It would make such a great slogan for our Wessex. It is in fact already taken, as the English-language slogan of the Normandy Tourist Board. There is such a thing, based not in one of the great cities – Caen or Rouen – but in a much smaller place, Evreux. It exists despite the factContinue reading "Love the Land, Live the Life"
Housing Whom?
Oxford professor Danny Dorling is the rising star of radical sociology. Some of us heard him speak in Witney during the 2010 election campaign. He has his critics, but he has an impressive grasp of statistics and deploys them with devastating effect. A review of his latest book, All That Is Solid: The Great HousingContinue reading "Housing Whom?"
Punishing The Toys
Windsor Castle is home to more than a few of the 1,200 items of ivory in the Royal Collection. The 1,200 items that Prince William would like to have destroyed as a gesture against poachers in Africa. Never mind that he’s not above (legally) shooting the odd bit of wildlife himself. The fact is thatContinue reading "Punishing The Toys"
Anybody Listening?
The following extract from the current issue of Population Matters Magazine is written by its editor, Norman Pasley: “There is great concern in Fareham about plans for a new town called Welbourne to be built on farmland north of the M27 motorway. The debate is giving rise to many letters in the local paper, TheContinue reading "Anybody Listening?"
Identity Censorship Rules!
The Kernow Branch of the Celtic League is to be thanked for posting on Facebook the following cautionary tale: “Heritage Kernow – a study in ‘English’ Heritage sabotageEuropean Objective One funding was awarded to Cornwall some years ago. Its Single Programming Document was supposedly legally binding and its Priority 5 identified Celtic affinities, heritage, languageContinue reading "Identity Censorship Rules!"
The Plantation of Wessex
Last April, one of Eric Pickles’ Planning Inspectors opened a public inquiry in the Oxfordshire village of Bloxham. The Coalition promised localism – local decisions made by local folk, without interference from London – but – as we have mentioned many times – their localism is a lie. Under real localism, there would be noContinue reading "The Plantation of Wessex"
Is Democracy Legal?
The European Free Alliance is well worth following onFacebook. Especially this month, with the EU’s José Manuel Barroso demonstrating exactly why it’s time he retired. Barroso’s attempt to put the entrenched interests of Member States above the will of their peoples attracted a withering response from John Palmer in the (London) Guardian, one that concluded:Continue reading "Is Democracy Legal?"
Bailing Out
‘A message from 10 Drowning St’. That was the headline in Metro on Wednesday. And the message is that it’s all under control, apparently. Though not before time. Metro also reported that residents in Somerset, who have faced the floods for weeks, said that recovery efforts only intensified after the crisis got closer to London. Continue reading "Bailing Out"
Looking Ahead
It’s happened. The seawall at Dawlish has been washed away, leaving the main line railway track suspended in mid-air. Fortunately, the London regime is known for looking ahead, anticipating such problems as arise from climate change and planning new infrastructure to cope with them. It could have wasted tens of billions building unnecessary new linesContinue reading "Looking Ahead"
Wales: A Way And A Warning
In 2012 we noted the Welsh Government’s plans to create a powerful, integrated environmental body. Those plans took effect in April 2013 with the launch of Natural Resources Wales. NRW is the end result of a long process of bringing together powers that were once spread very thinly. Forty years ago, those powers belonged toContinue reading "Wales: A Way And A Warning"
Wessex Regionalists 