The BBC is now fully engaged without misgivings in the promotion of Scotland's culture, history, national pride and national identity. It hasn't just adapted itself to Scottish devolution, it is now playing a very pro-active part in its development and expansion. In itself there is no harm in that. However, the BBC is not doing the same for England even though English licence payers provide 85% of the BBC's income, indeed of the financial resources available to BBC Scotland.
On Tuesday September 22nd from 8 to 9pm BBC 4 presented a very informative and absorbing account of the life of Robert Bruce, his resistance to English rule, his victory over both Edward 1st and Edward 2nd of England, his achievement in establishing the independent kingdom of Scotland. The programme was presented by the strongly patriotic Oliver Neil of 'Coast' fame with his usual very admirable articulation and clarity. It had the added fascination of revealing, indeed it focussed on, the crucial part played by Scotland's Catholic hierarchy in support of Robert Bruce and in achieving Scottish independence.
'However', says Michael Knowles head of the CEP Media Unit, in his email bulletin to members, 'there is much more to this than meets the eye. The programme wasn't just history. It was history narrative with a purpose. There was balance, of course there was. Oliver did not spare Robert Bruce with his strictures. The cruelty and brutality of the man were unsparingly exposed. However, the fundamental theme wasn't Robert Bruce. The fundamental agenda was Scotland, its history, its resistance to England, its declarations, its role and its meaning for the Scottish people of today, a Scottish people now facing the choice about to be presented to it by its own Scottish government of remaining in a union with the same England that was as defined in relation to Scotland in the 13th century as it is today. That was what this programme was explictly about. It merits a second showing in order to enable viewers to perceive its agenda.
'I am not critical of the BBC presenting this sort of programme which is just one part of a much bigger BBC series on Scotland. There are many very good reasons to use the licence fee to promote national identity and a sense of patriotism, and to provide education -in a most fascinating and gripping way- in the history of Scotland. Indeed, BBC Scotland now exists primarily to promote Scotland and things Scottish.
'However, the English licence payer provides 85% of the BBC licence income. Yet there is no BBC England. The BBC admamantly refuses even to contemplate one. Its bias against England runs deep. It will not contemplate making such programmes, inspired by a similar political and educational zeal and patriotism, about England -its history and its culture. It is the most influential cultural power and influence in the UK. It should use its power in a balanced way. This island of ours consists of three distinct and ancient nations. Politically and culturally it is now returning to its historic roots. That is the time we live in. It is a tide that cannot be turned back. As it stands at present, the BBC is an agent for distortion when it should be a main agent, possibly the main agent, for a fair and balanced development of the forces about to shape this island's future.'
Michael Knowles CEP Media Unit. Tel: 01260 271139 email: michael-knowles@tiscali.co.uk
We must not forget that it is the British that are denying England its political recognition, the British MPs we have sent to parliament to represent England, it is these who are to blame. Until we have our own English MPs not British MPs representing England nothing is going to change.
Fight against British Racism – Fight against racism directed against England and the English
Friday, 25 September 2009
Monday, 21 September 2009
A council tax freeze in Scotland, a council tax hike in England
The background to the announcement by the Finance Secretary to the Scottish Parliament John Sweeney that householders in Scotland will have their council tax bills frozen until 2012 raises fundamental questions about justice and fairness and the whole point and purpose of the Union.The background to it is a £210 million deal to be funded by England’s taxpayers which has been worked out between the Scottish Parliament and the UK Treasury headed by Alistair Darling, MP for Edinburgh South West and supervised by Gordon Brown MP for Kirkaldy and Cowdenbeath. In England meanwhile council tax bills are set to rise by almost £50 for an average property next year in order to plug a £2.5 billion black hole in local authority finances caused by the economic downturn. An economic downturn caused in large part by the policies of both men.
There are two basic issues here,‘The English taxpayer is as much a member of the British state as any Scot and should therefore be treated equally. We look to our government for fairness. Why is it not forthcoming? Mr Brown signed the ‘Scottish claim of Right’ in March 1989 in which he and 300 other Scottish politicians signed an oath pledging to put the interests of their own Scottish nation before that of any other nation. Is he and Mr Darling exploiting their control of UK finances, 85% of which are produced by the English population, to provide a better deal for Scotland?
‘Secondly, where are our English MPs? They are elected by their English constituents to represent their interests. Yet they are always as silent as the grave on matters like this. By the time of the London Olympics Scottish families will be paying the same amount of council tax as they were in 2007. In England it may even have doubled. The injustice is beyond comprehension.’
