Campaign for an English Parliament

I have just sent the follow to the Halifax Courier on the Lloyds TSB/HBOS “management focus is to keep jobs in Scotland” scandal:

As discussed, here is the relevant paragraph if the 1989 Scottish Claim of Right signed by Gorodn Brown, Alistair Darling, Alex Salmond and many others:

“We, gathered as the Scottish Constitutional Convention, do hereby acknowledge the sovereign right of the Scottish people to determine the form of Government best suited to their needs, and do hereby declare and pledge that in all our actions and deliberations their interests shall be paramount”

Well I think we can safely say that Brown and Darling are standing by that pledge to put the interests of Scotland first and foremost.

Regardless of what Lloyds TSB are now saying about trying to save jobs in England, the takeover document clearly says that management focus will be on saving jobs north of the border.  This, I suspect, was a key part of Brown and Darling’s personal involvement in the merger – Edinburgh is Darling’s constituency and the seat of the Scottish government and there is a by-election coming up in Glenrothes which Labour are currently predicted to lose by a fair margin to the SNP.

When it comes down to a choice between cutting jobs in Scotland or England, we don’t stand a chance.  Not only have the two most senior ministers in the British government pledged to put the interests of Scotland first and foremost but the Scots have their own government with the money and power to offer “incentives” (more commonly known as bribes) to keep the jobs in Scotland.  You only have to look at how the Welsh government pumped cash into St Athen in Wales to secure the transfer of work from Telford in England to see the benefit of a national government looking after your own national interests.  If England had a parliament like the one the Scots have, we would have someone fighting our corner.  As it is we have two lots of Scottish politicians conspiring to secure jobs for their own people at the expense of the English.

The Halifax Courier are less than impressed at the prospect of massive job losses again and are still pretty bitter about the last merger – between the Halifax and Bank of Scotland – which saw extensive job losses in Halifax to secure Scottish jobs.

It is interesting to note that Lloyds TSB are now trying to distance themselves from their own takeover document which says “management focus is to keep jobs in Scotland” and are now claiming that they are also committed to saving jobs in England and are not favouring Scotland.  The proof is there in the document detailing the terms of the takeover steered by Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling that keeping jobs in Scotland is their primary concern.

The head office of the merged bank will remain in Edinburgh, in the constituency of one Alistair Darling MP.  What a happy co-incidence.

Media and blog coverage on this at:

• The Spectator
• The Times
• The Daily Express
• This is London
• Iain Dale
• Express & Star