Devolution's lack of diversity:

From the Guardian:

Despite being set up to empower and involve the people of Scotland and Wales, both their devolved legislatures have been slow to include the countries' ethnic minorities. On this count at least, they have been arguably weaker than Westminster.

On the "diversity" question generally, both institutes are struggling.
Some figures to back up that assertion-

1. There are 170,000 people from an Asian, black or mixed race background among the Scottish electorate, 4% of the Scottish population but Holyrood has only ever had one non-white MSP elected.
2. Wales has an overall minority ethnic population of  3% of the population, yet it's first minority ethnic member was elected only in 2007.
3. In Scotland and Wales, gay rights groups believe the lesbian, gay and bisexual population (estimated to be 6% of the general population) is still "greatly under-represented in frontline politics".
4. It is predicted that  the number of women elected to Holyrood and the Welsh assembly on 5 May will be the lowest on record, Guardian has found less than 30% of the major parties' candidates will be women.

Almost goes without saying that the white, middle-aged, middle-class gentlemen's club that is Stormont is worse on all 3 counts- one ethnic minority, zero openly gay and a grand total  of 14 female MLAs out of a total of 108.
Not very impressive figures at all.

Three into one would go?

I suppose in the wake of last week's result, this was inevitable:

MPs have suggested merging the UK government departments responsible for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.


A report by a Commons committee recommends a "serious look" at the Whitehall arrangements for the three devolved nations.

Devolution has removed most of the powers from the job (of the Welsh Office) and its counterparts in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

A counter-argument could run that it is the three Offices which are helping to curb the more extreme tendencies of the Devocrats, but it is the staffing figures which are most interesting:

The Wales Office employs 60 staff, the Scottish Office 100 and the Northern Ireland Office 110.

The NIO really needs double the amount of their counterparts in Wales?

Quote of the day

Alex Kane:

But, as George Washington noted over 200 years ago, ‘A government without true opposition and a place for that opposition may be dictatorial, or it may be docile: yet it must always be undemocratic in shape and practice.’

Opposition will be expensive to create and sustain in the assembly, but isn’t it a price worth paying if the end result is better government and the removal of Stephen Nolan from his position as unofficial leader of the opposition?

It's certainly part of the story...

Further Education funding and tuition fees is rapidly taking over from health provision as not only the Devolution Experiment's biggest inequity, but also one almighty cock-up.

I received this yesterday from the Campaign for an English Parliament:

The Difference between the United Kingdom, Great Britain and England Exp...

Any questions?

(and excuse my bad manners, Hattip to Our Kingdom for the alert)

Scotland to be the best option for learners. But only if you're Scottish learner.

Further developments in the devolved tuition debate:

Free education for Scottish students has been protected at the launch of a Green Paper setting out a range of options for university funding.
The recent tuition fee hike south of the border has prompted the SNP to prevent what they have called fee refugees from England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Scottish Government’s education minister, Michael Russell:

"We do support raising fees for students from the rest of the UK, to ensure Scotland continues to be the best option, not the cheap option, for learners.”

Note the SNP support the raising of fees from the rest of the UK; a fact which Liam Burns seems to have missed in his analysis:

Liam Burns, President of NUS Scotland said: "If fees go up in Scotland for students from the rest of the UK, it will be directly down to the Scottish Liberal Democrats and Conservative MPs that voted for the trebling of fees in the rest of the UK"

*Directly*?
Nothing whatsoever to do with the SNP then?

Students for Separation

Obviously one doesn't want to condone this kind of caper:

A coalition of students from other countries in the UK has launched a campaign for Scottish independence in the belief that it would signal a free-for-all at universities north of the border.

A group calling itself English, Welsh and Northern Irish Students For Independence has been leafleting university campuses on the understanding that the European Union would force an independent Scotland to scrap tuition fees for students from the rest of the UK.

But at least there is a solid non-nationalist logic behind their treason;)

The group's literature states: "Currently, if a student is domiciled in Scotland, SAAS (Student Awards Agency Scotland) will pay his or her tuition fees.

"This will not be the case when Scotland becomes independent. Let us make it happen now, so that English, Welsh and Northern Irish students can enjoy the benefits of a free education in Scotland."

Tuition Fees- if even the government doesn't grasp the implications then...

You need a masters in Applied Logic to understand the complications of the various devolved Tuition Fees debates:

State funding for poor students at English universities could have to be made available to all EU citizens, according to draft government plans.

Any proposed discounts or fee waivers would have to be open to all EU students on an equal basis, they say.

Before the crunch tuition fees vote it was suggested poor students could get a year's fees paid for by the government.

