EU Democracy Regulations

Daniel Kawczynski MP
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA




Dear Daniel,

It is my understanding that one of the criteria for European Union membership is that all citizens of a member country should be able to participate in the political decision making process on an equal basis.

If I am correct in this understanding then this is manifestly not the case in the United Kingdom. People in England only elect one law-making representative – to Westminster – who deals with all issues. The people of Scotland however get to elect two representatives to deal with the same matters – one to Westminster and one to Holyrood. This means that England is underrepresented. Conversely, it could be argued that the people of Scotland are being adversely treated – they are being ‘fobbed off’ with most issues being dealt with by an inferior and subordinate parliament – a case of getting the “monkey” not the “organ grinder”.

Either way, the people of England and Scotland are not being treated equally.

Worse is yet to come. It looks likely that Gordon Brown will become Prime Minister of the UK. He is of course only elected by his Scottish constituents to represent them in Westminster on matters such as national taxation, defence, foreign affairs etc. He has no mandate from them (or anyone else) to deal with health, education etc but the bulk of the PM’s job is to oversee such issues in England.

This is hardly equitable treatment. It is a form of apartheid, a person with no electoral mandate governing a majority of the people. If the people of England were black this would incur the wrath of the United Nations, let alone many others.

The Conservative Party seems to me to have decided to sit on its hands, allowing the current iniquitous situation to continue. I believe the Party thinks that by the next election it and Dave Cameron will be popular and Gordon Brown and Labour won’t. But, “There’s many a slip ’twixt cup and lip.”

Any self-respecting representative of the people of England should not be merely “letting sleeping dogs lie” but should be doing their utmost to redress the situation by one means or another rather than being complicit in the continuation of a travesty of democratic inequality. After all, article three of the Acts of Union 1707 also requires “one and the same parliament”.

Perhaps you will be good enough to advise me whether my understanding of the EU’s democratic requirement is correct.

If it is, perhaps you can advise me what you and your Party are doing to redress the situation and to “report” the UK to the appropriate “authorities or court”.


Yours sincerely,

dward Higginbottom
Co-ordinator, Shropshire Branch of the Campaign for an English Parliament