English Parliament ‘fair’ as it ‘pays for the other countries’ says former MP and England rugby player
England having its own parliament is “only fair” as the nation “pays for the other countries” in the UK, according to a former MP and rugby international.
Derek Wyatt who played for England in the 70s and represented Sittingbourne and Sheppey as a Labour MP until 2010 said that the House of Commons should become an English-only parliament.
The House of Lords should then be reformed as a 250 member chamber “which would sit over the top of the four national parliaments”, he said.
“Four lower parliaments would seem only fair to the English who pay for the other three countries as their economies are not yet strong enough,” he told the Financial Times.
“Then the question is what to do with the unelected House of Lords and the new bullish elected regional mayors? My proposal is for a new senate which would sit over the top of the four national parliaments with responsibilities for infrastructure, some elements of the Treasury, foreign affairs and the environment. Most other tasks could be delegated.
“It would comprise 250 elected members (by a version of proportional representation) representing counties and major cities including regional mayors and/or their deputies.
“The existing Lords would be wound up. The senate would be allowed to bring forward ”names’ a little like the Queen’s Order of Merit members — maybe 25, maybe 50 who could sit in the senate and give advice on a non-party basis but not vote.”
‘Serious’
He was responding to proposals by the The Financial Times’ Whitehall Editor who argued that the House of Lords should be abolished and replaced by a new chamber including representatives from the Senedd, Scottish parliament, Northern Irish Assembly and England’s Mayoral regions.
Sebastian Payne said that the way to fix the political deficit within the UK was “to bring them into the heart of national politics” and create a new 200 member chamber alongside the House of Commons.
“The solution is to bin the House of Lords,” he said. “The bloated unelected chamber with 820 members is well past its sell-by date. The only strong argument for its survival is that the process of replacing it is too messy.
“A new chamber of say 200 — including legislative experts serving five-year terms — is what England needs. Adding representatives from the devolved parliaments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland could help secure the future of the United Kingdom too.”
He added that for England “increasing the number of mayors will not go far enough”.
“If Johnson is serious about tackling the political deficit in England, prompted by the creation of the Scottish and Welsh parliaments, he needs to bring them into the heart of national politics,” he said. “Mayors need representation in Westminster to show those feeling left behind they are being listened to.
“Tackling regional inequality can only be done by tackling England’s democratic deficit.”
The plan mirrors that of former Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones, who argued that the House of Lords should be replaced by members elected on the basis of equal representation between the UK nations.
Asked in 2012 how Wales would fare if Scotland voted for independence, he said: “I think we need to start thinking about this now.
“It appears at the moment from the opinion polls that Scotland wouldn’t leave the UK, but how do we make the UK fit for purpose in the 21st Century?
“We have a political structure that’s from the 18th and 19th Centuries.”
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Would prefer independence myself but would be better than the current arrangements hopefully this gains traction
Let me get this straight. Ex-England Rugby International Derek Wayatt says It’s only fair that England has its own parliament. Yes, cannot disagree, although the only thing England lacks in the name above the door. Westminster has always been England’ parliament. Fact. Anyway, it will return to being England’s Parliament when Scotland votes for independence in 2023 and the domino effect occurs ending this false United Kingdom. Then England will be dependent on us for their water & energy. And we’ll be more fairer to them than they have ever been to us. Also, Wayatt Earp says that England pays… Read more »
Halfway measures like this only delay our goal (and the goal England should aspire to also). Reject and demand full autonomy and national sovereignty.
I wonder what he would say to England losing all that “national project funding” like HS1 & 2, Olympics, TfL upgrades, tube lines, and the rest and had to fund their own infrastructure? Or actually had to pay Wales and Scotland for the energy and resoiurces they import for free as colonial masters? Or firms paid tax where they earned rather than where their head offices happen to be?
Yes England does pay the bills but England also hoovers up all the money so they should pay and actually need to pay much more under fair funding.
