Tuesday 1 July 2003

How to destroy Britain

Tony Blair was born in Edinburgh and partly educated here. Nevertheless, he seems to understand nothing about Scotland. The Prime Minister's plans for a new UK supreme court were made without consulting the Scottish parliament and, unsurprisingly, it's not just the nationalists who are angry:
The SNP's criticism has been echoed by the Conservatives who have also accused Westminster of showing "contempt" for Scottish interests.

The Tory's Lord James Douglas Hamilton said: "If the prime minister on his own whim, makes a decision with fundamental, far reaching consequences, without consulting the Scottish Parliament, that is showing contempt for the institution he is trying to create."

Lord Douglas Hamilton is the epitome of loyalist British conservatism and if he is upset you know something is afoot. And it's not merely opposition politicians who are in rebellion:
Last week, Scotland's most senior Law Lord warned that plans for a supreme court could put Scots law and the devolution system at stake.
Any British supreme court must be carefully designed to accommodate the separate legal systems of Scotland and England. Failure to do this could destroy the union.