If it’s good enough for Scotland … let England have its own parliament

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/19/scotland-england-own-parliament-gordon-brown-home-rule-regional-devolution

Version 0 of 1.

I am glad Scotland has decided we are better together. I will work with many like-minded MPs to deliver more self-government for Scotland as the leaders have promised.

The way Better Together behaved during the campaign tried the patience of many English unionists. I disliked their negative attacks, and their lack of emphasis on what the union has achieved in the past and more importantly what it can achieve in the future. I disliked the way large sections of English opinion were told not to trouble Scotland and to keep out of the way for fear of upsetting people there. I thought some businesses intervened in a counterproductive way, which may leave them with problems with customers of a different outlook for years to come. Above all I disliked the way the campaign towards the end made offers to Scotland without consulting the many English MPs who will be expected to vote it all through, and without mentioning the place of England.

The campaign did get across the fact that Scotland could not stay in the currency union if it left the political union. I was delighted that I and the others who made this case continuously about the euro have now persuaded most people. Do not share a bank account with the neighbours. I was disappointed that the Better Together campaign did not get across the fact that Scotland’s dependence on North Sea oil revenue is a temporary boost to Scotland, one which is diminishing rapidly as the oil runs out.

As we now seek to put into legislation what Gordon Brown called home rule for Scotland we will need to do the same for England – and for Wales and Northern Ireland if that is their wish. Today we have different classes of MP at Westminster. Scottish MPs are the most powerful, able to vote on all matters relating to England, while English MPs are the least powerful as we are unable to vote on any devolved matter for Scotland. My proposal – that we form an English parliament at Westminster to handle all devolved matters for England – reunites the powers and duties of union MPs.

If we start with the union parliament, all its members would have an equal voice and vote on all union matters – the currency, banking, general economic policy, foreign policy and defence, among others. There will then be the devolved matters. These will be handled by the Edinburgh parliament for Scotland, and by the English parliament meeting at Westminster for England.

We create an English parliament by letting all English Westminster MPs meet as an English parliament at times when the union parliament is not meeting. This is a development of the policy of English votes for English issues. This policy was in the last Conservative manifesto and now is the policy of Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats, so it appears to have majority support.

Devolution of some powers to the English regions cannot be the answer to the present lopsided devolution. If Scotland is to have the power to fix its income tax rate for the whole country, England needs a body that can fix its income tax rate for the whole country. The north-east decisively rejected a new layer of elected regional government when asked in a referendum. It is unlikely to be any more popular today.

Nor would more powers for some English cities do the trick. Why would only cities get devolved powers, and not suburbs and country areas? Do we really want each city to have different income tax and capital-gains tax rates? More powers for councils may well be a good idea. It is one the English parliament could implement. It is no substitute for England having its own parliament to balance the new federal UK. What is good enough for Scotland is good enough for England. Fairness demands no less. Let’s have some balance in our new constitutional arrangements.

The party leaders will also need to explain how the detail of the new financial settlement will work. Can Scotland keep extra income-tax revenue if it comes in? Does Scotland take the hit if its income-tax revenue falls short? How does the union parliament keep control on overall spending and borrowing if the devolved parliament has more say in tax, spend and borrowing levels? I look forward to seeing the detail.