In an open letter to the Guardian last month, a group of democracy campaigners called on the government to announce a timeline for public consultation over House of Lords reform. We’re calling on the government to deliver on its manifesto promise of a proper consultation on the future of the Lords, including via a representative citizens’ assembly, … Continue reading Labour must keep its promise to consult on the future of the House of Lords
Author: English Commonwealth
English Commonwealth is a web-based campaign that seeks to promote England as a discrete nation and source of political identity and citizenship in its own right.
Flag Flying at Westminster
Westminster is often referred to as the English parliament but if that's the case then England must be the only nation on earth that doesn't have its national flag flying over its parliament. With this in mind I wrote to the Black Rod's Office and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in 2004 … Continue reading Flag Flying at Westminster
The Upper West Lothian Question
You're probably all familiar with the term 'West Lothian Question'. It was first coined in 1977 by Enoch Powell in response to Tam Dayell repeatedly raising the point that a legislative Scottish assembly would create the unacceptable situation in which English Members at Westminster would be prevented from voting on Scottish health, education and other … Continue reading The Upper West Lothian Question
Home Rule for England
The photos below were taken following Power 2010.The Power2010 stunt was to publicise the release of their St George's Day 2010 press release which revealed that 68% agree with the statement: "England should have its own parliament with similar powers to those of the Scottish Parliament".The projection didn't last long because the police turned up and … Continue reading Home Rule for England
Secretary of State for England
An announcement from the new Secretary of State for England: Sadly, this is not real. It's a work of fiction based on a blog post from Jim Murphy upon his appointment as Secretary of State for Scotland. It's almost impossible to imagine a politician talking about England in the terms Murphy does about Scotland, but it shouldn't … Continue reading Secretary of State for England
Frank Field: The Strange Death of Labour England?: Revisiting Bagehot’s English Constitution
To mark the death of former Labour MP Frank Field on St George's Day 2024, we are republishing his Chancellor's Lecture to the University of Hertfordshire. At Westminster, Frank was a tireless campaigner for an English parliament and something of a lone voice on the Labour benches when it came to speaking for England's sense … Continue reading Frank Field: The Strange Death of Labour England?: Revisiting Bagehot’s English Constitution
Labour is the party of English patriotism
The build-up to St George's Day 2024 was a busy one for Keir Starmer. His first offering was an article proclaiming Labour to be the true party of English patriotism. I’m proud to be English precisely because it’s a place where we can disagree – whether that’s a debate in the House of Commons or in the … Continue reading Labour is the party of English patriotism
The Leaders Speeches
Rishi Sunak's leader's speech at the 2023 Conservative Conference in Manchester lasted over an hour, but in all that time he only mentioned England once. Family matters, and as proud Conservatives we should never be afraid to say that. And there's another family that matters to us all, our family of nations: England, Scotland, Wales and … Continue reading The Leaders Speeches
Anglocentric Britishness
As previously noted on this website, the Union Flag is front and centre on Labour's campaign literature in England, while in Scotland and Wales the national flags of those nations are prioritised. David Lammy wrote a piece for The Sun outlining why Labour is proud to fly the Union Flag. While Lammy's reasons for Labour's flying of … Continue reading Anglocentric Britishness
Caroline Lucas comes out in favour of an English Parliament
In a review of Caroline Lucas' upcoming book, Another England (released on 18th April), the Independent reveals that Lucas 'argues for nothing less than an English parliament'. We probably have to go back to Frank Field to find an MP on the Left (vaguely on the Left in the case of Field) who has supported the case for an English parliament. … Continue reading Caroline Lucas comes out in favour of an English Parliament
