Devolution: a recipe for

corruption a recipe for

corruption

Sir: I am an Englishman living in Scotland and Tam Dalyell is my Member of Parliament, and he is a very good one at that.

I am completely in agreement with him on the stance he has taken against the devolution of power to Scotland as proposed by the new government. At the weekend a senior Labour figure (name not quoted) was reported to have referred to Tam's intervention as "old Tam's rantings", but I think he seems to be the only MP who realises the dangers to the United Kingdom's union.

I really wish people in England would wake up to the dangers and lobby their MPs. The dangers are:-

1. That the Scottish Parliament and British one will constantly disagree, thus playing into the hands of the SNP.

2. If the Scottish parliament does not fulfil the wishes of the Scots they will blame the English and turn to the SNP.

3. English people in Scotland and Scots people in England will begin to feel alienated.

4. If, as the SNP hopes, the Scottish parliament becomes a stepping stone to independence, England will not have as much influence in Europe or the rest of the world as it does at present.

The only way devolved government can possibly work is if all of the UK has assemblies for regions like the German Lander. Then the West Lothian question would not apply.

ALAN GILFORD

Linlithgow, West Lothian