Comments on: England Disadvantaged

By: eddie

eddie — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:37:03 +0000

Whilst i believe that we are a multicultural society and should stay that way, we should have our own Assembly so that we finally, for the first time have a voice in westminster but i am sure that the government will try to avoid such a thing because it would mean that England would be able to control our borders and all European funding for taking immegrants would have to pass though the English Assembly first which would then limit funds redirected elsewhere.I think the rise of support for the detestable BNP is because we in England are not only the first port of call for all immegrants entering Britain but also the last to be asked and the government are evasive to the amounts of funding given by the EU to take them.While the appearence of BNP’s leader on BBC’s Question Time showed that he had hidden agendas but other polititions were missing some important points, for example I remember not that long ago, taxi drivers were told they were not allowed to fly the George Cross on St.George’s day or face a fine!Absolutely ridiculous even on Question Time it was intimated that there are no English people left just British/Europeans and that is in my mind discriminatory against all those, regardless of creed or colour who were born in England as they ARE MOST DEFINATELY ENGLISH!

By: James Matthews

James Matthews — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:20:14 +0000

Howard Johnston: Regional (or provincial) Assemblies will not answer. Devolution to Scotland and Wales was presented to the peoples of those nations and voted on by them as providing to each of a forum giving political expression to NATIONAL identity. The English are also a nation and should have nothing less.

I am not sure whether you envisage that your provincial assemblies would have powers equal to those of the Scottish Parliament. If not, the West Lothian Question will not be answered. If so, it is a recipe for national disintegration – separate policies of Agriculture, Fisheries, Health, Education etc., would make the present ill-feeling between England and Scotland seem totally insignificant. Undergraduates from Yorkshire paying University tuition fees, while those in Lancashire do not (or vice versa), free personal care for the elderly in Birmingham, but not in Newcastle, prescription charges in West Bromwich, but not in Bristol, etc, etc. Logically, these are consequences you must be willing to accept if you want to go down that route. Perhaps you are, but I don’t think many people would be.

There may well be a case a tier of regional government within England (and, indeed, within Scotland and Wales), but it is not a solution to the democratic deficit which arises from asymmetric national devolution. Only an English Parliament will provide that.

As to Germany, the post-war German constitution was designed to emasculate what was seen as an overmighty Prussia. You may be happy to see England emasculated. I am not.

By: Bobby

Bobby — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:15:52 +0000

For those people who are “non white” or non native English. You should note that the English have integrated with ethnic minorities more than any other part of “Britain”. My own children have an Arabic mother and were both born in England and so are clearly English. My brother in law on the other hand was born in Africa and has to content himself with being a second class citizen, ie. “British”. He wants to be English and I want him to be English, but he can’t be English until he gets English nationality papers which is obviously impossible at the moment. We must put this right. Many of my friends are of ethnic minority and all live in England, I know of none that live elsewhere although I suppose there must be some in other parts of Britain. So for those Scots, Irish and Welsh who consider the English to be Mongrels then I am proud to be one and associate myself with people who have chosen to live in England.
So here is a clear message from me, a very proud, white Englishman to those who are not quite white. “Join the cause and you can become English”, and you will be most welcome.

By: Howard Johnston

Howard Johnston — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:37:58 +0000

I must say I have views about this that I think underpin the great English/British notion of fair play. Firstly I support the need for greater reinforcement of English democracy and culture and cherish my own Englishness as I perceive it. However, I also value my Britishness which links me with the other peoples of this island, regardless of their racial origins. I have always thought this duality to be a good thing. I am English and I am also British. It has been hard to differentiate the two for a century or so. The British Empire and spread of British culture (which was manly English-based) around the world with our language, literature, institutions and parliamentary democracy was a good thing in many ways – even if its delivery wasn’t always ideal. But this great adventure was a largely Anglo-Scottish affair. We must remember that. The Welsh and Irish also played their part (remember Wellington at Waterloo anybody?). I think it is essential that the Union is preserved, but modified to suit the changing times. I am a federalist. A strong union is what we need of equal partners – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (assuming the latter wants to stay on board).

