Quote:
Originally Posted by Baby Zeesus
Tom's original post was worded in a way that I think highlights one of the reasons why people generally dislike the idea of a United Kingdom in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland though - that arrogant assumption that England is this weary benefactor of three 'scrounging' nations... On the contrary, we have all been trying to establish ourselves as independent nations who are not reliant on the English to sustain ourselves. That's the point that it comes down to though - in Westminster, the three smaller nations do not get as much of a say yet were affected by nationwide decisions; now that there's been some form of devolution in all three (either through the assemblies or parliament in Scotland's case) that issue isn't as prominent. Therefore the reason the English don't have a separate Parliament, it seems to me, is because by creating one, it signals the end of the United Kingdom as such, and promotes the idea of four separate nations under one banner, and would probably lead to the dissolution of the UK.
Basically I see the lack of an English Parliament as the glue holding the UK together.
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Tom seemed more to be dismissing the influence of the Scottish Parliament than their contribution to the Union, a view I would personally disagree with. The view that England are the benefactor of Scotland/Wales/N.I is not one that most of the English hold, I think most would acknowledge Scotland's importance to the Union. Scots could also be accused of the same offence as well, I may be wrong but there seems to be a "they need us more than we need them" attitude among many Scots, particularly when it comes to something like the North Sea oil
I do think you have a valid point though, in that an English Parliament could be a final step toward the breakdown of the Union. Although English nationalism is undoubtedly on the rise as it is and I do think part of that is because of our lack of a Parliament. Scottish, Welsh & Irish MP's can vote on exclusively English issues yet English MP's cannot do the same for matters affecting the other nations, and I dont think that is fair. It's a difficult situation alright, I like the idea of the English Parliament but it could effectively render Westminster pointless so maybe it is necessary to refrain from introducing one
I think the complete devolution of the UK will happen at some point tbh, I really dont know how long it can continue to survive