Press release for the 8th November 2011
For immediate release

A response to this article in The Courier.

Jim Mcgovern, Labour MP for Dundee has discussed the Scottish Nationalists “hatred” of England. He is reported to have stated ”I’ve got serious concerns about the Scottish Executive saying that we will not charge Scottish students to go to university, but we will charge English students,” he said. ”You know, for me, that does not smack of patriotism — that smacks of racism.”

His comments have not surprised The Campaign for an English Parliament (CEP), as the Chairman for the Campaign for an English Parliament, Eddie Bone, has been trying to meet the SNP for weeks in an attempt to secure an invitation to meet Mr Salmond. He stated “The Campaign for an English Parliament wanted to enter into positive dialogue with the SNP. We wanted to discuss issues such as England and Scotland’s mutual desire to work in the interests of their own countries via their own parliaments. Unfortunately it now appears that the SNP is not overly concerned that the English are without a Parliament and are without the same democratic equality afforded to Scotland. Their lack of engagement is damaging the national working relationships within the UK as the latest Comres poll showed. There is now a growing number in England who want independence as well.”

The question now needs to be asked, why doesn’t Alex Salmond, First Minister for Scotland and SNP Party leader want to meet up with The Campaign for An English Parliament? In the past he has shown willing to engage with the Welsh and the Irish, is he just unwilling to meet with anyone that has England’s interests at heart.

Eddie Bone went on to state “The intention of the Campaign for an English Parliament was not to anger and incite friction, but to listen and hear just what the SNP had to say on the issues of Scottish independence and how this possibility would affect England. We also wanted to offer the hand of friendship to the grass roots of a party that had campaigned so successfully for its own nation’s parliament”.

Yet the many attempts to get in contact with Alex Salmond and Angus Robertson in order to discuss these topics have met with official obstruction. Sad as it may be to suggest, it seems that this may be attributed to a deep-seated anti-English sentiment within the SNP?

It seems madness to refuse a positive relationship with the Campaign for an English Parliament. So if strategy considerations cannot argue for a meeting and the simple hand of friendship is being spurned, is it not just plain, simple, old fashioned bigotry that we are looking at?

The best way to dispel Mr McGovern’s words would be for the SNP to meet up with the Campaign for an English Parliament. Otherwise it appears that his words hold some credence.

Once again, The Campaign for an English Parliament awaits a response.

Eddie Bone, Chairman, Mob 07980667732 eddiejbone@aol.co.uk
James Black, Researcher and writer