Tories come out as English nationalists

The Scotsman says that Michael Howard will focus on the West Lothian question in the General Election, to boost Tory support in England.

While the constitutional issues are different in relation to Wales - unlike Scotland, no law-making or tax-varying powers - I have always believed that at some stage it is likely that the treatment of England would become a mainstream political issue in England itself. Whether now is the time, we shall see. It would be more likely if the Tories achieved a General Election win, though I guess if they achieved a majority of English seats with a Labour government overall, that could see the intensification of a debate which is only at the margins at the moment.