In our previous posts on our response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we wrote about how devolution has allowed the Scottish and Welsh governments to respond flexibly in a way that the English regions, hamstrung by London dominance, cannot. The results of this have manifested themselves in a recent Somerset Live report about how the endContinue reading "Get Back To Where You Once Belonged"
The NHS was founded on 5th July 1948. Let’s make it NHS Day every year.
The NHS was launched on 5th July 1948, bringing together a disparate mix of municipally run and charity hospitals - often poorly funded with inadequate services - private voluntary hospitals, and private GP practices, access to whose services largely depended on one’s wealth. The chief architect of the modern NHS was Aneurin Bevan, as MinisterContinue reading "The NHS was founded on 5th July 1948. Let’s make it NHS Day every year."
Wessex Political Thinkers: Alexander Thynn
I had long intended to write a post on the founder of our party as part of the Wessex Political Thinkers series. The sad news of his recent death makes a reflection upon his contribution to Wessex Regionalist thought even more timely. Alexander Thynn--then Viscount Weymouth, later Marquess of Bath--first became interested in formulating aContinue reading "Wessex Political Thinkers: Alexander Thynn"
Lord Bath: A Tribute
As the current Leader of Wessex Regionalists, the party that Alexander founded back in the late 1960s, I must pay tribute to this gentle soul, claimed by this deadly virus. I only met him 3 times, all at Longleat, where he entertained my colleagues and me as a very generous and engaging host, on oneContinue reading "Lord Bath: A Tribute"
Isolation and Community (part 2)
In the first part of this blog post, we looked at how a Wessex regional government might have helped the response to the COVID19 pandemic so far. In this concluding part, we will examine options for the future. While much that is now in train must take its course, our eye is on the longContinue reading "Isolation and Community (part 2)"
Isolation and Community (part 1)
A crisis such as the present COVID-19 pandemic demands a response from us. Readers of this blog will be curious to know what a Wessex regional parliament, with the Wessex Regionalists as the dominant party, would have done differently in this situation. Such a question is almost impossible to answer, as hindsight is always 20/20,Continue reading "Isolation and Community (part 1)"
Hosts with the Most
It has taken a while to migrate the website across, but we are delighted to announce that we have switched our hosting provider to Ethical Internet. Previously, we were with A2 Hosting, a multinational company whose European arm was based in Amsterdam, and whose customer service division was based...well, who knows where? Ethical Internet isContinue reading "Hosts with the Most"
Barnes Day 2020
At our last meeting, we agreed to hold meetings/events on the closest Saturday to Barnes Day (22nd February), St Ealdhelm's Day (25th May), and King Alfred Day (26th October). Barnes Day falls on a Saturday this year, and we will be meeting in Nailsea, where Barnes married Julia Miles in 1827. Assembling at Holy TrinityContinue reading "Barnes Day 2020"
Redirected Fail
Wessex folk have been robbed of our European citizenship. By a gang of liars and cheats. Who convinced just enough voters that the EU is inherently evil, the ‘EUSSR’, ‘the Fourth Reich’, and that a leaky boat in shark-infested waters is preferable to a refit of its sturdy cabins. For eurosceptics though, Brexit is never ‘done’. Their aim nowContinue reading "Redirected Fail"
Peak Gammon
‘“The high tide!” King Alfred cried.“The high tide and the turn!”’ These lines, from G.K. Chesterton’s 1911 poem ‘The Ballad of the White Horse’, describe the decisive moment in the Wessex triumph over the Danes at Ethandune. Today marks a turning point in much the same way as the balance of forces tipping in a war. It may not seem it atContinue reading "Peak Gammon"
