Letter: Shropshire Star

City Region is a blatant affront to democracy

Since the West Midlands City Region was announced, the Shropshire Star may as well be an extension of Telford & Wrekin Council’s propaganda department.
On August 4 the Star published what I assume was a barely edited press release saying the West Midlands City Region (which doesn’t exist yet) has been given £5m to fight unemployment.

I am prepared to assume this poor reporting is down to the fact that the City Region proposal is veiled in secrecy.

No matter how many “benefits” Telford & Wrekin Council, the Regional Assembly or the other local authorities involved quote, the fact remains that yet another unelected regional government, paid for by the taxpayer, is an affront to democracy,

Far too many decisions are already taken at regional level by unelected bureaucrats appointed to do the bidding of the British government and the EU.

MPs oppose an elected English Parliament on the basis it is “another layer of government”. But why do they never seem to have the same problem with the huge unelected regional bureaucracy foisted on the English people against their will?

I don’t want Telford & Wrekin Council to give away powers and responsibilities to an unelected regional government in Birmingham.

And why is the council refusing to hold public consultation or a referendum to let the public decide?

And Keith Austin would support the City Region — he would get a seat on its ruling cabinet if it went ahead.

The City Region will mean more bureaucracy and red tape and see democracy moved further away from people. “Benefits” must be paid for by somebody and this will mean higher taxes and more cost-cutting.

Speak to your councillor and MP and demand they press for a referendum. Nobody has been elected on a manifesto of turning Telford into a suburb of Birmingham.

Stuart Parr, Telford

Letter: Shropshire Star

Voting bid will assist case for parliament


The Conservatives have adopted English Votes on English Laws (EVoEL) as one of their key policies. EVoEL, whilst doomed to failure for many reasons, is an important proposal.
The Conservatives are the first of the main political parties to acknowledge that there is something wrong with MPs representing constituencies in Scotland and Wales voting on matters that only affect England.

The Conservatives’ answer is to ban MPs not elected in England from taking part in votes on bills that only affect England.

They would have the Spe-aker of the House (currently a Labour MP with a Scottish constituency) certify that a bill only affected England and from then on only MPs elected in England would be able to take part in the vote.

Sounds like a perfect solution right? Wrong.

Scotland and Wales are both heavily subsidised by the English taxpayer and anything in England that costs money will reduce the amount of money available to subsidise them.

Scottish and Welsh MPs have already realised that they will therefore be able to claim an interest in any so-called English bill, rendering the EVoEL concept completely useless.

Labour is clearly concerned at the thought of not being able to use Scottish MPs to vote through legislation in England.

Despite EVoEL being unworkable, I sincerely hope the the Conservatives manage to get it through. Once they have accepted that it is wrong for foreign MPs to vote on English laws and EVoEL has failed, they will have no choice but to adopt a policy supporting an English parliament.

Stuart Parr, Telford

Letters: Shropshire Star

In last nights Shropshire Star:

It's time the English had a say

For nine years we have had a Scotsman as our Prime Minster who appointed another Scot as Chancellor, whose action waa to take £5 billion from the income of the pension funds which were the envy of the world. He has repeated this each succeeding year since.

He has destroyed the pensions of the English, Prime Minster Blair has filled the moot important posts of Government with Scots. What a mess they have made things. He promised all sorts of benefits but they were only words, effective action was missing.

With his targets he made the National Health Service over reach itself and it's now in debt to the tune of over a billion pounds. Instead of using the funds available to save the NHS he gave several billion pounds to the European Union. Education is in a bad way, hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants and asylum seekers have flooded into the country, violent crime has risen, violent foreign criminals have been allowed to escape.

The only chance the Labour Party has of being elected is for the English Members of Parliament to get together and select an English MP to oppose Blair in his attempt to install Brown as the new Prime Minister. The new English Prime Minister can then remove the Scottish mafia. They could not make a worse job and they could ensure that English money stayed in England. By English, I do not include Prescott.

We must return England to the English by means of an English Parliament.

