Calman Commission
The British government has accepted the recommendations of the Calman Commission to give the Scottish government more powers, including control of taxation.
The Scottish Parliament was created following a referendum in 1997 in which the Scottish people were asked:
1. I agree that there should be a Scottish Parliament
2. I agree that a Scottish Parliament should have tax-varying powers
Almost three quarters of Scots voted in favour of a Scottish Parliament and 63.5 per cent voted in favour of it having the power to vary taxes.
In 1998 the British government passed the Scotland Act which created the Scottish Parliament with the ability to vary income tax, a power it has never use.
The British government created the Welsh Assembly in the same year after just 50.3 per cent of Welsh people voted for devolution and reinstated the Northern Irish Assembly, also in 1998, leaving England the only part of the so-called “United” Kingdom without a devolved government.
Independent opinion polls commissioned by the Campaign for an English Parliament over the years have shown consistent and increasing support for an English Parliament with the same powers as the Scottish Parliament. The last two polls showed that almost 70 per cent of people questioned were in favour of an English Parliament.
The British government, with its Scottish Prime Minister and Chancellor, have agreed to cut the rate of income tax in Scotland by 10p and to hand over control of stamp duty, the aggregates levy and the landfill tax to the Scottish Parliament. The subsidy paid to Scotland under the Barnett Formula will be cut and the Scottish government will be left to decide whether it increases taxes to make up the difference or if it wants to establish itself as a low tax haven.
The British government has committed itself to giving more powers to the Welsh Assembly and is bullying the Northern Irish Assembly into taking on policing and justice powers that it doesn’t want, yet it still refuses to ask English people the question: Do you agree there should be an English Parliament?
The Campaign for an English Parliament is disappointed that the British government have again put the interests of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland ahead of England but continue to ignore the very reasonable demands of England people for equality with the rest of the UK. A challenge to this blatant act of racial discrimination via the Equalities & Human Rights Commission is being considered.
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Yes it’s disgusting, if the CEP is going to challenge in the Equalities & Human Rights Commission, keep it in UK don’t go down the road of the European Court of Human Rights. They messed myself, Veronica and John Newman about for over a year several years ago and decided it wasn’t a matter for them to rule on in the end. There was no right of appeal.
November 27th, 2009 at 1:40 pmThe 50.3 per cent of the Welsh electorate that voted for its own assembly was only 50.3pc of the 50pc that bothered to vote.
In actual fact it amounts to only 25pc of the Welsh population wanting devolution, yet they got it, a stitch up if ever there was one.
We English keep having it rammed down our throat that there isn’t enough support for an English parliament yet surveys constantly show nearer 60pc want one, our protests go unheard, so where do we go from here, if Stuart Eels’s post is right then there is nowhere to go, apart from the street!
November 28th, 2009 at 10:52 am…not that I am suggesting that is the right thing to do, it’s more a throw away remark out of sheer frustration.
November 28th, 2009 at 11:52 amIt make me so angry that the UK Gov does everything to appease the Scots to keep them in the Union, which is detrimental to England an highly Anglophobic. Scotland ia already about 3/4 independent, so do we really want to be attached to the remaining 1/4 at our constant expence and degridation?
November 28th, 2009 at 2:36 pmIf I remember rightly, Robert Kiljoy-Silk complained to some organ of the EU that the charging of tuition fees to English students in Scotland breached EU laws on the equal treatment of EU citizens. They said it was a domestic matter – in other words, EU citizens have to be treated equally as long as they are from another member state but member states’ own citizens can be discriminated against on the basis of nationality or ethnic origin.
LBB, the last two polls for the CEP were 68% and 67% in favour.
November 28th, 2009 at 3:01 pmThere seems to be a disconnect between what people say and how they vote! At the moment it is clear that people are very unhappy with the way things are being dealt with in England. The problem as I see it is that there is a general reluctance for people to vote for any alternative party. They have been told year after year that to vote for any but the main parties is a wasted vote. This is complete nonsense because no vote is ever wasted. We seem to have an uphill struggle to get through to people. Sadly until this happens the media will not take this matter seriously and the best we can hope for at the moment is a hung parliament. I fear that the situation will deteriorate because we could conceivably be in a situation where the Labour party still retain influence after an election. Things are getting out of hand but at least they are beginning to listen but I hope it’s not too late.
November 29th, 2009 at 4:05 pmJust take a look at what Lord Pearson said in Washington a few weeks ago. It’s a problem us English have to deal with but I think our way of live is being severely threatened.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh1QbEjI9YQ&feature=related
A challenge to this blatant discrimination by any legal means possible is greatly to be welcomed, and if the EU legislation and courts can be used to achieve this then so much the better; let the LibLabCon establishment be ‘hoist by its own petard’. That said, I share Stuart’s doubts as to whether this will actually lead to a ruling in our favour.
November 29th, 2009 at 5:52 pmHave just sent an e-mail to BBC Radio 5 who are running a debate about Scottish Independence. Nicky Campbell,a Scot said that there was no evidence that the English People wanted an English Parliament. Come on everybody bombard this shower with e-mails and letters. I would turn over but it’s a Welshman on the other station!
November 30th, 2009 at 8:01 am