NI parties on the West Lothian question

The UTV website has an interesting piece about the reaction of some of the Northern Ireland parties to the West Lothian question, and the Tory proposal of English votes for English laws.

Predictably, the DUP’s Jeffrey Donaldson is concerned:

"I think it would be a mistake to go down the road of regionalising Parliament," Mr Donaldson said.

"It could undermine the strength of the Union itself.

"I think the UK as a whole will benefit and continues to benefit from all MPs having a say on the matters that Parliament has sovereignty on.

"If the English regions wish to have greater autonomy, they could opt for their own form of devolution.

"However I do not think it is good constitutionally for us to have an English regional Parliament within the Houses of Parliament."

SDLP leader Mark Durkan is convinced that England’s democratic deficit is a pale shadow of Northern Ireland’s.

"It is obvious that it is aimed at Gordon Brown," the Foyle MP said.

"The reality in Parliamentary terms is that some of us who are not English MPs try to stay out of votes that are purely English and Welsh.

"However, some issues and votes do have wider implications and wider principles at stake and so MPs, like ourselves, should be able to feel free to vote in such instances.

"The Tories may go on about the West Lothian question but what about the West Ulster question?

"In so far as there are some anomalies and contradictions blown up by devolution in recent years, people should recognise that the entire British constitutional set-up is a farrago of anomalies, contradictions, anachronisms and absurdities.


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One response to “NI parties on the West Lothian question”

  1. anon avatar
    anon

    Predictably, the DUP’s Jeffrey Donaldson is concerned:
    “I think it would be a mistake to go down the road of regionalising Parliament,” Mr Donaldson said.
    “It could undermine the strength of the Union itself.”
    (comments by mh)
    “Compare Ireland to Scotland – which should be one of the richest nations in the world based upon its oil resources and history of invention. It really demonstrates the ill effects of being chained to the inefficient bureacratic dictatorship of union.”
    (Some pertinent comments attributed to ‘mh’ on another blog discussion on Ireland’s wealth and ranking. Says it all, really.)

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