E Barlow Telford

... and in tonight's ...

Scots and Welsh not at fault for vote result

There appears to be a growing campaign levelled at the Welsh and Scottish.

I originally thought it might be created by the bigots who have had to stop racist remarks against the Muslim and other societies.

So whose fault is it that the Scots in particular are laughing at the English for voting into Government a bunch of Scots who are able to vent their dislike, if not hatred, of the English by having the powers given to them by English voters by voting legislation that they would not dare to vote in north of the border?

As a Welshman who has lived in England for the greater part of my life and served for years in the armed forces, I often question the percentage of voting for self assemblies for Scotland and Wales, especially the Welsh vote, which split the country down the middle than across the middle.

I also object to criticism of so-called subsidies Wales receives. The critics appear to forget we pay taxes like everyone else. I would suggest there are fewer benefit scroungers in Wales percentage wise than in England.

One thing I will agree with. England should be ruled by Englishmen/ women, but historically it never has, having been subjected to Roman, Norman, Welsh, German and New Scots rule for 2,000 years. I suggest that at the next General Election you give your vote to an English candidate.

Name and address supplied

Can anyone point me in the direction of a campaign against North British and West British people? I certainly don't know of one.

Letter: Shropshire Star

World Cup uncovers very deep divisions

The World Cup is responsible for much of the flag waving throughout England but the flags first started popping up just before St George's Day.

The press are divided on their reporting of flag waving — the "highbrow" newspapers see it as something to rise above whilst the tabloids can see pound signs in front of their eyes by supporting England.

The cross of St George is often incorrectly associated with racist groups like the BNP. At the moment, the English flag is correctly associated with racism — racism against English people. Last week the Chief Constable of North Wales warned English people not to drive in Wales with English flags on their cars. He said it was disrespectful and could lead to racism and violence.

An Englishman who moved to Scotland five years ago to care for a disabled friend has had his windows smashed for daring to hang an English flag in his window. The First Minister of Scotland has followed the lead of most of his fellow Scots and is supporting Trinidad and Tobago.

Two chain stores in Aberystwyth had their shop fronts vandalised for supporting England. The words "Aber isn't in England" was sprayed on their windows.

This racist and juvenile behaviour is an indicator of exactly how fractured the so called "United" Kingdom really is. If our neighbours hate us that much, then why don’t they do us all a favour and declare independence? Lets see how long they last without multi-billion pound subsidies from the English taxpayer.

Stuart Parr
Telford

letter in Express & Star

We're ruled by ScotlandJun 16, 2006

The local government elections held in England on May 4 are now near forgotten. Labour did badly, more out of people turning away from them rather than the electors being inspired by the Conservatives.

As a consequence of this slap in the face, Tony Blair had a knee-jerk reshuffle and promoted a couple more Scots into the Cabinet thereby reinforcing his Scottish Raj over England. He sees nothing wrong in this for he, like his fellow Labourites, give every impression of hating England and all things English.

Of late, several members of the government, Gordon Brown in particular, have been running around England persuading everyone it is great to be British. No such efforts are however being undertaken in Scotland or Wales. This is simply to persuade us that the obviously Scottish Gordon is the right man to be Prime Minister. Unfortunately for him a recent opinion poll showed that 55 per cent of the English people did not want an MP from Scotland running the country, post devolution.

So now, it is hinted that "Britishness" lessons will be taught in English schools. In Scotland and Wales it will now be up to the devolved administrations whether that happens there - do not hold your breath.Gordon Brown says he will be rooting for England in the World Cup. If England makes it to the final you can bet your bottom dollar that he and his fellow Scot, Tony Blair, will get tickets and, ironically, will be cheering on the team of the country they have done their utmost to denigrate and destroy.

Edward Higginbottom, Shropshire Branch of the Campaign for an English Parliament, Shrewsbury.

English Parliament in the hands of the SNP

Letter printed in Glasgow Herald 18th May

Many of your correspondents quite rightly point out that there are many more "English" MPs in Westminster than Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish ones, and therefore they could create an English parliament whenever they like. Technically, that is true, but as everyone knows, MPs invariably follow party lines.

