Campaign for an English Parliament

Professor Vernon Bogdanor has published a new book called The New British Constitution.

In the book he argues that the Conservative Party’s English Votes on English Laws (EVoEL) proposal for England is “batty” and that “few in England want an English Parliament”.

Bogdanor is at his best on the subject of “English votes for English laws”, one of the pet schemes of many in today’s overwhelmingly English Conservative Party. He clearly regards the whole idea as batty. Few in England want an English parliament. Elected by more than 80 per cent of the UK’s population, such a parliament would inevitably rival – and perhaps overwhelm – the UK Parliament. Prohibiting non-English MPs from voting on laws intended to apply only to England could easily mean UK ministers being in government on some issues but in opposition (possibly on the same day) on others. Not least, England forms such a large part of the union that much, probably most, of seemingly “English” legislation has, potentially at least, enormous spill-over consequences for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Conservatives need to make up their minds whether they are still in favour of the union or not. It should give them pause that the Scottish National Party (SNP) thinks English votes for English laws is a splendid idea.

Whilst he is bang on with his description of EVoEL, he is dead wrong when he says that few in England want an English Parliament.  In making this utterly false statement he is mimicking the anti-English British government in ignoring virtually every independent opinion poll in the last few years that shows that most English people want an English Parliament.

Professor Bogdanor might be an expert in many things but on English popilar opinion he’s clueless.