Not so long ago Malcolm Rifkind came up with proposals broadly similar to Mr. Clarke’s and the fundamental arguments against them remain the same. I was elected to serve as a member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom at Westminster.
To be elected to such a position is an honour and a privilege enjoyed only by another 645 people in the entirety of the United Kingdom. Whilst it is true to say that we are each elected to represent the interests of our individual constituencies, we are also elected as a body corporate to make decisions concerning the entirety of the United Kingdom.
In my local Belfast parlance, Mr Simpson is a scream.
Yes, you were elected to be an MP; yes, such a position should be an honour and a priviledge, yes, you’ve been elected to a “body corporate to make decisions concerning the entirety of the United Kingdom”.
And how often has he bothered to turn up at that "body corporate", aka Westminster in the last year?
"Has voted in 43% of votes in parliament — well below average amongst MPs. (From Public Whip"
And how many debates has he spoken in?
"Has spoken in 15 debates in the last year — below average amongst MPs"
The fact that he’s also an MLA, councillor, “successful businessman” and Gospel singer got anything to do with those figures, you reckon?
Simpson, tongue firmly ensconced between two of his cheeks, continues:
This entire proposal would undermine the House of Commons and encourage English nationalism alongside Scottish and Welsh separatism.
Double and even triple-jobbing MPS who never turn up, of course, strengthen our nation’s parliament. And whilst we are on the topic of separatism, how about that practised by the Ulster nationalists of the DUP who demand separate treatment for our part of the UK on a whole range of social issues?
Devolution is about increasing local accountability not diluting the Union.”
Bahahhahahahahhahahaha!
No it isn’t, devolution is all about Celtic and Ulster nationalism pulling further away politically, if not yet economically from the Union- is Simpson seriously arguing that the United Kingdom is stronger post devolution?
Devolution has awoken English nationalism which is now busily working with its Celtic and Ulster cousins to destroy the United Kingdom. As a committed UK Unionist, I’m very wary of Clarke’s proposals, but it’s not only the Scottish and Welsh nationalists, but also the Little Ulstermen of the DUP who have led us into the situation today, where I regard even his proposals as being much the less of two evils.
The truth is that English should have been given the same right as the N.Irish, Scottish and Welsh to at least vote on their own devolved parliament/assembly/talking shop. I would have been on the side of those who campaigned against it, but in a united and democratic nation where all citizens have the right to expect the same rights and responsibilities, they should have been and still should be given this right.
I’ve come to despise the “Unionist” hypocrites such as Simpson (and Brown and Straw etc etc) much more than those constitutional nationalists who are at least consistent in their principles and so to finish, I’ll paraphrase those words of Lord Palmerston that I’ve quoted before:
"Even those in the political establishment who describe themselves as Unionists can no longer be considered as our allies. The Union should be our only interest and it’s only that interest that it’s our duty to follow."
6 comments:
Exactly.
English Nationalism has awoken, and rather than do something about it they prefer to stoke the flames by deliberately abusing us.
I originally joined the Campaign for an English Parliament as a Unionist who recognised that NuLabour and Devolution were destroying the Union and wanting to do something about it.
However years of further abuse has successfully weaned me from my instinctive Unionism along with large numbers of my fellow English compatriots.
What I find truly amazing is the sheer speed with which this has happened.
I suspect that as the economy begins to implode that the real tipping point is almost upon us. The British State has only a brief opportunity to re-invent itself on a federal basis - one that it seems determined not to take.
Interesting Times.
I totally agree with both Wildgoose and Oneill thanks to devolution we now have Nationalists in govt in the N.I,Wales and Scotland and as you both pointed out growing English nationalism.Whilst as an Ulsterman I wouldn't support an English parliment I can fully understand why many englishmen feel they have had a raw deal from devolution elsewhere.Also if the DUP took Westminster seriously there MPs should only be MPs not cllr MPs and MLAs all at the same time.
"The British State has only a brief opportunity to re-invent itself on a federal basis - one that it seems determined not to take."
In the Czech novel "The Good Soldier Svejk", its title hero Svejk says of Austria-Hungary (since I have not mentioned it for a while) "that a country that idiotic should not exist".
Wildgoose reminded me of the phrase vis a vis the UK.
Of course demands for home rule could have been avoided. The Tories could have (particuarly under Major) introduced proportional representation which would have prevented a Tory wipe out in Scotland and Wales which the first-past-the post system thew up. This would have ended the "no mandate claim" as the Tories would have continued to have returned a healthy amount of Conservative MPs coming from Scotland (and I guess Wales).
Doing my sums if PR had been in use in 1987 when the Tories were halved from 21 to 10 MPs in Scotland, instead of 10 they would have had 17 MPs out of 79.
In 1997 when they were wiped out they would have had under PR 13 MPs. Their worst representation would have been before reduction of MPs for 2005 11 MPs in 2001 (their support dropped compared to 1997 but they managed to win back a seat!).
Also they could have started a vague "rolling devolution" programme which they had given to NI in the 1980's before it was scrapped due to the furore over the Anglo-Irish agreement. At least they would not have probably allowed a more robust devolution that was later created. They could have killed devolution by bordom. Instead the fed the demands by saying "no" and wanting to keep a voting system that favoured them in their heartlands (as Labour does).
Late member for Down North once said that "power devolved is power retained".
Maybe his former party's short sightedness might have made him think a bit more and say that they contributed to demand for devolution by their own stupidity. As he might of said from his most notorious speech:
"It is like watching a nation busily engaged in heaping up its own funeral pyre."
Or as Svejk put it "A country that idiotic should not exist".
But then PR is not British is it old chaps!
Late member for Down North once said that "power devolved is power retained".
Maybe his former party's short sightedness might have made him think a bit more and say that they contributed to demand for devolution by their own stupidity. As he might of said from his most notorious speech:
"It is like watching a nation busily engaged in heaping up its own funeral pyre."
I think you're getting your N and S Downs mixed up there if you're talking up Enoch Powell. Also, although he's a bit before my time, as far as I recall he was very much an integrationist (in a Northern Ireland context anyway. The Good Ole boys of Big House Unionism always held him at an arms length because of that and the fact that he was working on a completely different intellectual plain to the vats majority of them-he once opened a speech in Banbridge town-centre with a passage from the Aeneid which will have perplexed the locals no end.
But then PR is not British is it old chaps!
Well, it operates in various elections in all parts of the UK. My main objection to it is lack of accountability in multiple member constituencies such as for NI Assembly or the Euro parliament.
Altogether now....................................Oh the empire is finished, no foreign lands to steal..........
STV is fairly accountable. List systems where you can change the cadidates is also accountable.
PR in the UK outside NI (only grudglingly impliemented as a necessary evil) has only appeared over the past ten years. Sadly I doubt it will be implimented at Westminster level (the only levels where Scotland and NI do not have PR) unless the Lib Dems, SNP, Plaid etc find themselves holding the balance of power and force one of the big guns to bring about reform - which no doubt will take as long as the reform of the Lords is doing----zzzzzzzzzz
Turkeys do not vote for Christmas
Apologies concerning Powell's constituency. I remember now that Down North was the late Mr Kilfedder's constituency when he had his one man band the "Ulster Popular Uniionist Party" - so popular that it died with him.
A friend of mine from Bangor described his area as a bit maverick when came to elections for Westminster. Hence Mr Kilfedder's replacement - Mr Robert McCartney of UKUP - known now in "The Shankill Moaner" as "Side-show Bob" due to his lack of recent electoral success.
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