Thursday 25 September 2014

Keeping it simple(r)

Here is my revised draft of text which I hope to be adopted, in similar terms, by individuals, NGOs and political parties.

We note:
  1. The decisive "no" vote in the referendum on Scottish independence has provided a mandate for creating a stronger Scotland within a more decentralised United Kingdom, not contingent upon any arrangements relating to the other three nations within the Union. 
  2. There is a lack of decentralisation within England.
We believe:
  1. Ultimate political power rests in the people.
  2. Politicians should not attempt to direct constitutional changes along party lines; instead, they should cooperate in making the legal and practical arrangements necessary to facilitate what the people decide, through public engagement and democratic consensus.
We call for:
  1. The timely establishment of a new Scottish Constitutional Convention to consider the options for delivering on the "Vow" to devolve more powers to Scotland; as part of their remit, this Convention may choose to draft a Scottish Constitution.
  2. The establishment of an English Constitutional Convention to consider the framework within which English regional government may emerge at its own pace, allowing for regional Conventions to devise proposals that will one-by-one slot into place.
  3. The support for Constitutional Conventions in Wales and Northern Ireland.
  4. These Constitutional Conventions to cooperate with each other to create a coherent federal framework which will amongst other things address what changes to legislative and administrative practice need to occur before "English laws" can be separated out from legislation with wider effect.
  5. The systematic adoption of constitutional documents as a distinct class of legal instruments, where these documents have been democratically endorsed, allowing for the ultimate authority of the people to be acknowledged in law.

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