Although the “Democracy Task Force” headed by Kenneth Clarke has yet to report, it seems likely that the Conservatives have ambitions to reduce the influence of Scottish MPs on Laws deemed to affect England alone.

The Government’s response to comments in this regard by William Hague was to point out that the number of MPs in Scotland had already been reduced by thirteen to fifty-nine to reflect the impact of devolution.  This does not deal with the problem of course, given that the issue is that Scottish MPs can vote on English-only matters whilst English MPs have no say in Scottish or Welsh matters that have been devolved to the Scottish Parliament or Welsh Assembly.  Even if just one Scottish MP could vote in English affairs, it would be still one too many.

The Government does not have any intention of correcting this constitutional imbalance because in reality, the Scottish Raj in England can continue only so long as the Government can rely upon the support of its Scottish MPs.

Opposition is growing to the Government’s latest attempts to enact to itself powers formally exercised by Parliament.  The Bill is drawn so widely that Government Ministers could rewrite current Laws and enact new Laws that at present Parliament only can make.  The Government claims that “safeguards” are in place, but no matter which way you look at it, the Government will have wide powers that it did not have before. It might not be so much a case of the “Divine Right of Kings” but rather one of the “Divine Right of the Executive”, once the Bill becomes Law.[1]