by Rab Bruce’s Spider

The chance for SNP MPs to vote on the issues of Abortion and Same Sex Marriage in Northern Ireland was a no-win situation for them. Whatever they did, the Unionist Parties and the media would be able to run #SNPBad stories. On the one hand, surely it is hypocritical for the SNP to meddle in the domestic affairs of a separate country? After all, isn’t that the basic principle behind their own fundamental political goal? But, on the other hand, there is no functioning governmental body in Northern Ireland and the matters being voted on were aimed at bringing the Province’s archaic laws on important social issues into the 21st Century.

Can you imagine how progressive citizens in Northern Ireland would feel if the SNP had failed to back the proposals? They would have been stuck with laws which are incompatible with progressive thinking and could rightly accuse the SNP of failing to help them when they had the chance.

But, as you’d expect, their involvement has given Unionists a chance to crow about the SNP recognising the sovereignty of Westminster. Now, while the view that the SNP should not be voting on laws which affect other parts of the UK is understandable, the circumstances here are perhaps justifiable. After all, these are important social issues, so on balance, I think the SNP were right to allow their MPs a free vote on the matter. They would have been pilloried by the media whatever they decided, so they were as well to try to bring Northern Ireland’s laws out of the Victorian era.

But, whether you agree with their decision or not, what this saga once again highlights is the ludicrous constitutional arrangement in the UK. Perhaps some people might now start to ask more questions about why one country can impose laws on another. Perhaps what the SNP did was hypocritical, but doesn’t that demonstrate that every vote in Westminster which imposes laws on nations other than England is essentially undemocratic?