Some British news

E. European immigrants are good for Britain

But most EU countries prefer Muslims, of course

Fresh divisions are opening in the European Union over allowing plumbers and other workers from the new member states of Eastern Europe the right to work in the West. A two-year ban on Eastern workers imposed by 12 of the 15 old member states on May 1, 2004 is coming up for review, provoking tensions between the old and new member states. Britain, Ireland and Sweden — the three countries which gave Eastern Europeans the right to work following enlargement — are being held up by the European Commission as proof of the benefits of abolishing the ban....

Mr Spidla’s spokeswoman said: “Member states that have opened up have benefited greatly. There is no doubt about it. The UK, Sweden and Ireland confirm it — jobs haven’t been taken away.” In Britain the arrival of Eastern European workers has been widely seen as a success, providing armies of construction workers and nannies, and beating labour shortages from dentists to bus drivers. With Britain and Ireland restricting access to the welfare system, there have been very few claims for benefits. The Bank of England has credited the Eastern Europeans with keeping down wage inflation, a mixed blessing for native workers. Most economists believe that they have helped to fuel economic growth, although some believe they could be responsible for the rise in unemployment....

Opponents of open borders are likely to argue that countries that did not impose restrictions had a far higher influx than predicted. The British Government predicted only 5,000 to 13,000 Eastern Europeans would come, but 175,000 came in the first year alone. Ireland had 85,000 workers from Eastern Europe in the first year. Countries with strong economies such as Britain and Ireland have been not been disturbed by the new workers but many EU countries have high unemployment, making the issue far more controversial. Fears of the “Polish plumber” boosted the “no” vote in last year’s French referendum on the EU constitution.

From The Times


Scottish votes in English matters to end?

The power wielded at Westminister by Scottish MPs has come under unprecedented attack in a deepening English rebellion over devolution. Stoking the disquiet, some English MPs are openly questioning whether a Scot should be prime minister. The practice of Scottish MPs voting on English matters is the focus of dissent, with senior Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative figures all calling for a new constitutional deal giving more power to England. Amid dire warnings of growing resentment, politicians from all the main UK parties are now demanding that Scottish MPs be barred from voting on laws that apply only to England.

Worries over the current settlement introduced under devolution are being fuelled by Gordon Brown's expected ascent to the premiership - with some Tories asking if the role of prime minister of the UK can be taken by a Scot. And in the coming Commons struggle over Tony Blair's plans to reform English schools, Scottish MPs' votes may be decisive.

In the seven years since the Scottish Parliament was reconvened, there have been persistent complaints about the anomaly that gives Scottish MPs a say over English laws, but English MPs no similar right over Scottish laws. Most of those complaints have come from the right wing of the Conservative Party. Now, however, similar arguments are also being made by senior figures on the political left. Alan Williams, Labour's longest-serving MP, has delivered a blistering warning to the government that the current settlement is not sustainable.

Devolution will trigger an explosion of English anger unless Scottish and Welsh MPs are stopped from voting on laws that affect only England, Mr Williams, a Welsh MP, has told ministers. The current bookies' favourite to lead the Lib Dems, Simon Hughes, is also calling for "English-only" votes in the Westminster parliament. While it has long been Conservative policy to seek English-only votes, David Cameron, the new leader, has soft-pedalled on that pledge, keen to nurture Tory support in Scotland, but the Tories' low-key approach is likely to come to an end this week. The Scotsman understands that Kenneth Baker, the former Conservative home secretary, will publish a private member's bill in the House of Lords, seeking to establish a full English parliament. The draft law will call for Westminster to become a "federal" UK parliament and the creation of entirely separate English legislature. Lord Baker, a persistent critic of the devolution settlement, is being supported by Sir John Major, the former prime minister.

On Saturday, Sir John accused Labour ministers of ignoring the constitutional questions raised by Scottish and Welsh devolution. He also said current fiscal rules mean Scotland receives an unfairly high proportion of UK public spending. While Lord Baker's bill has no official support from the Conservative leadership, David Mundell, the shadow Scottish secretary, warns of "simmering resentment" in England against the current settlement. Writing in The Scotsman today, he says: "In the eyes of many English voters, it simply boils down to this: why, now we have devolution, should Scottish MPs vote on legislation purely affecting England when English MPs can no longer influence equivalent Scottish measures? "The answer, naturally, is that they should not," he writes.

On the Labour benches, calls for a new constitutional deal are being led by Mr Williams. Elected in 1964, he is known as the Father of the House. The previous holder of that position was Tam Dalyell, the veteran Labour opponent of devolution who first posed the West Lothian Question in the 1970s. Mr Williams is effectively continuing Mr Dalyell's work. Last week, Mr Williams warned that without constitutional change to address the position of England, Labour faces a political backlash. "In the atmosphere that has been partially created by the act of devolution - making the Welsh more Welsh and the Scots more Scottish - there is a seeping effect of making the English more English," the Swansea MP said. "I suspect that there is a limit to how long the English electorate will put up with a situation where Welsh and Scottish votes determine what they get, especially if there was a government with an overall UK majority but only a minority of votes in England.

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