Originally posted by Prometheus James
Is it a official party policy of the Labour Party or just something said now and again to pacify the masses? I honestly don't know
- IIRC it was in the election manifesto (last 3 times too).
It's a catch 22 situation sitting within 2 issues.
(An English Parliament is not regional government and vis versa.)
On the one hand they are not going to force it on anyone - so they can be depicted as insincere, dithering or even weak etc on the matter....or worse
denying it to the English.
But because it along with regionalised power remains an aspirational aim they also catch all sorts of nonsense about desperately wanting to 'weaken'
the UK by regionalisation
(and depending on which version of right-wing fruit-loop it is telling the story this is because Blair et al are really all secret raving Marxists on
the verge of destroying Britain for some still ultra-secret commie reason or they are preparing the UK to be destroyed by the EU).
I don't think Westminster would be running on a part time basis if each nation ran national issues at their respective national parliaments,
there are plenty of things that Westminster would control, military, union economy, sovereignty/monarchy, international alliances (EU, WTO, UN),
trade, foreign policy/issues and immigration off the top of my head.
- Of course.
Westminster would remain the Parliament for the whole UK, dealing with matters which were not devolved to the competence of the 'home nations'
Parliaments/Assemblies'.
The part-time Westminster some envisage is the insane right-wing idea that
Westminster - as it is now - could be the English Parliament where
the Scot, Welsh and Irish are ejected from the HOC chamber on matters relating to England.
Of course cutting down the numbers of the MP's in Westminister would be a needed.
- If England goes for an English Parliament then those possibilities do open up, yes.
Their all as bad (or nearly as bad) as each other if none of them are willing to sit down and talk about it properly rather than the fear
mongering from all sides about the end of the Union and all that crappola.
- Obviously the 'all as bad' stuff is the standard faire when discussing politicians but I think that's unfair when talking about business leaders
in the regions.
They (particularly in the north of England) have been simply trying to articulate what they think is the best for themselves and their business (and
workforces), that's not fear-mongering.
The people claiming the end of the union have been all on the right; they insisted moderate devolution would bring this about and it hasn't.
Having said that their own idea of a growing narrow English nationalism attempting the use of Westminster as their English Parliament
is IMO
(and that of many many others) a dire threat to the union (were it ever to attract anything remotely like real popular support).
The union would be made stronger if England were given the option of its own national parliament and Wales, Scotland and Northern Irelend were
given more powers.
- But that is the point PJ; England
has been offered that option but so far has steadfastly refused to take it or the regional Assemblies
up.
I think this is the unspoken sub-text in headline like those of the Welsh Assembly, England could have that too.....but only if they actually choose
it.
). 
