Christopher Whiteside MBE is currently chairman of Whitehaven & Workington Conservatives. He writes this blog in a personal capacity. He previously stood for parliament in Copeland and Leeds NE.
He has served as a County, City & District, Borough, Town and Parish councillor, and has also been a school governor and health authority member. He is currently an Egremont Town Councillor.
He lives and works in the North of England, dividing his time between Cumbria and Yorkshire.
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Hat tip to Guido Fawkes for pointing out that this has vanished from the SNP website ...
I can understand why they would want to vote on it, I'm not saying its right, but it's certainly something that could attract people from England and Wales to visit Scotland.
Remember when Scotland had different marriage criteria to England, the number of people who would marry in Gretna?
to me it would take Harrogate to cure the problem here, Its all well and good saying "english votes for english laws" and all, but it has to be local votes for local laws, and the local votes dont come from a representive, they come from the local people when they need to.
Its not clever really to have 1 MP represent the people of Copeland (but first and foremost trying to climb the pole to a ministerial position, so representing a Political Party first and foremost, long before the people of Copeland), in a parliament made of over 600 MPs, in London, when discussing a law that will benefit the south west and south east of the country but would have a disastrous effect in Copeland.
That is exactly what demand 2 of Harrogate cures. 2. Real local democracy: The foundation of our democracy shall be the counties (or other local units as may be defined), which shall become constitutional bodies exercising under the control of their peoples all powers of legislation, taxation and administration not specifically granted by the people to the national government;
the party before people issue (climing the ladder) is addressed in demand 3
3. Separation of powers: The executive shall be separated from the legislature. To that effect, prime ministers shall be elected by popular vote; they shall appoint their own ministers, with the approval of parliament, to assist in the exercise of such powers as may be granted to them by the sovereign people of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; no prime ministers or their ministers shall be members of parliament or any legislative assembly;
and the local government cant start "doing a copeland Labour party" as demand 4 holds them firmly in place.
4. The people’s consent: No law, treaty or government decision shall take effect without the consent of the majority of the people, by positive vote if so demanded, and that none shall continue to have effect when that consent is withdrawn by the majority of the people;
Hows that for a cure to the SNP voting on something they said they would not, but of course there is nothing we can about it now.
I did not say they would move to Scotland for foxhunting, I said they would visit.
How many people married in Gretna, then came back to England.
Hell how many people from the UK visit Amsterdam to go to a coffee shop? or perhaps a place where the street lights are towards the lower end of the spectrum?
I'm saying that by keeping something "not allowed" in one area, you make the area where that thing is allowed more attractive to visit, to individuals who want to partake in that thing (what ever the thing is)
its exactly the same reasoning as people visit the Lake district here, we have lakes and fells, and the place is a naturally beautiful place. People know they dont get that in Birmingham so they come for a week to the Lakes and spend some nice money here.
you go where you can do something you cant do at home, regardless of if that is getting some sun, looking at lakes and fells, visiting a coffee shop in Amsterdam, or going foxhunting.
You go to where you can do something that you can not do in your day to day life.
Personally I have visited the pyramids in Cairo 5 times, but would I hell ever move there.
Deleted an earlier version of this comment to remove a typo.
I can see that a very devious person, especially one who would be pleased rather than sorry if their actions made the break up of the UK more likely, might try to create the situation where an activity was more tightly regulated in other parts of the United Kingdom than their own so that people might visit their home area for that activity.
Nor would I put that past the SNP if they had thought of it.
On this instance however their aim is a lot simpler and they've not really tried to hide it: they are doing this in the hope that it will annoy the Tories.
Comments
Remember when Scotland had different marriage criteria to England, the number of people who would marry in Gretna?
to me it would take Harrogate to cure the problem here, Its all well and good saying "english votes for english laws" and all, but it has to be local votes for local laws, and the local votes dont come from a representive, they come from the local people when they need to.
Its not clever really to have 1 MP represent the people of Copeland (but first and foremost trying to climb the pole to a ministerial position, so representing a Political Party first and foremost, long before the people of Copeland), in a parliament made of over 600 MPs, in London, when discussing a law that will benefit the south west and south east of the country but would have a disastrous effect in Copeland.
That is exactly what demand 2 of Harrogate cures.
2. Real local democracy:
The foundation of our democracy shall be the counties (or other local units as may be defined), which shall become constitutional bodies exercising under the control of their peoples all powers of legislation, taxation and administration not specifically granted by the people to the national government;
the party before people issue (climing the ladder) is addressed in demand 3
3. Separation of powers:
The executive shall be separated from the legislature. To that effect, prime ministers shall be elected by popular vote; they shall appoint their own ministers, with the approval of parliament, to assist in the exercise of such powers as may be granted to them by the sovereign people of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; no prime ministers or their ministers shall be members of parliament or any legislative assembly;
and the local government cant start "doing a copeland Labour party" as demand 4 holds them firmly in place.
4. The people’s consent:
No law, treaty or government decision shall take effect without the consent of the majority of the people, by positive vote if so demanded, and that none shall continue to have effect when that consent is withdrawn by the majority of the people;
Hows that for a cure to the SNP voting on something they said they would not, but of course there is nothing we can about it now.
It is, of course, something to be said for direct rather than representative democracy that you would get fewer of these sorts of childish games.
How many people married in Gretna, then came back to England.
Hell how many people from the UK visit Amsterdam to go to a coffee shop? or perhaps a place where the street lights are towards the lower end of the spectrum?
I'm saying that by keeping something "not allowed" in one area, you make the area where that thing is allowed more attractive to visit, to individuals who want to partake in that thing (what ever the thing is)
you go where you can do something you cant do at home, regardless of if that is getting some sun, looking at lakes and fells, visiting a coffee shop in Amsterdam, or going foxhunting.
You go to where you can do something that you can not do in your day to day life.
Personally I have visited the pyramids in Cairo 5 times, but would I hell ever move there.
I can see that a very devious person, especially one who would be pleased rather than sorry if their actions made the break up of the UK more likely, might try to create the situation where an activity was more tightly regulated in other parts of the United Kingdom than their own so that people might visit their home area for that activity.
Nor would I put that past the SNP if they had thought of it.
On this instance however their aim is a lot simpler and they've not really tried to hide it: they are doing this in the hope that it will annoy the Tories.