THE Liberal Democrats have launched their plans to reform the United Kingdom into a federal state, including bringing the Sewel Convention into law and introducing an elected House of Lords.
However, the party has been warned that there is "no appetite" in England for the changes they recommend and that their arguments are "probably about 100 years old".
The Scottish party’s leader, Willie Rennie, today launched a booklet outlining the plans, entitled Bring Our Country Together, alongside unelected peer and former UK LibDem leader Menzies Campbell.
Campbell, titled “The Lord Campbell of Pittenweem” in the LibDem publication, also writes the introduction to the booklet.
In that introduction, the LibDem peer says his party “rejects the idea that the only choice is between [Scottish] independence and the status quo”.
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Campbell argues for Scotland to be a “guiding light” in federal reform across the UK and calls for a constitutional convention to be established, “not just of political parties in Scotland but of civic society, of local government and interested individuals”.
However, the booklet takes aim at the “deeply incompetent” Government led by Boris Johnson, before saying that its recommended changes to the constitution “require the election of a government committed to democratic reform”.
The LibDems say that the “next UK government” should set up a convention on the constitution.
The next UK-wide General Election is scheduled for 2024. This would suggest that the LibDems do not expect their plans to begin to be put in motion for at least three years, assuming that Johnson’s Tories lose their 87-seat working majority at the next vote.
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The Scottish Greens co-leader, Patrick Harvie, said the UK “simply has shown no interest” in the LibDems’ recommended reforms and argued that Scotland need not wait for the rest of the UK to be ready for that kind of change.
He added: “Scotland can and should take its future into its own hands.”
The LibDem booklet, which appear slightly rushed with colour missing from parts of the UK's coastline on the cover, makes 13 recommendations to “improve our democracy”.
These are:
1: An end to “wasted votes” in UK General Elections by switching to the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system. The UK had a referendum on switching away from the First Past the Post voting system in 2011, with 67.9% of the public voting No.
2: Elect the House of Lords through a system of Proportional Representation (PR).
3, 4 and 5: Embed the Sewel Convention in law, meaning Westminster will not be able to legislate in devolved areas. Only reserved areas should be specified in this legislation, with all other powers being automatically devolved. Also, include in that law a declaration that the UK is a “federal union”.
6: Protect the powers of the Supreme Court against current Tory “plans to restrict the ability of courts to hold government to account”.
7 and 8: The creation of a council of ministers “comprising the Prime Minister, the first ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Mayor of London and the Mayors or leaders of new regional authorities in England”. This council’s approval will be necessary for changes to the UK single market.
9, 10 and 11: Create a third category of power called “partnership powers” which is neither devolved nor reserved. These powers would require governments to consult one another on certain issues. Government should also be able to request other governments make changes in areas where they have control.
12: Enable UK-wide institutions, which will be instructed by and serve all of the various governments.
13: The “next UK Government” should create a convention which will in turn create a written and codified constitution for the whole of the UK.
Commenting, Rennie said: "Our comprehensive package of reforms will give Scotland a bigger say in a changed UK democracy so together we can put recovery first.”
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However, the Greens’ Patrick Harvie panned the report, saying he does not “see any appetite down south for the kind of radical reform that would be necessary for something like federalism”.
Harvie said: “The case for proper democratic reform for the UK is probably about 100 years old, maybe more.
“The idea of abolishing the House of Lords, having genuinely decentralised government, ideas like decentralised economic powers, the UK simply has shown no interest in it.
“Other than a few municipal mayors who are directly elected I don’t see any appetite down south for the kind of radical reform that would be necessary for something like federalism.
“And actually I don’t think Scotland needs to wait for the UK to be ready for that. Scotland can and should take its future into its own hands and the next session in the Scottish Parliament the Greens will be supporting an independence referendum.
“Our position has been betrayed by Brexit and by the treatment of the UK Government since then. Effectively we’d no longer even have the devolution settlement we voted for 20 years ago when we have a UK Government willing to legislate in devolved areas against the explicit refusal of consent by the Scottish Parliament.
“So really, the situation is urgent and we have the solution already at our disposal – and it comes through voting Yes, for a Green vision of an independent Scotland in Europe.”
You can read the LibDems’ Bring Our Country Together booklet in full here.
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