It's the Final Countdown

With 10 seconds left to vote, the Power2010 website recorded:

English Votes on English Laws in 4th place with 6346 votes
A Written Constitution in 5th place with 6247
Fixed Term Parliaments in 6th place with 6219

We do of course have to wait for formal verification of this result, but assuming that there has been no cheating it looks as though we've scored a notable victory. Whatever the result I would like to thank all those English twitterers and Facebook campaigners, and the bloggers of the English Free Press, who I nagged and pestered to promote this constitutional abortion of a reform. In particular, insofar as I remember (apologies if I've left anyone out) BritologyWatch, Paul Kingsnorth, Devil's Kitchen, Man in a Shed, Wonko, Ana the Imp, Englishman's Castle, Iain Dale, Archbishop Cranmer, Daily Referendum, Mrs Rigby, WENaP and the CEP.

But most of all my thanks go to The Campaign for the English Regions and Unlock Democracy for providing the inspiration, as Gerry Hassan explains:

As we entered into the last few days, Unlock Democracy, the successor to Charter 88, asked supporters to vote for an elected second chamber, the demand which was below English votes. The Campaign for the English Regions urged their supporters to vote for any issue but English votes. Peter Facey, director of Unlock Democracy, stated that his motivation was that:

This was not an anti-English votes for English Laws email, simply a positive one for an issue we think needs to be in the top five.

The disingenuousness is shocking from supposed radical democrats, combined with their complete lack of understanding of the lack of democracy at the heart of the UK in the English question.

It's dangerous to tempt fate by declaring victory before it is confirmed, but irrespective of the result I feel that we have been victorious in seeing off competition from well funded and well organised opposition. Today we should congratulate each other on a job well done.

If the result is confirmed and English Votes on English Laws makes it onto the Power2010 Pledge, Helena Kennedy, Unlock Democracy and the Power2010 partners will face the ignominy of asking their supporters to lobby their prospective MPs to sign up to a pledge to ban non-English MPs from English Parliamentary affairs. It is a policy they do not believe in, and a policy that is unworthy and unworkable.

Conservative MPs, who will be standing on their party's policy of barring non-English MPs from only the Committee and Report Stage of English legislation, will face questions as to why they do not support extending the ban to Second and Third Readings. The Conservative's policy should not properly be called 'English Votes on English Laws' because it does not prevent non-English MPs from voting on English legislation and potentially having a determining influence on that legislation. If Power2010 does anything it should get the English Question onto the political agenda and force Tory candidates to come clean about their watered-down policy.

According to the British Social Attitudes 26th report, released January 2010, 61% agree that Scottish MPs should not be able to vote on English legislation.