Independence for England

[raysparx]

Now that Scotland & Wales have there own assemblies,when can we stop there MPs having a vote in London ,and can England now claim to be independant, London seems to be run by scots can we deport them?

[Kathyan]

I read in the paper today that England will never get it's own parliament because it would lead to the break up of the UK. I agree with you though, Scottish and Welsh MPs should not be allowed to vote on English matters!

[Drisgirl]

I wasnt aware that Scottish or Welsh MP's voted on English matters.Westminster is the seat of the Government and all MP's vote on National issues.

Do you not have your Councils in England?They generally deal with mundane things that our assemblies deal with.You have your own legal system in England.You also run your own Health Trusts.

There is nothing different in Scotland as far as I can see.The representatives are called MSP's.

Dont you think that perhaps it would be less manageable to have one Executive in England given the size of your population?

We dont have an advantage - we still pay the same Taxes as the rest of the UK,same National Insurance contribution,receive the same pensions,benefits ets.Adhere to the same Budget.

In saying all that - I suspect this a bit of a wind-up:)

[Drisgirl]

Sorry Ray - just thought of something.Its not right our Executive were able to vote on the smoking ban in Scotland - but all MP's had their vote on the smoking ban in Westminster which affected England - so there would be anomolies and I agree that is not fair.I just cant see a way round this - in allowing England to be able to vote for the example just given.We are not independant however and I think the majority of Welsh Scots and Irish would rather we were to a certain extent - please remember N.Ireland have their own assembly as well.

[THECORBYLOON]

raysparx I thought London was run by the Mayor of London and the 25 elected members of the London Assembly, how many of them are Scots then?

[noxlumos]

You'd never guess we did though Drisgirl. Lol

[Drisgirl]

Thanks for that TCL and nox.I feel in the wilderness at times trying to get through the difference.Notice its always the Scottish who get it in the neck:)

[Dom Tuk]

The education bill affects the people of England and is applicable only to England. Lord Falconer (who famously changed his advice on the Iraq war) says that allowing onlt the English MPs to vote for the education bill should not be allowed as it wrecks things. Now that is not a legal judgement (as a lord chancellor has to make) that he has made but a political one as he knows (as do his masters), that they need the help of welsh and scottish MPs to get the bill through. This govt and its cronies have no shame.

[Lonnie]

Do we still have an England, if you look at forms for ethnic origins, you can't put down that your English, we have an England football team, Cricket team, and speak English, but on official forms, we don't exist.

[Drisgirl]

Lonnie - of course there is an England.What do you think we speak in the rest of the UK.Please dont let this get silly because I think as a Scot that there are issues which we as a devolved parliament deal with-without the aid of Westminster but I also agree there are issues that MP's in the whole of UK have rights to vote on which only affect England.That is not fair.Dont lobby the rest of the UK ie Wales Scotland and N.Ireland.Lobby your MP and perhaps if enough of you do it then they might sit up and take notice.

I must re-iterate though - you are not being cheated.We do adhere to the Taxes etc which help to run the nation.We always have-we always have had our own legal system and education system All thats happened is that it is managed through the auspices of a devolved parliament.I do see your gripe - but I dont think it should be against the other nations which make up the UK.

[Drisgirl]

Sorry - meant disagree Lonnie.

Dom Tuk - you are quite right.We have no business voting on your Education system when we have our own.What can we do about it-only English people can lobby about blatant discrepencies.We obviously did and ultimately it worked - but they dont have the power you think -everything had been in place for years and no-one noticed.

[Lonnie]

Drisgirl, i'm not being silly, let me give you a couple of personal examples, I have a handicapped daughter, we had to fill in some forms for the Social Services, one section was Nationality, we put down English, as she is, we were told that that wasn't allowed, I queried it, and was that if she was Scottish or Welsh, that would have been allowed, but the young lady couldn't give me any further explanation, my daughter wasn't alloed to be English.

Also, I work for a large equal oppertunities firm, and every so often, we have to fill in forms on Ethneticity, again, most other nationalities are there, but not English, White British is ok, but English is not allowed.

I know your Scottish, but get in touch with Social Services accross the border, and check, I think you'll find i'm right.

[noxlumos]

Hi, yeah, Lonnie I do get your point, since I consider myself to be Irish, yet I was born in what is technically known as Northern Ireland and am therefore officially British or part of the UK even though I don't personally recognise that. Wherever you have people trying to organise things that suit the majority and make things efficient you'll get discrepensies and some people will never be happy but I think realistically it's something we all just have to put up with. Of course you are English, just like I am Irish, no amount of anyone saying we are British diminishes what we really are, it's all just labels used for convenience by most people.Even when people describe me as being British I no longer bother to correct them even though it does grate on me, because I know they are only doing so, so we all have a simple workable system.

[Drisgirl]

Lonnie - you are right - I always put down Scottish and I have never been challenged.

I really didnt mean you were silly its just as you know those posts sometimes degenerate - I probably worded it wrongly me being me.

I dont understand why you cant put English as your nationality - thats another anomoly.

[raysparx]

Hello THECORBYLOON, I didn't mean London as In London. I mean the Government which is based in the Capital. If scotland want that idiot Gordon Brown back PLEASE take him. I believe even the prat at the helm MR BLAIR has scottish roots (correct me if I am wrong)!

As for the mayor of London - Any suggestions on what we should do with him gratefully received

[bernardo]

I am a unionist and I do not want an English Parliament. I want to be ruled by the UK House of Commons.

[Marky B]

What was wrong with having one parliament? The money spent on parliaments in Scotland and Wales,should have been spent on more important things throughout the entire kingdom. Also,thankfully John Prescott's idea of regional assemblies got a big kick up its backside after my fellow northeasterners gave it a thumbs down,thus rejecting more wasted money.

Ta Ta

Marky B

[noxlumos]

The problem is marky B that not everyone feels that way.The Uk is made up of England who invaded and occupied Wales, England who invaded and occupied Scotland, England who invaded and occupied Ireland......get my drift?Some people from Scotland, Ireland and Wales want to regain as much independance as is possible and have unique problems in their countries that frankly Westminster hasn't got a clue about. It's all about cultural identity and local knowledge.

[spacechimp]

I believe that the Republic of Ireland (which wants to be independent) is independent. Northern Ireland (which wants to remain in the United Kingdom) remains in the United Kingdom. Only a minority of people in Scotland want to be independent (also, it was when a Scottish king ascended the English throne that the two countries merged). The Welsh, I believe, amost universally want to remain in the United Kingdom. Added to that the fact that Scotland and Wales couldn't really survive on their own anyway, the breakup of the United Kingdom isn't likely.

[THECORBYLOON]

nox if you don't like being called British, why do you not apply for an Irish passport?

[raysparx]

I only asked the question to get a reaction,I am English but for the past 26 years I have lived in North Wales,and I love it here, As for the Welsh assembly I see it as a toothless Tiger it is to me ,a patronising gesture and a complete wasre of time and money,I can't see that it has helped the part of wales that I live in any more Than the idiots in London did, I also wonder what is the real reason behind allowing the assemblies,is it so that they can **** it up and Parliament sorts it out or a genuine attempt at self governing ?

I don't think that Wales,Scotland or Northern Ireland can seriously self manage, or am i completely wrong on this? and whether any of the above dislike being British and Having the Queen as head of state, TOUGH you are British so you have to put up with it, even Dafydd Ellis Thomas swore allegiance to the crown when he took a Knighthood,they really are all the same, looking after themselves first