Devolution
Mr Ian McCalman (Educational Institute of Scotland) moved the following motion:
(Insert Motion 83 and amendment)
He said: In two days' time, the people of Scotland will vote in the referendum on the establishment of a Scottish Parliament. While recognising that the word "historic" is often overused, it is hard to avoid the term when referring to this event. The referendum will have great significance in the democratisation of British society and the subsequent impact of the establishment of a Scottish Parliament on that process will be profound. We must salute the decision of the Labour Government to act expeditiously on this matter in pressing ahead with the White Paper and the referendum and then campaigning vigorously for for a "yes, yes" vote.
In particular we appreciate the campaigning by Government Ministers, including the Prime Minister, to secure a positive result. We also record our appreciation of the cross‑Party nature of the campaign, and the way in which the Scottish National Party and the Liberal Democrats have participated throughout.
The sad events of last week meant campaigning has been squeezed into these past few days. It is a tribute to the Party political campaigners on the ground that they worked together to pull out all the stops for a "yes, yes" vote. A major ingredient in the campaign has been the efforts of the trades unions represented here who have encouraged and supported their Scottish colleagues in the referendum campaign. Contributions of many thousands of pounds to the umbrella campaign Scotland Forward have greatly assisted the work of that body. They have helped counter the propaganda of the well‑financed Tory‑backed "No" campaign. However, the real contribution of our members has been on the ground, swelling and harnessing the real grass roots support that exists for this reform in Scotland. That has been a vital contribution to Thursday's result. Beyond the referendum is the passage of the Bill for the Scottish Parliament. The work of the trades unions in helping us with the passage of that legislation will be significant.
Other contributors will deal more specifically with the work of colleagues in Wales, but I would emphasise that, while the referendum might be different, the cause is the same. The establishment of the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly are not just national questions of great importance for the citizens of our nations; they are both steps in a more participative and democratic society throughout the United Kingdom. In both cases, we are confident they will give rise to the creation of methods of involving citizens in decision‑making on a scale hitherto unknown. They will also impact on the coming referendum for a return to a unitary London authority and will stimulate calls for greater regional democracy throughout England.
The Scottish people have long demanded their Parliament, but the establishment of that body will also help to strengthen the sentiments which bind together the people of Britain. It will help to remove causes of disaffection and will enhance mutual trust in our process of government. In addition, the links between trades unionists throughout the United Kingdom will become more binding.
The Parliament and the Assembly will provide fresh impetus to the economic and social regeneration of Scotland and Wales. For 18 years the democratic deficit in Scotland saw us ruled by quango and Tory decree. Instead, the Parliament will give a focus for discussion and resolution. Let me emphasise one aspect of which the trades union Movement can be truly proud: it was the women's committee of the STUC which first led the idea that in a nation where women constituted 52% of the population, it made sense that our legislator represented that gender balance 50:50. That concept has captured the democratic imagination. While we have been unable so far to win the entrenchment of that concept in statute, we applaud the commitment of the Labour and Liberal Democratic Parties to 50:50 lists of candidates to the Parliament, and we call on other Parties to follow suit.
Our new Parliament will have a new, more proactive committee structure, which will bring into its debates on proposed legislation the voices of other sections of civil society, including the trades union Movement. In that context, the trades unions will contribute powerfully to these debates. Today, I can truly say that we stand on the brink of the most important constitutional change in our country for generations. Our Movement displayed a magnificent role in promoting that change and today Congress can send a strong message to the people of Scotland and Wales of unanimous support for a massive turnout in the referendum. A decisive "yes, yes" on Thursday will be a clarion call for democracy across all our nations.
Ms Pat Campbell (Public Services, Tax and Commerce Union), seconding the motion, said: This debate takes place as a turning point in our history. The referendums in Scotland and Wales are not only of vital importance to the citizens of those two nations but to the people of England as well. We are on the threshold of a major democratic advance which will return power to the people. In Scotland and Wales we have the opportunity to build a democratic Parliament and Assembly where the peoples' representatives truly reflect the communities they serve and where women are fairly equally represented alongside men. This means not only a commitment to equal representation but also a radical review of the Westminster way of doing business which has in the past been a barrier to womens' participation. We need government which is inclusive and not exclusive, which is in touch with the needs of the Scottish and Welsh people and which conducts its business through consensus and not confrontation.