A government source said if all EU students could apply, they would have to think very carefully about the idea.

Two points here:

1. Does "all" EU students really mean "all" in this case?
2. Shouldn't they have thought "very carefully" about the implications behind the idea before making the original suggestion in the first place?

Russell promises UK students that (he will do his best to make sure) they receive same rights as their counterparts from the rest of the EU

Sort of...

In the light of the recent tuition fees furore (here and here), this is an interesting development:

The cost of European students studying in Scotland has quadrupled in nearly a decade, with the Holyrood government having to pick up the bill.

A record number of EU students, 15,930, are now attending Scots institutions, costing the taxpayer £75m a year.

Education Secretary Mike Russell is seeking an end to what is seen as a cheap option for Europeans who would have to pay for education at home.

He said the funding loophole was "no longer tenable".

The latest figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency show that, between 2008-09 and 2009-10, the number of EU students increased by 17%, from 13,585 to 15,930.

Ultimately, it's not just the Scottish taxpayer who is coughing up on this one but it is good to see Russell acknowledging the hard reality. It would have been nice to see him also acknowledge the present unfairness of a Scottish system towards students from the rest of the UK.... but if this EU anomaly is sorted out, then at least it will be a start.

Salmon skirmishes

Whilst all is now reported quiet on the scallop front...

SCOTLAND'S salmon farming industry has branded Westminster's fisheries minister "ill-informed and irresponsible" after he suggested consumers should consider switching to wild species for environmental reasons.

Richard Benyon claimed that diners should choose fish such as wild gurnard, megrim sole or dab, instead of eating farmed salmon - which generates £500 million a year for the Scottish economy.

However, his comments have sparked outrage in Scotland, where fisheries is a devolved issue.

Curiously enough though, no comments that I can see on the matter from Mr Benyon's Scottish counterpart.

More devolution means no more excuses... yes, of coursssse it does.

From the BBC:

The chairman of the campaign for a Yes vote in March's referendum on further powers for the Welsh assembly says he believes it will create a "no excuses culture" for Welsh politics.

Following in the footsteps of their Northern Irish counterparts obviously.

Devolved "Health": The 2011 Remix

Sigh...

Merseyside hospital says it will no longer accept north Wales patients for heart and chest complaints, unless it is medically urgent.

Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital officials said it is because of a shortfall in funding from Wales.

The hospital staff said they are in "almost daily" talks with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board over the issue.

The board said it is working closely with the hospital on the matter.

But officials at the hospital have stressed that the number of Welsh patients who have had surgery this year has far exceeded the financial contract agreed with the Betsi Cadwaladr board.

Of course, a Welsh Assembly being in control of its own health service (ie not being able to help out their own countrymen when they really need it) is what is actually important in this case.

"A *National* Health Service to be proud of" my arse.

The *N* no longer binds the NHS together

During their in-house fracas both Mary Riddell and Dan Hannan have ignored one rather salient fact about the United Kingdom's "National" Health Service.

Here's a clue:

Aneurin Bevan's NHS was the only major religion to emerge from the 20th century. It has bound together people of all classes and political views who stand united behind an institution that oversees, more or less competently, the irreducibles of birth and death and the crises in between.

Wrong, no longer the case.

Woe betide any prime minister who presides over NHS collapse.

Simple question, which Prime-Minister did preside over the NHS's collapse and why?

Today is Friday, so that means it's my Scottish policy today.

I've filed this under "devolved absurdities":

Scottish Liberal Democrat MP, Jo Swinson follows the official UK party line on the introduction of tuition fees whilst the party in Scotland Parliament has the policy of and votes for "free" ( of course it isn't really "free" but you know what I mean) university tuition in Scotland.

Apparently Ms Swinson actually wrote in favour of both policies last week (I would be grateful if anyone has access to the original article)! I don't know if she has two hats, one labelled "UK minus Scotland", the other "Only Scotland" that she wears depending on which audience she's speaking to you but it sure is an impressive feat to believe in both principles simultaneously.

Why devolution stinks- Reason No.435

Prior to tomorrow's debate on the level of tuition fees, this from Wales:

THE tuition fee deal for Welsh students that has left commentators in England green with envy will be funded by cutting the general level of grant to universities in Wales, it has been confirmed.

But the Assembly Government said the reduction would be offset by increasing fees to students from England studying at Welsh universities.

As Cardiff Blogger points out here, if you are from anywhere else in the EU (apart from the UK) you, along with Welsh students, will be subsidised to study at Welsh universities. A nationalist explanation for that fact posted in his comments stated:

It would be nice if higher education was free to everyone… but when money is tight, I doubt that middle class teenagers from the leafy counties of England should be at the front of the queue.

