Ross Clark Ross Clark

Northern Ireland, gay marriage and the great liberal power-grab

Yesterday, the Welsh government announced new guidelines to make school uniforms gender-neutral, which would mean an end to trousers being advertised for boys and skirts for girls. You can imagine the outrage if the UK government now tried to over-ride that decision, saying it was a load of silly nonsense.

The rumblings in Cardiff would bring down a building or two: how dare you interfere with the decisions of Wales’ democratically-elected government, would come the cries. And they would have a point.

When the Welsh voted – very narrowly – for devolution in 1997 that was that. Many areas of governance were handed over to the Welsh and they were allowed to get on with it – even if it meant, as eventually it did, to long waiting lists at Welsh hospitals as a result of different decisions on the NHS being made in Cardiff compared with Whitehall.

It seems to be a very different matter, however, when it comes to gay marriage and abortion in Northern Ireland. Yesterday the Commons voted to impose its own values on the province and passed motions to legalise gay marriage and make it easier for women in Northern Ireland to obtain an abortion on demand.

The laws won’t necessarily come into effect – if the currently-suspended Stormont Assembly is back up and running before the end of October then it could reverse the Commons decision.

Nevertheless, what the Commons did last night – and which it seems to be remarkably proud of this morning – is a liberal power-grab. Certain decisions need to be made in London while Stormont is suspended – over budgets etc.

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