Devolution has been a struggle over many decades in which the TUC and the trades union Movement in Scotland and Wales has played a leading part. That role must continue. This is our chance to put into reality our vision of a radical new model of government, one which will allow our members and their families the opportunity to take part in the decisions which affect the economic and social fulfilment of their lives. We have the chance truly to build a government by the people for the people.
My union also wishes to comment in particular on the tax‑varying powers for the Scottish Parliament. When we have countries ranging from the USA to Germany, to Australia and to New Zealand which devolve power at state level to vary taxes, what is wrong with the proposed limited tax‑varying powers being given to the people of Scotland? Whether tax is varied up or down is a matter for the people of Scotland to decide when elections for the Parliament are held. The important fact is that the Parliament must have the powers so that the people can, if they wish, exercise that choice.
My union also sends a clear message to the "Think Twice" campaign backed by William Hague and the Tory party, a party which in the recent General Election failed to get one single representative elected in Scotland and Wales. It is not the people of Scotland and Wales who need to think twice: it is William Hague and the spent force of the Conservative Party.
A "yes" vote in Wales and a "yes, yes" vote in Scotland will represent not only a major democratic advance for the nations of Wales and Scotland; it will also set the foundation for a new model of government and citizenship which will extend democracy to the regions of England.
I urge your unanimous support for this resolution so that we can make the final push to win this major democratic advance. Say "Yes" for Wales, "Yes, yes" for Scotland and "Yes" for democracy throughout the UK.
Ms Edwina Hart (Banking, Insurance and Finance Union): I welcome the opportunity to put a Welsh perspective into the devolution debate. As you can hear from my accent, I am Welsh. Perhaps more relevantly, I am this year's Chair of the Wales TUC.
In Wales we are determined to address the democratic deficit which left our country governed for 18 years by what amounted to colonial governorship. Successive secretaries of state imposed government policy on a nation which had not given them any democratic mandate and little popular support within Wales. There are those in Wales, however, who take a nationalistic view and say that this referendum was moved by and on behalf of England. We do not subscribe to this view, as it obscures the reality of the situation. The previous Government not only lay waste to Wales and Scotland but was happy to devastate a substantial chunk of England with their dogma‑based policies. They destroyed democratic institutions and replaced them with unelected quangos which were responsible for everything, from health, nature conservation and the environment to skills training. They emasculated local government, and the views of consumers, providers and the community at large were simply ignored.
The democratic deficit in Wales is not an academic issue of interest only to the chattering classes; it is actually about governing Wales in the interests of the majority of people and creating an Assembly which stands for inclusiveness, whether you be young, old, male, female, Welsh speaker, English speaker, ethnic minority, lesbian and gay or disabled. The composite motion quite clearly eludes the practical issues that the trades union will need to address post devolution.
In Wales the Labour Government has already made a dramatic impact on our lives by issuing a vast array of consultation documents ranging from the Welsh road networks through education, health and economic development.
In addition, the Wales TUC has been asked to participate in six working groups on a variety of issues, including the "New Deal" proposals. It is important for the TUC to recognise the increasing demands on the Wales TUC, but it is also important for every union to recognise that their members will need more specific and dedicated support if their interests are to be properly represented to a new devolved government structure in the form of a Welsh Assembly.
I express my thanks to everyone who has supported the devolution campaigns. We now have in power a government which is committed to bringing democracy closer to the people. The people of Scotland and Wales will be first in these exciting developments but will not be the last. Democracy has its first real chance in decades of delivering real changes to help enhance the lives of ordinary people. I support. Diolch yn fawr i chi.
Ms Pam Baldwin (UNISON): We support motion 83.
