UK election 2010: a clear case for an English legislature

The will of the English people is clear in the 2010 election. The Conservatives have won a solid majority of seats at 56% of the total seat distribution. The British results, however, is much different.

After all the votes have been counted, the UK-wide election result has meant a Conservative dominated hung Parliament with the Tories earning only 46% of the seats. This, theoretically, should not be an issue. It is not uncommon for a political party to do well in one region and do poorly in another region. It is an issue because of the current structure of the British constitution.

In the UK there are four legislatures. There are regional legislatures in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Then there is the national legislature in Westminster. The problem is that England does not have its own legislature. Policy decisions that are made for Scotland in the Scottish legislature are made for England in the national legislator. This has non-English MPs voting on issues that only affect England.

England elected the Conservative Party and presumably endorses Conservative policy in English matters, such as education. But with a hung Parliament, such policies will be subjected to compromise with a Labour Party that is largely propped up by Scottish and Welch MPs. It is even possible, though unlikely, that the Labour Party will be able to continue to govern.

Presuming that the goal is to correct this problem and keep the United Kingdom together, the only solution is to create an English legislature. With an English legislature, with roughly the same powers as the Scottish Parliament, English voters would be able to elect a government that will be more representative of their preferences on solely English matters. Westminster can then be free to deal with the policy areas that are purely national.