Why does Tesco hate the English?

Given that so many of Tesco's customers are, err, English, it seems odd that Tesco is implementing a final solution to eliminate the cross of St George from their products?

I received the followng email fron Robin Tilbrook:

"FEAR AND LOATHING OF ENGLAND AT TESCO...

After an illuminating telephone conversation with some bolshy Scottish woman at Tesco Customer Care Centre, yesterday, I have received some disquieting news.
I was informed, that due to specific, constant and deafening requests by their English customers, the existing, very few own brand references to English products in Tesco stores are to be dumped – and replaced with the ‘British’ moniker.
I really do have to say that the conversation was one of the most surreal I have ever had – even by Tesco standards.

I thought I should ring them to discuss ‘CountryLife-Gate’ – and that company’s shameless rebranding of English butter to British butter. I thought it would be a good opportunity to talk (yet again) to Tesco about their branding policy.

I told the Tesco lady that I was looking for another butter to buy with ‘English’ written on the pack – and couldn’t help noticing that Tesco own brand butter did indeed say ‘English Butter’, but unfortunately, the accompanying flag was not the flag of St George but was the flag of the Union.....

I then tried to expand the discussion, sort of telling her that I would like to buy English stuff in Tesco, but there are precious few products in Tesco with the English ident on – and how I thought it was about time they expanded their English range – and as a start, they could change the flag on the Tesco English Butter pack to make it consistent.

“But we are changing it to make it more consistent”

“Well that’s bloody great!”

“Yes, in the very near future, our butter will be labelled as British butter – and of course we will keep the Union flag to make it all consistent”....

“WHAT?”...

She repeated it – and then added “In fact all the remaining products with England of English on them are to be rebranded as British”.

“WHY?”

“Because all our customers in England want their products labelled as British – while all our customers in Scotland, Wales and Ireland want their produce labelled as Scottish, Welsh and Irish”....

“Well who decided that then?”

“Our customer focus groups”

“So let me get this straight – customers in England have specifically demanded that the very few English branded products that Tesco sells must be rebranded to British – because, presumably they find it all too upsetting? “So why haven’t the Scots etc demanded that their products are to be labelled as British also?

“Well they don’t see themselves as British – they see themselves as Scottish – it’s the same with the Welsh and the Irish”...

“How very convenient..... So what you are saying is that the few remaining English products are soon to be bulldozed from the shelves in favour of British ones”....

She did indeed confirm that rogue products like Tesco own brand English Butter and Mild Cheshire Cheese are to be axed for a more apparently palatable British version.

She then read out a communiqué from Head Office –

“Regarding product branding, this is what our Customer Forum has asked us to do”
‘As most English inhabitants look on themselves as being British first – therefore, a Union flag is used to identify the region. NOTE: Regional information is printed on the pack to indicate which area within the region it comes from’.

There then followed a deep and meaningful discussion. The Scots lady said that every time she came south of the border she couldn’t move for union flags – because apparently, all English people are revelling in their British ident... While in her own country she and all her fellow compatriots were Scots first, second and third.

The whole conversation ended in a vexatious row. She just couldn’t grasp how insulted I felt to have my country rebranded as both a ‘region’ and as default Britain’. There is now a definite shift in strategy. They are now quoting ‘Focus Groups’ from the region of England as justification to rebrand to a British ident – and it’s all coming to a Tesco near you."

Well you know I'm a big customer of Tesco and I say bypass the Scottish Mafia and go straight to the top, by writing to:

Sir Terence Leahy
Chief Executive of Tesco
P.O. Box 44
Delamare Road
Cheshunt
Herts
England EN8 9SL

and mention how you are insulted by the assertion that all English people are British first and point out that English customers might be worth a tad more on the bottom line than the his Scots and Welsh customers. you might also add some reference to the opinion polls:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6264823.stm

And generally threaten to withdraw your custom.

Please copy me in on anything you send.

Thanks

Stephen.

Panorama - shhh, don't mention the English...

