Brendan O’Hara – The view from Westminster
THE Westminster parliament broke up for the summer last week after what has been a quite astonishing episode in British politics.
I reckon for generations to come, students of politics will look back at this period in history with open-mouthed amazement.
In the past couple of weeks we have had the resignation of a prime minister, followed by the plotting, the backstabbing and the dirty-dealing all played out in public view before the coronation of a new prime minister.
We have also witnessed a Labour Party hell-bent on selfdestruction, as the members and their elected representatives indulge in a bloody civil war for control of the party.
But, for us in Scotland, the real story is how during all of this upheaval, our voice has gone unheard and interests ignored.
I seriously doubt there has ever been a time when the nations that make up the United Kingdom have been so out of step with each other.
This was illustrated just last week during the debate on whether the UK should renew its nuclear submarine fleet at an estimated lifetime cost of £205,000,000,000.
Westminster voted overwhelmingly to renew the Trident submarines – submarines that will be based at Faslane, despite the fact that 58 of Scotland’s 59 MPs voted against. Ignoring the vociferous objections from the Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament, the SNP, the Labour Party in Scotland, the Greens, the Scottish Trade Unions Congress, the Church of Scotland and the Roman Catholic Bishops of Scotland, we have been told we are getting weapons of mass destruction that we do not want, foisted upon us by a government that we did not elect.
Of course the Trident vote isn’t unique and the democratically expressed wishes of the people of Scotland are being routinely ignored at Westminster.
Just five weeks ago Scotland voted overwhelmingly to remain in the European Union but we are now on the verge of being dragged out against our will.
The SNP Scottish Government is now working tirelessly to deliver what Scotland voted for – to keep Scotland in the EU.
As the Westminster parliament descends into chaos, Scotland’s democratic deficit has never been clearer and, as I said in parliament on Monday, it is an intolerable situation – and I question how much longer it can endure.