Battle between Senators and Members of Parliament uncalled for

No good can come from the pointless contest between the National Assembly and the Senate over the sharing of revenue between the national government and the counties. In a few short days, it has degenerated into a bad tempered war of words between the members of both houses of Parliament, with the Speakers for both chambers adding to the fuel with their interpretations of the constitution regarding which house is superior.

This is not really a legal debate, despite the vigorous quoting of the Constitution that has attended it. It is, clearly, a political battle that achieves little more than set the tone for relations between the two houses. Like the contest between county and national governments recently, it needs a political solution rooted in mutual respect.

Devolution requires a radical shift in thinking because it alters the structures of power and decision-making in many ways. Power is dispersed not just between greater and smaller institutions but also between bodies wielding sovereign power.

None can act in isolation merely because the law allows them to. Rather, as with the county and national governments, there is an expectation of cooperation in all things.

The business of sharing out money in devolved government is a shared responsibility between the two Houses. Rather than fight over who has the last word, the Senate and National Assembly should be working to speak with one voice for the people.