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Proceeding contribution from Lord Reid of Cardowan (Labour) in the House of Lords on Wednesday, 21 March 2012. It occurred during Committee of the Whole House (HL) and Debate on bill on Scotland Bill.


Scotland Bill

I hesitate to start discussing another referendum when we have spent so long on this one. To try to take the hypothetical situation, Scotland wishes to stay inside the United Kingdom and the Scottish Parliament or people wish to go on to discuss further powers. The negotiations conclude with what is effectively a federal system in the United Kingdom that affects Wales and Northern Ireland as well as Scotland. Then, one option is for the British Parliament to address that. Another might be, hypothetically, to put it to all the peoples in the UK at the same time as a referendum on the constitutional settlement. The important point is that the first decision has to be a simple one: ““Do you want to stay inside the union, or be outside it as a separate nation state?””. That is a decision for the Scottish people alone.


Secondary information

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
736 c984-5 
Session
2010-12
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
Subjects
Devolved matters Accountability Devolution Aggregates levy Block grant Electoral Commission Legislative competence Excise duties Legislation Powers Referendums Parliamentary scrutiny Public finance Scotland Tax allowances Scottish Parliament Taxation Tax rates and bands Shetland Orkney Rockall Scottish Government Legislative consent motions
Legislation
Scotland Bill 2010-12
Link
View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk