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Sunday, July 09, 2006
Support for an English Parliament Grows
Good. There's a new MORI poll which shows 26% of the population are now in favour of an English Parliament, up from 16% a month ago. Expect that trend to continue.
13 comments:
Anonymous
said...
In reality it will be a LOT more than that, the best part is you will hardly find any English people who (with any sense) who wont support the campaign for an English Parliament once they have seen the facts, it will grow and grow and grow and England WILL have it's own Parliament.
Clearly the previous commenter completely conflates England and the Union. Anyway, aside from that, yes, I expect it to grow until it more or less matches support for the Tory party in England, and then rise no further.
I just think that Scottish MP's should not be allowed to vote for issues that affect only England. for example, Studend Grants, Top up fees and Loans, when they have a much different system in Scotland.
I can't see Labour ever conceding an English Parliament, except as a toothless taking shop which will have no support. And I can see the idea dying away if/when the Conservatives win the next election. If Labour lose a majority of English seats, but win because of their rotten boroughs in Scotland and Wales, that's when the fireworks will start.
Personally, I'd support an English Parliament if the Barnett forumla were simultaneously revisited, and if that Parliament had control over at least the issues that the Scottish Parliament had, preferably more so. But we don't need another toothless talking shop like the Welsh Parliament.
Politicians are the only people who understand what an English Parliament would mean, and want one nonetheless. For everyone else in the country another layer of bureaucracy is far worse than the West Lothian question.
Why do we need another layer of politicians and bureaucrats? We have an English parliament, it's called Westminster. Just remove the Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish MPs from it.
It seems we can't have 2 tier MPs yet we can have 2 tier citizens in the UK.
I note a number of people mention that the Scottish people had rules imposed on them by the English through Westminster and now say the tide is running the other way so tough luck.
It seems that reasoning (injustice replaced by revengeful injustice) would assist in the calls for an English parliament.
English Parliament? Nah. Bad idea. Full independence, that's what we need.
We could also hive off the socialist republics of northern England into a separate state. Just imagine, John "Kim" Prescott as the mentally unstable Stalinist President of North England, with "Comical" Hazel (Blears) as the Minister of Information. Woops! just remembered, they'd have access to the nuclear stickpile at Sellafield, and would be lobbing missiles into the North Sea in no time. So maybe not such a good idea after all.
I picked up an interesting snippet from the BBC News site recently. As of 1st April this year, EVERYONE in Scotland can have a free eye test. Not just children, people over 60 and diabetics - with everyone else paying, no, that is just in England.
Apparently it is to improve the health of people in Scotland - no doubt it will. Won't help the health of the English, of course, but that's OK, they're just the ones paying for it.
41% is a sizable amount, when the debate hasn't yet even begun. People like Jafo are surprised when they discover the free and cheaper services provided to the northern - and western - Britons. How disgusted will they be when they find out that Scotland gets cancer drugs that are denied to the English, or that the government used lottery money to by land and property portfolios for the Scots? That's just the tip of the iceberg. Whether this government or the oppostion like it or not, England is going to get its own Parliament.
If you (the readers), like I, believe that independence for England is the best plan, then please support an English Parliament as the interim solution!
13 comments:
In reality it will be a LOT more than that, the best part is you will hardly find any English people who (with any sense) who wont support the campaign for an English Parliament once they have seen the facts, it will grow and grow and grow and England WILL have it's own Parliament.
We already have the building.
I'd rather see local Government made much more relevant and independent from Central Government edicts.
Clearly the previous commenter completely conflates England and the Union. Anyway, aside from that, yes, I expect it to grow until it more or less matches support for the Tory party in England, and then rise no further.
I just think that Scottish MP's should not be allowed to vote for issues that affect only England. for example, Studend Grants, Top up fees and Loans, when they have a much different system in Scotland.
I can't see Labour ever conceding an English Parliament, except as a toothless taking shop which will have no support. And I can see the idea dying away if/when the Conservatives win the next election. If Labour lose a majority of English seats, but win because of their rotten boroughs in Scotland and Wales, that's when the fireworks will start.
Personally, I'd support an English Parliament if the Barnett forumla were simultaneously revisited, and if that Parliament had control over at least the issues that the Scottish Parliament had, preferably more so. But we don't need another toothless talking shop like the Welsh Parliament.
Politicians are the only people who understand what an English Parliament would mean, and want one nonetheless. For everyone else in the country another layer of bureaucracy is far worse than the West Lothian question.
Why do we need another layer of politicians and bureaucrats? We have an English parliament, it's called Westminster. Just remove the Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish MPs from it.
It seems we can't have 2 tier MPs yet we can have 2 tier citizens in the UK.
I note a number of people mention that the Scottish people had rules imposed on them by the English through Westminster and now say the tide is running the other way so tough luck.
It seems that reasoning (injustice replaced by revengeful injustice) would assist in the calls for an English parliament.
English Parliament? Nah. Bad idea. Full independence, that's what we need.
We could also hive off the socialist republics of northern England into a separate state. Just imagine, John "Kim" Prescott as the mentally unstable Stalinist President of North England, with "Comical" Hazel (Blears) as the Minister of Information. Woops! just remembered, they'd have access to the nuclear stickpile at Sellafield, and would be lobbing missiles into the North Sea in no time. So maybe not such a good idea after all.
I picked up an interesting snippet from the BBC News site recently. As of 1st April this year, EVERYONE in Scotland can have a free eye test. Not just children, people over 60 and diabetics - with everyone else paying, no, that is just in England.
Apparently it is to improve the health of people in Scotland - no doubt it will. Won't help the health of the English, of course, but that's OK, they're just the ones paying for it.
Just what is the point of the Union? What function does it serve since the end of Empire and emergence of the EU?
41% is a sizable amount, when the debate hasn't yet even begun.
People like Jafo are surprised when they discover the free and cheaper services provided to the northern - and western - Britons.
How disgusted will they be when they find out that Scotland gets cancer drugs that are denied to the English, or that the government used lottery money to by land and property portfolios for the Scots?
That's just the tip of the iceberg. Whether this government or the oppostion like it or not, England is going to get its own Parliament.
If you (the readers), like I, believe that independence for England is the best plan, then please support an English Parliament as the interim solution!
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