Public opinion remains divided over the wisdom of bombing Syria. Much less so than the House of Commons, which this week allowed the red mist of ‘hitting evil hard’ to out-vote reasonable doubts over what military action can achieve without a lasting political solution in sight. Who benefits, besides the suppliers of Brimstone missiles atContinueContinue reading “Infra Digging”
Category Archives: Devolution
Gearing Up
Surveyoris the magazine for highways and transport professionals. This month’s issue is headlined ‘Return of the Regions’ and opens to reveal an editorial by Dominic Browne, and more besides. The editorial starts as follows:“In January of this year the Department for Transport (DfT) launched a small (by government standards) pilot competition for local authorities toContinueContinue reading “Gearing Up”
Mercia on the Move?
Yesterday our President and Secretary-General travelled to Stafford to attend a meeting of the Acting Witan of Mercia. The Acting Witan arose out of a group called the Mercia Movement, who researched and published as The Mercia Manifestotheir vision of an autonomous and sustainable bioregion in the English Midlands. In 2001 this led to theContinueContinue reading “Mercia on the Move?”
Izzy, Whizzy, Let’s Get Bizzy
Or maybe ‘Ozzy, Wheezy’. What is the sound of one hand clapping? George Osborne ought to know, following his announcement this week that business rates will be ‘devolved’ to local councils, along with the one-directional power to lower them. Osborne’s understanding of devolution is that it’s that degree of autonomy that allows others to takeContinueContinue reading “Izzy, Whizzy, Let’s Get Bizzy”
The Founding Fixers
Avon Local History & Archæology – ALHA – does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s an organisation for local history and archæology in the Avon area, serving some 80 affiliated societies, with a collective membership of about 10,000. Founded in 1976, it has outlived Avon County Council, recognising the economic and social –ContinueContinue reading “The Founding Fixers”
Bex & the Bankers
Colin Bex was on the march against austerity held in central London on Saturday (left). His attire included ‘that T-shirt’ from the 2005 election campaign in Dorset South. (The question ‘Westminster Diktat?’ appears above an image of the Cerne Abbas giant labelled ‘Clubmen Arise’ and beneath it the answer, ‘Roger & Out!’) Colin reports onContinueContinue reading “Bex & the Bankers”
Review of 2014
Every year when we submit our accounts to the Electoral Commission we are also required to provide a ‘Review of Political Activities’ covering the year just gone.The 2014 Review has recently been forwarded to the Commission and here is what it says:“Coming between elections – Eastleigh in 2013 and the General Election in 2015 –ContinueContinue reading “Review of 2014”
Labour: A Laugh A Minute
Do Labour have a clue what English devolution is? It seems not, judging by their latest offering on the subject, Reversing our democratic decline: Labour’s plan for Parliament and political reform. The detail is buried a long way in, right at the end of a 12-page document. It arrives only after they’ve swooned, over andContinueContinue reading “Labour: A Laugh A Minute”
I See No Ships
Horatio Nelson is often misquoted as saying these words; relying on the London media might leave you equally in the dark about the ways in which the governance of Wessex is changing. On Friday, the Coalition announced yet more devolution to Wales. An extensive package in fact, even though, as Plaid Cymru have noted, itContinueContinue reading “I See No Ships”
The Pecking Order
Irish nationalists have sometimes found the Scots and Welsh a bit puzzling. Ireland, as a separate island, is clearly not British. At best it’s one of the British Isles but even that’s controversial, with neutral commentators preferring something along the lines of ‘the North Atlantic archipelago’. Great Britain though is one land mass, from Land’sContinueContinue reading “The Pecking Order”
Wessex Regionalists 