The constituency under threat
Some 'news' in the Stornoway Gazette about this issue.
As regular readers will know, I raised this issue in early July.
The game is already a bogey on this one, simply because as soon as the Boundary Commission were instructed to start work the framework became unchangeable. In a spectacular piece of incomprehension, Alasdair Allan said, "It would be impossible to merge the Western Isles with another seat". It's not about merging! The seats are going to be cut up and rebundled to 'balance' up the voter numbers.
The game was probably up in 1998 when the legislation mentioned Orkney and Shetland by name, and this was compounded when the 2004 Act went through, omitting the Western Isles.
In the 1970's when this was last raised, the Western Isles SNP and the Skye SNP joined together to oppose the proposals, successfully. This time the only escape is going to be if the Secretary of State for Scotland (Douglas Alexander) vetos the plans. As this gives him the chance to hurt the person who started the "Cash for Honours" fiasco, what do you think he will do?
Angus MacNeil seeks to blame those who were in Parliament in 1998 for not doing more. Perhaps someone can find any reference by any political party to the Western Isles constituency when this was being debated. I can't, at present, but I do vaguely remember it being raised at the time. Perhaps Angus MacNeil should have done something to remedy this omission over the past two years, rather than rely on the unlikely goodwill of the Labour Party.
As regular readers will know, I raised this issue in early July.
The game is already a bogey on this one, simply because as soon as the Boundary Commission were instructed to start work the framework became unchangeable. In a spectacular piece of incomprehension, Alasdair Allan said, "It would be impossible to merge the Western Isles with another seat". It's not about merging! The seats are going to be cut up and rebundled to 'balance' up the voter numbers.
The game was probably up in 1998 when the legislation mentioned Orkney and Shetland by name, and this was compounded when the 2004 Act went through, omitting the Western Isles.
In the 1970's when this was last raised, the Western Isles SNP and the Skye SNP joined together to oppose the proposals, successfully. This time the only escape is going to be if the Secretary of State for Scotland (Douglas Alexander) vetos the plans. As this gives him the chance to hurt the person who started the "Cash for Honours" fiasco, what do you think he will do?
Angus MacNeil seeks to blame those who were in Parliament in 1998 for not doing more. Perhaps someone can find any reference by any political party to the Western Isles constituency when this was being debated. I can't, at present, but I do vaguely remember it being raised at the time. Perhaps Angus MacNeil should have done something to remedy this omission over the past two years, rather than rely on the unlikely goodwill of the Labour Party.
2 comments:
"Interesting" as ever (a word covering a multitude of sins!). However, you might like to note that Douglas Alexander is no longer Secretary of State for Scotland (he is now SoS for International Development); the man in charge of Scotland at Westminster is Des Browne (in the moments he has to spare between running wars in his other job as Defence Secretary).
Just thought it time you starting letting some facts get in the way of your good stories!
Anon
Yes, of course you are correct and I am wrong. I can't keep up to date with which has been (or "never was") is now in the Governor General.
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