I am not convinced an English Parliament is the only answer, although I do have sympathy with the idea. I also think there is merit in English regional (I would prefer the term ‘provincial’) Assemblies (moots?). This has not met with great acceptance so far because it has not been promoted or explained properly. The banal and bureaucratic names applied to the regions are hardly likely to spread enthusiasm – North East Region etc. We should be using the ancient names of the kingdoms of early England such as Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia and Wessex in order to instil provincial identities to these parts of Britain. The countries that work best to me are those that are federated like Germany or the United States. England could remain a strong and united country within a stronger and more tolerant and unified Great Britain just as easily with provincial assemblies as with a new national English Parliament. We are more populous than Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We have more obvious divides between north and south which need addressing, just as does the overbearing drain on the whole country that London has become. Provincial power bases would address this. The biggest mistake recently was not the creation of the Scottish Parliament – but calling it a ‘Parliament’ rather than an ‘Assembly’ as they have in Wales. I think we should improve, revitalise, modernise and thoroughly democratise the Westminster Legislature as our National Union Parliament – but add regional or Provincial English Assemblies to it. However, as I say, I do see the argument for an English Parliament but ask its advocates how you would deal with the traditional problems of the North/South divide and that of people in Carlisle, Sunderland or Plymouth feeling just as remote form London as did/do the Scots, Welsh and Irish?

By: Chris Collins

Chris Collins — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:44:49 +0000

I’ve long felt that the only circumstances in which I have been able to express pride in being English have been international sporting occasions. To find that in fact sport is virtually the only sphere of activity in which England exists in ANY form or entity is both shocking and yet, at the same time, no great surprise. Whilst I am mildly proud to be British, I am fiercely proud to be English and self-representation and governance is long overdue for our unconstituted nation. Indeed I resent the fact that Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish representatives can have dominion and governance over us AND their own countries yet we have no representation at all as a nation, let alone any influence over the 3 other nations of the Union.
This is actually a scandal of far greater proportions than the MP’s expenses one that is rocking our “beloved” UK parliament to its core. One question, however – why is CEP so sparsely represented across the counties, with only 9 branches…?

By: Ian England

Ian England — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 11:43:33 +0000

Where were you actually born Little Fire ?

By: Omni

Omni — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 10:15:43 +0000

One of the basic principles of democracy is; “No taxation without representation.” Now that Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have had powers devolved to national assemblies and a parliament the English taxpayer has no representation in these bodies and therefore should not be expected to contribute to the costs of these devolved powers, they should be paid for purely out of revenues received in those bodies own areas. I for one do not see why I should be paying towards the pension of the Scottish first minister. They should also still pay the money required for the undevolved powers at Westminster first and that should be in proportion to the percentage of the population of the UK that each region constitutes, in Scotland’s case 8.5%

By: Scilla

Scilla — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 06:02:22 +0000

Little Fire

One of the fundamental principles of the Campaign for an English Parliament is that such a Parliament will represent all people who have legally made England their home regardless of how they identify them selves,unlike what some respondents on this blog seem to state. Thus the CEP welcomes everyone to become members. clearly the effects of devolution imposed by this Government have been divisive and in order to maintain any kind of Union such divisions, anomalies and downright discrimination against English interests must be addressed.

Scilla Cullen
Chairman, CEP

By: Al Wilson

Al Wilson — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:34:00 +0000

Little Fire

Since you think it right that England should have her own parliament, you qualify for membership of the CEP, if you wish to join us.

Parity for England (with Scotland) is what the campaign is about.

By: Little Fire

Little Fire — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:35:45 +0000

England should already have a parliament of its own. I totally support an English parliament despite the fact that someone like me (British) would not be welcome or allowed to be involved. This breaking up of the Union does little for people like me and I feel a bit displaced at times because nowhere is really home anymore. I am half English and half Welsh through birth and where I have lived. My English family is from the wonderful Devon and my Welsh family from west Wales. Where does that leave people like me in this new and broken down set of countries?

I could not really be involved in the Welsh or the English parliaments judging by what some are saying here and have said to me in Wales because I am a “mongrel” (only said by the Welsh I have to say). I am not 100% English or from complete “English stock”. This is the only problem with this situation there are a lot of us out there now who truly are British simply because we are a mix of English and Welsh or Scottish etc. English people may think someone like me would work to help the Welsh and vice versa if in parliament. How could we prove our loyalty? I do 100% support an English parliament with only English interests but am not too sure about stopping people who are not 100% English to be involved because then we certainly will never have a voice.

I do celebrate St.George’s Day, fly the St. George flag and have signed my support to the .eng domain, St.George Day holiday and for an English parliament. Does that show loyalty to England rather than to Wales or would I need to do more to be accepted by the anti-British lot? I guess I am a traitor to Wales now, LOL!! See, people like me cannot win and living in this country at the moment is very difficult indeed when you really are a true Briton.

Best of luck to you and I hope you get full power for England as it should be already.