Dear, oh dear.
Continuing with the somewhat more "sanitised" line:

A spokesman for the Assembly Government said: “We will pay for tuition fee grants or a waiver by top-slicing the Higher Education Funding Council teaching grant by around 35% by 2016-17.

“Additional income will also be available to Welsh (universities) via students from England paying the higher tuition fees to institutions in Wales.

The devolutionist would argue that Wales, N.Ireland and Scotland are given their own budget to spend as they wish. That then makes officially sanctioned discrimination based on ethnic grounds(see comments) where you happen to live morally justifiable?

Joke's on whom?

Ah sure, it's all a joke anyway, so why not:

AN MSP was blasted last night after admitting she finds life in Parliament so dull she plays pranks on colleagues to amuse herself.

SNP South of Scotland member Christine Grahame told how she has a favoured seat in Holyrood where "you can chat and not be spotted".

Maybe this is why not?

And the £57,000-a-year politician admitted she got "bored".

More devolution would be very welcome... for the Devo-crats.

A couple of weeks ago, the Plaid Cymru ex-MP for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, Adam Price rattled some well-gilded cages:

He delivered his attack on current politicians at the Welsh assembly by telling BBC Wales' CF99 programme for S4C that a "lack of skills amongst politicians is making it difficult to tackle big economic challenges".

He said: "The gap between the problems we face in Wales and the skill-set of the people we're drawing in to politics is huge"

Mr Price, who is currently pursuing a scholarship in Harvard University, accused political parties of drawing politicians "from a vanishingly small gene-pool".

This piece of research from The Druid, confirmed Price's assertion: "87% of the Plaid Cymru/Labour coalition in Wales have never had a wealth-creating job"; not one single Lib Dem in the Welsh Assembly has been anywhere near a business!

N.Ireland needs an opposition... yes, and?

Tom Elliott:

"It is a long standing position of the Ulster Unionist Party that Northern Ireland needs a more normalised form of Government with a voluntary 'cross-community' coalition and an official opposition that is better able to hold the Executive to account.

"As we head towards the Assembly election, with issues surrounding the selection of First Minister and the danger of a tribal campaign, the Ulster Unionist Party is determined about the need for such reform."

If the UUP were to withdraw from the Executive, wouldn't it push that question of "reform" a bit further up the "things to do" list? As it stands, Elliott is complaining about a system in which is party are playing a real part helping to sustain- an illogical and hypocritical stance.

"It is clear from the workings of the current Executive that it is no functioning like a proper democratic government. With five different parties, who have different agendas and policies, this type of government is not productive for the long term future of Northern Ireland."

Again, the logical and principled step to take then surely would be for the UUP (which is, by Elliott's admission here contributing to the Executives dysfunctionality) to withdraw.

"In the long run change by legislation is what is needed, in the short-term the principled following of democratic parliamentary principles by political parties may be what is required to improve governance in Northern Ireland."

I'm almost tearing my hair by this stage... if you don't agree with the present carve-up, then get the hell out!
What exactly have you got to lose apart from a couple of ministerial salaries?

Devolution for Yorkshire?

Yep, an online movement does now exist.

Beat that Catriona!

Catriona Ruane may be considered the most incompetent devolved minister presently working in the UK but even she hasn't managed the impressive feat of keeping a school running with no pupils:

Education Minister Leighton Andrews tells Tomos Dafydd on BBC Wales Today questions must be asked about organisation of education in Wales.

Education Minister Leighton Andrews says a Carmarthenshire school staying open with no pupils is "bonkers".

He blamed the local council for Capel Iwan primary, near Newcastle Emlyn, staying open, even though its 12 pupils left in July.

He said: "If I had the powers, I would tell them to close it."

But the council said the school had had no warning pupils were not returning next term and it had to stick to Welsh Assembly Government procedures.

Hmmm..."Welsh Assembly Government procedures".
Andrews:

Mr Andrews put the blame for the situation squarely with the local authority, and told BBC Wales: "It's entirely the fault of the local council. They have known for some time that this school was losing numbers.

"As I understand it, the [consultation] process has not started yet. There is not a role for the assembly government unless the process starts.

"Why didn't they start the process about a year ago? Why didn't they start the process at the beginning of this year, when there were only 13 pupils on the register?

Would Leighton Edward's department not have such a breakdown of school numbers Wales-wide? Even if that isn't the case, effective communication links between the minister and the local authorities isn't only a one way responsibility surely?