Labour does not want an EP as its devolution system is, in its eyes, perfect and, if one were created, it might break up the Union, putting many of its top people out of a job. The

Conservatives, for reasons best known to themselves, are also obsessed about preserving the Union and do not want to do anything that might lose them their "fingertip" presence in Scotland.

The LibDems, to be fair, might well support the idea, but then anything that gives them the faintest whiff of power appeals. Their long-standing policy, however, has been to integrate fully the UK into the Euro superstate as assorted regions.

Although the SNP and Plaid Cymru are seen as nationalists, any similar party pursuing similar aims in England would have many people squealing "racists", a word some of your readers have already used.

Therefore, the creation of an English Parliament is, ironically, probably in the hands of the SNP. If it does well in May 2007, then the Scottish-led Labour government in Westminster will be left facing stark choices which naively it thought would never occur under its devolution settlement.

Letter: Shropshire Star

Growing Scottish influence on cabinet

I had the misfortune to see Labour's party election broadcast the day before the local elections.

The broadcast talked about how well Britain was doing under Labour and finished with the strapline "Britain is moving forward - vote Labour".

Bearing in mind that these were the English local elections, I wonder how many people were left wondering what Labour were planning to do for England and how many votes they lost as a result of Labour's continued denial of the existence of our country.

Can you imagine what would happen to Labour's all important majority in Scotland and Wales if they used the word "Britain" in a local electon broadcast there?

The cabinet reshuffle that follwed Labour's humiliating loses at the local election had both positive and negative sides.

The positives were the sacking of Chalres Clarke and John Prescott being stripped of all his powers. These two men were possibly the biggest threat to freedom and democracy in this country.

On the downside, there are now 5 MP's with Scottish constituencies in top ministerial positions running departments that are rarely permitted to do anything that affects their own constituents.

This is a clear message from Tony Blair - if England can't be trusted to vote Labour then he will have to bring in people we can't vote out of office. There are only two ways to get anywhere in this Labour government - you either have to be incompetent or Scottish.

Stuart Parr
Telford

Scottophobia

Letters pubished by the Glasgow Herald


The Herald is almost unique in the Scottish press in that it not only understands the discrimination against England as a result of devolution but, unlike the cowardly "English" press, it actually dares to report it. But your editorial, Scottophobia lives on today (May 15), certainly falls short of your usual balanced reporting.The opposition by English people to a Scottish MP becoming prime minister is nothing to do with a phobia or even dislike of the Scots. It is simply the case that, since devolution, Westminster now spends roughly 80% of its time dealing solely with England. It is not unreasonable for the people of England, representing 85% of the population of the (dis)United Kingdom, to want somebody who is accountable to the English electorate as prime minister.Were Gordon Brown to become the British prime minister, he would have a free rein over England but would be almost incapable of introducing any legislation that would affect his own constituents. He would be safe in the knowledge that no matter how unpopular a piece of legislation was, nobody in England could vote him out of office as he is elected in Scotland. Westminster has become largely irrelevant in Scotland since devolution so the diehard Labour constituents, most of whom would vote for a chimpanzee if it wore a red rosette, are very unlikely to vote him out based on what he has done to the auld enemy south of the border.I have no problem with a Scottish MP becoming prime minister of the UK once a fully-devolved government, with at least the same powers as the Scottish Parliament, has been introduced in England. Until this happens, increasing numbers of English people will refuse to submit to minority rule by unaccountable Scottish politicians.

Stuart Parr, Telford, Shropshire.

