Independent England

A denial of self-determination

2010-05-11T11:08:00.000+01:00

From the Conservative manifesto:

"Labour have refused to address the so-called ‘West Lothian Question’: the unfair situation of Scottish MPs voting on matters which are devolved. A Conservative government will introduce new rules so that legislation referring specifically to England, or to England and Wales, cannot be enacted without the consent of MPs representing constituencies of those countries."

Of the 532 seats contested in England on May 6 (a final seat will be contested on 27 May), the Conservatives won an absolute majority with 61 seats more than all other parties combined, and secured an average swing of 5.6% from Labour.

The English have clearly voted for self-determination, and the proposed 'progressive coalition' is nothing but the proposed denial of the English right to self-determination and the democratic expression of the English voters.

Whoever you voted for, wherever your normal political loyalties lie, you should be outraged by this.

Hate to say I told you so...

2010-05-10T22:31:00.000+01:00

but I did and I did and i did and i did

it's hard to get much publicity for a blog, and the lack of responses here really disheartened me. but this is nothing short of outrageous.

there MUST be an English parliament now at the very least. England voted for a Conservative majority. Regardless of your individual politics, or how you voted at the election, this situation is a disgrace. The democratic expression of the English has been denied by the votes of other countries.

If the 'progressive coalition' happens, it will require the votes of Scottish and Welsh nationalist MPs, bought by protecting their countries from cuts that will fall all the more harshly in England. The American's call it Pork-Barrell Politics - I simply call it subjugation.

England is better off alone...

2010-02-25T15:44:00.000Z

As usual, Dan Hannan has an interesting post today.
As usual, Dan is not following his thoughts through to the logical conclusion, which is that every argument for the UK leaving the EU is valid for England leaving the UK. I really hope one day soon the Eurosceptics in all parties will realise that Unionism (in terms of the UK) is incompatible with Euroscepticism.The only intellectually honest position is to advocate English secession from the UK, which would also acheive secession from the EU at the same time.
Alex Salmond used to have a slogan 'Independence in Europe' which was a way of saying they'd like the whole EU to pay for them rather than just the English.
I have a much more simple slogan for the English independence movement.
It's simply 'Independence.'

Inversion of democracy

2010-02-23T12:11:00.000Z

Daniel Hannan has been blogging about the prospect of a hung parliament.
This is something I've discussed in the past too.
It is beginning to irk me that the direct democracy movement - a movement I have a lot of sympathy with, and which Daniel Hannan and Douglas Carswell claim has a lot of traction in the Conservative party, is ignoring the place of England in the direct democracy framework. It is simply an inversion of the principles of localism and direct democracy to ignore the current democratic deficit in England, to talk about taking decisions at the lowest possible level and still have Westminster, in the guise of the British parliament, holding powers over England that have already been devolved to the other nations of the United Kingdom.

Can we get an English Parliament? Yes Witan!

Labour's campaign poster

2010-02-20T10:55:00.000Z

Following on my spoof Conservative campaign poster, here is one for Labour.

Create your own at mybillboard.net.

Can the English get Independence? Yes Witan!

The EU is the UK, but more so...

2010-02-11T11:21:00.000Z

There has been lots of comment and speculation about an EU rescue of Greece and in particular whether the UK will or will not (or morally should or should not) contribute.

Whilst there are arguments on all sides (we shouldn't, we're not part of the Euro; we should, we're part of the EU; we won't get a choice, Gordon Brown signed the Lisbon Treaty; how can we afford it, we're broke?), there is another issue I'd like to raise.

England has been bailing out the rest of the UK for centuries. It's now officially enshrined as the Barnett formula. Free prescriptions, tuition and care for the elderly, unheard of in England, are the standard in other parts of the UK.

Eurosceptics often point out that noone under 52 has ever voted on our membership of the EU. I would point out that noone has EVER voted on England's participation in the UK. How about that for a referendum?

And another...

2010-02-10T07:55:00.000Z

I have also found the following site, which has a broad range of views on English issues.

Balance...

2010-02-10T07:30:00.001Z

In the interests of balance, I would like to highlight the following campaign on Labourspace which at least shows that some of their activists are not happy at the democratic injustice inflicted on England by their government.
As I've said all along - I want people of all political views interested in this idea. It's the only way it can prosper.