May 1st, 1997 was a wonderful day for Scotland and Wales. It was not just the day we made Scotland and Wales a Tory‑free zone; it was also the day the Scottish and Welsh people could at last see their dream of a Scottish Parliament and a Welsh Assembly becoming reality. This debate, however, is not about nationalism: it is about a new Parliament and Assembly for a new century; it is about ensuring democracy, ensuring accountability, ensuring fair representation, with women being half the elected members.
Over the past 18 years, Wales has increasingly been governed by people who are unelected, unrepresentative and unaccountable, ruled by faceless Tory men and women on the soaring number of quangos. A Welsh Assembly will put a stop to that and return democratic control about public services to the Welsh people and allow us to make decisions that affect our country and our lives.
Even with a Welsh Assembly we cannot and should not pretend that everything that happens east of Offa's Dike is of no concern to us. The trades union Movement in Wales has a long and proud history of internationalism. We should not betray that history by adopting an inward looking perspective for the future. The Welsh Assembly will be about addressing the democratic deficit in our society, creating a strategic basis for job creation, speaking and acting for Wales both within the UK and Europe and about providing better schools, hospitals and other public services for the people of Wales by the people of Wales.
More importantly, an Assembly for Wales will bring decision‑making and democracy closer to Welsh people, empowering them to shape their own communities and set their own priorities. Having come so far, we cannot contemplate defeat in either referendum; there must be no complacency. When both the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly are in place, we must recognise that the staff working for these new bodies will be represented by their respective unions, as at present. A Scottish Parliament and a Welsh Assembly will be a huge step forward for us. For too long, we have had alien policies imposed upon us by a Tory government. Congress, never again.
UNISON nationally and regionally and the Wales TUC wholeheartedly support this motion. I urge you to support this motion and say yes for our future.
Mr Martin Gaughan (Transport and General Workers Union): We support motion 83.
Yesterday, the President rightly called May 1st "The mother and father of all May Days", but we had also cause to celebrate in Scotland. Like the previous speaker has said, Scotland and Wales both became Tory‑free zones. For us, Labour's landslide victory was only a job half done.
On Thursday of this week, people living in Scotland will have the opportunity to complete the other half, to vote for a new and exciting chapter in the history of our country, the chance to vote yes to a Scottish Parliament with real powers, with equal representation for men and women, the chance to vote "yes, yes" for a democratic future for Scotland. The Tories want the people of Scotland to throw out this chance. It was the same Tories that were thrown out by the people of Scotland on May 1st. Everybody will remember Thatcher's three wise men, Forsyth, Rifkind and Lang. They have all gone, along with their cronies, into the political dustbin. Who did the Tories bring out to front their campaign against the Scottish Parliament? Michael Ancram, who represents a seat in Wiltshire, the same Michael Ancram who, until recently, was a supporter of a Scottish Parliament.
The debate on Scotland's future has raged for 300 years. At last we have an opportunity to resolve that debate, an opportunity which has come from the Government ordering its election commitments. I pay tribute to Donald Dewar and the rest of the campaign team for the consistent and effective manner in which they have put the case for a Scottish Parliament. They have truly carried out the unfinished business of the late John Smith.
In the trades union, and my union especially, we are proud of a long record of support for a Scottish Parliament. We must make sure that our voice is heard when that Parliament is established in the year 2000.
No one in the United Kingdom should fear devolution of power to England or Cardiff, or indeed London or other areas and regions in England. Devolution is not about separatism; it is about bringing power closer to the people; it is about resolving the unresolved, about creating new and exciting workable forms of government that will take Scotland and Wales forward into the new millennium. The people of Scotland want an extension of that democracy, equality and accountability. I am confident they will vote "yes, yes" on Thursday for a Scottish Parliament.
Mr Robert Parker (GMB): We support Motion 83.
