A few months ago, First Minister Alex Salmond made the decision that the Scottish Government would decide how the Leveson proposals would be implemented in Scotland. No doubt with half an eye on the independence referendum, the opportunity to build a Scottish solution to a UK problem was simply too good to miss.
Today, given the Prime Minister has abandoned Leveson discussions with Labour and the Lib Dems, there will be a vote on Monday on whether Leveson will be underpinned by significant statutory legislation, as Miliband and Clegg prefer, or whether the press will get their own way with a Royal Charter, under Cameron’s proposals. The vote is expected to be very tight and the SNP may well hold a balance of power that it does not want.
Going by Evening Standard Paul Waugh’s calculations:
For a Royal Charter:
315 votes – Con + DUP + Ind
For statutory legislation:
314 votes – Lab + LD + Plaid + Green + SDLP + Alliance + Respect
As a matter of principle, the SNP does not vote on devolved matters, which Leveson patently is. However, if the six SNP MPs abstain on Monday, as they did for similar principles on the Equal Marriage vote a few months ago, then they will likely be handing David Cameron an important victory and opening the Nationalists up to charges of being Tartan Tories and helping ‘Salmond’s best buddy’ Rupert Murdoch.
It’s a bit of a nightmare lose-lose scenario, and the least worst solution is probably to vote alongside Labour and the Lib Dems, not to mention the McCanns.
Leveson – a nightmare scenario for the SNP
Mar 14
#1 by Doug Daniel on March 14, 2013 - 2:26 pm
If recent votes are anything to go by, the vote is more likely to be decided by how many Lib Dems don’t bother to turn up than anything else. Sorry, I mean “how many Lib Dems are away on awfully important business that prevents them from voting.”
However, his figures are wrong, because 315 + 314 does not 650 make. Here’s his updated maths (or “math” as he’s calling it):
https://twitter.com/paulwaugh/status/312175363755237376
Lib+Lab (314) + SDLP (3), Plaid (3), Respect (1), Green (1(), Alliance (1) = 323
Con + DUP =312
It all depends on how many Labour and Tory MPs rebel against their party. And, as I already said, how many Lib Dem MPs bother to turn up.
Anyway, since “devolved issue” was the excuse for abstaining on the Equal Marriage bill, I’d be extremely uncomfortable with SNP MPs voting on this issue. It should also be noted that many people were very quick to use the fact that press regulation is devolved as an excuse to jump up and down about the Scottish Government not having a separate inquiry from Leveson (not accusing you of this, Jeff!)
(I’m fairly sure his updated figures are still wrong, incidentally… But I can’t be bothered checking them.)
#2 by Jeff on March 14, 2013 - 2:34 pm
Thanks for the updated numbers Doug. Looks like SNP could be off the hook if they do abstain (which they should if they truly believe in the West Lothian principle). I didn’t think the numbers were right when I saw them but didn’t have time to check, hence my hiding behind Mr Waugh in this post!
#3 by James on March 14, 2013 - 2:48 pm
Thing is, if the SNP don’t vote they can rightly be asked “so what are you doing up here?”, to which the answer is nothing. I reckon anything other than voting with Labour will come back to bite them on the bottom.
#4 by Jeff on March 14, 2013 - 9:15 pm
Lucky for the SNP that the Scottish Leveson proposals are coming out tomorrow. Remarkable timing, remarkable.
#5 by Doug Daniel on March 14, 2013 - 2:52 pm
Don’t say I’m not good to you then! Here’s the figures from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Commons_of_the_United_Kingdom) because the Parliament website lists 651 MPs… http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps2/state-of-the-parties/
Conservative: 303
DUP: 8
Total: 311
Labour: 255
Lib Dems: 57
Plaid: 3
SDLP: 3
Alliance: 1
Green: 1
Respect: 1
Total: 321
I have no idea what way the three independents will vote, and the magic 650 number is made up by adding the six SNP, four speaker/deputy speakers and five Sinn Fein.
But I believe several Tory MPs have actually signed up for backing legislation anyway!
#6 by Andrew Smith on March 14, 2013 - 2:39 pm
I can see the issue, but I think they should vote.
The reason being because for the large part the newspapers sold on both sides of the border are the same. If Scotland is part of the union then it seems hard to envisage how newspaper regulation could entirely work on a devolved basis. The Scots Parliament will of course be able to legislate for the Daily Record etc, but presumably there needs to be some degree of cross-border synchronization regarding British-wide newspapers?
#7 by Iain Menzies on March 14, 2013 - 6:04 pm
Not really you already have scottish editions.
But they should vote. And they should vote with the tories. Cos you know, a free press is a GOOD THING.
#8 by Allan on March 15, 2013 - 7:58 am
Ah, but we don’t have a free press in this country. We have a press shackled to the whimms and instincts of their owners who clearly put their vested interests before the good of the country.
#9 by Iain Menzies on March 17, 2013 - 12:35 am
Yes we do. Just because you dont agree with/dont like the people who own/write for that press doesnt mean it isnt free.
#10 by Jeff on March 14, 2013 - 9:18 pm
I can buy the Guardian at Copenhagen Airport, does that mean Denmark needs to be involved?
I think it’s clear which newspapers are Scottish-based and which ones are not, so I don’t see the need for cross-border synchronization. I’m beginning to think the SNP will get attacked either way on this so they might as well stay consistent with their principles.
#11 by Alex Grant on March 14, 2013 - 5:35 pm
As this is a devolved issue I can see no reason why Scotland cannot come to its own conclusion – particularly if it is more robust (which it probably will) than what the Tories want to do? At that point I presume English newspapers cannot just behave as if only English (and less robust?) law applies and perhaps they will have to go to the highest common denominator ie Scottish law? In that scenario the SNP/SG will have taken the high ground and abstaining from voting on English law will be entirely logical???
Of course the SG’s critics especially Labour will still carp?
#12 by Bill McLean on March 14, 2013 - 8:53 pm
Agree totally with Andrew Smith. Newspapers cross borders. We get the same type of rubbish up here as they get in England. No breach of principle in voting on this!
#13 by cynicalHighlander on March 14, 2013 - 10:04 pm
Legislate on the print media at your peril as the Internet will be next leaving the visual media free, scary. Size and ownership is the problem not how they got their content that was a massive failure by the police force for financial and other gain.
#14 by Allan on March 15, 2013 - 8:06 am
I thought it was daft of the SNP not to have any flexibility regarding their policy of not voting on “England only” issues – especially as like “Gay marrage” this has Holyrood consequencials.
I rather think that this will go one of three ways though. Either a compromise will be found (which i think politically was the common sense approch), Cameron will win the vote but damage the coalition or, and I think that there is a possibility that this will hapen, this will end with Cameron being forced to make a trip to see the Queen.