Population Matters Magazine, in its current issue, includes an article by Ian Grace, described as a professional planning officer with more than 30 years’ planning experience. It’s always good fun to watch when someone inside the system breaks ranks. The article makes points that are well worth extracting:“…If you want to house 100,000 people, youContinueContinue reading “On Whose Side?”
Tag Archives: Democracy
Being Sub-Human
The Pyrenees are a formidable geographical barrier, the terror of would-be conquering armies approaching from north or south. What they are not is a formidable cultural barrier. Basque culture in the far west and Catalan culture in the far east transcend them and have done, peaceably, for millennia. The national frontier of today results fromContinueContinue reading “Being Sub-Human”
Burying the Past
“The theory goes that, if there is trust in society, then its bureaucracies will be more straightforward and effective – the cost and time of transactions between companies will be reduced and less time will be spent paying lawyers to draw up costly contracts, and in litigation. A handshake is free. Anyone who has triedContinueContinue reading “Burying the Past”
The Spirit of ‘15
Last year’s commemorations of the First World War were a good excuse to re-open old wounds and close our eyes to modern Europe. Now consider that 2015 marks the 200th anniversary of Waterloo and the 600th anniversary of Agincourt. In 2014 the French were our glorious allies against the Hun. This year, it will beContinueContinue reading “The Spirit of ‘15”
Christmas Crackers
In the run-up to the festive season, all three main London parties set out their stalls on English devolution. On the whole, they’re rather against it. Labour were first, with a promise to devolve power to ‘city regions’ and ‘county regions’. Anything but region regions. These areas appear to correspond to those of the LocalContinueContinue reading “Christmas Crackers”
Choosing to be Beggars
Last week, an environmental coalition – Butterfly Conservation, the League Against Cruel Sports, the Mammal Society, the Ramblers, the RSPB and the Wildlife Trusts – held a ‘Rally for Nature’ at the Palace of Westminster. Why? To lobby MPs ahead of the next election, reminding them of how important nature is. MPs need reminding. BecauseContinueContinue reading “Choosing to be Beggars”
The People v. The Profit
In Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell painted a picture of the future as a boot stamping on a human face, forever. The boot now has a name. TTIP. The Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership. Hammered out in secret talks between Europe and the USA, it will make democracy illegal, by giving corporations the right to sue governmentsContinueContinue reading “The People v. The Profit”
Scared As A Bully
On 9th November 2014, Catalonia voted 4 to 1 for independence from Spain. Madrid isn’t ready to begin talks on separation. Instead, it’s determined to prosecuteCatalonia’s leading nationalists for organising the vote. Will David Cameron protest? Will there be airstrikes? On 20th November 2014, the French Parliament voted to abolish many of the historic regionsContinueContinue reading “Scared As A Bully”
We Are Not London
We know where London is, but is the rest of England also London? It seems that the London regime would like to make it so. Manchester has a proud history and a distinctive identity. Or used to. Yet Greater Manchester Transport has become ‘Transport for Greater Manchester’, because that’s the word-order they now use inContinueContinue reading “We Are Not London”
Reasons to be Regional
Two common objections to regionalism are that another tier of government means more politicians and more cost. It needn’t in fact mean either. First though, let’s be a bit more broad-minded. We need government to be more effective and efficient – but to achieve that you need to invest, politically in the right people andContinueContinue reading “Reasons to be Regional”
Wessex Regionalists 