I don't want devolved powers

[Kendodd]

I want us all to be the same, all pay the same rate of income tax and all get the same level of services. Do you remember the so called NHS postcode lottery, won't it just be like that? Another layer of government, with all its related costs and for what? So that we can have even more unequal access to services. The only possible small benefit that I can see would be the money put into the local economy if they site an english parliament iup north.

aibu?

Me too...it is a complete waste of money and sounds ridiculously bureaucratic. We have local councils, central gov, the EU...and now this! Ridiculous! I am so annoyed politicians seem to be assuming the public want this.

Yes, and all because our politicians panicked and went running up to Scotland promising loads of sweets and ice cream.

Strictly speaking there should be a further vote on whether devolution should be extended, but there seems to be little doubt that that would come out strongly Yes, so there would seem to be little point in practice.

It is reasonable to devolve powers in Scotland as the majority voted for them (I didn't).

It is only reasonable to devolve powers in England, Wales and N.I. if voters demand them, but no one has even asked.

I think people must be consulted first, if you don't want devolved powers no one will engage with the process and they will be wasted. I also worry it will cost a lot at a time when everywhere is suffering under austerity measures.

In a geographically small country like ours it just causes resentment if down the road you get free prescriptions or two extra rounds of ivf. I don't understand this push for localism.

I think that all power should be devolved as far as possible. The needs of people living in a big city are very different to those of people living in country areas. The needs of communities with lots of older people are different from those with lots of kids. The needs of deprived communities are different from more affluent.

I live in Scotland and voted No. I'm deeply annoyed that instead of voting for no change, as I thought I had done on the ballot paper, that I seem to have voted for devo max.

I might perhaps have selected it if it was offered on the ballot paper as Alex Salmond originally wanted, but the fact is it wasn't there and I have no idea what it means in practice.

I would be deeply nervous about constitutional changes that meant Scotland or indeed any other part of the UK could set it's own tax levels, seems deeply divisive to me. Plus coming from Northern Ireland, I'm worried that the whole thing could be a slippery slope back into escalating violence over there.

I was thinking about this yesterday.

I would not like anyone to have more powers devolved. Indeed I want less powers devolved. I want to un-devolve (if there is such a word) powers, take it back.

I want Westminster to take back all power - away from the Scottish and also Welsh assemblies and so on.

I want it to be fair.

As just one example, what's unit fees nowadays? Is it £8K per year? That means my (English) children will leave uni with at least £24K debt. I have four children so my family could create £100K worth of deby when my children are merely in their 20s.

Yet Scottish uni students have no debt. That just is not fair. At all.

We should have been given the Devo max option on the ballot in the first place and then this would be democratic. Equally the rest of the uk should be given the opportunity to vote on it.

We already have local councils to deal with issues/spending/services in our local areas...

I would love devolved powers for the North West of England. It would stop the Tory government favouring the SE, which happens now. Most NW labour councils have ended up worse off and having to make so many more cuts than some of those in the SE.

There is no equality at the moment, so is devolved powers would help this, I am all for it.

It would also stop the rich, public school boys deciding what happens in down to earth working class areas that they have no knowledge of and no empathy for.

I want Westminster to take back all power - away from the Scottish and also Welsh assemblies and so on.

I want it to be fair.

As just one example, what's unit fees nowadays? Is it £8K per year? That means my (English) children will leave uni with at least £24K debt. I have four children so my family could create £100K worth of deby when my children are merely in their 20s.

Yet Scottish uni students have no debt. That just is not fair. At all.

I'm confused. Your complaint is about English students having big student loans. But your answer is to make things shit for the Scottish too not try to improve matters for the English?

I live in Rotherham and due to the shocking way my local authority has been run, I wouldn't welcome regional devolved powers.

However, I don't think Scottish M.Ps should get votes on English issues. And I think that the money spent per head should be equal. And that access to free Prescriptions/ university fees should apply to all people in the UK not just some.

No tuition fees should be UK wide, not just here in Scotland. But the pressure from that needs to come from those in England. Problem is, you have labour (who introduced the fees in the 1st place) with no plans to abolish them, Tories increased them since coming to power along with the lib dems, and as we all know, the only party who campaigned on this as an issue, capitulating on that as soon as they got a whiff of power.

It is highly ironic that the lib dems are the ones that scots can thank for no tuition fees as they made it a deal breaker when negotiating how to form a coalition with labour in the early days of the Scottish parliament.

The people who feel most aggrieved about the tuitions fees need to be active in the movement to push for change - how you choose the party most likely to be receptive to that is your call. But I agree that the answer to a shit situation for English students isn't to make things just as shit for Scotland.

