Isonstine wrote:Taking Gav's point about a Tory government in Westminster when Scotland isn't voting that way reminds me of past cases where Scottish MPs have voted on (sometimes controversial) legislation for England and Wales that has no impact on Scotland due to devolution. I'm sure many in the past have accused those MPs of doing it to merely frustrate the opposition but I would not be so narrow minded as to take that as gospel.
22 years after the question was posed (and now it is even more relevant post-devolution), its high time it was answered.Wiki - The West Lothian Question wrote:The West Lothian Question was first posed on 14 November 1977 by Tam Dalyell, Labour Member of Parliament (MP) for the Scottish constituency of West Lothian, during a British House of Commons debate over Scottish and Welsh devolution (see Scotland Act 1978 and Wales Act 1978):
"For how long will English constituencies and English Honourable members tolerate... at least 119 Honourable Members from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland exercising an important, and probably often decisive, effect on English politics while they themselves have no say in the same matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?"
Its probably a giant hornet's nest - which is why no one apparently has the hootspa to go near it.
EDIT: I mean "chutzpah" don't I? What a chamoole.