The referendum we should get, but won't

2010-02-09T22:18:00.000Z

You've probably seen that Gordon Brown wants a referendum on an alternative voting system for Westminster elections.
It's not for this blog to discuss the merits of the relative voting systems, of the motivation behind Gordon Brown's sudden conversion to the idea of voting reform, of the attractions to the Lib Dems in a hung parliament of such an idea etc.
What I do want to say, however, is that if there is a constitutional reform that the country is crying out for, if there is a democratic deficit that needs addressing, the way we elect MPs to Westminster is not the most pressing. How about the fact that this Prime Minister and his Scottish cohorts vote on issues south of the Firth that they can't vote on in their own constituency? How about the fact that the biggest nation in the United Kingdom is the only one without a national assembly?
The referendum we need is a referendum on English Independence. At the very least a referendum on an English Parliament. Any other reform that is supposed to improve democratic representation is simply a sticking plaster on a gunshot wound.

A question for Gordon...

2010-02-09T22:07:00.000Z

The excellent Douglas Carswell is asking for suggestions for his question at the next PMQ.

I have suggested he ask about a Parliament for England. Perhaps likeminded supporters could do the same?

2010, the year that could set England free

2010-02-08T10:58:00.001Z

Writing in the Times, William Rees Mogg predicts a hung parliament. I have mentioned before that the 2010 general election is a unique opportunity for those who wish to see an Independent England, for it promises to remove the democratic legitimacy of the UK government to govern for the whole of the UK.

Most likely in my view is that the Conservatives will win an overall majority, however, they will be 3rd in terms of seats in Scotland and Wales, and this will deny them legitimacy in these countries. In this event, you can be sure the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly will demand and almost certainly be granted, new powers. An alternative (though much less likely) is that Labour win a small overall majority, thanks to their vote in Scotland and Wales holding up better than expected. They would have won much less seats and votes than the Conservatives in England, but will hold power through the seats of MP in other countries. In this scenario, how likely do you think it is England would be granted a parliament? Who will stand up for the people of England?

Finally, there is Lord Rees-Mogg's prediction of a hung parliament. In this event the Conservatives would again be the biggest party in England, and the clear majority and mandate voted for by the people of England would be denied by the votes of the Scots and Welsh. Where is the justice, where is the democracy, in that?

Apologies for the lack of blogging...

2010-02-08T09:56:00.001Z

Have been quiet of late, owing to a very demanding project at work (not nice) and being engrossed in Wolf Hall (delightful).

The time has not been wasted, however, for Wolf Hall has set me thinking. For those of you who haven't read it (and I recommend you rush out and buy it if you haven't!) don't worry I won't give away the plot. However, I can say it is set at the court of Henry VIII, which was one of the most important times for England, and the seeds of England's eventual harnessing under the UK yoke were all sown at this time. I shall return to this theme shortly, particularly to illustrate how we English often celebrate the wrong heroes.

More BBC bias...

2010-01-25T07:41:00.000Z

I have mentioned before about the anti-English bias at the BBC.
Now see this at the CEP blog.
It has all the hallmarks of the usual anti-English cultural genocide. The blithe assertion that there is no such thing as Englishness, followed illogically by the assertion that Englishness is somehow evil or dirty (remarkable properties for something that doesn't exist), the Empire slander.
I'm not going to debate the rights and wrongs of Empire here, but I will point out the following - it was the British Empire, and Britain is the creation of the Scots. The creators of the Empire, and the personnel on the ground were also predominately Scottish.
It is only by pretending that Englishness is non-existent or racist or dirty (which it certainly isn't) that the UK can rationalise the destruction of Englishness Sovereignty, the denial of democratic expression, and the genocide of our identity.

From the Official UK Citizenship guide...

2010-01-23T19:18:00.000Z

And I quote... "The Scottish and Welsh will usually say that they have British (or UK) citizenship, but that their nationailty is Scottish or Welsh. In Northern Ireland, some people say they are British, some people say they are Irish and some people say they are both...People born in England will more often say that their nationality as well as their citizenship is British."

It's amazing isn't it? All those people who who despaired at Steve Mclaren as the rain fell down at Wembley in 2007, all the people who celebrated when Jonny Wilkinson dropped his World Cup-Winning goal in 2003, who celebrated the Ashes wins in 2005 and 2009*... they didn't actually exist! If John Terry returns from South Africa having lifted the World Cup, nobody will celebrate that 'their' country has won, because nobody will feel that 'their' country has won.
That, at least is the official position of the UK Government. I simply do not believe it to be the truth. However, the UK must pretend that this is the truth, and act as if it is, because it is the only way the UK can survive. It is the only way to rationalise the denial of English cultural identity, the destruction of sovereignty, and the democratic injustice that keeps England as the only country in the the UK or EU without any sort of national assembly.

There is an easy way to stop and reverse this cultural genocide. It is independence.

