Humiliation for Tories as they give up on ‘English Votes for English Laws’
EVEL: John Redwood – seen here speaking from his home planet of Vulcan (apparently), said the end of English Votes for English Laws was a “sad occasion”, even while his fellow right-wingers like Jacob Rees-Mogg admitted that the procedure had “undermined” Parliament.
The Conservative government tried to quietly scrap its unsuccessful attempt to placate Little Englanders – but couldn’t stop the hoots of derision from across the House of Commons.
They have scrapped their English Votes for English Laws system – otherwise known as EVEL – because it didn’t work.
And quite right, too – especially on the eve of a debate on yet another top-down restructuring of the NHS in England, that will affect patients in the other UK countries as well.
As a citizen of Wales, This Writer would still have to travel into England for treatment at English hospitals in certain citcumstances, and it would be utterly inappropriate for my MP – Tory though Fay Jones may be! – to have her vote on such a matter disregarded.
As it was, the Tories had to grin and bear it as ridicule was piled on humiliation by critics from other parties – most notably the Scottish Nationalists.
The SNP’s Pete Wishart called scrapping the procedure an “utter, utter humiliation” for the government and said it was a victory for his party.
Thangham Debbonaire, shadow Leader of the House of Commons, said the procedure “undermines democracy” and helped feed “the SNP’s indignation”.
And even Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Tory Leader of the House, admitted that the procedure had “added complexity and delay to the legislative process”.
He said EVEL had “undermined” Parliament and all MPs should be represented equally, rejected accusations the move was to appease nationalists and said the government was “trying to restore the beauty and the uniformity of our constitution so that it will work properly”.
You can see how bad EVEL was by the quality of its supporters: swivel-eyed John Redwood said “England deserved better”, that it was a “sad occasion”, and that EVEL was the “only modest devolution ever offered to England”.
Fine words from the Tory minister for the planet Vulcan
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England does not have a parliament, but is just left over regions of the United Kingdom, and so gets the worse of austerity and cuts in the UK , whilst the Welsh and Scottish parliaments can devolve their NHS to such an extent that they have free prescriptions for all ages.
While England pay, and the 60 to 66 (actually pension age is now 67) will be left to die with paying for prescriptions when knackered old people have multiple health problems, so pay separately charged prescription for each medicine and for each NHS supply on prescription.
England does not legally exist. Nor are the English a recognised ethnic group.
Tories despise England and the English.
Welsh and Scottish census had the ability to put any race and Welsh or Scottish. England’s census only had English and white, which thus excluded all the other races with equal right to call themselves English.
Socialist patriotism is the only way to gain socialism in England. We need a socialist separate England parliament.
Over 50s (newborn to granny) party seeking help to start our party, and escape the Tory, right wing Labour, Lib Dems and Greens single party, leading us into a formal dictatorship and loss of the privilege of the NHS (the first such universal healthcare in the world).
I disagree with much of what you say. England and the English are the Tory heartlands. It is that country’s support for Conservatism that drags the rest of the UK down with it. Still, it will be interesting to see what (if anything) other readers say.