CEI comments on the House of Lords debate in July 1997 (see previous post)

Some points worth discussing on their British elites Lordships' speeches as quoted in the previous post.

(i) I think we know of a very good reason why the Lords were so reluctant to bring to public notice questions of nationality and ethnicity!

The results of Tom Wyatt's research on the home nation origins of peers is proving fascinating and we will publish it on the CEI site as soon as possible.

(ii) The peers are fussing in this debate about which Scots should be allowed to vote in the proposed referendum on Labour's Scottish devolution proposals.  Here is a matter, some of them say, affecting the constitution of the UK and it should not matter whether you are a Scot still living in Scotland or are living say, in England.

Yes, but!

The peers were right in noting that Scottish devolution would affect the constitution of the UK and that raises a central issue - as the subject of the referendum affected the constitution of the UK, then surely all those living in the UK as UK citizens should have been allowed to vote?

The reason why the British elites have given a series of referenda from the 1970s onwards to Scotland and Wales on matters of devolution that affect the entire UK constitution, but deliberately excluded the people of England from voting in any of these referanda, goes to the very heart of the corrupt system of British government.

Devolution to the other three home nations of the UK (but not extended to England, with its 84% of the UK population) was in reality about the British elites wishing to preserve their grip on office and power, and avoiding the threat to both, which would arise if they were accountable to an English Parliament.

(iii) The new Scottish government is now proposing to bring forward towards the end of the five year term of the new Scottish Parliament their long awaited referendum on whether the Scottish people are in favour of independence.

But under the Scottish devolution settlement enacted by the British Parliament, constitutional issues are a reserved matter for Westminster.

Despite this very clear constitutional position, British First Minister David Donald Cameron's British Government has given way to Prime Minister Alex Salmond and it will be the latter's Scottish government that will decide the timing and even the wording of the Scottish independence referendum.

The result of this prposed Scottish independence referendum may not just be to change the constitution of the UK, but to actually abolish the UK.  I know that put out like it sounds too extrordinary (and too exciting...) to believe, but that is what it is about.

Yup, very the survival or the abolition of the UK will be decided by those five million or so people living in Scotland, and the role of the 52 million people in England will be as mere onlooker, viewing on their television pictures of Scots voting. 

(iv) The day when all the people of England are entitled to vote on all constitutional matters that affect them cannot come too soon!  For that to happen, we will need of course to have thrown out the British elites from their present rule of England, and have brought about English Independence.

(v)  Do not get misunderstand us in the Campaign for English Independence when we speak of Scotland please.

We in the CEI are sincerely 100% delighted for the people of Scotland that they will get their once in a lifetime - in fact their once in over 300 years - opportunity to put the Scottish nation on a sustainable and proper footing.

We want the Scottish people to vote 'Yes' to Scottish independence and in overwhelming numbers and we would then wish Scotland every success in building a prosperous and successful Scottish nation state.

Just that we find that the British elites' marginalisation of England and her people unacceptable.  

(vi) In typing the previous post, I mis-spelt 'Westminster' as 'Westmonster'.  Mmmmmm.....