At its September meeting in Birmingham on Saturday the 19th the CEP National Council confirmed its arrangements for the meeting ‘The Future of England’ in the House of Commons on November 18th, the day of the Queen’s Speech at which matters such as this will be discussed.
We must not forget that it is the British that are denying England its political recognition, the British MPs we have sent to parliament to represent England, it is these who are to blame. Until we have our own English MPs not British MPs representing England nothing is going to change.
There are two basic issues here,‘The English taxpayer is as much a member of the British state as any Scot and should therefore be treated equally. We look to our government for fairness. Why is it not forthcoming? Mr Brown signed the ‘Scottish claim of Right’ in March 1989 in which he and 300 other Scottish politicians signed an oath pledging to put the interests of their own Scottish nation before that of any other nation. Is he and Mr Darling exploiting their control of UK finances, 85% of which are produced by the English population, to provide a better deal for Scotland?
‘Secondly, where are our English MPs? They are elected by their English constituents to represent their interests. Yet they are always as silent as the grave on matters like this. By the time of the London Olympics Scottish families will be paying the same amount of council tax as they were in 2007. In England it may even have doubled. The injustice is beyond comprehension.’
At its September meeting in Birmingham on Saturday the 19th the CEP National Council confirmed its arrangements for the meeting ‘The Future of England’ in the House of Commons on November 18th, the day of the Queen’s Speech at which matters such as this will be discussed.
We must not forget that it is the British that are denying England its political recognition, the British MPs we have sent to parliament to represent England, it is these who are to blame. Until we have our own English MPs not British MPs representing England nothing is going to change.
Saturday, 19 September 2009
The role of an English Parliament
'The role of an English Parliament, which is now firmly on the UK political agenda, will be to focus minds on England's future as a distinct nation. It will come about because Scotland and Wales enabled by devolution are now re-establishing and re-creating their own separate identities, legislation, and cultures within the United Kingdom and the European Union. The more the two of them become separate and distinct, the more England does too and the more this island returns to its roots as three historic nations.
This is the message sent to the CEP membership by its National Council as the three main political parties prepare for their annual conferences following on the TUC conference and the new political year of 2009-10 begins, to conclude within 9 months with the General Election.
'The National Council has fully endorsed the statement of one of its members, Gareth Young from Brighton in Sussex, about what the role and purpose of the Campaign is. 'Our task,' writes Mr Young, 'is to foster a strong and confident English culture in which all the people of England take pride, making it more likely that newcomers from whatever faith and background can have confidence in it too.' Mr Young was thinking of the stresses and strains of England's society as it deals with the current depression, the appalling increase in unemployment especially among those under 25 years of age, the lack and the cost of housing for young couples , the threats to England's beautiful natural heritage and the stresses created by the modern juxta-position of different cultures. 'An English parliament and proper recognition of our one nationhood is a cornerstone of this,' he stated.
In its message the National Council re-asserted two of its basic principles which are of incalculable importance in our times. 'By English the CEP means anyone and everyone who lives in England, for whom England is home and future, regardless of origin, ethnicity, religion and politics. We are one nation. And the CEP expects everyone to live by the principle, achieved over centuries of hard struggle and bitter experience, as the bedrock of our English way of life, that democracy allows, indeed encourages, dissent and debate, yet demands that we all submit to the rule of law as laid down for all by Parliament. England is one community, one people, in which everyone should regard their fellow Englishmen and women as their family, their neighbours, sharing the same fortunes and misfortunes, the same land and the same weather, the same air and the same shores -their common land, their common shores, their common present and future. No one group should strive for advantage. Everyone should value what is good throughout society. England expects, and rightly expects, that each one of us, no matter what our background or religion or politics might be, works for the common good of all. That is what an English Parliament is about'.
Contact:
Michael Knowles CEP Media Unit.
Tel: 01260 2711239 Email: michael-knowles@ tiscali.co. uk
We must not forget that it is the British that are denying England its political recognition, the British MPs we have sent to parliament to represent England, it is these who are to blame. Until we have our own English MPs not British MPs representing England nothing is going to change.
No written constitution or any other major constitutional changes should be seriously discussed until the people of the United Kingdom have been given a chance by referendum to decide whether they want to stay in or come out of the European Union because that is fundamental to any decisions we have to make, and it effects the very existence of the nation state.
