In a Guardian article guaranteed to raise the blood pressure of the Campaign for an English Parliament and others, UCL Constitution Unit head Robert Hazell has today argued that there is a future for regional government in England after all.
"Regional government in England is the only solution that offers an answer to both versions of the English question. It could help give England a louder voice within the union, and help decentralise the government of England. But defeat in the North East referendum in 2004 has raised the bar," he writes.
"Any future proposals for elected regional assemblies will need to offer a stronger set of powers and functions. The GLA provides a possible model, with London's Olympics bid showing that a strategic authority can make a difference in promoting a region, both within the UK and to the wider world."
I think I shall just light the blue touchpaper, and retire....
3 comments:
Having had a run in with the nationalists myself I think that keeping the heid well below the parapet is a very wise decision...
Anything said by Robert Hazell is worth considering and to the riposte: 'the pathetic defeat in the northeast referendum of the regional case- the onemost likely to vote in favour- shows this is a lost cause'- I would suggest one cites the example of the referendums in the late seventies in Scotland and Wales. These produced a draw in the case of the former and heavy reverse in the latter but ten years on the situation changed- agreed, not decisively in the Wales case, but still a majority from an ealier 4-1 defeat. It could grow over time though, I'd allow but with general apathy about politics inventing new institutions for people not to vote for seems a bit naive and optimistic.
Skip - I don't think it's impossible that the situation could change in relation to the North-East and possibly the South-West, but what is clearly now not going to happen is a nationwide network of elected assemblies as originally envisaged by Prescott and Caborn back in 1997.
What this means is that whether or not any regional assemblies do ultimately emerge, they are not going to answer the West Lothian Question. Unlike many in the CEP I am not against regional assemblies per se, but I do think an English Parliament now offers a better way forward in terms of tackling England's "democratic deficit."
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