In our previous post we described the across-the-board hypocrisy of Wessex MPs who still claim to be able to deliver unlimited growth while simultaneously protecting all of the environment that locals cherish. Wednesday’s Western Daily Pressfurnishes a classic example. Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy was reported as initiating a debate at Westminster on the protectionContinueContinue reading “Castles in the Air?”
Tag Archives: Labour
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”
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”
The Extravagance of Austerity
Good chancellor, bad chancellor. George Osborne played a little double act with himself this week. It started with lots of spending announcements. A whopping £15.1 billion on roads and £2.3 billion on flood defences. Oh, and Bicester is to be a new town.Then there was the Autumn Statement, seized on with the claim that publicContinueContinue reading “The Extravagance of Austerity”
Don’t Mention The Region!
A recent post on a left-leaning website makes an excellent case study, for all the wrong reasons. Dan Holden’s piece, ‘Westminster Must Address Regional Identities’, is the sort of thing that has been written many times before and doesn’t get any better, because centralist assumptions are never challenged. First up, the writer appears to sitContinueContinue reading “Don’t Mention The Region!”
The Summer of Discontent
David Cameron would like to think of Scotland’s referendum as a little local difficulty. Perhaps that’s why the mainstream media stay so quiet about the widespread discontent now simmering across Europe as our continent awakes to new possibilities. Catalans are ignoring Madrid’s refusal to allow them a vote on independence. Basques are thinking along theContinueContinue reading “The Summer of Discontent”
The Wyvern Flies Again, No Thanks To Labour
News reaches us of a groundbreaking initiative by WessexSociety, the cultural association devoted to promoting our region’s identity. To mark St Ealdhelm’s Day, which falls today, the Society offered Wyvern flags to all the county and unitary authorities in Wessex to fly outside their offices. There has been a good take-up from county councils –ContinueContinue reading “The Wyvern Flies Again, No Thanks To Labour”
Getting Our Own Back
Wessex Electricity, Wessex Trains, Wessex Water. All run by managements located solely in Wessex. All democratically accountable to a Wessex Witan. Interfering London lawmakers and exploitative global finance just a fading memory of less pleasant times. We can dream. And why not? A poll last autumn showed that two-thirds of the public – including someContinueContinue reading “Getting Our Own Back”
Another Fine Miss
“The slightly eccentric Wessex regionalists have been around for a while but tend to be backward-looking and potentially reactionary.” So writes Professor Paul Salveson in his online newsletter, Salvo. It’s always good to see regionalism recognised, but it’s simply sloppy to misrepresent us.We’d prefer to describe ourselves as more than usually different, and refreshingly so. ContinueContinue reading “Another Fine Miss”
Wessex Regionalists 