AS regular readers will know, this column likes to keep you abreast of developments in the UK’s uncodified constitution. To this end, we bring news of two new characters strutting the anti-democratic stage.
First, the Scottish Office has a new bag carrier. Ruth Edwards MP, for it is she, lives near Hickling in Nottinghamshire, with her alpacas, chickens, bees and Geoffrey the tortoise. She has been appointed to the post of Parliamentary Private Secretary – an unpaid role. In this role she will be the “eyes and ears” of Alister Jack, the Scottish Secretary, and liaise with MPs on his behalf.
“This will be of real benefit in my work representing Rushcliffe,” says Ruth. “However, I can assure my constituents that the position will not impact on my work here.”
According to her biography, she is an avid reader and plant lover, with books and plants engaged in an on-going battle for territory in her home. She is also a strong advocate of the consumption of tea and cake in all circumstances.
In her December 13, 2019 election address, she pledged to put her constituents first. This may be a big ask, bearing in mind her constituency voted to Remain. However, she will fit right in at the Scottish Office, where the views of Scottish voters are routinely ignored. Having previously failed to be elected in Wales where she lost to Plaid Cymru, she transferred her affections to Ken Clarke’s old seat, where a three-way split with the LibDems enabled her to beat Labour.
It is a truly stunning indictment of the enormous shallowness of the Tory MP pool in Scotland that Alister Jack had to reach out to Nottinghamshire for someone to carry his bags.
READ MORE: Here's how a constitution will help us build an independent Scotland
Second, Ms Edwards will be working closely with Chloe Rebecca Smith MP. Who is she? I hear you ask. Well, Ms Smith is Minister for the Constitution.
In this capacity, “Constitution” Chloe – as perhaps we ought to call her – told the House magazine last month that: “The Government is acting to safeguard democracy.” Either this is wholly delusional, given her government’s attitude to democracy in Scotland, or she is entirely unaware of its behaviour in this country.
Avid followers of political shows and calamitous interviews may recall her name. On June 22, 2012, she appeared on Newsnight to defend a George Osborne U-turn on fuel duty. She was on the receiving end of “a mauling” by Jeremy Paxman, according to reports. The interview was also described as a “humiliation”, and “car-crash”. Even the Daily Mail was unimpressed, it reported that some observers said there ought to have been a warning to viewers to avert their eyes if they found blood sports offensive.
In August 2013, she was criticised by transparency campaigners for blocking the identification of civil servants and public sector bodies responsible for £77 million of flights booked through the Government Procurement Service. Two months later, she resigned her post to “concentrate on the most important part of my job: being MP for Norwich North”.
Like many other Tories, Constitution Chloe was opposed to Brexit prior to the referendum. Despite this, she endorsed Boris Johnson in the Tory leadership election. Now, respecting the time-honoured UK tradition of “failing upwards”, Constitution Chloe is back in the fold.
READ MORE: The UK's lack of constitution makes democracy easier to crush
Remember too, that the Constitution, Democracy and Rights Commission is still in the offing. According to Robert Buckland, who rejoices in the title of the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, the aim is to “restore people’s trust in our democracy and the institutions that underpin it”.
If the UK Government’s record is any guide, this commission will likely achieve precisely the opposite – and the end result may be to destroy the final remaining trust in democracy and UK institutions.
The House of Lords, of course, continues to be an offence to democracy. With few notable exceptions, it a cesspit of those rewarded for failure. Or worse, for keeping their mouths shut.
The crucial point is that all of those mentioned above, whatever their background and competence, will have much greater control over Scotland’s constitutional future than all of its MPs and MSPs combined.
As a counterbalance to these assaults on democracy, Michael Russell is pressing ahead with the Scottish Government’s Constitutional Convention. This is to be greatly welcomed, if a mite tardy. This column wishes him every success in his efforts to enhance democracy. We hope he will consult widely and seek support and guidance from outside the political establishment in Scotland.
In summary, Thomas Paine got it spot on. He said: “The continual use of the word constitution in the English Parliament, shows there is none; and the whole thing is merely a form of government without a constitution, and constituting itself with what powers it pleases.”
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