Almost two thirds of British voters believe Scottish MPs should not be allowed to vote on English matters, according to a Yougov poll for the Sunday Times.
The poll of nearly 1,500 voters, conducted last week, found that English concerns have hardened in recent months after the support of Scots MPs allowed Blair to force through unpopular plans for university top-up fees in English and Welsh universities.
Another ST piece includes an interview with Darren Foster of the Campaign for an English Parliament.
“We believe the dominant presence of Scottish MPs at Westminster in Tony Blair’s government has contributed to the huge constitutional disparity between England and the other countries of the UK. It is a gross abuse to democratic accountability that the secretaries of state for health (Reid) and for transport (Darling) are held by MPs who do not represent a constituency in the same country where their policies are delivered.”
The poll story has also been picked up by Stuart Dickson’s Scottish Independence blog.
So, let me get this right, only about 59%(?) of respondents, from throughout Britain, want Scotland to remain in the Union. It looks as though the English electorate are coming round to the same opinion as the SNP: the United Kingdom’s constitution is a complete dog’s breakfast, and it is rapidly becoming time to call the whole game a bogey. That does not sound like a very strong "attachment to the Union" to me.
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