Heathrow' Third Runway: Flying in the face of English Democracy

The reverberations around the house last week at the undemocratic stance of the government on the Heathrow Airport extension that led to the subsequent eviction and banning of Labour MP John McDonnell, drew a Conservative protest that resulted in 132 MPs signing an early day motion against the extension. Theresa Villiers told MPs “We are giving the House the opportunity to have the vote the government wouldn’t give them”

PM Gordon Brown’s government narrowly won the subsequent vote on the third runway extension by 297 votes to 278 but not before losing two of their ministerial aides who had earlier resigned in disgust over the plan.

When you look at the result of the vote all seems fair and democratic, but on closer inspection it shows something entirely different and highlights another political deficit England finds itself in when confronted with a Labour Whip. Labour's British MPs from the devolved nations are then said to be encouraged or more or less forced by PM Gordon Brown a Scotsman, to vote on issues that does not concern his or their own nations constituents in law, but their nations could all gain economically in money from the “Barnett Formula.” Rather than these MPs being forced to vote, this looks very much more like they will be queuing to vote, and the whipping tool could be being used as an excuse to exclude these MPs from personal criticism for voting on English only legislation.

The CEP have issued the following press release

The Campaign for an English Parliament has noted that Wednesday's vote on a third runway at Heathrow Airport was won for the Government by MPs elected outside England. English constituency MPs rejected the third runway by a margin of 20 votes but a phalanx of Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish MPs trooped through the lobby to win the day for the Government, overturning, in the process, the democratic will of England.
According to one Labour rebel a “tearful and dewy eyed” Prime Minister had called wavering Labour MPs into his office to tell them that losing this vote would “de-stabilise the Government and de-stabilise the markets”. In the event 52% of English MPs voted against the Government, 48% with the Government. But MPs elected outside England were a different matter altogether, of these MPs only 29% voted against the Government, with a whopping 71% supporting the building of a new £13bn runway on top of the ancient English village of Sipson.
Across the country the general public opposed the third runway by a margin of 13% (YouGov), so English MPs appear to be better reflecting public opinion than non-English MPs who fly in the face of it. So why the disparity? The Constitution Unit at University College London may have the answer. Between May 2005 and June 2007 CU researchers analysed data from almost 500 votes in the House of Commons. It revealed that Scottish Labour backbenchers rebelled in an average of 1.8% of votes, compared to an average of 3.4% for their English counterparts and 1.9% among Welsh MPs.
According to the Constitution Unit the “most significant factor” in explaining this phenomenon is that Scots MPs vote through unpopular Government measures that do not apply north of the Border because they face no external pressure from their constituents or local party.
“It would be wrong to suggest that Scottish electors do not care about the issues surrounding the Heathrow debate”, said Gareth Young, in a message to CEP members, “but we have to recognise that they elect a Minister to the Scottish Parliament to represent them on Transport, Planning and the Environment (planning is a devolved matter); so a Scottish Westminster MP looking to advance his career by voting with the Government can be reasonably sure that his constituents will disregard his voting record on these matters.
“There is the small matter of the Barnett consequential too; Scotland stands to rake in up to £130 million from this, to spend on whatever they want without the interference of English MPs.
“The presence of non-English MPs in the parliament that governs England not only allows them to foist unpopular measures on England, but also helps to stabilise an unpopular and unwanted government; compromising England's right to pick the government of its choosing, and lessening our chances of kicking out a government that we don’t want.”

Contacts: Michael Knowles.CEP Media Unit.Tel: 01260 271139

Email: michael-knowles@tiscali.co.uk


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