We demand an English Parliament
We demand fair and democratic representation for England. In short, we demand an English Parliament with at least the same legislative powers already granted to the Scottish Executive in Edinburgh….. more
An end to discrimination against English NHS patients
We demand an end to the Health apartheid currently being practised within the UK. And yes, no prizes for guessing which country is most disadvantaged!….. more
An end to discrimination against English students
We demand an end to Tuition Fee debt for English students. Scottish students don’t pay them – so why should English students? To add insult to injury, the Scottish Executive has passed punitive financial penalties in an effort to deter English students wanting to study in Scotland. Education apartheid is alive and well and living north of Carlisle!…… more
An end to discrimination against English OAPs.
Last year, all pensioners in Scotland had their central heating ripped out and replaced with brand new systems. Free - every single one of them! It didn’t matter if they were a Duchess or Mrs Mopp, the only qualification was they were over 65. Compare and contrast with the shabby treatment metered out to English old aged people….. more
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We demand an English Parliament
Tony Blair’s recent Cabinet reshuffle parachuted yet more Scottish MPs into Ministries with English only responsibilities. For example, Douglas Alexander is the new Secretary of State for Transport. As transport in Scotland has been devolved to the Scottish Executive his responsibilities end at Carlisle. Mr Alexander is a Scottish MP with a Scottish constituency. None of his policies impact upon his own constituents – so how on earth can the people hold him to account?
Once the devolution genie was let loose in 1998 it was obvious to all except New Labour that England would be democratically disenfranchised. England has absolutely no representation at national level, indeed, such is New Labour’s hatred of our country, they’ve tried to chop it up into synthetic Euro inspired regional areas. England is home to 50 million people, over 80% of the UK population yet we have no champions fighting our corner. England, despite having the third biggest economy in the EU is the only country in the Union without a national Parliament.
John Prescott’s inept and shameful attempt to foist a soviet style of government via flaccid regional assemblies on the people of England was resoundingly beaten by the good people of the North East. In the referendum of November,2004, they voted by a majority of 4 to 1 against elected an elected regional assembly.
True to form, the Stalinist bullies at New Labour HQ have comprehensively ignored the vote. England is currently infested by 8 unelected regional assemblies – their powers and authority has been increased over the past 2 years. The people who serve on these quangos are responsible to no one except their own vanity. They are not elected by the people, but are more than willing to instigate New Labour policy on housing, transport, infrastructure etc. This is utterly undemocratic.
England must have its own Parliament to redress the democratic deficit engineered by New Labour. We must have our own Parliament to address purely English issues for English people….. It’s the very essence of democracy – a Parliament with a mandate to govern by the people that elect it. It is inconceivable that a country as culturally and economically strong as England, one of the half dozen biggest economies in the world has not got its own Parliament. It is a shocking indictment on the constitutional chaos engineered by New Labour.
The constitutional compromise proffered by the Tories – English votes on English legislation (EvoEL)is a bizarre and pathetic hotch potch of policy written on the back of a fag packet. It is completely unworkable and is an insult to the English voter. The only answer, the honest and democratic solution simply must be a Parliament for England. Anything less is pernicious racism. back to top
An end to discrimination against English NHS patients
If you thought the NHS delivers equal and fair treatment to everyone in the UK then think again. Of spending per head within the 4 home countries, England and its people predictably finish way behind the others in last place. In short, we are the poorest of poor relations within the Union. For instance, in Scotland there is a full 20% extra spent per person on health than is spent per person in England – this means they can afford luxury treatments like the breast cancer drug ‘Herceptin’. Scottish consultants routinely prescribe Herceptin for their Scottish patients – in England the Primary Care Trusts hide behind the smoke and mirrors tactic of declaring the drug isn’t yet licensed. This excuse is shameful, vacuous and facile. The trusts don’t want to dispense the drug because of the cost of it . It’s apparent to everyone in England, if you want Herceptin, forget the Pharmacy, find a Lawyer.
Scottish and Welsh patients can even receive treatment in English hospitals. There has recently been the disgusting spectacle of two breast cancer patients in adjoining beds in the same ward. One was Welsh and she was on an expensive course of Herceptin treatment. The lady next to her was English, she, of course was not receiving Herceptin treatment – her local PCT couldn’t afford to fund the drug.
The Scottish Executive recently made eye tests free for everyone in Scotland. Virtually at the same time, Government Health Minister, Ms Rosie Winterton was announcing a charge of £15 per eye test for the English population. Next year, prescription charges will be free for everyone in Wales - every single one of them. In Scotland, 92% of all prescriptions are already absolutely free…. In England? Inevitable price increases. The £7 barrier will no doubt shortly be breached.
There has recently been a lot of publicity about NHS funding shortages. What the media fail to report is that all the funding difficulties are occurring in England. All of the NHS redundancies are occurring in England. Therefore services will be compromised only in England.
Scotland and Wales can afford to lavish expensive drugs and treatments on their populations thanks to the generosity of the English taxpayer and the Barnett formula. What a pity the Westminster Government haven’t seen fit to dispense similar health funding onto the English population with equal alacrity.
Within the UK there is a two-track health system. Preferred treatment is lavished upon the Scots and the Welsh. In England, it is not. We are suffering under a system of health apartheid, pure and simple. back to top
An end to discrimination against English students
Thanks to tuition fee legislation being voted through Westminster by a faithful clack of Scottish Labour MPs, students in England are having to pick up one hell of a tab.
How very ironic that those ever-faithful Labour MPs should vote for the Bill when their very own Scottish Parliament threw the whole idea out. No tuition fee bills for the Scottish student. On top of that, they get financial help in the form of grants – as does the average Welsh student. If an English student wishes to study in Scotland, the Scottish Executive has helpfully introduced legislation to put them off. It’s a sort of tariff, an extra tax of thousands of pounds only applicable to an English student.
If a student from anywhere else in the EU wants to study in Scotland then they do so for free, the fees paid for by their respective governments. Don’t you just wish that we had a government that would look after us equally as well?
In England, knowledge is being taxed like nowhere else. Since tuition fee legislation has been brought in, take up rates of English students at Universities has been falling like a stone. Why should they incur thousands in tuition costs when their contemporaries north of the border get away ‘Scot fee free’ so to speak. Needless to say, take-up rates in Scotland by Scottish students are going through the roof. Education apartheid, alive and well and living in Scotland. back to top
An end to discrimination against English OAPs.
People work all their lives – and when they retire, their noble sweat of honest toil is rewarded by a grateful government, correct?….. Errr, not if you’re an English OAP they’re not..
The central heating freebie for all old people north of the border is merely the tip of the discriminatory iceberg in the UK. In England, if you’re old and you need a new central heating system, best dig the money out from your savings account. Otherwise face the ‘trial by means testing’ formula so familiar to English OAPs. And if you’re infirm and you have to go into a residential home, better sell the family home to finance it. Again, Scots residential care is paid in full by a Scottish Executive. Again, English OAPs are left to fend for themselves. Again, we see discrimination within four walls. In Berwick upon Tweed a town on the English-Scots border there is an old folks residential home. All the Scottish old people residing there are 100% subsidised by the Scottish Executive – even though they are effectively living in England.
The English old folks, sitting in the next couple of rocking chairs have had to sell their homes – and the state has taken the proceeds. How utterly contemptible is a system that discriminates against old people on an issue of nationality? We need a champion for English OAPs. The only way of getting one is to have our own Parliament. back to top