A CLASH OF IDEOLOGIES
The recent Demos report written by Vince Cable has caused a small stir and is useful in that it has highlighted a major ideological objection to an English parliament.
There are 3 competing views for the future of England.
Firstly, there is British unionism. This view is strongly opposed to the introduction of an English parliament. It is tolerant of the devolution status quo, irrespective of the unfairness of it on the English.
The furthest that this view goes to meet that unfairness, is to advocate the introduction of English only voting in the House of Commons for English affairs. It does not propose any alteration of the Barnett Formula, or the abolition of the Scottish and Welsh Offices.
This view is held by the Tories, Veritas and UKIP. Some in Veritas and UKIP will even allege that the campaign for an English parliament is an EU plot to break up the UK [this is not a spoof], and conveniently ignore the fact that the creation of the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly has already broken up the UK to some extent.
An English parliament would merely re-establish a more balanced constitutional arrangement.
Secondly, there is the English nationalist view that there is a need for an English parliament to redress the democratic deficit in England. Some go further and advocate English independence, but this is the minority view among English nationalists.
An English parliament would represent the views of the English and would hold English politicians accountable to their electors. It would also stop the payment of subsidies under the Barnett Formula.
The exact powers of an English parliament, and its relationship with the British parliament, is presently unclear.
The most likely scenario for the constitutional reform, would be that the House of Commons becomes the English parliament, whilst the House of Lords changes into the British parliament. This also has the added bonus of removing Tony’s cronies from the House of Lords.
Thirdly, there is Political Correctness. This is the view recently advocated by Vince Cable.
This view states that all forms of nationalism are wrong, racist, and must be undermined and destroyed. The aim of this view is to subsume the UK into the EU and undermine England by breaking it up into regions. There is the further desire to transfer as much power as possible to quangos and other non-elected overseas organisations.
A major part of the ideology of Political Correctness is the promotion of mass immigration with the aim of reducing the English into being a racial minority in their own country. This will take about another 50 years on present trends. Anyone who so much as questions this is denounced as a racist.
Political Correctness also aims to push aside English culture and replace it with a mishmash of multiculturalism. This creed does not recognise that Britain belongs to the British, or that England belongs to the English, or that there has ever been such a thing as Britishness or Englishness other than racism.
The first and third ideologies are currently in alliance against the second. The English nationalist view is under attack from both British unionists and the Politically Correct.
There is also a choice of analysis. On the one hand, there is the analysis as voiced by Vince Cable that the world has moved on since the Cold War and that the political issues of today are ones of identity. That there is a choice between nationhood, or supranationalism [as typified by the EU] coupled with multiculturalism or an updated version of it.
The other analysis, as voiced by the English Rights Campaign and others, is that there is unfinished business following the end of the Cold War. That we may have defeated communism from without, but that we now need to defeat neo-communism [aka political correctness] within.
There are 3 competing views for the future of England.
Firstly, there is British unionism. This view is strongly opposed to the introduction of an English parliament. It is tolerant of the devolution status quo, irrespective of the unfairness of it on the English.
The furthest that this view goes to meet that unfairness, is to advocate the introduction of English only voting in the House of Commons for English affairs. It does not propose any alteration of the Barnett Formula, or the abolition of the Scottish and Welsh Offices.
This view is held by the Tories, Veritas and UKIP. Some in Veritas and UKIP will even allege that the campaign for an English parliament is an EU plot to break up the UK [this is not a spoof], and conveniently ignore the fact that the creation of the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly has already broken up the UK to some extent.
An English parliament would merely re-establish a more balanced constitutional arrangement.
Secondly, there is the English nationalist view that there is a need for an English parliament to redress the democratic deficit in England. Some go further and advocate English independence, but this is the minority view among English nationalists.
An English parliament would represent the views of the English and would hold English politicians accountable to their electors. It would also stop the payment of subsidies under the Barnett Formula.
The exact powers of an English parliament, and its relationship with the British parliament, is presently unclear.
The most likely scenario for the constitutional reform, would be that the House of Commons becomes the English parliament, whilst the House of Lords changes into the British parliament. This also has the added bonus of removing Tony’s cronies from the House of Lords.
Thirdly, there is Political Correctness. This is the view recently advocated by Vince Cable.
This view states that all forms of nationalism are wrong, racist, and must be undermined and destroyed. The aim of this view is to subsume the UK into the EU and undermine England by breaking it up into regions. There is the further desire to transfer as much power as possible to quangos and other non-elected overseas organisations.
A major part of the ideology of Political Correctness is the promotion of mass immigration with the aim of reducing the English into being a racial minority in their own country. This will take about another 50 years on present trends. Anyone who so much as questions this is denounced as a racist.
Political Correctness also aims to push aside English culture and replace it with a mishmash of multiculturalism. This creed does not recognise that Britain belongs to the British, or that England belongs to the English, or that there has ever been such a thing as Britishness or Englishness other than racism.
The first and third ideologies are currently in alliance against the second. The English nationalist view is under attack from both British unionists and the Politically Correct.
There is also a choice of analysis. On the one hand, there is the analysis as voiced by Vince Cable that the world has moved on since the Cold War and that the political issues of today are ones of identity. That there is a choice between nationhood, or supranationalism [as typified by the EU] coupled with multiculturalism or an updated version of it.
The other analysis, as voiced by the English Rights Campaign and others, is that there is unfinished business following the end of the Cold War. That we may have defeated communism from without, but that we now need to defeat neo-communism [aka political correctness] within.
posted by erc @ 9:37 pm
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