tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7985429043801017839.post7271450842500259727..comments2023-10-27T07:50:27.411+01:00Comments on Next Left: Boris of the northTom Hampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05917325958130851128noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7985429043801017839.post-86906057992480797762009-06-22T11:20:29.662+01:002009-06-22T11:20:29.662+01:00Unfortunately the English Democrats are in bed wit...Unfortunately the English Democrats are in bed with the neo-nazi England First Party, even <a href="http://www.efp.org.uk/page57.html" rel="nofollow">posing for pictures</a> with them.Duckyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17110433142224316335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7985429043801017839.post-54613845030868251952009-06-11T08:06:53.531+01:002009-06-11T08:06:53.531+01:00FloTom
Thanks for the comment. There is not much ...FloTom<br /><br />Thanks for the comment. There is not much commentary here, simply reporting the interview. I expect English Democrat supporters might well think their man was underprepared, and might need to raise his game a bit. For example, the Mayor seemed to make his first public announcement around scrapping Doncaster Pride, and this was reported in national as well as local media. He might have been able to say how much money he would save.<br /><br />Mark Perryman, who advocates English independence, recently wrote on Next Left. I agree we could do more to examine the case, which I think there will be more about. The Fabian Society produced one of the first studies on this - a collection on 'The English Question' in 2000, and it has often been discussed at our events, on political reform and Britishnes, for example in <a href="http://www.fabians.org.uk/events/event-reports/new-britishness-must-resolve-the-english-question" rel="nofollow">this panel debate</a>.<br /><br />It is an interesting debate, because some (like Perryman) advocate England as a post-UK nation state, while others (who I agree with) think it will be necessary to give greater recognition to England and Englishness if we want to maintain the UK, which depends on majority support for British state in England, Scotland and Wales. (Similiarly, while some people say devolution has threatened the Union, I think refusing it would have probably brought the Union to an end: the history of Irish home rule then independence campaigns is another example).<br /><br />There are several nations and multinational polities where there are different levels of autonomy and devolution - take Spain for example. This can be seen as an offence to equality (as you argue) but it can also be seen as the pro-localism principle of treating difference differently - ie, not imposing a one-size fits all solution if there are different demands and preferences in different nations/regions/areas. The Welsh assembly has different powers to the Scottish Parliament because of this; the north-east rejected an assembly. Some places have elected Mayors and others do not.<br /><br />But one issue is that the English simply have not yet arrived at a majority view about what they want. Campaigns (such as the English Democrat party or campaigns for an English Parliament) remain small scale. Polling suggests a relatively low level of salience and demand for some of the alternatives proposed (eg an English Parliament like Scotland's; regional assemblies which were strongly rejected; other reforms inside Parliament). I appreciate it is an important issue for some, but more needs to be done <br /><br />If one contrasts the amount of civic campaigning activity and public support behind the Scottish Constitutional Convention in the early 1990s (building on a range of efforts over a longer period), then it is clear that there has been no campaign in England of similar. That is partly because the discussion in Scotland has been oing on some time - 2 million signed a petition in the 1950s, for example - and in England it began after Scottish devolution in 1999.<br /><br />Another question for debate - supported by some opinion polling and qualitative studies - is whether the demand in England is more focused on cultural space for expressions of English identity than it is on political institutions.Sunder Katwalahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06671411534003530927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7985429043801017839.post-33782593670382450852009-06-11T07:26:30.174+01:002009-06-11T07:26:30.174+01:00I voted English Democrat at the Euro elections and...I voted English Democrat at the Euro elections and I see you ignore the real issue which is the democratic deficit that England has been allowed to fall into since the other nations got devolved Parliamensts.<br /><br />God forbidded people who call themselves democratic socialists like me though should demand that the majority population of these islands are treated EQUALLY with the others. After all what does equality mean to people from the left of the political spectrum.<br /><br />Before you make your ill informed comments I suggest you learn what the argument is.FloTomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17869774332551536232noreply@blogger.com