All content is my personal opinion and I am always happy to debate on the issues that I write about. No need to be kind, but a constructive approach is greatly favourable rather than negative criticism!!

Monday, 26 March 2012

Russell Brown MP, a case study in Scottish MP's in Westminster

My local MP is Russell Brown of the Labour party.  He became my MP due to boundary changes that created Galloway and West Dumfries incorporating my old constituency of Galloway and Upper Nithsdale.  Galloway and Upper Nithsdale had been in a state of regular change from Tory to SNP for many years, with negligible Labour support, so to suddenly find myself in a Labour constituency in such a way  felt a little undemocratic to me.
Now I have a very strong feeling of the wrongness in Scottish MP's voting on matters of English interest only, so I decided to have a look at Mr Brown's voting record.  It's pretty depressing reading, to be honest.
Russel Brown voted moderately for University Tuition fees, for the hunting ban (a matter which is reserved to Holyrood for Scotland, personally I agree with the Hunting Ban), for greater autonomy for English Schools, voted for the English smoking ban, for the introduction of Foundation Hospitals in the English and Welsh NHS,  for the anti-terrorism laws and  he never rebels against his party in Parliament.
Other things that Mr Brown has voted for which were Reserved matters, in spite of strong opposition in Scotland are for the introduction of ID cards, against a wholly elected House of Lords, for the Iraq war, against investigation into the Iraq War and for replacing Trident.
Yes, Russell Brown is the fairly elected representative of Galloway and West Dumfries, but in all of the above things I can't see him adequately representing Scottish interests in Westminster, and am disgusted by his record of voting for controversial legislation in Westminster that does not affect Scotland and would not pass into law in Scotland.
I believe that we should all be challenging our Unionist MP's on their voting record in Westminster as a part of our argument for Scottish Independence.  It's as equally valid an argument to say that they have no mandate on English affairs as it is to say that the Coalition Governement of Westminster has no mandate to dictate on Scottish affairs like the Referendum.  This is a double standard that can be eradicated by Independence, as we well know.
Go have a look at your local Unionist MPs voting record here, and you just might feel motivated to write to them and express your feelings about their voting on English matters that have nothing to do with them.
We so-called cybernats are often accused of being anti-english, but looking at the record above I almost feel that Russell Brown is anti-english as he is having a hand in dismantling Free Education in England and England's NHS, two cornerstones of what Unionists believe make Britain a fair and equal society.   
As we move towards the Referendum, it is important to inform ourselves just about how our Scottish MP's are representing us in the Westminster Parliament.  I personally do not want to be represented in a way which allows English people to rightly complain that they are helping to take away such vital things from English public life.  I want the English to have the same level of care in health and education as we Scots enjoy, but it's not for us to dictate that to them.  I also want the Americans to have those same cornerstones of a fair society, but I wouldn't dream of sending Scottish congressmen to America to vote either way on these matters.
Independence is a very simple premise, in the end.  It is the the right for the people of a country to determine their own government and services.  English Independence from Scotland is just as important to me as Scottish Independence from England, because that is going to be the only way we will achieve fair democracy in these  islands.  So long as MP's like Russel Brown continue to be sent south to intervene on the behalf of their party in English politics, that just isn't going to be achieved.

2 comments:

  1. This is what I've emailed to Russell Brown this morning.

    Dear Russell Brown,

    I recently had occasion to look at your voting record in the House of Commons and found myself offended on behalf of the people of England. I note that you have voted on many matters of purely English or Welsh concern (mostly English) for which you have never been given a mandate as you represent a Scottish constituency. The matters you have voted on are matters reserved to Holyrood from the introduction of tuition fees to the smoking and hunting bans.
    Such is my disgust I have written and disseminated a blog piece on your voting record, encouraging other Scots to look into the voting patterns of their own MP's.
    You have the right to refuse the party whip on the grounds that the vote will not affect your constituents and should be doing so. If Scots MP's in the House of Commons stood together on this issue not only would it be a rare show of integrity that would appeal to many voters, it would make it impossible for their party to discipline them en masse in what in affect would be a simple answer to Tam Dalziel's West Lothian Question.
    You can read the blog at http://altceltview.blogspot.co.uk/ should you wish.

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