Many who watched the Panorama programme, True Brits, this week, may have been struck by the disparity of the treatment of Scotland and England. In Edinburgh the presenter proclaimed that Scotland had once been an independent country with its own parliament - yet no mention was made of the fact that England had once been an independent country, with its own parliament. Although Scottish devolution was discussed as a possible, though unintended, driver for the dissolution of the UK no mention was made that the current unequal devolution settlement will only further the alienation of England's people - who are always second best within the UK while subject to the whim of a UK parliament full of MPs not elected in England. It is about time the BBC actually addressed the democratic deficit in England - they didn't hesitate to talk up Kosovan independence recently, why not democracy for England too?

A long time coming....

But now the mainstream media are predicting both the end of the union and of the Labour party.

In both cases this is being blamed on the flawed devolution that was forced through by NuLabour in Scotland and Wales. At the time, Nu Labour claimed that devolution would kill nationalism and separitism stone-dead in Scotland. The Tories, who argued that unequal devolution would fuel Scottish separitism and revive English nationalism, were dismissed as right wing nutters by the BBC and Guardian front. As for the other media, I recall Minette Marin writing an article in The Times about how benign a constitutional reform devolution had been, I emailed her at he time saying that, far from being benign, Scottish devolution would revive the SNP as the opposition to Labour in Scotland - and it did, now the SNP are in power.

The whole sorry devolution mess left England ruled by a Labour party with Scottish interests at heart and England's role being the cashpoint for the whole UK, but without any democratic body solely representing England's people.

In the Sunday Times, Simon Jenkins reads the Glasgow East election result as the end of the union:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/simon_jenkins/article4407171.ece

And in the Daily Telegraph, Iain Martin sees the end of the union and the Labour party in a double whammy from the SNP, in Scotland, and the revitalised Tories in England.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/07/30/do3001.xml

At some point the Tories will have to grasp that they will never be able to rule in Scotland again, as the SNP are the party of choice for voters abandoning Labour in Scotland. In the event of a Tory UK government in 2010 (or before 2010?) The SNP will then play the foreign-rule from England card on every issue. When the Tories do get it, perhaps we'll finally see some recognition that England needs it's own parliament and that then, and only then, will some post-devolution UK federal settlement be possible.

In the meantime I can't see how Labour can get out of the mess of their own making - unequal devolution will be on Labour's headstone.

Labour's fortunes depend on the union.

That's the argument in The Guardian today. Not surprisngly, The Guardian's writer is more concerned about the fate of 39 Labour MPs who are sent to Westminster by Scottish voters than the need for some proper democracy in England - though the position of England as Europe's only country without it's own parliament these days is recognised.

Tristram Hunt's CIF article is here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/23/glasgoweast.labour

Being CIF you can add your own comment to the debate.

PS, sorry for not posting for so long - been busy at this making a living thing.

Frank Field, the SNP and the BNP....

What a tangled web we weave, Mr Field's article in the Telegraph surmises that the SNP will play the English question to their own ends up north and the BNP will pick it up (rather than the Tories) down south.

Personally I'm not keen for the question of proper representative Englsih democracy to be argued for by the BNP - it really is time for the Tories to do this as Labour won't and the Lib Dems may not have any clout anyway.

The article is here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/06/01/do0104.xml

Stephen.

English Parliament? 404 error....

Very amusing, Google search on English Parliament and one of the links you'll find is:

http://www.english-parliament.co.uk/

Click on it, looks like a 404 error page but worth a careful read.

Thanks to whoever put this page up, a very dry wit indeed.

Stephen

CEP - Surrey County Show

Despite the forecast for typical Bank Holiday weather, the CEP stand will be out at the Surrey County Show on Monday 26th May in Guildford.

Show details are here:

http://www.surreycountyshow.co.uk/

The reaction of people to the CEP presence at the show has changed markedly over the last few years, many more people now actively seek us out to tell us they are fed up with the way England is disadvantaged within the UK.

Hopefully see you there.

Stephen

Salmond's strategy unveiled

In view of the increasingly likely prospect of a Conservative government in 2010, the SNP look to play-off Scotland against Tory policies as leverage to their Independence referendum.

