THERE was a rather brilliant moment during the House of Commons debate on English votes for English laws (Evel) when a Tory MP cut in on SNP MP Tommy Sheppard to say that they had to introduce Evel as it was a manifesto commitment.
Sheppard replied: “And we know that you know that we know that you never thought you would have to implement this proposal.”
Evel was in the manifesto to be negotiated out when the Tories found themselves in a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. That didn’t happen.
This is where the Government now finds itself. Evel is an unworkable and unwanted policy commitment.
The Government has changed the very nature of democracy in the United Kingdom, not because it is necessary, not because of a democratic deficit, but for the politics of pandering to prejudices.
And now, the morning after the day after the night before, we see the mess of Evel writ large: debates and uncertainty over which bills, which policies, which measures should not be voted on by Scottish MPs.
That the expansion of Heathrow or Gatwick should not be voted on by Scottish MPs is absurd. And yet there is a possibility that this is what will happen.
Those under the flight path of a possible third runway at Heathrow may very well resent Scottish MPs from having a vote, but there is no getting away from the fact that the airport is a national asset.
There has already been a significant reduction in the number of flights between Scotland and London because of the squeeze at Heathrow. Of course this has an impact on Scotland’s economy.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will all lose out because of Evel. That might be worth it if England gained. But it doesn’t. Evel fixes a problem that doesn’t exist, it just manages to create new ones.
We can expect much more of this over the course of the next year.
Letters to The National, October 24: Evel will prove the Union is unequal
MP may be off committee in new Evel rules
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here