SO Lord Wallace thinks Holyrood could need more MSPs to scrutinise the forthcoming extra devolved powers (“Wallace thinks Holyrood could need more MSPs”,The Herald, August 22). Perhaps the solution is staring him in the face
We have 129 MSPs forming the inordinately expensive assembly in Edinburgh with existing devolved powers. We also have 59 MPs at Westminster and a further six MEPs out of 73 nationwide. Surely this is an inane duplication of effort and expense. By removing most of the MPs one layer of bureaucracy would be eliminated and at a stroke savings made and Holyrood reinforced as a fully functioning part of the political establishment. Where the Scottish Secretary has insufficient influence our non-devolved interests could be served at Westminster by a token presence ofsix6 MPs elected along similar boundaries to those of our MEPs. A rump of the redundant MPs could then be drafted in to bolster Holyrood numbers and the remainder left to write their memoirs.
Christopher H Jones,
25 Ruthven Avenue, Giffnock.
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