“Universal peace will be impossible, so long as the present centralised states exist. We must desire their destruction in order that, on the ruins of these forced unions organised from above by right of authority and conquest, there may arise free unions organised from below by the free federations of localities into provinces, of provincesContinueContinue reading “Lesser Lands?: A Postscript”
Category Archives: Regionalism
Lesser Lands?
Still, after all these years, we get comments to the effect that regionalists don’t understand the English love of the shires and therefore the instinctive resistance that is provoked by regionalism. It’s a straw man argument, based on what may have been said by the Labour Party about phasing out county councils. We have alwaysContinueContinue reading “Lesser Lands?”
Love the Land, Live the Life
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 factContinueContinue reading “Love the Land, Live the Life”
Tarzan’s Monkey Cage
Localism. What does it mean? It seems to mean that local communities can decide whatever they like but if they ever make the wrong decision, as judged from London, they will be severely punished for doing so. And will know that they jolly well deserve it too. Who’s a naughty community then? George Osborne announcedContinueContinue reading “Tarzan’s Monkey Cage”
Receiving The Water Bill
DEFRA – to some cynics the Department for Eliminating Farming and Rural Activity – is piloting a Bill through the Westminster Parliament to change how the water and sewerage industry is regulated. It tells us that “privatisation of the water industry has been successful in attracting over £116 billion of investment… Without this investment, waterContinueContinue reading “Receiving The Water Bill”
Write Lines
Although politicians from the London parties routinely associate the words ‘education’ and ‘choice’, the thing most striking about their policies is that they offer the electorate no choice at all. Would you guess, from following the roll-out of academies and free schools, the constant undermining of local democratic choice, which party was in power? TheContinueContinue reading “Write Lines”
British Balderdash Conspiracy
One reason why our publicity is largely channelled through this blog is that London hacks simply can’t be trusted to tell the unvarnished truth. Wessex is a really straightforward idea with which they really struggle. At the start of this month we gave an interview to the BBC. Their researcher – who is actually fromContinueContinue reading “British Balderdash Conspiracy”
Here We Go Again
The regions are being rebuilt, even under the Coalition. Last week a consultation began on the formation of a ‘combined authority’ for Durham, Northumberland and Tyne & Wear. It will take over transport, economic development and regeneration powers from the seven member councils. It’s almost the regional assembly all over again, and will be ifContinueContinue reading “Here We Go Again”
No Federal Finale
Officially, the Coalition doesn’t do regions. Much play is made of the apparent deconstruction of the institutional legacy heaped up by successive governments. Yet too much remains in place for the spin to be taken seriously. The regions still exist for statistical purposes and for European elections and are still used by numerous organisations, bothContinueContinue reading “No Federal Finale”
Ins & Outs
So, what is the Conservative Party’s settled policy on Europe? Not one to be written without a regular check over the shoulder in the direction of Monsieur Farage. Expect many more gimmicks like the one we saw recently: in effect taking scarecrows on wheels around the inner cities, urging illegal immigrants to get the messageContinueContinue reading “Ins & Outs”
Wessex Regionalists 