THE growth in Scottophobia was inevitable. The idea of devolution might have been to strengthen the Union, but only fools could have thought that a manifestly inequitable system, that Labour created, could possibly achieve that aim. Gordon Brown or John Reid have every constitutional right to be prime minister but neither will have any electoral mandate for the bulk of that job. Post-devolution, the duties have changed dramatically. Besides going on lots of holidays and prancing about the world saying how they are going to save it, the PM's main function is to oversee the administration of England.Brown/Reid are, however, elected to Westminster to represent their constituents on non-devolved matters. So they have no mandate from either Scottish or English electors to deal with things like health, education, law and order, etc. That is why they should not be PM of the UK until England has a devolved parliament of its own. Constitutionally, there is no reason why an English MP representing an English constituency should not be secretary of state for Scotland, but if any such person were appointed there would be a big protest from Scotland.

Edward Higginbottom, Rea Bank, Weir Road, Hanwood, Shrewsbury.

Letter: Shropshire Star

City proposal will mean more tax

I wonder how many residents of Telford know anything about the West Midlands city region that Michael Frater has sold us to?

It took me about a month, many phone calls and e-mails and I ended up speaking to Birmingham City Council but I finally managed to get some information on the proposal.

I didn’t get a copy of the proposal as that is to be kept secret for the next few months, presumably so that members of the public can’t give their councillors reasons to object to it.

The city region, Messrs Frater and Austin tell us, will bring us economic benefits and help us attract investment.

The blueprint for city regions produced by the UK government suggests that city regions will be able to levy business taxes. Extra taxation will encourage investment in Telford?

The economic benefits will be in the form of extra money from the UK government and EU in return for complying with regional policy.

This is nothing short of bribery and, in the case of the EU, they are bribing us with our own money!

The city region will mean higher taxes, less democracy and accountability, move more control of our daily lives away from our own democratically elected local representatives to unelected regionalists in Birmingham and the “economic benefits” are little more than bribes paid out of our own pockets.

Stuart Parr, Telford

Shropshire Star: Fiasco sparks farmer suicide fears

This was in the Shropshire Star a few days ago. Since this story, Margaret Beckett has been promoted to the Foreign Office as reward for her incompetence in charge of DEFRA.

Debt-ridden farmers across Shropshire have contemplated suicide as the only escape from the government’s single payment fiasco, it was revealed today.

The Rural Stress Network, founded during the foot and mouth crisis in 2001, said financial pressures were intolerable for farmers who have been waiting months for subsidies.

Many were battling with banks over sky-high charges. Others had no money to feed their families, while “three or four” in the last week said they had thought about suicide.

The Single Payment Scheme, which provides support payments to farmers for the environmental work they carry out, has descended into chaos with 70 per cent of claimants still unpaid. Now it could take until November to clear the backlog.

Helen Williams, for the Rural Stress Network, said many farmers were on the edge.

Tories take control of Shrewsbury & Atcham

Labour's humiliating defeat at the English local elections included losing control of Shrewsbury & Atcham, previously a Labour safe seat.

Job Cuts at Shropshire Hospitals

Nurses and medical staff were protesting outside the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital yesterday over 300 job cuts at the hospital and its sister site, the Princess Royal in Telford.

This is the same Royal Shrewsbury Hospital that is giving Welsh women the breast cancer drug Herceptin for free and is charging £43k per course of treatment for English patients.

Shropshire's contribution to the subsidy of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is in the region of £100m per year but the only way anyone can come up with of plugging a £31m budget deficit is to cut jobs and services. I've got a suggestion - stop subsidising the rest of the UK so that they can have free presecriptions, free dental and eye care, expensive drugs, etc. and spend our own taxes on ourselves.

Letter to Shropshire Newspapers

Some people in Monmouthshire are evidently up in arms as they have to pay £6.65 NHS prescription charges. They are registered with a doctor in Herefordshire, if however they were with one in Wales they would only be paying £3. From 2007 prescription charges are due to be abolished in Wales.

In Scotland, eye and dental check-ups will also be free next year.

You might ask yourself how this can be. Well, we no longer have one NHS we have separate ones, for Scotland, for Wales, for England. England of course gets the basic service, the Celtic regions the enhanced. What is even better for them is that it is English taxpayers who are providing the massive subsidies to finance them.

