Over the last week I gave a series of speeches, anticipating no Parliamentary business to attend to. It proved to be a very busy week with 2 unexpected trips to London and one to Chequers to pursue my Speak for England campaign and to attend the debate on the 3rd Iraqi war to fit in as well as the travel for the pre arranged speeches.
During the week I gave a speech to the British Legion entitled “Do we fight too many wars?”, a lecture to a Wiltshire School entitled “Speak for England” and a lecture on Saturday in Jersey at the new Jersey Institute entitled “The politics of identity”. I am expecting a video of the Jersey lecture and a transcript of the British Legion lecture which I will post as soon as they are available.
September 28, 2014
Just as well that you’re not doubling up as a member of the devolved English Parliament based somewhere near the centre of England, then.
Reply MY version for England lets us make our English decisions at Westminster.The problems arose this week because it was a week when Parliament was not going to meet at all, therefore a good week for travelling and speaking well out of London.
September 28, 2014
JR your version for England could well (with a few other U turns on IHT, tax, green drivel, the EU…..) win the election.
Alas the leadership still fails to grasp it.
September 29, 2014
Whereas my version for England would mean that people in England could point to the ministers in a devolved government of England as a separate and readily identifiable entity, being held to account by a separate devolved Parliament for England which they alone had elected, rather than wondering which minister in a UK government department might have been given responsibility for running that aspect of English affairs; and preferably they would no longer be pointing to the seat of the UK-wide government in London when they did that for anything which had been devolved to the English authorities.
September 28, 2014
Good, I am looking forward to listening to your views on the politics of identity.
Thanks
zorro
September 28, 2014
Busy , busy, busy, You won’t get that flutter of nerves before you speak. No time for a build up and slightly off the cuff.The principle of an English parliament for England probably won’t be contested and you will have an easy ride,yet you might find obstacles as to how it is to be set up .I agree with Dennis; a more central parliament would make the rest of us north of the Watford gap feel less annexed.
September 29, 2014
Please, not another parliament building, costing 5 times the budget and full of extra windbags spouting all day and on fat expenses and salaries. Just watch 5 minutes of the one in Edinburgh, if you can stand it.
September 30, 2014
Might as well shut down all our democratic institutions on that basis.