Prof John Curtice commenting on English Votes on English Laws says: “David Cameron sold the English a pup”
Prof John Curtice commenting on English Votes on English Laws says:
“David Cameron sold the English a pup”
On the 28TH November 2016 in Committee Room 3 of the House of Commons, The Centre for Constitutional Change, with the support of the Economic and Social Research Council and the Constitution Unit of UCL, discussed their newly released report entitled:- ‘Finding the good in EVEL’.
The most telling comment during the wide-ranging discussion concerning the ineffectiveness of English Votes on English Laws (EVEL) was from John Curtice, the political scientist who is Professor of Politics at the University of Strathclyde or, as many know him, as the ‘the man behind the only poll that was right about the 2015 General election”!
Prof Curtice stated when talking about EVEL:-
“That David Cameron had sold the English a pup”.
In other words David Cameron sold the English something of little worth with EVEL. Cameron had deliberately pretended that EVEL would give England a voice and was something of great worth - when it was not!
David Cameron’s words on the 19th September 2016 were:
“We have heard the voice of Scotland now the millions of voices of England must be heard."
We now know that statement wasn’t true. It was a lie. This report comprehensively proves that EVEL doesn’t improve England’s voice. It shows that EVEL is a complicated and worthless piece of parliamentary procedure that is ineffective.
That ineffectiveness is easily shown because the SNP can still block the will of English MPs.
One good example is over Sunday Trading Laws. The SNP were able to protect their longer opening times in Scotland whilst voting against longer opening times in England.
Eddie Bone, Campaign Director for the Campaign for an English Parliament stated:-
“The only way the English are going to stop their taxes being unfairly given away to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is by having a clearly defined voice and that can only be enabled by an English parliament. We agree with John Curtice, “the English were sold a pup with EVEL”. Now we need a democratically elected English government!”
Eddie Bone
Campaign Director
Campaign for an English Parliament
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