Gary's views

SCOTLAND

Scotland has a population of just over 5 million and has been part of the United Kingdom since the Acts of Union in 1707. It gets about 30% more government spending per head than England under a formula thrashed out over 40 years ago. It has had its own Parliament since 1999 yet still sends 59 MPs to Westminster. The average number of constituents in a Scottish constituency is 55,000 – in England it is 70,000. Scottish MPs can currently vote on every law in the House of Commons even those, like education and health laws, which do not affect Scotland, yet English and Welsh MPs obviously have no vote in the Scottish Parliament. Between 40 and 50% of Scots at any one time want independence from the Union.

Is there a Scottish problem? I think there is.

I remain firmly committed to the United Kingdom and would hate to see Scotland leave us. The United Kingdom still plays a crucial role in global affairs and we would be diminished if Scotland went it alone. Yet English resentment is building up at the current settlement. I see it in my mailbag more and more. How can we put in place fairer arrangements without driving our northern cousins into full blown independence?

First of all, we have to reduce the number of Scottish MPs who sit in Westminster so that they represent seats the same size as ours. Naturally there would be political resistance to this, but it can no longer be fudged. After all there are 129 members of the Scottish parliament buzzing around the place as well.

Second, the case for only English and Welsh MPs voting on legislation that does not affect Scotland is becoming compelling. I do not want to introduce an English Parliament; I think that is daft, but a policy of English votes for English laws makes sense.

Finally, is it not time to review the Barnet formula that provides so much more financial support for the Scots than for us south of the border? If it could ever be justified, it no longer can. Why should NHS patients and school children in Scotland get more money spent on them than south of the border? If the Scots want to spend more, they should raise the money from their own taxes.

I hope the Union lasts for another 300 years. But it will only do so if it is fair to both sides.

KNIFE CRIME

What lies behind the sudden spate of stabbings in some of our larger cities? The root cause flows from something I have written about many times, namely the breakdown of the family unit in many parts of our society. One of the things we get from our families – or should do – apart from encouragement and discipline is identity. Family teaches us a lot about who we are. Identity is important to all of us; we all need to know who we are and where we fit into the bigger picture.

For a significant minority of young people, those coming from households of chaos, there is no real sense of identity. (Please note: I am not talking about single parents, but households of chaos). No order, no stability, no framework. This is why so many turbulent youngsters are ending up in street gangs in which they find their identity, where they fit in, for the first time in their lives. These brutal gangs are becoming a family substitute. I do not mean the groups of young people who hang around in Plympton, Plymstock and Ivybridge – they are not gangs in this sense they are just teenagers hanging out together. I mean hardened units with a clear pecking order, almost always involved in drugs or other criminal activity, many of them carrying knives. We do not have this in south west Devon and hopefully never will.

What are we to do about it? I certainly favour tougher sentences for anyone caught in possession of a weapon, but this alone will achieve little – because these kids have got nothing to lose by going to prison – unless we also tackle underlying causes. This is but one reason why we now have to confront these households of chaos.

It horrifies me to think that the state should muscle into how a person raises a child. But what choice do we have when the consequences of so many children being left to drag themselves up go far beyond personal under-achievement and spill over into the lives of all of us. I support the government seeking to target the problem families that lie at the heart of this.

This must not be another gimmick – this must mean tough effective intervention. Let the message ring out loud and clear: if you bring a child into this world you are responsible for bringing up that child to be a responsible citizen. Is that so radical?

FIGHTING

Surely the greatest word in the English language is “Granddad” especially when it comes attached to a look bordering on adulation (I know it won’t last). These days it is often followed by “can we play fighting?” or “can you be a monster?” I hope this too will pass.

But fighting is part of my job. In recent months I have been fighting for clarity about the future of the dockyard and naval base which have defined our city and driven our local economy for generations. Following a meeting with a defence minister in Whitehall this week the mist is beginning to clear. I now believe that I know precisely what future is intended for us.

The frigates will be leaving us and will be base-ported in Portsmouth. The submarines will go to Faslane. A much smaller Devonport naval base will be the home of the amphibious fleet, basically: Ocean, Albion and Bulwark. Some marine units will be transferred to our region. This will all mean a net loss of servicemen and women from this area and the spending power that goes with it.

The dockyard will continue to maintain the Trident submarines, and as soon as Rosyth starts work on its bit of the two new aircraft carriers that will be built for our navy, Devonport will get a reasonable share of the surface ship refit work. This is crucial to smooth out the fluctuating peaks and troughs of the nuclear work to enable the skill level at the yard to be maintained. But what will happen once the carriers are built? Surface ship refit work will be in short supply after that. So a reasonable medium term future for the dockyard (although there are job losses to come this year) but thereafter it is likely to down-size, possibly drastically. The worst scenario, but sadly a realistic one, is that the yard will ultimately become the place where nuclear vessels are decommissioned and the fissile material is stored. Not an attractive prospect.

The shrinking of the naval base is a blow but brings some good news – the release of real estate along the waterfront including south yard. But this is worthless without significant government investment to make development of these polluted sites possible. The fight for that cash will be a very determined one.

No formal announcements will be made for some months – but the picture seems crystal clear. More fighting to come, I am sure.

BOUNDARIES AGAIN

It is 340 miles from Hull to Plymouth. I know because I drove it on Saturday and it feels like a very long way indeed. It was a great relief to see the road sign on the M5 welcoming me to Devon, a joy to get to the top of Halden hill (down hill all the way from there I always think) and a thrill to pass the Woodpecker pub (even though it looks such a mess) because that marks my constituency boundary.. Deep Lane junction 12 minutes later, relax, nearly home.

Boundaries are important to us for all sorts of reasons. On Monday we will learn where our future local government boundaries will lay in this county for the next generation. I hope the Boundary Committee will include at the end of their report these words: light blue touch paper and retire, because their recommendations are likely to be explosive.

There are three main options that affect us down here: Plymouth’s and Torbay’s boundaries staying the same and a single unitary council for the whole of the rest of Devon ( this is promoted by Devon County Council); a merger of South Hams and Teignbridge and West Devon into a South Devon Unitary with Plymouth’s boundaries staying more or less as now (this is the district council’s option); or thirdly, Plymouth’s boundaries (and Torbay’s) expanding dramatically to take in a chunk of South Hams and West Devon with the rest of the county being one unitary (as championed by Plymouth Council).

All options have strengths and weaknesses, but the third option would cause much anxiety in the rural parts of my constituency, understandably so. People would ask the question: what does a large city know about running a small Devon village? Would it speed up the rate at which our fields become houses? It would signal the start of major campaigns from many parish councils to be left alone.

So Monday is a big day. The recommendation will come from five unelected people and the final decision after several weeks of hectic consultation and representation will be made by the secretary of state for Communities and Local Government. Whatever happens, the status quo is about to be shattered. I protested with the good burghers of Underwood recently on the impending closure of their post office. I suspect my marching days are not yet done.

What do you think about the future shape of our county?