Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2008 | Page 13

FOREWORD Andrew Turner MP 24 The Mall, Carisbrooke, Isle of Wight PO30 1BW Tel: [phone] email: [email protected] English votes for English matters BY - ANDREW TURNER MP I am often asked what the job of an MP entails. People see what I do on the Island – then go on to say ‘But what do you actually do in Westminster?’ They watch the Parliament channel, see the House of Commons (sometimes almost empty) and not surprisingly, wonder what MPs are up to. I really enjoy work in the Chamber, and the more intimate environment of Westminster Hall, either contributing to debates or just listening, but I do have many other duties. One of those is my work on the Justice Select Committee, an all-party Committee which examines the work of the Ministry of Justice and related bodies. We always have several detailed investigations going on, and one constituents were not affected by it as universities in Scotland are free for residents. It must be easy to vote on unpopular things which do not affect your constituents, but I believe that undermines a fundamental part of our democracy. MPs should be answerable to the people that elect them for their decisions. The West Lothian Question is so hard to answer that for a long time it has not really been asked. But there is a growing unease about this anomaly. There are several lobby groups campaigning for an English-only parliament, and some senior politicians have put their weight behind the cause. Former Chancellor, Kenneth Clarke, has forecast a “constitutional crisis” with growing resentment building to crisis levels within England. The problem, it seems to me, is that in creating a Scottish Parliament and assemblies for both Wales and Northern Ireland, England has been overlooked. Perhaps this is due to the location of Parliament. Because it’s in London, do people assume it’s English, giving dwellers here an advantage over their Gaelic and Celtic neighbours? Whatever the reason, defined boundaries need to be established so that English law is determined by MPs with English constituencies. When our committee report on Devolution is produced, the Government will have 60 working days to respond to the points we raise. Recently, Ministers seem to have at least recognised there is a problem. I hope that our work on the Justice Select Committee will help edge towards a permanent answer to the thorny issue of the West Lothian Question. I am a passionate believer in the United Kingdom but also believe in English votes for English matters because, frankly, England does matter. of the most important we are working on currently is about the effects of devolution. Before 1999, all legislation was dealt with at Westminster but