I am not opposed in principle to devolution. It may work well in other countries, but in this country it has been a disaster.
A Labour administration in Wales and a Scottish Nationalist administration in Scotland enjoy power without responsibility. They know that many voters will blame their failings on the Westminster government, and in a sense they are right.
The Westminster government knew earlier this year that Scotland wanted independence, albeit by a narrow margin. With just a few days left before the independence referendum, the government - with a lot of support from the media - issued lots of promises as well as lots of threats, and managed to pull the vote back from the brink.
Why? If the union is such a fragile entity that it needs to be held together with a combination of threats and promises, then it is probably not worth saving. Let it go.
As the Welsh NHS descends further into failure, the Westminster government has a simple remedy. It should expel Wales from the United Kingdom with immediate effect. The advantage would be that the Welsh people would pretty soon realise that they have nothing to gain by electing idiots to rule over them.
Neither the Scottish Parliament nor the Welsh Assembly has yet managed to produce a great politician, and I'm not sure either of them will while the United Kingdom remains intact. However I am confident that an independent Scotland and an independent Wales could produce politicians of considerable merit.
A culture change is needed, and that is why the United Kingdom must come to an end.
Related previous posts include:
Independence versus devolution
Independence: Scotland must vote yes
Saturday 25 October 2014
Thursday 16 October 2014
The power of the people
As the dust settles on the Clacton by-election, there is definitely a mood of change in Westminster.
Our evil Prime Minister David Cameron has been talking about restricting immigration; former government minister Owen Paterson has talked about the need to ditch supposedly green energy policies; and Conservative MP Philip Hollobone has been talking of the need to repatriate foreign criminals. It would of course be better not to let foreign criminals into the country in the first place.
We cannot be certain to what extent the Conservative Party is serious about wanting to change its policies, but we do know that there is another by-election due in Rochester and Strood, which like Clacton is also a Conservative seat (although it has had a Labour MP in recent years).
It is curious however that the near loss of a parliamentary seat to UKIP has led to virtually no change of rhetoric on the part of the Labour Party.
A major problem in British politics over the years has been the persistence of millions of voters in staying loyal to political parties which do not deserve any support whatever. Much as I despise UKIP, I will admit that the recent surge in their support may have a partially beneficial outcome. Nevertheless far more could be achieved if the people of this country made just a little more effort.
We are not all privileged to be able to vote in by-elections, but surely we are all capable of joining a political party. If a million people across the country were to join a political party with sensible policies, then imagine how the two main parties might react.
I don't expect it will happen though.
Our evil Prime Minister David Cameron has been talking about restricting immigration; former government minister Owen Paterson has talked about the need to ditch supposedly green energy policies; and Conservative MP Philip Hollobone has been talking of the need to repatriate foreign criminals. It would of course be better not to let foreign criminals into the country in the first place.
We cannot be certain to what extent the Conservative Party is serious about wanting to change its policies, but we do know that there is another by-election due in Rochester and Strood, which like Clacton is also a Conservative seat (although it has had a Labour MP in recent years).
It is curious however that the near loss of a parliamentary seat to UKIP has led to virtually no change of rhetoric on the part of the Labour Party.
A major problem in British politics over the years has been the persistence of millions of voters in staying loyal to political parties which do not deserve any support whatever. Much as I despise UKIP, I will admit that the recent surge in their support may have a partially beneficial outcome. Nevertheless far more could be achieved if the people of this country made just a little more effort.
We are not all privileged to be able to vote in by-elections, but surely we are all capable of joining a political party. If a million people across the country were to join a political party with sensible policies, then imagine how the two main parties might react.
I don't expect it will happen though.
Sunday 12 October 2014
Rutland: the search continues
I don't know who Matthew Engel is, but he has written a nostalgic book about England which I have no intention of reading. He is also promoting it with an essay in the national press which, while rich in factual detail, does not impress me.
He laments the passing of many of England's old counties, which was the topic of my very first entry on this blog. England's county boundaries have changed many time over the years, and former counties have included Hallamshire and Bedlingtonshire. I have no interest at all in reviving those old counties, and I don't expect that many other people do as well.
England is a very different country from how it was in 1974 when our county boundaries were vastly reshaped. The engines of change include immigration and technology.
Technology tends to enrich our lives, whereas immigration has caused far more problems than it could ever hope to solve. Does Matthew Engel deny that at some point in our future we will have to cover all of England's green fields with new housing estates so that immigrants have somewhere to live?
Or maybe he has a plan to prevent that from happening. If so, maybe he could share it with the rest of us.
Previous related posts include:
In search of Rutland
He laments the passing of many of England's old counties, which was the topic of my very first entry on this blog. England's county boundaries have changed many time over the years, and former counties have included Hallamshire and Bedlingtonshire. I have no interest at all in reviving those old counties, and I don't expect that many other people do as well.
England is a very different country from how it was in 1974 when our county boundaries were vastly reshaped. The engines of change include immigration and technology.
Technology tends to enrich our lives, whereas immigration has caused far more problems than it could ever hope to solve. Does Matthew Engel deny that at some point in our future we will have to cover all of England's green fields with new housing estates so that immigrants have somewhere to live?
Or maybe he has a plan to prevent that from happening. If so, maybe he could share it with the rest of us.
Previous related posts include:
In search of Rutland
Sunday 5 October 2014
The Clacton by-election
The Clacton by-election is just a few days away, and a UKIP victory is widely predicted. This would make Douglas Carswell the first ever MP to be elected for UKIP. If I've got it right, it would also be the first time since October 1990 that a political party has seen its first ever MP to be elected under its banner. (At the start of that month, all of the Liberal Democrat MPs had been elected for other parties.)
The Conservatives are certainly acting up. As well as making some very insulting remarks about UKIP voters - apparently including one about vacuum cleaners - there has been talk of ignoring at least some rulings of the European Court of Human Rights.
The European Court of Human Rights is an agency of the Council of Europe, which is distinct from the European Union. Like the European Union, it is undemocratic.
While I have no problem in principle with what is being outlined, it is fair to point out that not everyone regards David Cameron as someone who can be trusted to deliver on his promises.
I will never vote UKIP, but I will nevertheless be not the slightest bit surprised if Douglas Carswell returns to the House of Commons next week.
Update: I have since found out that the government is also planning to tackle the EU on immigration. Perhaps they could explain why they did not make this a condition of coalition government back in the summer of 2010.
A related post offsite: The Clacton Rebellion
The Conservatives are certainly acting up. As well as making some very insulting remarks about UKIP voters - apparently including one about vacuum cleaners - there has been talk of ignoring at least some rulings of the European Court of Human Rights.
The European Court of Human Rights is an agency of the Council of Europe, which is distinct from the European Union. Like the European Union, it is undemocratic.
While I have no problem in principle with what is being outlined, it is fair to point out that not everyone regards David Cameron as someone who can be trusted to deliver on his promises.
I will never vote UKIP, but I will nevertheless be not the slightest bit surprised if Douglas Carswell returns to the House of Commons next week.
Update: I have since found out that the government is also planning to tackle the EU on immigration. Perhaps they could explain why they did not make this a condition of coalition government back in the summer of 2010.
A related post offsite: The Clacton Rebellion
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