Re: Scottish Referendum : Fri Sep 19, 2014 8:04 am  

Big Graeme wrote:

And Acts of Parliament can be amended...

Yes they can. However if you look into it, you will realise this cannot be done in relation to the 2011 Parliament Act at this present time.

Re: Scottish Referendum : Fri Sep 19, 2014 8:07 am  

Big Graeme wrote:

I'd be a little careful making assumptions on polling methods if I were you, a previous poster made an are of himself on opinion polls

No assumptions were made, nor were polling methods discussed. Hope this helps.

Re: Scottish Referendum : Fri Sep 19, 2014 8:41 am  

The expected No has prevailed.
Would be interesting to see if there is any correlation between postal votes & the wider margins in some areas, and if those who had postal votes had been able to take in the latter two weeks of campaigning.
Notable that the Labour stronghold of Glasgow voted Yes.
28-4 tells it owns story, but the lone Tory MP who was backing the No campaign was keen to point out that they actually got over 400,000 votes in 2010. They Yes campaign got under 400,000 fewer than No.

UKIP will have a field day against both the Tories & Labour in the lead up to 2015.

Douglas Alexander gave it away last night that Labour won't address the West Lothian question, John Reid the same. Strangely Menzies Campbell went along with the English Parliament idea.

Cameron is really under the cosh. Has to be seen to get a formalised offer on the table by the end of February, has to handle a backbench rebellion on not answering the WL question & move to an English Parliament which he does not want. Has to make sure he is seen to properly deal with the devolution promise. Has to deal with the EU referendum question which UKIP will push even harder now the SNP has delivered on it's manifesto promise.

Going to be a fascinating next few months for the political class to navigate it's way through.

Re: Scottish Referendum : Fri Sep 19, 2014 8:41 am  

LeagueDweeb wrote:

Yes they can. However if you look into it, you will realise this cannot be done in relation to the 2011 Parliament Act at this present time.

Well the party that brought it in are hardly going to try to introduce legislation to change it in the same Parliament. Who knows what will happen after the 2015 election though?

Re: Scottish Referendum : Fri Sep 19, 2014 9:19 am  

Chris28 wrote:

Well the party that brought it in are hardly going to try to introduce legislation to change it in the same Parliament. Who knows what will happen after the 2015 election though?

That is exactly what some on this thread have said would happen in the event of a Yes vote.

Fixed Parliamentary terms cannot be changed under the terms of the Act until looked at by a committee which itself cannot be arranged until June 2020 at the earliest. So we have 2 more GE's before the 2011 Parliament Act can be amended or repealed.

The PM has the power to vary the fixed date by no more than two months, but only if agreed by both Commons & Lords.

Re: Scottish Referendum : Fri Sep 19, 2014 9:39 am  

LeagueDweeb wrote:

Fixed Parliamentary terms cannot be changed under the terms of the Act until looked at by a committee which itself cannot be arranged until June 2020 at the earliest. So we have 2 more GE's before the 2011 Parliament Act can be amended or repealed.

And that may well happen but a new government could repeal the Act in full and replace it with something different (unlikely as this Act gives them a full 5 years of power except in exceptional circumstances)

Re: Scottish Referendum : Fri Sep 19, 2014 9:48 am  

Chris28 wrote:

And that may well happen but a new government could repeal the Act in full and replace it with something different (unlikely as this Act gives them a full 5 years of power except in exceptional circumstances)

The 2011 Parliamentary Act cannot be amended or repealed until it is looked at by a committee, which itself will only come into existence in June 2020 at the earliest. Thus, the 2015 election could only move by two months with the agreement of both Houses.

Re: Scottish Referendum : Fri Sep 19, 2014 9:56 am  

LeagueDweeb wrote:

The 2011 Parliament Act cannot be changed or amended until at least 2020, when there will be an analysis of how it has worked sine it was introduced.

It would be constitutionally & logistically impossible to get any Bill through Parliament before the 2015 GE.

To the relief of most of those in Westminster the problem has gone away now, its now a minor issue for the policy makers to come up with some bribes and snake oil for the Scots parliament to swallow while the rest get on with bribes and snake oil for May 2015.

Re: Scottish Referendum : Fri Sep 19, 2014 10:03 am  

I'm disappointed. I'm glad the no vote won just to shut that idiot Salmond up, but also I wish the yes had won so we could consign Scotland to the dustbin where it belongs.

Re: Scottish Referendum : Fri Sep 19, 2014 10:05 am  

I can't see anything in the text that states it can't be repealed or amended at some point before that, and acts of parliament can be changed when the flavour of government changes anyway. That clause about the committee suggests that it is a review of the operation of the act that must happen (if the act is still law) no earlier than 2020.

Its a moot point anyway, I can't see any government giving up the chance for 5 years in power once they have it.