This is the message sent to the CEP membership by its National Council as the three main political parties prepare for their annual conferences following on the TUC conference and the new political year of 2009-10 begins, to conclude within 9 months with the General Election.
'The National Council has fully endorsed the statement of one of its members, Gareth Young from Brighton in Sussex, about what the role and purpose of the Campaign is. 'Our task,' writes Mr Young, 'is to foster a strong and confident English culture in which all the people of England take pride, making it more likely that newcomers from whatever faith and background can have confidence in it too.' Mr Young was thinking of the stresses and strains of England's society as it deals with the current depression, the appalling increase in unemployment especially among those under 25 years of age, the lack and the cost of housing for young couples , the threats to England's beautiful natural heritage and the stresses created by the modern juxta-position of different cultures. 'An English parliament and proper recognition of our one nationhood is a cornerstone of this,' he stated.
In its message the National Council re-asserted two of its basic principles which are of incalculable importance in our times. 'By English the CEP means anyone and everyone who lives in England, for whom England is home and future, regardless of origin, ethnicity, religion and politics. We are one nation. And the CEP expects everyone to live by the principle, achieved over centuries of hard struggle and bitter experience, as the bedrock of our English way of life, that democracy allows, indeed encourages, dissent and debate, yet demands that we all submit to the rule of law as laid down for all by Parliament. England is one community, one people, in which everyone should regard their fellow Englishmen and women as their family, their neighbours, sharing the same fortunes and misfortunes, the same land and the same weather, the same air and the same shores -their common land, their common shores, their common present and future. No one group should strive for advantage. Everyone should value what is good throughout society. England expects, and rightly expects, that each one of us, no matter what our background or religion or politics might be, works for the common good of all. That is what an English Parliament is about'.
Contact:
Michael Knowles CEP Media Unit.
Tel: 01260 2711239 Email: michael-knowles@ tiscali.co. uk
We must not forget that it is the British that are denying England its political recognition, the British MPs we have sent to parliament to represent England, it is these who are to blame. Until we have our own English MPs not British MPs representing England nothing is going to change.
No written constitution or any other major constitutional changes should be seriously discussed until the people of the United Kingdom have been given a chance by referendum to decide whether they want to stay in or come out of the European Union because that is fundamental to any decisions we have to make, and it effects the very existence of the nation state.
Wednesday, 16 September 2009
CEP welcomes the swelling recognition of the distinct identity and nationhood of the people of England
David Horspool's new book 'The English Rebel', (Viking Press 2009) recounting the history of fifteen hundred years of English radicalism, from the the time of the Abbess Hilda of Whitby down the centuries to the Peasants' Revolt and the Levellers to the present day and the opponents of the Poll Tax, has been warmly welcome by the Campaign for an English Parliament.
'This book speaks only of English men and women,' says Veronica Newman the Campaign's secretary in her August message to the CEP membership. 'It describes how radical and revolutionary the people of England has been and is. It asserts by implication that England is a separate and distinct nation within the United Kingdom.
'This book reclaims for the people of England the sparkling identity that is distinctly theirs. We must not forget how the BBC has used its dominant media position for the last 80 years to deny to England its existence and identity as a distinct and separate nation within the United Kingdom. This book celebrates England's glorious tradition of rebels which iculturally and politically has changed the whole world. It celebrates The Peasants' Revolt which asked that most revolutionary question: 'When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?' Colonel Rainsborough at a meeting of his fellow Levellers at St Mary's church in Putney during the Civil War making the statement which has reverberated ever since: 'Really I think that the poorest he that is in England has a life to live as the greatest he'. Thomas a Beckett challenging the unjust rule of a king even unto death. Robin Hood forced off his land into the greenwood. The Pilgrimage of Grace from the North marching with the banners in defence of their religous faith. The Suffragettes embracing imprisonment for women's rights. The Magna Carta in defence of basic freedoms which has been recognised and revered throughout history ever since.
'There have been of great noteworthy rebels through all human history,' says Veronica Newman. 'But this book is about English men and English women as a distinct people, not about anyone else. We have all been brought up in a society where the British political and cultural Establishment, particularly the BBC and characters like the present Prime Minister Gordon Brown, have done their level best to deny any recognition of England. But this book celebrates the English. The English are the people of England, anyone and everyone for whom England is their home, their future and their childen's future. This book is one of many statements now being made, now being shouted out loud and clear, that we have our own history and our own identity, constantly being reinvigorated and renewed, a distinct and vibrant part of the rich fabric that is the world.
