I HAVE sympathy with Eddie Bone who would like to live in a democratic society, but he is in error in thinking that there is no English Parliament (The Long Letter, July 20).
Since the Treaty of Union “the English Parliament continuing ...” incorporated (literally swallowed up) the Scottish Parliament, and with an overwhelming majority, it has kept it this way.
Westminster is still the parliament of the English state and the English Crown under English Law, and in this jurisdiction the “Crown in Parliament” is sovereign – unlike Scots Law which recognises that sovereignty resides with the people.
Elizabeth II is an English Queen. Since the English Parliament does not have a constitution and English Law is based on precedent, it can do as it pleases, with no restriction.
For example it can break all the clauses of the Treaty of Union between Scotland and England, with impunity. It can remove 6,000 square miles of Scottish waters with several oil wells and all the fishing to English jurisdiction without even a vote, as it did in 1999.
It can strip everyone in Scotland of their European citizenship despite a clear vote of 62% in favour of remaining in the EU.
It can ensure that when 36 out of 39 MPs representing Scotland (in this case SNP MPs) every single thing put forward is voted down, on principle. This is dictatorship.
The MPs from Scotland have always been outnumbered 10 to 1 at best in the House of Commons (the City of London has more MPs) and in 1707 there were twice as many Church of England Bishops than Scottish Peers, and that was when Scotland had 25% of the population of England. Today Scotland has a population 8.2% of the UK.
The UK/ Britain/Great Britain all mean England. British/UK Law both mean English Law. Powers exercised in Westminster stem from Henry VIII of England. The Union flag, so liberally stamped on everything in sight is considered by people in England to be the English flag, since England “includes” Scotland (addresses can only be marked as “UK” not “Scotland”).
Nearly half of all the treasure sent from the people of Scotland to the English Treasury, Bank of England etc is retained to support London. Westminster controls the amount of money returned, and how it is spent.
The “British” Government is not a democratic: under the voting system nearly 60% of votes are “wasted” votes; the ruling party is decided by a few marginal seats in England; the party patronage system ensures that MPs are not free in the normal sense; people do not listen to debates but turn up to vote along party lines; the behaviour in the House of Common is a disgrace to a civilised society – this is a rotten and corrupted system of governing not used anywhere else in the world.
The Westminster Parliament is run by and for a small group of people in their own interest, and will never give up any power to others people or organisations, whether called English, Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish.
That is why it wants Brexit: the EU offers some protections; it redistributes some of the wealth sucked into Westminster; it moderates the dictatorial and imperial interests of that Parliament.
Many people in Scotland only voted to remain in the UK so that they could remain in the EU, with friends and relatives, and with a promise of some more powers over our own affairs.
But after over 100 years of broken promises about home rule for Scotland we are still a colony, paying taxes without representation. Eddie Bone worries that the needs of people in England are not met: that is because his Parliament is not fit for purpose.
Susan FG Forde
Kinross-shire
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