Bits and pieces

While the Coalition talks continue over what form the next UK Government takes here are a few things that caught my eye.

First Lib Dem peer Shirley Williams has voiced concerns about the Conservative/Liberal Democrat deal on a few fronts first the Tories attitude and record on inequality and their economic plans but also about the prospects for the future of the Union

The article says ‘Williams was particularly concerned that there has so far been no talk of securing the composition of the United Kingdom. She said: "I am very concerned that preventing the break-up of the union has played no part in the negotiation between the Tories and Lib Dems.

"The Tory party made no gains to speak of in Scotland in this election … and recently, the Tories have been talking almost entirely about England. My sense is that negotiations cannot conclude without it being made clear how to keep the nation together, because if we do make a deal with the Tories, we are handing Scotland to the SNP on a plate."

Secondly support for tax raising powers for the Welsh Assembly came from an unexpected source today in the editorial of City of London newspaper City AM, Allister Heath said ‘For the real constitutional crisis is not that Britain has a first past the post, constituency-based system; such a mechanism works adequately in other countries, including the US.

The real issue is that it is time for a devolved English parliament – the UK should become a federation, with the national authorities responsible only for defence, foreign policy, border controls and the central bank. Everything else (including full tax raising and spending powers) should be devolved to administrations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which would all be responsible for their own budgets and would no longer be able to rely on handouts from other parts of the UK. Under the current system, Scottish Labour MPs vote on English laws, while English MPs don’t vote on Scottish laws, thanks to our absurdly one-sided version of devolution.

Taxpayers in London and the Home Counties are funding huge amounts of government spending in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It is time for a constitutional revolution – but not of the kind that Labour and the Lib Dems are dreaming about.'

And finally Alan Trench over at Democracy Matters ponders who should be Welsh and Scottish Secretaries in a Conservative/ Lib Dem Government for the sake of keeping the Union together.Any source