Where's Shropshire?

Somebody should tell our MEP, Michael Cashman.

Andy over at Telford Live has noticed that his website lists the various parts of his Euro-constituency except for Shropshire.

This is a sign of things to come. If the British Government succeeds in its plan to replace England with the 9 European Regional Assemblies, those of us living in Shropshire would be lorded over by strangers in Birmingham who don't even know where the county is, let alone how to deal with it.

We have to make sure the British government understand that we do not want Regional Assemblies - we want an English Parliament and we want one now.

Fixed the blog!

Well, I fixed the blog and it turned out to be the fault of [insert plausible excuse here].

Actually, it might have been my fault. While I was editing the blog template to add in the Witanagemot blogroll, I appear to have inadvertently knocked off a } which then buggered the whole thing up.

Actually, Gareth invited the CEP Shropshire blog to join the Witanagemot club so it's his fault.

Broken the blog already!

The observant amongst you will have noticed the general lack of a side-bar to this blog.

I would just like to confirm that yes, I have buggered it up and I will fix it as soon as I can figure out why it's broken.

Witanagemot Club

The CEP Shropshire blog has joined the Witanagemot club - a group of blogs which promote the cause of English nationalism.

Click on the big Witanagemot logo half way down the right hand side of this page.

Marie Curie need geography lessons

Edward today received some raffle tickets from Marie Curie, the cancer charity.

Nothing against Marie Curie, they do a lot of good work but ... since when has Shropshire been in Wales? The raffle tickets had been issued by the Welsh branch of Marie Curie which apparently also covers Devon and Cornwall.

I wonder how a Welshman would have reacted if they sent him tickets issued by the English branch of Marie Curie (which I doubt actually exists anyway).

Letters: Daniel Kawczynski

Edward fired off one of his letters to Shrewsbury's Conservative MP, Daniel Kawczynski. The following is Daniel's reply ...

DANIEL KAWCZYNSKI MP

HOUSE OF COMMONS

29th September 2005
LONDON SW1A OAA
Mr Edward Higginbottom
XXXXX
XXXXX
Shrewsbury
XXXX
Dear Mr Higginbottom

Thank you very much for your letter about English nationalism. I am grateful to you for sharing your interesting suggestions and proposals.

As you say in your letter, many English people rightly feel concerned that their voice is being ignored, especially in light of Labour's devolution policies for Scotland and Wales. I share your belief that English people can and should be proud of their heritage.

I think that there are various ways of addressing the concerns that people feel. The Conservatives would, for example, ensure that only MPs representing English constituencies vote in respect of English laws. This would mean, for example, that Scottish MPs would not be allowed to vote on Bills in the House of Commons that did not affect Scotland. I believe that this would achieve the objective of control over English laws by elected representatives of the English people, without creating another tier of politicians, more bureaucracy and a greater burden on English taxpayers.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats want to undermine our national identity and break up our nation. Addressing the legitimate concerns of the English people by creating yet another 'devolved' parliament would play into their hands, as well as creating more costly bureaucrats and politicians. Our policy of 'English Votes for English Laws', within the existing Westminster Parliament, would instead ensure its continued legitimacy as the Parliament of the United Kingdom, while addressing the need to exclude Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish MPs from exclusively English law-making. I believe that this would effectively provide an 'England-only' forum with minimal additional bureaucracy.

I also agree with you that it is a shame St George's Day is not celebrated with the same degree of enthusiasm by the English as, for example, St Patrick's Day is celebrated by the Irish. Ultimately, I do not believe it is for politicians to dictate to people when and how they should celebrate, so altering the dates of national holidays is not the primary issue in this instance.

It sometimes appears, however, that people take their Englishness for granted and are even shy of being patriotic and celebrating the tremendous history, culture and achievements of the English. There is no contradiction between being proud of one's own nationality and being fully respectful of the nationality and cultures of others. In my view, St George's Day provides an ideal opportunity to show such pride.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to write to me. I will certainly-take your comments on board when considering these issues in the future.

Daniel Kawczynski MP



P.S. Dear Edward
I will be discussing your case with Parliamentary colleagues when we return to the Commons.
Daniel

Cambridgshire Branch online

CEP Cambridgshire now have their own blog.

CEP Branches on the internet

Our colleagues in other local CEP branches are starting to establish their own presence on the internet.

Gavin at Sussex Branch was first with the CEP Sussex website.
Shropshire Branch was next with a website and blog.
The latest additions are CEP Cumbria and CEP East Yorkshire.

If any CEP members have a sudden and burning desire to create a website or blog for their branch, please speak to your branch co-ordinator first. When you get the go-ahead, feel free to ask for advice via my contact form.

Radio Shropshire

Edward made a guest appearance on BBC Radio Shropshire recently to discuss English devolution and the Campaign for an English Parliament.

Following the radio interview and two or three local newspaper articles, Edward received a number of requests for application forms - one from a Shropshire resident who was listening whilst driving through Oxford!

A copy of the recording will be available on the CEP website once Radio Shropshire send the CD.