There is more here in the Sunday Herald:

http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.2295788.0.salmond_promises_to_fight_a_future_tory_government.php

As for us English, none of the major parties give England's unequal position in the union much importance. Bet this will change though, when a future Tory government has to face up to the SNP?

Stephen.

Ho hum, another wrong answer to the English question?

Is proposed by Phillip Johnson in the Daily Telegraph. When you read it though, it is just another parliamentary procedural muddle that would still allow Scotland's MPs at Wesminster to vote on issues affecting England only. Remember top-up fees that discriminate against English students anyone?

Rather than addressing the issue - democratic equality for England - Philip addresses a secondary issue, the union, well that is the wrong way round in my view.

You can read more here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/04/21/do2104.xml

There is a lively comments section to which I've added my tuppenny worth demanding an English parliament - good enough for Kosovo but not good enough for England?

Preserving an English identity

As St Georges day approaches, it is good to see the importance of preserving our unique identity in a globalised world being discussed - at least in some of the less PC media.

Paul Kingsnorth makes the case for the link between our local landscapes and our idenity in this article in The Daily Telegraph here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/main.jhtml?xml=/portal/2008/04/19/ftengland19.xml

Though I fear his list of reasons why our identity is being lost does not mention the main culprits - the EU and our political classes who do their bidding in imposing the Europe of the Regions - but a step in the right direction anyway.

Gordon Brown promotes English Regions (again)

Apparently Gordon Brown is planning a campaign to save the union - he must like flogging dead horses, naturally this is bad news for England:

From The Sunday TimesMarch 30, 2008

Gordon Brown to launch Save the Union campaign

Britain's prime minister is preparing to marshall the great and good to fight the threat of Scottish independence

Jason Allardyce and Jonathan Oliver

GORDON Brown is to launch an unprecedented “Save the Union” campaign because he fears the march of Scottish nationalism is becoming unstoppable.

The prime minister told a strategy meeting of ministers at Downing Street that the United Kingdom could only be held together if pro-Union business leaders, academics and civic bodies acted now.

He also proposes to create a network of London-style mayors in English regions to appease mounting resentment against devolution south of the border.

So Gordon thinks that what we really, really need in England, to counter "mounting resentment" about devolution is more Mayors in the "English regions"?

No thanks Gordon, what we really, really need is democratic parity with Scotland and Wales - that means an English parliament where England's MPs can make English laws without influence from Scottish and Welsh MPs who are not elected by English voters. This is called democratic accountability - and we don't have it here in England.

Mayors in the regions do not address England's "mounting resentment" - and can't while England is ruled according to unelected MP's whims and the Barnett formula's inequitable distribution of England's taxes.

The article is here:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article3647158.ece

There is a comments page that makes interesting reading - you know what to do.

Stephen.

CEP Conference 2008 - 26th April

The CEP web site seems to have disappeared but the CEP's 2008 Conference is still going ahead - on Saturday 26th April.

Details are here:

http://www.thecep.org.uk/wordpress/


Look forward to seeing you there.

Stephen

It's a Miracle! - no council tax increase in Scotland!

Many of you have just had your English council tax demand - mine was an increase of 3.5% (ish). Whisper it quietly, there is a part of our sceptered isle where there is no increase in council tax at all.

Can you guess?

Scotland (for it is she) has no council tax increase, this is due to the largesse of the Barnett formula that allows English taxpayers to subsidise Scotland. Truly a miracle, if you're a Scot.

Of course this stinks to high heaven, which is why you won't be hearing about it on the BBC or C4 or the other organs of our 'free' democracy.

The Scotsman is quite happy to tell the story here:

http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Council-tax-freeze-across-Scotland.3781358.jp

I'll be asking my MP why this injustice is allowed to happen - not sure I'll get a meaningful answer though, he's a Lib Dem, never a a party to lose too much sleep over justice for their English voters.

Make sure you write to your MP - it does make a difference.

Stephen

The Cost Of Being English.

