West Lothian question revisted
Politicalbetting.comhas done what I thought I should do but did not have the time nor wherewithal to undertake.
Ask the straight forward question “What would the tuition fee vote have looked like had the Scots (and others) had the good grace NOT to vote on English tuition fees?”
Here are their results…
|
MPs regional breakdown |
Aye votes |
No votes |
Abstentions |
Total |
|
England |
311 |
209 |
8 |
528 |
|
Northern Ireland |
0 |
12 |
6 |
18 |
|
Scotland |
6 |
51 |
2 |
59 |
|
Wales |
8 |
32 |
0 |
40 |
|
ALL MPs |
325 |
304 |
16 |
645 |
As Politicalbetting.com says….”English MPs were 311-209 in favour of the measures with 8 absent or abstaining, a hefty majority of 102. Yet the overall margin of victory was slashed to 21 by MPs from Scotland (majority of 45 against), Wales (24) and Northern Ireland (12)”
From a purley Lib Dem perspective, it strikes me that it might have been better for Scottish Lib Dems who vote in Westminster to (a) not to have made a pledge about English tuition fees in the first placeand (b) abstained from the vote when push came to shove. It has inevitably raised the West Lothian question yet again. Had the Scottish Lib Dems attending Westminster (as opposed to the Scottish Lib Dems attending Holyrood) simply acknowledged that this was a matter on which they would follow/back their English colleagues how much less fractious would the last few weeks have been?
Tags: politicalbetting.com, tuition fees, West Lothian question