Devolution
 | 'I don't question his commitment to a Scottish parliament, but I do question his competence.'
Sir David Steel commenting on the Right Honourable Antony Charles Lynton Blair 9th September 1996. |  |
Constitutional Reform
The following document is taken from the Scottish Liberal Democratic party's Policy pages.
Liberal Democrats believe that the problems facing Britain today will not be resolved until the way in which the country is governed is changed1Constitutional reform is esse1tial to sweep away the present corrupt electoral system and to establish a fair and democratic system under which all votes have the same value. We would:
- Entrench a new Bill of Rights within a written constitution, upheld by a Supreme Court;
- Make freedom of information, rather than secrecy, the norm in the UK;
- Establish home rule for Scotland and Wales, and regional parliaments throughout England;
- Remodel the House of Lords as a democratic second chamber, representing the interests of Britain's regions and nations;
- Uphold the principle of subsidiarity within the European Union to strengthen - not usurp - the integrity of the UK's nations and regions;
- Make moderate state funding available to political parties conditional upon the publication of full accounts;
- Introduce proportional representation for all elections, using the Single Transferable Vote system;
- Extend the use of referenda and introduce advisory Citizens Initiatives.
The Others:
- The Conservatives oppose reform - fair voting, devolution, freedom of information - instead concentrating power at Whitehall.
- Labour refuses to contemplate a modern written constitution for Britain. They simply want to run the current system of government rather than change it.
Scottish Home Rule
Conference welcomes the decision of the Scottish Conservative Party and the Government to bring constitutional
issues to the top of the political agenda in Britain.
Conference believes that the greatest threat to the continued development of the United Kingdom is the
intransigent refusal of the Conservative Party to recognise the need for Home Rule.
Conference reaffirms its calls for:-
- the introduction of a bill to establish a Scottish Parliament immediately after the next General Election;
and
- the election of the Parliament to be by proportional representation.
Conference looks forward to the publication of the Report of the Scottish Constitutional Commission to
complete the Constitutional Convention's scheme for a Scottish Parliament.
Conference instructs the Policy Committee and the Executive to produce a considered response to the Report,
and to bring forward appropriate proposals to the next meeting of Conference.
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