Guest contribution by Nick Xylas, WR Council member and prospective candidate for Bristol City Council, Eastville WardAs someone who has lived in both Wessex and the American South, I can’t help but be struck by certain similarities between the two. Both are primarily rural and agricultural regions. Both have low-status accents that provide a lazyContinueContinue reading “South By Southwest”
Category Archives: Regionalism
History is Sunk
“My Lords, a nation gets awarded the character that it deserves. By neglecting to promote some aspect of this character, that aspect becomes increasingly insignificant within the image which other nations regard as our worth. And this might also hold true for the way future generations of our own nation come to regard what weContinueContinue reading “History is Sunk”
London Pride
Here is why the power of London, and the Britain it represents, must end. For all our sakes.It’s time for regionalism, the only constitutional change that will turn England the right way up.
Independence for Europe?
“No European can be a complete exile in any part of Europe.” Edmund Burke, Letters on a Regicide Peace (1796)It was a curious coincidence (or was it?) that on the same day that David Cameron dressed up as success what was clearly failure, the USA announced a quadrupling of its defence spending in Europe. It’sContinueContinue reading “Independence for Europe?”
Presi in Paris
“We know and we have seen that conferences are events which bring together important people who are unable to act on their own, but who together are always able to resolve that in fact nothing can be done… Why is [Europe] unable to forecast and prevent one crisis after another?… Today the European spirit andContinueContinue reading “Presi in Paris”
Infra Digging
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”
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?”
Letting London Go
Wastemonster has often voted for evil. And now for EVEL – English Votes for English Laws. Quite right too, as far as that goes. Which is not very far. The Daily Express, predictably, took it way too far, with a blustering piece by Leo McKinstry today about the great, tax-oppressed nation of England, paying forContinueContinue reading “Letting London Go”
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”
Wessex Regionalists 