*Ok Ok, I know cricket is a special case. In Test Cricket the England team is essentially representing not only the whole of Britian, but basically the whole EU. However, and having been lucky enough to be at The Oval the day the Ashes were won in 2009, I can attest that the vast majority of the flags being flown was the Flag of St George.

An election poster you won't see

2010-01-20T21:24:00.000Z

I don't think this one will be appearing on billboards anytime soon. But as Obama almost said 'Can we get democracy for England?... Yes Witan.'

You can make your own poster here.

Ignoring England

2010-01-20T19:05:00.001Z

Mark Reckons has an analysis of Iain Dale's 2010 prediction.
He makes some good points, but ignores the central point, that England's clear vote for a Conservative government with a clear majority would be being denied by Scottish and Welsh votes.

Why 2010 is so important... (part 2)

2010-01-20T17:07:00.000Z

A thought experiment, if you will indulge me.
Forgive me, Iain Dale, for asking my readers to imagine your prediction is wrong. Imagine the SNP do better than you've predicted, or UKIP squeeze the Conservatives in a few key marginals. Imagine, in short, that the Conservatives fall a few seats short of an overall majority.
The clear choice of the English people would be a Conservative government, denied by the choices of voters in the rest of the United Kingdom.

I wonder if, in such a position the English would be granted their own Parliament? I won't be holding my breath. The UK can only survive by suppressing England and English cultural identity, in Charles Kennedy's memorable phrase, questioning the very idea of England. It's why the BBC pretend the English don't have a history, or the coursebook for immigrants seeking UK citizenship denies that anyone considers themselves English. It's why you didn't see English on the census form in 2001 and won't in 2011 (but if you're Scottish or Welsh, no such concerns). It's why we get an alphabet soup of regional quangos rather than real democracy.
They won't give the English a parliament because they know once we're given a taste of justice, we will want full independence, and then who will pay for the Scots?

Why 2010 is so important... (part 1)

2010-01-20T16:26:00.001Z

You may have seen Iain Dale's prediction for the 2010 election.
He is predicting a narrow Conservative majority of just 12 seats. Amazingly, this corresponds almost exactly to the number of seats he is predicting the Conservatives will win outside England (13).
If his breakdown is correct, the 'United Kingdom Government' will have just 9 out of 40 seats in Wales and 4 out of 59 seats in Scotland. This will give them virtually no democratic mandate to rule the whole of the UK, and rob the UK of any claim to legitimacy as a unified state. Their power will rest almost solely on winning 318 out of 529 English seats.

I don't pretend to have the same knowledge of parliamentary constituencies and how the basic poll figures translate into seats as Iain. What I do know, however, is that such a situation will lead to uproar in Scotland (and to a lesser extent, Wales) and almost certainly be used to transfer more powers to Holyrood and Cardiff. The democratic deficit in England will increase, as the Conservatives have no meaningful policies to deal with the West Lothian Question (their main idea is to ignore it, as it's something of an embarrassment for a Unionist party to have a power base almost entirely English).
And so England will remain the only country in the UK (or EU) without a parliament or national assembly, unless we can grasp the nettle now and start campaigning for justice and democracy for England.

What's true of the EU, is true of the UK, only more so...

2010-01-20T07:23:00.002Z

Douglas Carswell, Conservative MP for Harwich and Clacton and one of the most thoughtful politicans of our age, is submitting a Private Members Bill on an 'in or out' referendum regarding the UK's membership of the EU. It is an important bill, that deserves to be widely publicised and I urge you to go to his page and send it on to your friends or on facebook, twitter, blogs etc.
I'm afraid, however, that Douglas isn't really taking things to their logical conclusion. Every argument that can be made against the UK being a member of the EU (loss of sovereignty, financial cost, loss of an independent voice in the world, a lack of democracy) is equally true of England's membership of the UK.
Our sovereignty is destroyed to the point that we dont even qualify as a proper country, we are a net subsidiser of other countries in the UK, our history is airbrushed by the institutions of the state, and we have absolutely no democracy, not only thanks to the injustice of the West Lothian Question, but also that we are fobbed off with quangos while remaining the only country in the UK or EU without a proper parliament or national assembly.
I am in agreement with the point of view that the UK is better off outside the EU. But following the same logical argument, I assert that England is better off outside the UK

Quangos instead of democracy...

2010-01-19T22:02:00.000Z

While England remains the only country in the UK or the EU without a proper, democratically-elected National Assembly or Parliament, we do seem to have more than our fair share of undemocratic, crony-filled quangos.
England deserves proper self-determination and a democratically elected national assembly. The UK can only survive by pretending English patriotism is either shameful or doesn't exist. We can only acheive true self-determination through secession from the UK.

