Over the past few days there's been a dawning realisation that Labour's plans for English devolution might be an attack on local democracy. The Times warned us that ministers are drawing up plans to promise more powers for England's county councils in exchange for the abolition of district councils. According to the Times, district councils … Continue reading Today “regional” is merely code for central direction
Tag: 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
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
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
Segmented Branding and the Negation of England
As previously noted, the Labour Party has a flag problem, with some Labour MPs rejecting the party's campaign material because it is plastered with Union flags. In light of some of the comments this story has generated, I wanted to say a bit more on this. One MP 'queried why the party could not use “segmented branding” … Continue reading Segmented Branding and the Negation of England
English Commonwealth 