A rambling  response to a very long winded post on OK.

It’s great to read something positive about Englishness coming from Mr Goodhart. Although I disagree with a lot that he’s saying.

“a minimum national sense of “being in this together” is still necessary to avoid long-term ethnic balkanisation and a small, low-tax state”.

Avoiding “ethnic balkanisation” would be good - have a word with some of the immigrants about it. The indigenous population are not responsible for all the problems of integration faced by immigrants. The onus is on them to fit in, and not the other way around. Freedom of speech for instance - is non negotiable - and anyone’s gods are fair game.

And why is it necessary to avoid a low tax state? Personally I think that is exactly what we should be aiming for. That doesn’t necessarily mean cut services - I’d like to see alternatives to paying cash to the state - as they only waste it once they have it.

It seems liberals want “redistribution of wealth and generous welfare”.
As far as I’m concerned; fair redistribution of wealth can only happen slowly and through better education and increased opportunities. Generous welfare robs people of the necessity to strive and improve themselves and as far as I can tell is perpetuating not removing the underclasses. That may suit the political and some of the under classes but it’s doing no-one in between any favours at all.

I’ve had a couple of extended periods of unemployment and the state helped me out.. So I am all for a safety net but not an extended lifestyle choice. I also object to people having 8 kids and expecting someone else to pay for them. Hello! Limited resources - use some contraception.

About England. Mr Goodhart asks…

“Britain has been an extremely successful multinational state. Personally, I would be sad to see it go. Moreover, if it ain’t broke…Surely the English are big enough to live with some small representational and public spending biases in favour of the small nations of the United Kindgdom. What exactly are English interests? And how are they being suppressed? (And one could ask the same of Scotland.)”

I’d be like to see the UK replaced with a council of the Isles - one where England gets to sit at the table.

If it ain’t broke? But it is broke - and new labour broke it with the way they tackled devolution.

Devolution has left England ruled by a man making laws that don’t even apply to his own constituents. No mandate Brown has to bleat “Britain” and “our Country” from when he wakes up to when the mercy of sleep takes him. England. He dare not speak its name.

Then the state weighs our lives on crooked scales. There may be a case for slightly more funding per person in remote areas but no way is a Scottish life worth so much more than an English or Welsh one. The Barnett Formula is an insult to 50 million English people.

Then there’s how inequitable funding manifests; better drug availability, lower or no prescription charges, smaller classroom sizes, care for the elderly etc. I’d not deny these benefits to the Scots or Welsh or Irish - good on them! The English should have the same too - but there’s no-one talking for us.

England is big. Big enough that it doesn’t have to put up with the British Governments warped sense of justice and its delusions of global significance.

We need an English Parliament that speaks for us. But let’s not be half hearted about it - let’s reform parliament while we’re at it. Make parliament and the civil service and the military smaller and more flexible - lets make waste history starting at the top - and for gods sake lets get rid of the political parties and vote for people instead.

Like he says an EP “would make the UK parliament increasingly residual and thus erode the political bond between England and Scotland.”

Let’s say farewell to those political bonds then, and say bon voyage. When the political bonds are broken we will still be neighbours and before long we will find a new level of friendship and co-operation between the ex-home nations.

Who knows how far it could spread?

Home rule for England.

Tags: England

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