Why further devolution would be bad news for the country - Yorkshire Post Letters

The Yorkshire Post front page 11/07/2024 informs us that Westminster powers will be devolved to regional mayors.

This is not a good start for Labour. In principle, it may be a sound idea, but what we get in practice is illusory. We get the likes of Scottish Nationalism, which, thankfully, is on the wane, the dysfunctional Welsh government, Sadiq Khan’s TFL failures and the egotistical ‘King of the North’, Andy Burnham’s continuous war of words with central government and the dysfunctional Northern Ireland Assembly whether they are devolved or not.

Move parliament to the regions by all means but not its powers. It will have the opposite effects to those intended.

Tony Blair started it, and his disciple, Sir Keir Starmer, continues the devolution crusade.

By its very definition, devolution reduces the burden on government by sending powers and responsibilities to the regions. But the buck must stop with the government.

It must not shirk responsibly and weaken parliamentary democracy by devolving powers. Let the mayors manage but retain power in Westminster or wherever parliament happens to be.

In addition, it is unnecessary and causes fragmentation and inequality between regions. Why do we need more layers of government, more complexity, and more cost?

And invariably, the nationalists and the mayors will always ask for more.