Posted on 5 November 2009 by David
The strict new pay and expenses regime for MPs announced by Sir Christopher Kelly yesterday has been presented as a necessary, if not sufficient, measure to restore ‘the public’s’ trust and faith in Parliament: as if Parliament were still fundamentally deserving of that trust. However, I’d put it the other way round: the fact that [...]
Filed under: Britain, British parliament, MPs, MPs' expenses, Sir Christopher Kelly, Sir Ian Kennedy, United Kingdom, parliament, politics, respect, trust | Leave a Comment »
Posted on 4 November 2009 by David
So I didn’t call it right: I thought David Cameron would at the very least call a referendum to give a Conservative government the mandate to re-negotiate some of the terms of the UK’s membership of the EU. In the event, today, he merely committed to a pledge that there would be a referendum over [...]
Filed under: Britain, British parliament, Conservative Party, David Cameron, EU, EU constitution, European Union (EU), Lisbon Treaty, UK Sovereignty Bill, UK governance, United Kingdom, constitutional reform, general election, parliament, parliamentary sovereignty, politics, popular sovereignty, referendum, referendum lock, sovereignty | Leave a Comment »
Posted on 31 October 2009 by David
For me, support for a referendum on whether, or on what basis, the UK remains a member of the EU is the only viable option for the Conservative Party in the event of the Czech Republic ratifying the Lisbon Treaty, as now appears inevitable. This conclusion is based on a logical reading of the Party’s [...]
Filed under: Britain, Conservative Party, EU, EU constitution, European Union (EU), Lisbon Treaty, United Kingdom, politics, referendum, sovereignty | 1 Comment »
Posted on 27 October 2009 by David
For the avoidance of doubt, I am not a BNP supporter. I despise their racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia. However, I agree with some of their key policies: restrictions to immigration, withdrawal of the UK from the EU, withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan, and more accountable local and regional democracy. Yes, those last two items [...]
Filed under: Afghanistan, BBC, Britain, British National Party (BNP), British parliament, Conservative Party, David Cameron, EU constitution, England, English Parliament, European Parliament, European Union (EU), First Past the Post, Gordon Brown, Liberal Democrats, Lisbon Treaty, New Labour, Nick Griffin, Question Time, Real Change, United Kingdom, constitutional convention, constitutional reform, hung parliament, immigration, parliament, politics, proportional representation, racism, sovereignty | 2 Comments »
Posted on 5 October 2009 by David
A truly comical row has broken out over SNP leader Alex Salmond’s insistence that he should participate in any debate between the party leaders broadcast in Scotland ahead of the next general election. The three main parties are insisting that as Salmond isn’t even standing for parliament – and therefore, by definition, is not a [...]
Filed under: Alex Salmond, Britain, British parliament, England, English democratic deficit, English social policy, SNP, Scotland, United Kingdom, democracy, devolution, devolved matters, general election, leaders' debate, nationalism, parliament, politics, reserved matters | 3 Comments »
Posted on 29 September 2009 by David
This article is cross-posted from Labour Home. Accordingly, it is orientated towards Labour Party members and sympathisers. I am not myself a member of the Labour Party. But I would like to see the Labour Party evolving into a movement focused on the needs of English society and people, which it has clearly failed to [...]
Filed under: Britain, Conservative Party, David Cameron, England, English governance, English nationhood, English social policy, Gordon Brown, Labour Party, NHS, New Labour, United Kingdom, devolution, economics, politics, progressive politics, social democracy, social policy | 4 Comments »
Posted on 26 September 2009 by David
Watched the TV interview with the English Democrat chairman Robin Tilbrook on the Daily Politics yesterday. Effectively, he was given about half of the five minutes allotted to the item, with the remaining half being given over to a couple of panellists. I thought he held his own quite well against some fairly tough questioning. [...]
Filed under: Anita Anand, BBC, Barnett Formula, Britain, British parliament, Daily Politics, England, English Democrats, English NHS, English Parliament, English democratic deficit, English governance, English identity, English nationalism, English nationhood, Englishness, Fraser Nelson, NHS, PR, Radio Four, Robin Tilbrook, Scotland, Scottish Parliament, Today Programme, UK governance, United Kingdom, asymmetric devolution, civic nationalism, constitutional reform, democracy, denial of England, devolution, general election, media bias, national identity, nationalism, nations and regions, parliament, politics, proportional representation, referendum, the English Question, unionism | 4 Comments »
Posted on 8 September 2009 by David
I had a refreshing email dialogue with john@englandband.com: the spokesman for the brass band that plays during England football matches, and which many regard as a bit of a nuisance owing to their predilection for British anthems such as ‘God Save the Queen’ and ‘Rule Britannia!’.
Here’s what I wrote to him:
“John,
Could the England Supporters Band [...]
Filed under: Britain, British national anthem, England, England Supporters Band, England football team, English national anthem, God Save the Queen, Jerusalem, Land of Hope and Glory, Rule Britannia, politics | Leave a Comment »
Posted on 28 July 2009 by David
Introduction: Deliberations on British-constitutional reform must factor in the national questions
I recently signed up to ‘Real Change‘. This is a grassroots movement that aims to set in motion a nationwide debate, at local level, about fundamental constitutional reform, culminating ultimately in a citizens’ convention to collate and deliberate on all the options, and to come [...]
Filed under: Britain, British parliament, England, English Grand Committee, English Parliament, English governance, English nationhood, Gordon Brown, MPs, MPs' expenses, New Labour, Real Change, Scottish Claim of Right, Scottish independence, Scottish nationhood, UK governance, United Kingdom, West Lothian Question, asymmetric devolution, constitutional convention, constitutional reform, democracy, denial of England, devolution, national identity, nations and regions, parliament, parliamentary sovereignty, politics, popular sovereignty, representative democracy, republicanism, sovereignty, the English Question, unionism | 3 Comments »
Posted on 25 June 2009 by David
“Nobody puts new wine in old wineskins; otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins and run to waste, and the skins will be ruined. No; new wine must be put in fresh skins. And nobody who has been drinking old wine wants new. ‘The old is good’, he says”. The Gospel According To St. [...]
Filed under: Britain, British parliament, Chilcot Enquiry, Church of England, England, English Parliament, English governance, Gordon Brown, House of Lords, John Bercow, PR, Parliamentary Standards Authority, United Kingdom, accountability, constitutional convention, constitutional reform, disestablishment, federal UK, federalism, parliament, parliamentary sovereignty, politics, popular sovereignty, proportional representation, sovereignty | Leave a Comment »