This is not likely to change as there is no one standing up for England. We are governed by a UK parliament that’s filled with MPs from the Scottish orientated Labour Party, the Scottish led LibDems and Conservatives who appear to be terrified of upsetting the Scots in case they get the sulks and break up the Union.

And, by the way, there are a couple of new breast cancer drugs that will be available in Scotland. England’s Scottish government however apparently has no plan to provide them to English patients.

Letter to Glasgow herald

Ian Macwhirter’s article (May 3rd) was very interesting. However, I do not agree with him when he says: ‘no sign of Middle England is unhappy with the devolution settlement, or that it wants its own separate parliament. All evidence is that English people feel no animosity towards Scots.’

Well, there are plenty of rumblings. As he is no doubt aware, in democracies the majority are usually silent, its minorities who agitate and thereby get their way. We in England are basically law abiding and are probably the most tolerant people on Earth so we rarely give a public display of our true feelings. Be assured, animosity towards every public office seemingly being filled by Scots is growing down here south of the border, we are just too polite to take to the streets.

Labour has managed to get away with their con-trick on the English, in part, because of our adherence to the rule of law and, in part, because a surprisingly high proportion of the people still do not realise that Tony Blair is Scottish. The dour, miserable, Gordon Brown is however patently Scottish, Menzies Campbell obviously a Scot, so expect the antipathy to grow if they, God forbid, end up running the UK as neither has any mandate to administer England.

Happy St Georges Day

Letter: Northern Echo

ST GEORGE'S DAY

PAUL RIVERS is opposed to celebrations to mark St George's Day (HAS, Apr 20), which takes place tomorrow. I wonder why?

Could it be anything to do with St George's Day being an expression of our English nationality, what with him being a campaigner for a regional assembly and all? Oh yes, he forgot to mention that in his letter, didn't he?

Perhaps Mr Rivers would prefer a National European Region Day or a Regional Patron Saint instead?

It wasn't so long ago that people who conspired against England were branded traitors. Now, they are usually called pro-Europeans or politicians.

Stuart Parr, Telford, Shropshire.

Herceptin

Still don't know what to say about this. Shropshire PCT has refused to provide Herceptin to Shropshire women despite a court ruling recently that refusing the drug for some women and not others was unlawful.

I just can't get my head around how, when North British and West British women (the latter in a Shropshire Hospital), can have Herceptin free of charge and English woman can't. This is racism but nobody seems to want to do anything about it. I emailed the CRE a while ago to complain about it and heard nothing - not even an acknowledgement.

One of the MP's in Shropshire has written to the Health Secretary asking who exactly runs the health service in this country because the Health Secretary has told PCT's not to deny the drug on the grounds of cost and they continue to do so.

No Herceptin for Shropshire

Shropshire PCT has decided against giving Shropshire women Herceptin but Welsh women will still be allowed to receive it for free at Shropshire's Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

It's too late in the day for a long commentary so check back tomorrow for something more meaningful.

Letter in the Glasgow Herald (not mine)

Parliament problems
Iain Mann's righteous indignation (April 18) seems to have caused the existence of the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly to slip his mind. English MPs are already debarred from voting on all matters affecting only Scotland and most matters affecting only Wales. I don't know how Edward Higginbottom feels about it, but if he can stop Scottish MPs voting on English matters, so far as I am concerned he has a deal.
James Matthews, Flat 31, Highgate Edge, London.

English Farmers face bankruptcy over late subsidy payments

English farmers face bankruptcy over the late payment of subsidies from the Rural Payments Agency.

The UK government decided that the method of payment for English farmers should change to a complicated mathmatical sum and ordered a new computer system. Which has failed. Unsurprising really as the UK government seem incapable of getting a computer system right.

Being a devolved matter in Scotland and Wales, farmers outside of England received their subsidies in the same way they have for years without delay or major cock-ups. The farmers who will really be suffering are the ones on the borders such as Shropshire where half the farmers at their local market will have had their subsidies 6 months ago while they are racking up huge debts trying to keep afloat until the subsidies finally get paid.