Correspondence with Philip Dunne MP

Edward Higginbottom, co-ordinator of Shropshire branch of the CEP, has had what appears to be meaningful discussion on the subject of English devolution with Conservative MP for Ludlow, Philip Dunne.

PHILIP DUNNE MP(LUDLOW)




HOUSE OF COMMONS
LONDON SW1A OAA

Thank you for your letter of 7th September about the campaign for an English Parliament. I read the points that you make with interest.

It concerns me that this Government's devolution settlement has created imbalances in the British constitution and grievances among the English people. This situation is the result of the failure to resolve the so-called West Lothian question.

Following devolution, Scottish MPs continue to vote on England only matters which in Scotland are now the responsibility of the Scottish Parliament and on which neither English nor Scottish MPs have a corresponding say. In recent times we have seen the Prime Minister use his Scottish MPs to force through unpopular policies on England for which there is no majority among English MPs and which the Scottish Executive has specifically ruled out in Scotland.. Two examples of this phenomenon are the introduction of foundation hospitals and university top-up fees. Since the General Election, we have a situation where the Conservative Opposition gained 60,000 more votes in England than did the Labour Government. This anomaly must be addressed, otherwise the tensions, and resentment created in England by this situation could threaten the United Kingdom itself.

However, I do not believe that the answer to this problem is an English Parliament. This would, in effect, create yet another tier of politicians. Rather, it is my belief that we should seek to use our existing constitutional framework to address the problem. That is why the Conservative Party leader, Michael Howard, has said that following a resolution of the House of Commons, the Speaker should be able to certify Bills, or parts of Bills, as applying only to England or to England and Wales. In such circumstances, Scottish MPs would not be able to vote on them.

I believe that this is a constructive response that respects the reality of devolution and restores symmetry to the constitution, while avoiding the constitutional upheaval of an English Parliament. It is a practical solution that would result in far less additional bureaucracy and red tape than the creation of
a new English Parliament. In my view it will strengthen the unity of the United Kingdom that I, as a Conservative and a Unionist, continue strongly to support.

Thank you for taking the time to write to me on this important issue.

Philip Dunne
MP for Ludlow
Tel: 020 7219 2388
Website: www.philipdunne.com

---

Dear Philip,

Many thanks for your letter dated 30th September 2005 and apologise, in advance, for the length of my reply on this important issue.

The Campaign for an English Parliament is a non-political organisation that draws support from every political hue of the people who truly care about England.

The CEP accepts that the creation of an English Parliament might break up the United Kingdom however not creating one is just as likely to.

When I was Treasurer of Shrewsbury & Atcham Conservative Association I attended a luncheon days after the passing of the Scottish Parliament Act 1998 at which, the then, Shadow Lord Chancellor told me that in his opinion it would lead to independence for Scotland – a matter of when, not if. Ever since then the leadership of the Party seems to have put on nostalgia enhancing tinted spectacles and gone into denial of the likely course of events.

The Conservative party vehemently opposed devolution but has no plans to reverse the legislation if it ever gets back into power. They may hold another referendum in Scotland on the issue but nobody can seriously think that the Scots are now going to reverse their decision – particularly if it is a Conservative Government that is asking.

In the meantime the people in England are being treated as second class citizens within the United Kingdom. As a member of a political party that espouses the Union how can you justify the inequitable treatment of the majority people? Surely everybody in the UK is entitled to receive the same access and level of services and benefits, and funding.

Unfortunately there seems to be a lot of woolly thinking in the Conservative Party for they do not want to grasp the reality – it is effectively an English party (with 36% of the votes cast in England). It is ‘dead in the water’ in Scotland (only 1 MP out of 59 with 16% of the total vote). It is clinging by the fingernails in Wales (only 3 MPs out of 40 with 21% of the total vote). There is no possibility of a revival in Scotland until the rabid anti-Thatcher element of the Scottish electorate dies out (say about 70 years’ time).

The only realistic hope the Conservatives have of regaining power in the UK is to get an overwhelming number of English seats – which with a corrupt Labour Government gerrymandering the constituency sizes – is quite frankly unlikely. The Party would be better off demanding equal devolution for England where you have your support. Control of an English Parliament is much more probable – after all, England is the only part of the UK that really matters particularly as the taxpayers in England subsidies the socialist utopia of Scotland to the tune of £8billion pounds per year. If they lost that money they might be keen to fully rejoin the UK.

I appreciate that as a ‘new boy’ you cannot go rocking the boat and have to toe the party line, but might I suggest that when one of the, unfortunately, lacklustre candidates are elected as the new Leader you take him on one side and tell him to speak to ordinary electors. If he explains the current debacle over devolution to them I know he will find rapidly growing support for an English Parliament and, sadly, a growing resentment to all things Scottish.

For the sake of the Union the Conservative Party has a duty to ensure delivery of fair and equitable treatment for all parts of the Kingdom otherwise there is likely to be a very acrimonious divorce between the two principal parts.

Yours sincerely,




Edward Higginbottom
Co-ordinator, Shropshire Branch of the Campaign for an English Parliament