A Campaign that keeps its promises

2010-01-19T19:00:00.001Z

As promised, a facebook page.
WHy not become a fan and suggest your friends join?

If the cause of English Independence matters to you...

2010-01-19T11:11:00.003Z

Spread the word!
Please publicise this blog on your facebook and twitter accounts, on your blog, by email, at the watercooler...
Its important that we get as many people aware of this campaign. I want people from across the political spectrum involved in this campaign.
My aim is not to start a new party, but to get current parties to acknowledge the legitimacy of English self-determination.
A new party starting from scratch will find it almost impossible to get recognition. Also, it will inevitably have other policies that will be to the left or right of the spectrum and turn off people who support English Independence but not the rest of their agenda. The only way to advance our cause successfully is to get everyone on board regardless of their other political views or affiliations. We need parties of the right, left and centre advocating self-determination and justice for England. It's the only way to ensure people supporting the cause have a political voice they're really happy with.
I will be setting up twitter and facebook accounts for this page shortly, and will post details here.
Also, if you're interested in this cause, take time to look at the English Free Press, where there are several blogs that will be of interest.

Council Tax timebomb could blow the union apart

2010-01-19T08:10:00.002Z

Over on Dizzy, an interesting article regarding Labour plans for an increase in English Council Tax if they win the election.
What is most interesting to me, is what Dizzy doesn't point out. If Labour is still in power after the next election, it will almost certainly be as a result of winning Scottish and Welsh constituencies and without a majority mandate in England. If they increase council tax in England with the votes of Scottish MPs they will be slapping English voters in the face with a big leather gauntlet, finely embroidered with the words 'Democratic Deficit'.

The Anti-English Mainstream Media Bias

2010-01-19T07:38:00.002Z

Over on 'A National Conversation for England' an interesting point about the General Election Leader debates, (2 posts, here and here).
As they rightly point out, these debates are being presented as affecting 'The UK', when actually many policies discussed at these debates will affect only England. This point is completely ignored by the Mainstream Media.
You will also almost certainly not be surprised to know that the BBC has created a Scottish History Portal. The Scots are clearly a proud people with a long, interesting, and eventful history. Judging by the English History Portal, we are slightly lacking in that regard (hat tip forengland).

Correction Update...

2010-01-18T19:04:00.000Z

Actually, I was right the first time!
The Free England Party disbanded at the end of 2009 following an argument between the membership and the leadership. Originally formed as a centrist party with a civic view of nationality similar to that advocated by this blog, towards the end of 2009 the party leadership advocated a move to an ethnic view of nationality.
Hearteningly, this extremist swing was rejected by the party membership, who wanted to retain the inclusive view of Englishness. The tensions caused led the party to disband.
Whilst this once again means that there is no political party (of which I'm currently aware) advocating English Independence (the English Democrats advocate only an English Parliament within a federal UK), this is actually an encouraging development.
It is a rejection of the racist, extremist view of English nationhood and an endorsement of the civic, geo-cultural expression of nationhood that is one of English Nationalism's greatest strengths.

Correction...

2010-01-18T16:40:00.003Z

First day blogging, first mistake!

There is indeed a party calling for full sovereign independence from the UK for England, the Free England Party.

To repeat my previous post, this blog does not endorse the Free England Party or indeed any other party. My aim is to advance the cause of English Independence in all political parties, so that English patriotism and Nationalism is no longer the poor relation to its Scottish and Welsh cousins.

However, I did want to acknowledge the error in my previous post, and make the correction. If there are any other parties out there advocating English Independence, please let me know and I will put the record straight.

Independent England, Independent Thought

2010-01-18T16:13:00.003Z

This blog is not affiliated in anyway to any political party.

This is not only because no political party is currently advocating English Independence. It is also because I feel that the cause of national self-determination is essentially apolitical, and I do not wish to alienate any potential supporters of that cause with any political endorsements.

My own political views could be characterised as on the Libertarian side of Right-of-Centre thought, but is essentially irrelevant to the cause of English Independence and the principle of self-determination.

My goal is to attract supporters of all parties who identify themselves as English, and deplore the denial of English national and cultural identity within the United Kingdom. By doing so, I hope to advance the cause of English Independence and ensure addressing the injustices done to England are moved up the list of priorities in all political priorities.

The English People...

2010-01-18T12:30:00.006Z

This blog deplores racism and does not advocate an ethnocentric view of citizenship. It is true, that once nationality was inherently bound with the concept of ethnicity, and in many places still is, as shown by the Balkan Conflicts in general, the Kosovo situation in particular, the situations in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and the tensions in Iraq.
The violence and ethnic cleansings in these areas, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and pogroms throughout history all show the dangers and indeed reprehensibility of identifying nationhood too closely with ethnicity. The Second World War and the holocaust in particular gave Nationalism a dirty name, by association with belligerence, right-wing dogma, and genocide.