Over the next 48 hours there will be much campaigning dealing with fundamental questions which face Labour and the trades union Movement: how we can mobilise our people in Scotland to secure a massive "yes, yes" vote in the referendum, how we can rebuild our trades union membership and give confidence back to our shopstewards and how we can best work with the Labour Government in power. Of course, we are good friends with the Labour Government. After all, the trades union Movement played a massive part in returning Labour to office on May 1st this year, but there will be times when we will disagree with them and they with us. The real test for a new Labour Government is its ability to tackle the fundamental problems of the British economy, and the TUC must play a role in influencing that policy.
For many years, this Congress has developed an analysis of the economy. We know the way it works from dealing with it day in day out: represent workers and what needs to be done.
Now, more than ever we need to crusade for full employment and sustainable economic development. We require new investment in industry to satisfy unmet need, investment in public services like child‑care, health and education, housing, transport and energy efficiency and investment in skills, which is about real training for real jobs.
The Scottish Parliament will enable the people of Scotland to take democratic control over those aspects of their lives which are specifically Scottish or best dealt with at a Scottish level. Scottish home rule is about improving the quality of government and decision‑making in Scotland and, as such, has an immense importance to the working people represented by the trades union Movement.
The election of a Labour Government committed to establishing a Scottish Parliament, as proposed by the Constitutional Convention, was an essential stage in securing the Scottish Parliament, which was described by the late John Smith as "The settled will of the Scottish people". That is why we must secure a "yes, yes" vote in this week's referendum on the principle of establishing a Parliament and its right to vary taxes. Clearly, with a Scottish Parliament having legislative as well as important executive functions, we will have to renew the way in which we deal with government, both on a strategic and day‑to‑day basis.
In the period leading up to the establishment of the Parliament, there are of course specific issues which should be addressed by the Labour Government. For example, the institutions and structures designed to assist the development of equality are mainly UK‑centred, and much needs to be done to ensure that equal opportunities are practised in Scotland. The initiative must be seized quickly with the Scottish Office to create a framework in Scotland which the Scottish institutions can operate and transfer smoothly to the new Scottish Parliament.
The establishment of the Parliament will make a real difference to our economy. It will mean that the two keys to full employment, industrial policy and public service policy, will be determined in Scotland. Devolution will create a dynamism, a diversity and a distinctive Scottish approach to problems. There can be no let up in turning out a resounding "yes, yes" vote this week, not only for democracy but for our economic future too. I urge support of motion 83.
Mr John Monks (General Secretary): Of all the reforms that this Government promises, history may well judge devolution to Scotland and Wales the most significant and most enduring. If all the votes say "yes", the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly will be permanent features of a new modern British state for the new millennium. England will not be unaffected.
An inevitable consequence of devolution to Scotland and Wales will be a stronger regional dimension close to the people. It will have its implications for England too. This is not before time. For the UK to be truly united it has become crystal clear that it must become more responsive to the needs of the peoples of Wales and Scotland. Devolution offers both the prospect of real power to make decisions and power to implement them in many of the policy areas that are central to the quality of life such as education, health, housing and local government.
Nationalists in Scotland and Wales see devolution as a step towards independence, but devolution is not about the dead‑end of narrow nationalism: it is about the realisation of the rhetoric "power to the people" within the context of the United Kingdom. It is a real tribute to the Government and to both Secretaries of State, Donald Dewar and Ron Davies, that they have been able to act so quickly to both enact the referendums and to publish the White Papers. We congratulate them today. Tribute is also due to the detailed preparatory work which has been done over many years by the Scottish and Welsh TUC. They have both played splendid leading roles, and today we congratulate them.
As it is the Scottish TUC's centenary year, particular congratulations are due to them. What could be a more fitting tribute to the STUC's first 100 years than a "yes, yes" vote for a Scottish Parliament on Thursday. This week, the people of Scotland will make that historic decision. Wales follows in two weeks. These are decisions that will shape their lives and those of future generations.
On behalf of this all‑British Congress, embracing people outside Britain too, I urge all trades unionists in Scotland and Wales to vote yes to all the questions. Vote for a strengthened Scotland and Wales within a unified nation. Congress, support the motion.
* The motion was CARRIED