Regarding who owns what and what goes where.. Water: 🏴 Yes, water is a free natural resource that falls from the heaven’s onto the land below, well it is until you put an Illegal artificial barrier i.e Dam between two sides of valley to capture that water resource. And the amount of water Dwr Cymru provides is immaterial. It’s the larger picture. My concern is the amount of water taken out of Wales and where the revenue goes. See, Wales gets no fiscal benefit from our natural resource taken. With all money paid by English customers to English water companies… Read more »
!”When the English Government in London illegally built Dams thought Mid-Wales, especially Tryweryn, then shared our water resource amongst various English water companies, That is rubbish. Water was a nationalised industry in the 1960s. Trywern was used due to hydro logical issues and proximity. “Central Government, who were involved in our coal extraction with British Coal” Yeah, It was nationalised when it made a loss, thus making the Welsh mine owners rich. Public spending per head on English miners : £79 ; Welsh ones £4,083. The water that comes out of Wales is worth around £35 million at the rate… Read more »
Firstly, I’d reframe from being a Unionist apologist. And rather than condoning an ongoing injustice should fight for control of our natural resources as I and others do, if indeed you are Welsh, which is doubtful reading your ode to BritNat. And rather than allowing the exploitation of our water resource by a foreign country that acted in the most undemocratic way by forcefully removing a Welsh community, should think before posting such diatribe. You made a false accusation too. I never said I’d condone turning off the taps. I stated how we would sell water back to England with… Read more »
Let’s talk about who pays the bills after Wales gets paid for the electricity and water England presently loots.
And after we decide how much we want to spend on “defence”.
Why do these people keep talking about a “political deficit in England” as if there really is one? They have their own parliament at Westminster, with a comparatively small number of MPs from Wales and Scotland included. But certainly, what he proposes is better than what’s on offer at the moment. And the very fact that a prominent sports figure is voicing his upon on the matter shows that the constitutional issue — despite what Keir Starmer and other unionists claim — is now of fundamnetal importance for the, er, “precious union”.
Wyatt ? Didn’t last long on the wing for England at a time when they were crying out for good ones ! Didn’t last long as an M.P either possibly because he kept trotting out this kind of nonsense.
It would not break my heart if the Lords of Iron and Coal were to lose their place on the Palace of Westminster gravy train…
All they need do is get behind the English Bill Of Rights. We should do something similar, seeing as so many Cymro signed the American declaration of Independence? That should cover all people living in Cymru, regardless of ethnicity, and we can get on with building a decent society and strengthening our culture?
Because of course the Welsh, the Scots and the (northern) Irish don’t pay any income tax, national insurance, VAT, fuel duty, council tax, business rates, corporation tax, alcohol duty, capital gains tax, alcohol duty, tobacco duty, road tax, inheritance tax or any other form of tax at all. We are all exempt and the poor old hard done by English have to pay for everything whilst we sponge off them. Funny though, whenever I look at my payslip I see that a substantial amount of my money gets taken away by something called ‘PAYE’ and ‘NI contributions’, have I been… Read more »
Very good, Barry Pandy.
I would prefer Welsh, Scottish and NI Independence within the European Union.
But, if you see fit that the British Isles needs an addition layer of governance then why not campaign for a fully devolved federal system similar to the federal EU/German model ?
I’d agree if only I could trust the establishment to honour the set up. Currently we have a UK government hell bent on taking powers away from Wales, what makes anyone thing it would stand by any new arrangement? It wouldn’t. Wales has suffered long enough, our future must be decided by us and by us alone. It is too late for hasty compromises – independence it must now be.
Britain- 650 MP’s (USA has 425 equiv) HOL 850 unelected spongers (USA has 100 elected) Then the regions- take Wales. A joke “government” for 3 million people- below that 22 unitary authorities- it goes on. Kow Tow Britain- owned by royalty and landed gentry. Run be 1931 style fascists. We need revolution suckers.
“A Joke Government for 3 million people”. – Their mature and rational handling of the covid response doesn’t realy smack of a joke does it?…. In fact many people I knew as previous devo sceptics are thanking god that they live in Wales rather than in shopping trolley alley.