CLUB LEADERS

[awk]

All that is because Scotland wants devolved powers. The UK Parliament still legislates for those parts of the UK who have not opted for devolution. English business is Westminster/BOF business, because the English have stayed with the UK structure.

The argument about Scottish MPs not voting on English business only comes about with devolution, not least because it has been driven by the Scots: where you opt out, then you should have no right to continue voting in areas which are not to do with you.

Personally, I'm all for devolution, and would like to see not just an English body (both in BOF and in national government), but also much more localisation at every stage (it's not only the Scots who are fed up to the back teeth with London-centric national government), but given what we have, if one decides to opt out, then it's not one's business when everybody else gets on with their business, whether one pays a membership or not.

[AndyO]

All that is because Scotland wants devolved powers. The UK Parliament still legislates for those parts of the UK who have not opted for devolution.

In fact England was never offered devolution when Scotland, Wales and Norn Irn were (and voted for it). England was offered regional assemblies instead, presumably on the basis that the other Home Nations were not really countries at all, just the equivalent of English regions. I suspect that had England been offered a national assembly, or a Parliament as Scotland were, the vote for would have been as big as it was North of the border, and the West Lothian question would never have been posed in the first place

[mrs@riviera]

I don't see why non English members of BOF should be subjected to front page news on the BOF site that deals with English crap.

Gross, stop moaning and put something on the BOF website that is to do with the wonderful things that are being promoted in your country of birth, not Lithuania.

[Gross]

put something on the BOF website that is to do with the wonderful things that are being promoted in your country of birth, not Lithuania.

errrr.... not sure what Lithuania has to do with it.... and I must have missed something as I wasn't aware it was possible for Joe Public to put things on the BOF website.... and even if it was not sure I could put anything on about the wonderful things the SOA does as I'm not involved with the SOA

[awk]

All that is because Scotland wants devolved powers. The UK Parliament still legislates for those parts of the UK who have not opted for devolution.

In fact England was never offered devolution when Scotland, Wales and Norn Irn were (and voted for it). England was offered regional assemblies instead.

That was the devolution I was referring to.

I suspect that had England been offered a national assembly, or a Parliament as Scotland were, the vote for would have been as big as it was North of the border, and the West Lothian question would never have been posed in the first place

.
Possibly - I would certainly have voted for it if it had received sufficient powers - but just conjecture. (But then, i would have voted for regional assemblies if they'd had sufficient powers).