Letter: Shropshire Star

Not sure if I incorrectly quoted the date 1667 for the Act of Union (which was actually 1707) or if the Shropshire Star got it wrong.

No English parliament since 1667

I read John Cross's letter the other day [Country's rights go back to Saxons) with great interest.

I thought it was a very well thought out and insightful letter.

However, I would just like to point out to John that there has been no English parliament since 1667 (actually, it's 1707).

The parliament sitting in Westminster is the Parliament of the United Kingdom, not England. In fact, even though 80 per cent of parliamentary time is devoted to England, there is a disproportionately high number of Scottish and Welsh representatives sitting in the British government so it couldn't even be considered an English parliament by default.

I had the good fortune to pass by the Magna Carta memorial at Runnymede recently although I didn't have a chance to stop and see it up close.

It seems a shame that laws such as the Magna Carta (which is still in force today, although mostly repealed) and Bill of Rights can last for hundreds of years, protecting the rights and freedoms of the English people only to be walked all over by disrespectful career politicians.

The Legal and Legislative Reform Bill would allow these same career politicians, some of whom are so jut of touch with reality they don't even notice their £300,000 mortgage being paid off, to repeal and amend the laws giving us our fundamental rights almost on a whim.

This is democracy New Labour style,

Stuart Parr
Telford