'This book speaks only of English men and women,' says Veronica Newman the Campaign's secretary in her August message to the CEP membership. 'It describes how radical and revolutionary the people of England has been and is. It asserts by implication that England is a separate and distinct nation within the United Kingdom.
'This book reclaims for the people of England the sparkling identity that is distinctly theirs. We must not forget how the BBC has used its dominant media position for the last 80 years to deny to England its existence and identity as a distinct and separate nation within the United Kingdom. This book celebrates England's glorious tradition of rebels which iculturally and politically has changed the whole world. It celebrates The Peasants' Revolt which asked that most revolutionary question: 'When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?' Colonel Rainsborough at a meeting of his fellow Levellers at St Mary's church in Putney during the Civil War making the statement which has reverberated ever since: 'Really I think that the poorest he that is in England has a life to live as the greatest he'. Thomas a Beckett challenging the unjust rule of a king even unto death. Robin Hood forced off his land into the greenwood. The Pilgrimage of Grace from the North marching with the banners in defence of their religous faith. The Suffragettes embracing imprisonment for women's rights. The Magna Carta in defence of basic freedoms which has been recognised and revered throughout history ever since.
'There have been of great noteworthy rebels through all human history,' says Veronica Newman. 'But this book is about English men and English women as a distinct people, not about anyone else. We have all been brought up in a society where the British political and cultural Establishment, particularly the BBC and characters like the present Prime Minister Gordon Brown, have done their level best to deny any recognition of England. But this book celebrates the English. The English are the people of England, anyone and everyone for whom England is their home, their future and their childen's future. This book is one of many statements now being made, now being shouted out loud and clear, that we have our own history and our own identity, constantly being reinvigorated and renewed, a distinct and vibrant part of the rich fabric that is the world.
Saturday, 12 September 2009
What If
As the date of the second election on the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty by Ireland draws ever nearer bringing with it the possibility of a yes vote, it seems inconceivable that not one national daily newspaper or any other media source has highlighted the effects of a yes vote, and especially with all the troubles in Afghanistan how it could directly affect British foreign and defence policies.
If the Irish vote yes to the Lisbon Treaty it gives the green light for the EU to create its own president and foreign minister, a foreign minister who will be able to make foreign policy without a full British veto, and scraps 55 national vetoes outright, bringing up the question of how long the EU will allow us to go on acting in our own interests and how long we will be able to maintain our own separate position within NATO.
How can our government plan for and justify billions of pounds of English money being spent on our armed forces when there is a grey area on who will decide where those forces will be deployed and even brings into question whether we will be in sole command of them.
Although the British have usually supported American policies and looked on America as a friend, the same cannot always be said of the EU whose pressure must already be being felt; add an EU President and an EU Foreign Minister and its odds on the EU will put a strain on that relationship and all the talk on our future in Afghanistan or anywhere else for that matter could be taken out of our hands?
No written constitution or any other major constitutional changes should be seriously discussed until the people of the United Kingdom have been given a chance by referendum to decide whether they want to stay in or come out of the European Union because that is fundamental to any decisions we have to make, and it effects the very existence of the nation state.
David Cameron must be made to give us a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty whether the Irish vote yes or no.
If the Irish vote yes to the Lisbon Treaty it gives the green light for the EU to create its own president and foreign minister, a foreign minister who will be able to make foreign policy without a full British veto, and scraps 55 national vetoes outright, bringing up the question of how long the EU will allow us to go on acting in our own interests and how long we will be able to maintain our own separate position within NATO.
How can our government plan for and justify billions of pounds of English money being spent on our armed forces when there is a grey area on who will decide where those forces will be deployed and even brings into question whether we will be in sole command of them.
Although the British have usually supported American policies and looked on America as a friend, the same cannot always be said of the EU whose pressure must already be being felt; add an EU President and an EU Foreign Minister and its odds on the EU will put a strain on that relationship and all the talk on our future in Afghanistan or anywhere else for that matter could be taken out of our hands?
No written constitution or any other major constitutional changes should be seriously discussed until the people of the United Kingdom have been given a chance by referendum to decide whether they want to stay in or come out of the European Union because that is fundamental to any decisions we have to make, and it effects the very existence of the nation state.
David Cameron must be made to give us a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty whether the Irish vote yes or no.
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