The CEP have often raised the issue about the extra cost of being English in a Britain where England has no democratic control of its own affairs - unlike Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The mainstream media usually ignore this story (not rocking the establishment boat - as with the Euro referendum) but today the Sunday Times has an article setting out the real cost of being English in England.

You can read the full article here:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3511864.ece

But this section sums it up:

The latest figures on public spending per head show that in 2006-7 it was reckoned at £8,623 in Scotland; £8,139 in Wales; and just £7,121 in England. (The figures may seem modest, but they are for “identifiable spending” that differs between regions and do not include items such as defence that are deemed to be national.)

The Scots, with £1,500 more to spend per person, are lavishing services on their 5m population. Free care (up to £210 a week) for the elderly, free eye tests, dental checks and, in future, free prescriptions. Yet in England, it was announced last week that the prescription charge will rise to £7.10.

In Wales, which has £1,000 per person more to spend than England, the authorities last week announced plans for free hospital car parking. It infuriated taxpayers in England.
“It seems that in the UK, the poor relation is England,” said John Cherrett, a campaigner for pensioners in Dorset, where some hospitals charge £7 a day for parking. “Whatever way we look at it, public transport, drugs, pensions, whatever, England is a poor relation. We are the wealth-maker of the four parts of the UK and we lose out all along.”

In total the TaxPayers’ Alliance pressure group calculates that the “cost of being English” could amount to more than £7,000 a year – from £3,000 for university tuition fees to thousands more for care of the elderly, £25 for an eye test and £15 for each dental check-up.

What is the reason for this? Is it what it looks suspiciously like? - Labour looking after its heartlands in Scotland and Wales at the expense of the English? and is this why England's people are denied their own parliament - unlike Scotland and Wales?

Expect Labour to announce some headlining plan now that the issue is becoming mainstream but nothing less than a restoration of democracy to England will fix this one -an English parliament dealing with England's taxes and spending.


Stephen

Scottish plan land grab at Berwick.

And who will speak up for England's interests when the Scottish parliament votes to take over bits of England? Hmm, why our Scottish Prime Minister of course! or maybe our Scottish Chancellor!

The article is not online but the text from the Sunday Post is here:


Scots plan to capture20 miles of England
By Campbell Gunn
A politician has called for the Scottish border to be moved 20 miles south.Liberal Democrat MSP Jeremy Purvis says current calls for Berwick to be transferred back to Scotland are not ambitious enough.

He wants to see the border moved 20 miles to take in a large area of Northumberland.Mr Purvis claims it could be done quite simply, with two statutory instruments, one each at Holyrood and Westminster.
One is already going through Westminster as the Government is set to abolish Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council.
So a simple order at Holyrood could see a massive land grab by Scotland go ahead.The move comes as a television poll for ITV's Tonight programme, carried out in Berwick, is expected to show a majority in the town in favour of a shift to Scotland.
Strong feeling
"There's a strong feeling that Berwick should be in Scotland" said Mr Purvis, who was born in the town. "Until recently, I had a gran in Berwick and another in Kelso, and they could see that there were better public services in Scotland."Mr Purvis continued, "Berwick as a borough council is going to be abolished and it would then be run from Morpeth, more than 30 miles away." All that would be required would be two statutory instruments, and one of them is already going through the House of Commons." "So it would only need a statutory instrument at Holyrood and then all that would be required would be an adjustment of the Borders Council area to take in part of England." "Scotland would then go down almost as far as Alnwick, as the Berwick Borough Council area extends 20 miles south into England.

Well, the benefits of devolution for Scotland are clear - when will England get a voice?

Stephen

England excluded (no change there then) from UK devolution

Please follow the link below to see who is deciding the future direction of the UK's devolution process, here's a clue, they're all Scots.......and England is not on the agenda.

http://thecep.org.uk/news/?p=371

You could ask your MP why this is so?

2008 - the end of the Union?

According to Iain McWhirter in The Guardian it is.

His article is here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2238275,00.html

This is a Comment is Free article so you can air your views.


Stephen.