Mr Neil Maclean: Is it not the case that when a Bill is remitted to the Scottish Grand Committee for discussion there, that Committee can take certain decisions but those decisions can only operate if this House agrees with them. The Scottish Grand Committee can make all the decisions it cares to make in the Committee room but it cannot do anything in the matter of changing anything that has been done outside...
Mr Neil Maclean: I think you, Mr. Speaker, and the noble Lord the Member for Horsham (Earl Winterton) are the only Members who sat in this House when this phase of the Irish troubles began. The one thing that strikes me while this Bill is going through the House, is that the Labour Government, formed out of the Labour Party, should be taking an entirely different attitude towards Ireland now from that which...
Mr Neil Maclean: Northern Ireland is not a nation; it is only a part of a nation——
Mr Neil Maclean: —and the self-determination of nations was the principle of which Arthur Henderson was speaking when he used those words. I will quote a resolution passed by the Labour Party in those days. It may be past history, but it is at least worth remembering. A Motion was put on the Order Paper by the Labour Party regretting that, in view of the deplorable conditions of force in Ireland, there was...
Mr Neil Maclean: I consider that proper scope is not being allowed for the matter under discussion. The limit is narrowed considerably, and consequently the full discussion that ought to take place on the situation of the cinema industry in this country cannot take place. I am not questioning your Ruling, Mr. Deputy-Speaker, but I am merely pointing out that we can only discuss a part of what is the actual...
Mr Neil Maclean: If we are to discuss the cinema industry, and what is likely to benefit it, surely we are entitled to take into consideration recommendations which have been made by a Council set up by the President of the Board of Trade.
Mr Neil Maclean: In that case I shall reserve my comments for another occasion.
Mr Neil Maclean: I am rather surprised at the concluding remarks of the hon. Member the senior Burgess for Cambridge University (Mr. Pickthorn).
Mr Neil Maclean: Surprise is one of the things we have in common. The hon. Member spoke about this Government's doing their best to gerrymander seats by getting majorities in the smaller safe seats for Ministers. But I want to point out to him that very few seats have been safe seats for Labour until recently.
Mr Neil Maclean: The hon. Member had better be careful in case he should lose his own seat. I sat in a safe seat—or have been sitting in a safe seat—for 30 years but, prior to my winning it in 1918, it had never before been won by Labour although it had been fought for on five different occasions.
Mr Neil Maclean: The hon. Member for Cambridge University is completely wrong. It was immediately after the 1914–18 war that I won the seat, and I have held it ever since. I made it a safe seat through my work in this House and in my constituency, and lam certain that there are other Members on these benches who will retain their membership of this House because they made their seats safe, too. I also...
Mr Neil Maclean: I was replying to something which was said by the hon. Member for Cambridge University (Mr. Pickthorn).
Mr Neil Maclean: With regard to the constituency of Govan, it will be remembered on the last occasion, after we had discussed the matter and the Secretary of State for Scotland had replied, he suggested that we should meet the other people and try to come to some agreement upon the matter. I wish to say to him that I took him at his word and we tried to meet the other people but they declined to meet us. The...
Mr Neil Maclean: With the leave of the House, may I correct a statement made by the right hon. Gentleman? This constituency was taken away without the knowledge of the people of Govan. The people were not notified of any commission or committee. If the Secretary of State for Scotland is attempting to justify that deliberate action, which has been taken in order to make a safe constituency, then I have no...
Mr Neil Maclean: I beg to move, in page 125, line 15, to leave out from the beginning, to the end of line 40, and to insert: the River Clyde; thence southward along the centre of Govan Road and the centre of White-field Road, and the centre of Carillon Road to the centre of the London Midland and Scottish Railway (Paisley); thence along the centre of the said railway to the centre of Paisley Road, west;...
Mr Neil Maclean: The second Amendment is complementary to the first and depends upon whether the first is accepted. The purpose of the Amendment to retain in my constituency the part which is being taken away and which is the old and historic portion of the Govan constituency, whose history can be traced back almost to the year 600 A.D. It is about time that the people who are appointed to consider the...
Mr Neil Maclean: The Secretary of State said that my proposal would be likely to divide a ward in Tradeston. It does not divide a ward in Tradeston, but takes away a part of the Pollok Division. He might bear in mind that about half a dozen wards in Glasgow are divided up among the constituencies in Glasgow, so that this would be no exception.
Mr Neil Maclean: I would like to correct my hon. Friend in case what he has said should mislead other hon. Members. It is the old part of Govan that is being transferred into the Tradeston Division and away from the Govan constituency.
Mr Neil Maclean: No, the Boundary Commission have split several wards into two in order to make up the necessary voting s strength in the constituencies.
Mr Neil Maclean: Is my right hon. Friend aware that the Scottish Commissioners refuse to allow any Members of Parliament to discuss with them the re-arrangements of their constituencies?