Apr 23 2007
St George’s Day - another opportunity for the government and EU to bash England
On St David’s day we have a debate in the Commons about Welsh affairs. There will be no debate today on English matters.
The EU wants to carry on with its dreadful plans to curse us with more regional government, with a view to splitting England. They never seek to divide Wales or Scotland in a similar way.
Meanwhile the UK government goes along with some of this regional agenda, ignoring clear votes in referenda and opinion poll figures which show that we the English do not want our country split into meaningless regions with high cost governments in each region bossing us about.
The sooner we move to a country where Westminster MPs are dual role, meeting as the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, the Welsh Assembly in Cardiff, the Northern Ireland Assembly in Stormont and the English Parliament in Westminster as well as meeting together as the Parliament of the Union, the better.
Labour’s disastrous devolution experiment has gone wrong in Scotland, the very place it was designed to please, becuase it does not go far enough for nationalists. Now it is going wrong in England, because it so unfair on England. St George’s Day would be the right day for the government to admit that and offer us some positive change. Don’t stay in waiting for the announcement!
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John Redwood has been the Member of Parliament for Wokingham since 1987. First attending Kent College, Canterbury, he graduated from Magdalen College...
We should celebrate St George’s day.The Scots, Irish and Welsh, celebrate in fine style. Typical of Labour to dum down and make it PC not to celebrate our own St George.
Unfortunately we have a Labour shower determined to make it PC NOT to celebrate anything English.
Labour have succeeded in making our country a laughing stock in the eyes of the World. The only time the ‘feel good factor’ will return will be at the next General Election. Maybe then we can regain control and respect for England.
The Government of the UK draws up on its LEGAL BASIS from the Act of the Union 1707.
Article 4 of the Act of Union (still good law) states That all the subjects of the United Kingdom of Great Britain shall from and after the Union………have the same Rights Privileges and Advantages
The people of Scotland, since devolution, have had different rights, privileges and advantages over those of the people of England. The treaty of union is therefore null and void and England or Scotland can withdraw using the provision of Article 61 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.
Article 61 Supervening impossibility of performance
A party may invoke the impossibility of performing a treaty as a ground for terminating or withdrawing from it if the impossibility results from the permanent disappearance or destruction of an object indispensable for the execution of the treaty. If the impossibility is temporary, it may be invoked only as a ground for suspending the operation of the treaty.
That is the Answer to the West Lothian Question.
You wrote, “They never seek to divide Wales or Scotland in a similar way”. The reason for this of course is because “Scotland” is one whole REGION of the EU. Wales is also ‘one REGION of the EU, and Ireland when it is set up and running again will eventually become ONE WHOLE REGION OF THE EU. London is one REGION and England has to be divided up into its further 8 regions REGIONS to become complete. However, there is one great snag to all this, and I will let you into a little secret.
Your Leader, and lest we forget his name is, DAVID CAMERON, wants a revolution. Well the British people have had enough. They see an EU which ignores the people of TWO great Countries and continues as if the EU Constitution has already gone through. The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights whose rightful place is STILL annexed to the Treaty of Nice is being used as if the EU Constitution has gone through. It has no legal, legal base for its implementation now. Its partner, its AGENCY at No 3 Rahlgasse has no legal base either. The EU abuses their position. I question whether they have already abrogated the Treaties already ratified thus far, so much so that they are null and void? If the eU ignores the people, it is about time the people ignored them. Most certainly questions should be asked why Governments have agreed to this enormous constitutional change without a new Treaty and without asking the people. It is no use referring to the Charter in a new Treaty, all that does is prove its illegality now. They take for granted that “Europe” will become one State and are acting already as if it is. It is NOT and as far as the Brits are concerned never will be as long as we are in it. The second glorious revolution albeit not the one that your leader has in mind commences the day that our once much loved Prime Minister signs the Berlin Declaration in June.
The people know they cannot afford to continue paying a European Union with its wasteful ways and for the thirty odd years we have been IN the EU we have always paid in far more than we get out. The people are being bled dry now. WE cannot continue paying a whole Parliament, Commons and Lords that no longer governs us. A government that intends doing as its masters, the EU, bids by devolving MORE POWER down to the EU’s Regions yet still wanting more money for what they are supposed to be doing. We can no longer pay for the devolved Parliaments of Scotland, Ireland and Wales as well as nine English REGIONS of the European Union, plus for now the Councils that have worked very well over many years.
