There is a fundamental flaw in the campaign for an English Parliament and its feeble echoes in current Conservative talk of English votes for English bills. They are entirely reactive: negative, sour, mean-minded, ‘me-too’ responses to the wonderful growth of national feeling in Scotland and Wales. So far as I know, no one has yet put forward a positive case for devolution to England, based on a moral vision of what England and the English stand for or might come to stand for.
- David Marquand, Give us a moral vision for England, Our Kingdom; 4th January, 2008
Traditionally, the Campaign for an English Parliament has called for powers equal to those held by Scotland to be devolved to England. The CEP also states that to provide a complete answer to the constitutional problems of the United Kingdom it will be "necessary to upgrade the Welsh Assembly to become a Welsh Parliament with similar devolved powers" [The Aims] because "Each of the three historic nations of this island must stand in the same relationship to the Union and to each other if the Union is to survive" [Submission to the Justice Committee].
This autumn the Government is to set out its proposals to strengthen Scottish devolution based on the report of the Calman Commission. If implemented the Calman Commission's proposals, initially backed by Gordon Brown, could see Scotland gain additional devolved powers and substantial borrowing powers whilst losing some regulatory powers.
The Calman Proposals
- Calman recommends a 10p cut in all income tax rates in Scotland with a corresponding reduction in the annual block grant from the Treasury.
- Holyrood powers to levy part or all of the 10p rate.
- Holyrood would make a “tax decision” in terms of the size of its budget.
- Levying less than 10p would cut its own budget.
- Levying more could lead to increased spend on public services.
- Control over stamp duty, air passenger duty and land tax could be devolved.
- Holyrood to be given additional borrowing powers for capital expenditure.
- Holyrood to control airgun laws and power to set drink driving limits, landfill levy, speed limits and ability to run Scottish elections.
- Co-operation between Westminster and Holyrood to be strengthened. Ministers from each legislature should appear before relevant committees.
- Calman recommends that powers of insolvency, charity law and registration of health professionals be returned to Westminster.
Essentially (though not explicitly) Unionist in outlook, the CEP lays itself open to accusations of being reactionary and displaying me-too-ism by demanding powers for England that Scotland has for itself.
If Scotland adopts the Calman Commission proposals, what should the CEP's response be?
What an entirely reactive: negative, sour, mean-minded response to perfectly reasonable requests for equality from the CEP and other campaigners for an English Parliament!
According to David Marquand asking for fairness and equality amounts to "me too".
Why should a "positive case for devolution to England, based on a moral vision of what England and the English stand for or might come to stand for" be made?
I don't recall such cases being put forward for Scotland and Wales. Arguably, the Welsh never even voted for an Assembly, with only 25% of the possible popular vote being arsed to put a cross in the "yes" box. The rest were not called "sour" or any other pejorative term.
Disparaging the English is the only thing that has not changed since devolution. Well actually it is has developed into overt Anglophobia, from the sour little lot outside of England's borders, but still within the "United" Kingdom.
Marquand's arguement seems to run that the English have to prove their worthiness to have democratic representation. Is he saying that Scotland and Wales got devolved Government because they never complained about their place in the Union?
Marquand is Welsh.
You're wondering why he thinks Scots/Welsh nationalism is "wonderful" and English nationalism is "reactive: negative, sour, mean-minded, ‘me-too’"
Really?
I voted for 'forgetting about constitutional symmetry and limiting itself to campaigning for an EP without taking a position on UK constitutional reform'.
I personally think that you'd have to have a federal or confederal constitution if an EP with meaningful powers was to be established. But I think the CEP's strength is that it is a single-issue campaign; and the issue is easy to understand and put across. Once you start muddying the waters with broader British-constitutional issues, then you could start losing people. Effectively, by demanding symmetry with Scotland, and for Wales to be brought up to the same status (the CEP's present position), you are taking a position on overall UK-constitutional reform.
As the movement for constitutional and political reform is in such a state of flux at the moment, I think it's best just to keep the message simple: England has the right to its own parliament to administer its own affairs. The context in which that arises is almost impossible to predict, so the CEP should not concern itself with it at this stage.
David Marquand Welsh? About as Welsh as John Prescott.
Marquand is of the English left and he’s throwing down the gauntlet to the English left, amongst others, albeit provocatively.
I think Marquand considers himself Welsh.
I think I've seen a comment somewhere to the effect that he doesn't regard himself as Welsh. He was educated at an English public school - which makes him Establishment I suppose.
Someone who knows him well told me he considers himself Welsh, and the Welsh seem to claim his brother as their own.
Firmly British Establishment though.
Fair enough - I stand corrected. He needs to get a higher profile in the Western Mail!
Well he does hide his Welsh light under a British bushel.
Yes, but he's not quite as Westminster-centric as someone like Helena Kennedy appears to be. Reading some of the Power2010 stuff, you'd swear that Westminster was the only legislature around.
"About as Welsh as John Prescott."
John Prescott being Welsh of course, unless you are suggesting that his home town of Prestatyn is in England?
A 'home town' which he left at the age of four with his English parents.
Ian Hislop was born in Swansea. Would you insist that he is Welsh?
John Prescott has many faults but being Welsh isn't one of them.
I don't consider "being Welsh" to be a "fault".
On the other hand, someone (e.g. Prescott) who claims that "There is no such nationality as English" obviously cannot have a nationality that he doesn't even believe exists.
I can understand (and sympathise) with the horror of any Welsh people at having to recognise that he is one of theirs, but I am afraid that's life.
There was a debate about that comment awhile back on the Socialist Unity blog. One contributor suggested that it had been lifted from a written response to a specific question on nationality (and therefore taken out of context). I don’t know whether that’s true or not.
It’s not a matter of disowning Prescott but his links with Wales are very tenuous and so classing him as a Welshman rather than a Northerner seems a bit perverse to me.
P.S. I could have added that no Welsh person would ever say that there's no such people as the English!