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
On this Day in History: Gerrard Winstanley
On 1st April, 1649, Gerrard Winstanley, a prominent figure in the English Civil War period and a leader of the Diggers movement, took significant action to challenge the prevailing land ownership system in England. The Diggers, also known as True Levellers, were a group of agrarian communists who advocated for the common ownership of land … Continue reading On this Day in History: Gerrard Winstanley
The Labour Party has flag problem
Labour Party activists in England have complained about the Union Flags plastered all over the party literature that is being distributed prior to the English local and mayoral election on 2nd May. They worry that British and Minority Ethnic (BAME) voters might associate it with the far right. Some commentators, however, took to Twitter to point out … Continue reading The Labour Party has flag problem
English Commonwealth 