scots to such an extent that they are given free tuition fees, nursing care, hospital car-parking and prescriptions, all benefits that are not shared universally in England. It would be wrong if such unfairness was perpetuated as a price for keeping our Kingdom united. Offering Devo-max to the Scots would make even more urgent the need for a solution to the “West Lothian Problem”, which is where Scottish MPs can vote on matters relating only to England, but English MPs cannot vote on the same matters when they relate to Scotland because powers to decide those matters have been devolved to the Scottish Parliament. The answer is that Scottish MPs should be able to debate and vote at Westminster only on matters that have not been devolved to Edinburgh. If Devo-max did result in only a shared UK Defence and Foreign Affairs policy, then restricting Scottish MPs to those subject would beg the question as to why we would need them at Westminster at all! Of course, Devo-max cannot be delivered without the backing of Parliament, which is why we are told the political parties will be including in their manifestos different versions of the same bribe. So here is a message to David Cameron: If Devo-max is included in the Conservative Party manifesto, then I for one will not feel bound by that commitment should I be re-elected. Indeed, I will vote against the devolution of ANY more powers to Scotland unless and until the Barnett Formula is scrapped, English taxpayers no longer have to subsidise Scots taxpayers, and Scottish MPs are no longer allowed to debate or vote on matters that affect only England.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 12:22:51 +0000