The Guardian declares for an English Parliament

Honest, George Monbiot (for it is he...) says you don't have to be an English nationalist (BBC translation = narrow minded fascist scumbag, silly) to be for an English Parliament. Now this is important, because George's opinion matters to (self appointed) intellectual thinkers in Islington (even though he now lives in Wales and has gone native) and they may have noticed the democratic deficit that exists in England where Scottish MPs can vote on English affairs without any exposure to English votes. Now this was bloody obvious to us people who think of ourselves as English but invisible in Islington. (hope you are keeping up here, proper Islington media folk would never say they were English, yuk) so we have to be happy that George has vocalised what we already knew!

Hard to believe?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/feb/19/letters-devolution

The promised land? Only if we keep up the pressure and demand a proper democratic solution to the English question.

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.

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?

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?

The Union with Scotland is dead

Says Simon Heffer in the Telegraph, recognising the fact that seems obvious to all but our current government and opposition parties. The tide of opinion is definitely turning but we still need to demand an English Parliament loud and clear.

The Telegraph article is here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml;jsessionid=IMDRARH0SGDBVQFIQMGCFFOAVCBQUIV0?xml=/opinion/2007/11/14/do1401.xml&posted=true&_requestid=1055704

Stephen

The Tories have a plan for the English question

but it isn't an English parliament, just English only votes on English matters rehashed.

The piece is in The Guardian here:

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,,2200694,00.html


I don't know why the Tories can't just come out and say they will give England's people what they need to have real democracy in this country again - an English parliament. I'm sure this would be a vote winner (in England).

Stephen.

English Parliament - the petition

Given the success of the recent anti-Road Pricing petition (1.5 millon votes) please get along to the English Parliament petition and register your vote.

Please pass this on to all the like minded people you know.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/England/

Stephen.