However, identifying an 'English' ethnicity is itself difficult. It is of course a left-liberal cliche, and a tool for denying the people of England true self-determination to call England a 'mongrel nation' and deny the existence of an 'English People'. Nevertheless, like many cliches it contains a grain of truth. The 'English' up until 1707 were indeed a diverse people, made up of Celts, Angles, Saxons, Jutes and the other Germanic Tribes, Normans, Scandinavians, Hugenots and others, and of course this diversity has only increased in the 300 years since, and particularly more recently. However, this diversity does not weaken the right of England to be a sovereign state and for her people to have self-determination. Rather, it adds a particular strength to the cause of English Independence, and immunises it from the charges of racism or xenophobia that Nationalistic movements are often (rightly) accused of.
The fact is that English patriotism has never been based on narrow ethnicity, or abhorrent and scientifically illiterate views of 'racial purity'. Rather, it is based on a belief of shared values, a knowledge of shared history and culture that forges a closeness that simply cannot be felt when people from different, established cultural backgrounds are forced to together into a manufactured identity. For proof of this, witness the fact that Hogmanay remains a Scottish event, or that Andy Murray - for all that he is the finer player by some distance - is not thought of as affectionately by the English as Tim Henman. It also encourages assimilation of immigrants by their choice rather than coercion, and avoids the pressure-cooker approach of multiculturalism or the imposition of a false identity such as Britishness.
This summer will give a vivid illustration of this point. The Football World Cup will see an explosion of English patriotism and expressions of English identity, as the St George Flag appears on cars, houses, and draped over shoulders. At the same time, the Scots and Welsh and Irish will be taking up their familiar refrain 'Anyone But England'. On the pitch ( and hopefully doing well) will be several players of black descent, playing their heart out for England. Of course, they are professional sportsmen who want to play at the highest level, and as many players in many sports with passports of convenience show, it is not necessary to have an affinity with a country to represent them. More heartening will be what is happening in houses and pubs up and down the country, as people from all ethnic backgrounds will support the English team. This identification by people of all races with the idea of England is the strongest argument for self-determination, and the hostility of the other nations of the United Kingdom showns why the false identity of 'Britishness' is nothing but a sham.
As I've already written, after the next election, whoever is in power it is highly likely that the Government will lack legitimacy in one country of the UK. Because the constituent nations of the UK do not viscerally connect with each other, this will affect the very legitimacy of the UK as a state, for their will truly be no democratically elected government. As Daniel Hannan has pointed out "It cannot be stressed too often that democracy requires a demos: a unit with which we identify when we use the word “we”. Take away the demos and you’re left only with the kratos: the power of a system that must compel by force of law what it dare not ask in the name of civic patriotism."

If after May, the Scots feel ruled by a Conservative government voted in by the English, or the English feel ruled by a Labour Party voted in by the Scots, the fissures that already exist will expand towards breaking point. That is why it is important to assert now, and assert powerfully and responsibly, the case for English Independence.

The Campaign for an Independent England

2010-01-18T10:25:00.007Z

Welcome to the campaign for an Independent England.

We believe that the best interests of England will be served by cession from the United Kingdom and the establishment of an independent English state. The devolution introduced since 1997 has created a democratic deficit that penalises the people living in England, and makes them pay for it. Even Scots and Welsh Nationalists have noted the disadvantage suffered by England. The English Democrats, a minor party with no MPs or councillors, obstensibly campaign for 'England', but their manifesto calls only for an English Parliament within a federal UK, which is manifestly not independence and a weaker position than that held by the SNP or Plaid Cymru in relation to Scotland or Wales.

We believe that this is a critical time in the nation's history, and the perfect time to assert the legitimacy of English nationhood, the right of the English people to self-determination, and the benefits to England of secession from the United Kingdom. After the general election, the United Kingdom will most likely be ruled by a Conservative government with few seats outside England, or possibly a Labour government that holds a minority of English seats but rules England with votes from Scottish and Welsh MPs. Either outcome will test the legitimacy of either Government to rule for the whole of the United Kingdom.
In the inevitable discussions about the constitutional arrangements for the UK that either outcome will lead to, it is imperative to ensure that the voice of the English people is heard. It is time for the English to reassert their right to national self-determination, to throw off the shackles and financial anchor of the United Kingdom and once again be an independent, sovereign state.