Andrew Constantine

There are some English nationalists who argue that the setting up of an English Parliament with the same powers as the Scottish Parliament may be the best means of saving the Union (as in the UK).

The well known political writer Anthony King in his recent book "The British Constitution" rejects the above assertion and has this to say:

"Creation of an separate English Parliament, as is sometimes advocated, would effectively mean the end of the United Kingdom. With England, containing nearly 90% of the UK's entire population, effectively in control of its own affairs, there would be little left for a leftover UK government to do."

The above now represents my personal belief, and as I feel sure that the Scots will not give up their own Parliament, and as I am strongly in favour of an English Parliament, then logic tells me that I should no longer argue for the maintenance of the UK, but should campaign for independence for England.

And so I will do from now.

__________________
Andrew Constantine
Free England Party - Independence for England
http://www.freeengland.com

http://freeengland.blogspot.com

Signatory to The English Claim of Right
http://englishclaimofright.com

Britannist

As you know Andrew, I admire your commitment and determination to get equality for England and her people.

I just want to point out, Andrew, that when the article says that an English Parliament would leave very little for the UK Parliament to do - there is also very little for the national Parliament of non-EU Switzerland to do (as you know, Switzerland is a very federal state) but Switzerland has not only survived having a not very powerful national Government for over 700 years - it has actually welcomed new members of the Swiss Confederation (i.e. Geneva, for instance, which rightfully fought off Napoleon and quit France to become the most recent part of Switzerland).

It is in the interests of the people of these islands (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) to stay within the same national state (the UK) and to use the same currency (Pound Sterling and NEVER anything else) and for all of us to be protected by the British Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy.

I think it is a good thing that Northern Ireland, Wales, England and Scotland are a part of the same national state - a country with no internal border controls in which we speak the same language; use the same currency; watch more-or-less the same television programmes; are defended by the same armed forces; are represented together in world bodies and share the same Head of State.

cassie

First, I think that, by reason of England's greater size (population and MPs), 'separation' is a more accurate term than 'independence'. Were the English to take control of the British Parliament, they would have independence! In that situation, a more pressing question would be whether Scots would want to remain in the UK?

In my opinion, campaigning for separation itself divides English nationalists. Opinion polls indicate greater support for an English Parliament than for separation.

Indeed, if Professor King is correct, there is no need to campaign for separation/independence for England, that would follow the creation of an English Parliament. Campaigning for separation/independence as such is likely to delay obtaining an English Parliament, quite simply because those who would otherwise support the creation of an English Parliament will oppose it if they think that it will automatically result in the breakup of the UK.

As a democrat, I think it is far better to campaign for all parts of the UK (especially the 84% of voters in England) to participate in any referenda about the proposed change of status of any part of the UK. Not only would that bring democracy to England which has hitherto been excluded from having any referenda as a nation in its own right, but it would tend to unite English nationalists who seek solely a separate English Parliament with those who want separation, from Scotland in particular.


____________________

Britannist

Most of the English people I talk to or listen to on the media on this subject want an English Parliament and want one now.

If they had said to the people of England "you can't have your own Parliament it will destroy the Union (UK)" before Scotland got her own Parliament in 1999 it is possible that the majority would have listened and accepted the status quo (i.e. rule by the British Parliament).

But since 1999, of course, the situation has changed. Scotland has her own Parliament and the people of England want one to match.

The repeated warnings (i.e. lies) from Labour to England that "the Union will end if you have your own Parliament" carries no weight because all the other parts of the UK have their own Parliament (offered to them by Labour and accepted by the voters of those parts of the UK) and the Union is still here - so the people of England rightly say England having her own Parliament won't end the Union of the UK either.

Apart from that, few in England believe in Labour's lie that the Union of the UK would end if England had her own Parliament because more and more English people can see that Labour is just frightened than an English Parliament would be one in which anti-English Labour would find it difficult to win a majority in under whatever electoral system was used to return its members. The real reason Labour opposes an English Parliament is fear of electoral failure by Labour in elections to it and a belief by anti-English Labour that a revival of the English identity; English culture and Englishness in general must be (from their point of view) stopped at all costs.

It is quite easy to create a de facto English Parliament - the House of Commons would just vote that only English constituency MPs vote on specifically English matters before the House of Commons (with The Speaker of the Commons deciding which legislative issues were England-only matters).

There would also be the issue of Scottish constituency MPs being ministers in the UK Government over matters which were exclusively English (i.e. those matters which, in Scotland, are dealt with by the Scottish Parliament). Many campaigners for English equality within the UK believe that only English constituency MPs should be ministers in the British Government for matters which concern England only.

cassie

The point that I am trying to make is that various policies, all ostensibly intended to remedy the 'democratic and national identity deficit' in England, will tend to divide all those various pro-England and the English campaigners.

One particular policy to be campaigned for is the holding of properly conducted referenda which enable the voters on England to record their collective opinions to inform Parliament. Clearly, such collective opinions are unwelcome to Brown & Co, which is they (and the Lib Dems) have reneged on their explicit manifesto commitments to hold a referendum on the adoption or otherwise of the EU Constitution.

However, campaigning for the 84% of the UK's voters to be participants in any referenda is not only correct in its promotion of democracy in England, but will tend to unite them in by allowing them to participate in questions affecting England and its future!



________________________

reg

Andrew are you now supporting English Independence because if you are then its not English Democrats offical policy.Are you now at odds with your own Party policy on this.????

Britannist

According to Andrew's posting number six of the following thread, he has now resigned from the English Democrat (ED) Party. I am sure that everyone in the ED Party who will be greatly saddened to hear that he is no longer a member:

What a good forum

Britannist

Brief extract from Mr. Andrew Constantine's posting number six (today) to the thread on the link in the last posting (above):

I started working on the campaign for Indepedence for England today, and thought it was proper that I should therefore resign from the EDs as they are of course a Unionist party. I leave some very good friends there and I do believe their hearts are mostly in the right place.