Scottish mafia

The Scottish mafia, tartan mafia [ [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1052310/ANALYSIS-A-monster-Labours-making.html 'A monster of Labour's own making'] , Daily Mail, 4 September 2008] or Scottish Raj [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1523295,00.html Paxman blasts Scottish Raj] , "The Sunday Times", 13 March 2005] , is a pejorative term used by English nationalists for a group of Scottish Labour Party politicians and broadcasters who they believe have undue influence over the governance of England. The term is occasionally used in the UK press [cite news |first=Ian |last=Jack |authorlink=Ian Jack |author= |coauthors= |title=Border disputes |url=http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,1819741,00.html |work=The Guardian | publisher=Guardian Newspapers Limited | date=15 July 2006 | accessdate=2006-10-02 ] [cite news |first=Boris |last=Johnson|authorlink=Boris Johnson |coauthors= |title=There's nothing national about the National Health |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2006/08/31/do3101.xml |work=The Daily Telegraph | publisher=Telegraph Group Limted | date=31 August 2006 | accessdate=2006-10-02 ] and in parliamentary debates. [cite hansard | url=http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200304/ldhansrd/vo040212/text/40212-24.htm | house=House of Lords | date=12 February 2004 | column=GC571 ] [cite hansard | url=http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199798/ldhansrd/vo970707/text/70707-31.htm | house=House of Lords | date=7 July 1977 | column=523 ]

References to a Scottish mafia are based on the perceived over-representation of Scottish Members of Parliament (MPs) in senior government posts (four cabinet ministers out of twenty four) and on the constitutional arrangements which give them a say in English affairs whilst denying English MPs and Scottish Westminster MPs a say in some Scottish affairs. The latter is known as the West Lothian question.

The 'Scottish raj' is seen to be a distinctively Labour - and, to a lesser extent - Liberal Democrat phenomenon, as the Celtic fringe and North of England have always seen strong support for these parties, whereas Conservative support is traditionally based in the South East of England.

Four of the twenty-four Cabinet members in Britain are Scottish or were born in Scotland: [cite web |url=http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page1371.asp |title=Her Majesty's Government |accessdate=2006-10-02 |work=10 Downing Street ] English nationalists paint this as evidence of a Scottish conspiracy to dominate England.

The four Scots mentioned above are:

*Prime Minister Gordon Brown
*Defence Secretary Des Browne
*Chancellor Alistair Darling (although he was born in England)
*International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander

Prominent Scottish Labour cabinet members since 1997 have included Robin Cook, George Robertson, Helen Liddell, Donald Dewar, Lord Irvine, David Clark, Gavin Strang, John Reid, Lord Falconer and Ian McCartney. However, some of these are members of the House of Lords and are based in London. Others, such as Ian McCartney and David Clark, although born in Scotland, lived in England for many years before being elected to the House of Commons for English constituencies. There are also several cases of English people being elected to the Commons for Scottish constituencies and to the Scottish Parliament, such as Shona Robison MSP and Mark Lazarowicz MP. However, the overwhelming majority of Cabinet Ministers under both Blair and Brown were always English. Prominent English Cabinet ministers included John Prescott, Geoff Hoon, Ruth Kelly, David Blunkett, Charles Clarke, Harriet Harman, Clare Short, Jack Straw, David Miliband, and Ed Balls.

Michael Martin is also a prominent Scottish politician as Speaker of the House of Commons, although the overwhelming majority of his predecessors as Speaker have been English.

Scottish broadcasters who cover the UK political scene include Kirsty Wark, James Naughtie, Andrew Marr and Andrew Neil. However, there are very many broadcasters who cover the UK political scene who are not Scottish.

Claims of a 'mafia' running British politics are not limited to the 'Scottish mafia'. In 1998 The Sun newspaper asked whether a 'gay mafia' was running the country, and there have been claims that Conservative leader David Cameron has surrounded himself with an elitist 'Eton mafia', also known as the 'Notting Hill set'.

ee also

*English nationalism
*Devolved English parliament
*Raj
*Gay Mafia

References