I'm nervous about this idea as well. I'd worry about how much money would be wasted on extra layers of bureaucracy to administer and then check those who administer. The extra scope for corruption and backhanders. I'd need to see what's on offer first before anything is imposed

YANBU, I was brought up in a very rural, 99.8% English speaking, sheep farming area of Mid Wales.

It has far more in common with Herefordshire, who's hospital it uses. Than the Cardiff Elite.

Crazy amounts of money are spent on bilingual sights, leaflets and education. While the ordinary council staff are expected to take a pay cut, because they are broke.

"I'm confused. Your complaint is about English students having big student loans. But your answer is to make things shit for the Scottish too not try to improve matters for the English?"

Waffly, it feels like we'll be having a race to the bottom.

I do not want regional devolved powers but equally do want an English parliament to discuss English affairs. It is no way fair that Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish MP's can vote on English only affairs, just like it is not fair that English MP's vote on things only affecting those regions.

The best suggestion I heard was have an English, Scottish, Welsh and NI Assembly / Parliament who are responsible for raising tax (under a central formula), the NHS in their country, welfare and education and a GB parliament who have responsibility for defence, national security and foreign policy. This would mean getting rid of or significantly reducing the House of Lords (which I think is a good thing as they are unelected). Needs more thought and planning but think it is the most feasible suggestion.

Not sure if I agree with different levels of income tax and NI. However, services are certainly not equal at the present time. I think it's an outrage that Scottish students get free tuition and also EU students are free in Scottish unis.

Should also say, this should take place alongside a wholesale overhall of politics in general. I personally think you shouldn't be allowed to become an MP until you have actually lived in the real world and had an actual job, not studied politics at Uni, worked in Westminster / Holyrood etal, then been dumped into a safe seat which seems to be the trend at the minute.

Increase MP's salary to attract the best but remove expenses and reduce money to run their offices. Have MP's spending more time in their constituencies working for the people who voted for them can only be a good thing. And make MP's more accountable, if they are not doing their job properly - either by selling out (Mr Clegg), deciding not to fulfil manifesto pledged (all 3 main parties) or general fraud / incompetence, we should be able to sack them.

And as for the don't want tories deciding on what happens in labour area I don't think they are separate parties at the minute. Right now we have a bunch of people (mostly men) who have gone to the same schools, colleges and universities, move in the same social circles and are just clones of each other. They no longer listen to the people who actually vote instead treating us with contempt and like children - throwing us the odd sweetie and platitude whilst doing what they like. That goes for all 3 main party leaders. Don't get me started on the smaller parties, we'll be here all night!!!

Vivienne who is responsible for that though? Who introduced the fees? Who increased them? It wasn't Scotland, not anyone in the EU. This argument keeps coming up, with that anger directed at Scotland as somehow being responsible for those decisions - that anger needs to go where it should - the political parties and politicians (many who have enjoyed free HE) who made those decisions on your behalf. Scotland isn't getting extra money to allow this - we pay in more to the UK purse than we take out, and allocate our funding differently to that in the rest of the UK. Wales, as far as I know, limit their tuition fees - the ire over the ridiculously high tuition fees needs to be aimed squarely where it belongs. The parties & politicians who brought it in, increased it, and who have no incentive to change that.

I am not blaming Scotland. But really the situation is not in any way fair. It doesn't affect me or my family by the way. But how this huge disparity (is that the right word?) can be allowed within what is supposed to be one country puzzles me. And I think it was wrong that Scottish MP's were allowed to vote on fees for English students. As that was the case I think.

Viviennemary you're right on tuition fees. There was a big rebellion of Labour MPs against their government's proposals to introduce top up fees at English and Welsh universities in 2004, and it passed by 316 to 311 votes in the Commons. If the MPs for Scottish constituencies had not been allowed to vote, the bill would have been defeated. Details on how the MPs for Scottish seats voted here - the only Conservative MP for a Scottish seat abstained because the issue did not affect Scotland.

It was the same with the introduction of foundation hospitals in 2003 - an issue affecting only England but which the government only got through with the support of 44 Labour MPs from Scottish constituencies.

I agree Chillie, that is a perfect demonstration of the problems created by the West Lothian question. I think that was shameful behaviour from those MPs. I resent the huge disparity between the conditions for English and Scottish students but I don't resent the Scottish people for this, just the government who brought it in without any mention in their manifesto. I think all University courses should be funded as education benefits society generally.

I too agree Chillie. Scottish MPs have no business at all voting on issues that don't affect them. Interestingtly, the only MP worth his salt who didn't vote on tuition fees in England was the Scottish Tory. You couldn't make it up.