There is nothing you or I can do to stop this second glorious revolution because the Government and oppositition should be aware of how angry the people are becoming. Just 320 years between the two Glorious Revolutions.
My Mother and Father both believe that the EU is Germany’s third attempt of the 20th century to create a State of Europe. I used to think that were demented by the loss of sundry relatives in 1914 -18 and 1939 - 45. Nowadays, I am not so sure.
John, Why don’t you sign Tom Watson’s petition.
Mr.Redwood,
For God sake think of England!!and get your colleagues to at least mention England,once in a while,I have given up on Cameron
There is no chance of implementing your proposal that Westminter MPs should replace assembly members in the devolved Parliaments. You would need someone like Cromwell to force it through and I don’t see anyone around who has the power, interest and ruthlessness to do it. The concept of the Union has fallen into disrepute. It is hard to see why it should be maintained. What are its benefits? If you wish to save the Union, you need to come up with something a lot better than this. Otherwise the Union is likely to end ‘not with a bang but with a whimper’ - and who cares? An England freed from the Union can renegotiate its position within or without the EU and the final decision can be subject to a referendum. It seems likely that England would leave and negotiate a free trade treaty.
The Conservatives have not helped England by sitting on un-elected regional assemblies and there by aiding and abetting the dissolution of England. It has un-nerved the public as to what the intentions of political parties are especially as the big 3 are all pro european unionists.
It seems to many people like a great conspiracy by the political establishment on the English people. I agree with Anne that there will be trouble if England is pushed any further.
The grass roots in Ireland never wanted to be in the United Kingdom and eventually crashed out.
I can just see people in courts in England saying; I am English I do not recognize these European Laws.
The English are “asking” to be allowed to live in a democracy and for their own Parliament, equal to Scotland’s Parliament.
The government should listen, because if they don’t, we will stop asking and that’s when they need to be very, very worried indeed.
John
You wrote, “ignoring clear votes in referenda and opinion poll figures which show that we the English do not want our country split into meaningless regions with high cost governments in each region bossing us about”.
We the English, do you include yourself here? 68% and the figure is probably growing, want an English parliament, it’s time you supported the English nation and not your unionist party.
An English parliament is our “DEMOCRATIC RIGHT” We will not be denied.
I question your integrity Mr Redwood, you are in a position to do something about the very situation you bemoan in your post, yet there is a distinct lack of evidence of any action on your part.
Are you that afraid of call me Dave?
It appears that The UK Independence Party has duly noted your views:
http://www.ukip.org/ukip_news/gen12.php?t=1&id=3010
…which is probably more than your media-obsessed leader has done.
And no, I don’t belong to UKIP.
…But they’ve become the de facto conservative party these days.
The Tories under Cameron are a party to the conspiracy. They pretend to be concerned about the West Lotian Wuestion, but refuse to explain how their English Votes policy will work. why? Becuase its a load of nonsense. The only answr is an English Parliament with an English First Minister and Executive to formulate policy for England and drive through legislation on a mandate form an English Manifesto.
Roll on an English parliament.The only way for England to be recognised and the current racial discrimination faced by the English on a daily basis tackled.
You talk about having an English Parliament meeting in Westminster but can you make it clear that it would be able to elect an English Executive to which the UK parliament would devolve powers similar to those accorded to the Scottish Executive?
Yes of course the English Parliament would handle all matters devolved to the Scottoish Parliament in Scotland
…If your proposed English Parliament turns out half as bad as our Welsh one, Gawd ‘elp you.
The very last thing I want to see is Westminster, ie British ,MP,s having a dual role . England’s experience of her 529 Mp’s - those that sit for English constituencies - is that except for a very few , they are monumentally useless in defending English interests within the union . Nearly all the time they cooperate with the Bliarites in suppressing any mention of England and instead are hapy to go on about a place called Britain . Don’t try and build them up Mr Redwood . They are completely untrustworthy . they have had ample time to speak up but they just will not do so .
And please don’t give us the ” we are working behind the scenes ” routine .
Since we met some three years ago John, your thinking has moved in the right direction clearly recognising that the people of England are not prepared to accept such blatant discrimination existing in Westminster. Devolution will not be reversed so a positive strategy is required to bring about meaningful transformation in England. Your suggestion of allocating time in Westminster
for MPs from different nations within the United Kingdom is a non- starter. If you want to preserve the union a federal system, comprising an English Parliament, together with the parliements/ assemblies of the other nations is the only viable solution. The Conservative approach of English votes on English matters deserves little consideration.