Devolution is seen by Labour as balm for a troubled state. The way they go about it it institutionalises the divisions and builds deep resentments.
The Blair government returned to Labour’s failed previous attempts to devolve power to a Scottish Parliament and a Welsh Assembly. Gorden Brown thought that would end the rise of nationalist parties in both countries. Labour out in a voting system designed to stop the SNP and Plaid ever gaining control. In my book The death of Britain? I pointed out the new elected bodies gave nationalist parties the perfect platform to build independence movements at to practice the politics of grievance. So it proved.
This new pro EU Labour leader wishes to resume with the EU agenda of breaking up England into EU style regions . These ride roughshod over counties and boroughs, the building blocks of English local government. They are tone deaf to local loyalties. Sunderland does not want to be governed from Newcastle, Exeter does not look to Bristol, the satellite towns to Manchester have different problems and outlooks to the city centre.
Worse still is the way devolution will be conducted. Many local rural and suburban communities want less development on greenfields but will not gain powers to achieve that. Many do nit want migrant hotels and hostels but will have to take them. Many want lower taxes by regional mayors just get powers to put taxes up and waste more money.
September 5, 2026
But it’s not really devolution is it. It’s regional government offices whos sole purpose is to implement government policy.
If powers were devolved then things like planning would be part of their remit . Setting of local property axes would be a devolved matter but it won’t be.
As you say, it’s just another EU initiative being slavishly followed by Westminster.
September 5, 2026
OT, with apologies
Faced with an unusual level of pressure from Russia’s friends China and India to end his 3-day Ukraine “special military operation” – now in it’s fifth year – the war criminal Putin started making noises at the Eastern Economic Forum on September 3, stating that, in his opinion, there is a chance that Russia and Ukraine can hold constructive peace talks.
We do not know exactly what was said during the recent, sudden, four-hour visit to Moscow by the director of the CIA, but Putin looked unusually uncomfortable
The foul-mouthed, obstreperous and refractory Russian “foreign minister” Sergei Lavrov also reiterated on September 3 Russian demands that equate to full Ukrainian capitulation, feigning willingness to negotiate by proposing the same maximalist demands that Ukraine could never agree to and has previously rejected
This is straight out of Putin’s workbook. First, under pressure he will feign interest in a peace deal. Later, he will set “conditions” which must be met before any negotiations can begin. Finally, in a few days time after another visit by his chum Trump’s “peace envoys” Witkopf and Kushner, he will announce “red lines” which will prevent any meaningful discussions about peace; lastly he will blame Ukraine for the failure of the “peace talks”
Ukraine is, wisely, taking all this Russian bullshit with a generous pinch of salt. Unknown actors reportedly attempted to assassinate Commander of the Russian 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division (Long Range Aviation, Russian Aerospace Forces) Major-General Nikolai Varpakhovich in Saratov Oblast on September 3. Russian law enforcement agencies told Russian business outlet Kommersant on September 3 that unknown actors shot an unspecified VKS officer in Engels, Saratov Oblast, on the morning of September 3 – while Putin was speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum.
Russian insider sources claim that Varpakhovich was the target, that he is currently in critical condition, and that authorities have not apprehended the assailant. The Saratov Oblast Investigative Committee have opened a criminal case for attempted murder. Ukraine’s Security Service charged Varpokhovich in absentia on August 31 for his involvement in the dreadful cruise missile strike against the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv City in July 2024.
This is, notably, the fourth assassination attempt on a Russian officer in rear areas since 1 August.
Ukrainian forces recently advanced in the Kupyansk, Novopavlivka, and Oleksandrivka directions. Source:- ISW
September 5, 2026
Indeed the country needs even more state sector and state sector waste like it needs a hole in the head.
The UK state sector needs to be halved in size at least. Very easy to do painlessly as so much of what the state does either does net harms like Covid Lockdowns, Covid “Vaccines”, folic acid, Net Zero, market rigging like the NHS, transport, education, energy, banking, housing… or it does little or no good and certainly far less good than the damage done taxing people to fund it.
September 5, 2026
More politicians and/or more money and/or power to politicians will be a disaster. Look at Birmingham, Woking, Thurrock, Slough, Nottingham, Guildford, Surrey, Scotland, Wales, NI… then look at things done by government the NHS, HS2, defence procurement, the Covid response, energy polices, transport policies, education policies…
September 5, 2026
Off topic but a big Brexit win for this business at least. We appear to have avoided a ridiculous 50% safeguarding duty which places a 50 percent duty on non EU steel products passing into the EU https://trade.ec.europa.eu/access-to-markets/en/news/new-eu-safeguards-steel-imports-third-countries
Unbelievably it applies equally to high quality Swiss steel products passing into France Germany etc. but not now into the UK..
September 5, 2026
Yes his type of devolution will filter out the “undesirable” elements like choosing who actually arrives in your devolved borough or how much tax they pay. It’s all mouth and no trousers (or perhaps that should be all eyebrows and no jacket!).
September 5, 2026
Still a reluctance here to acknowledge the real agenda with Labour’s ‘devolution’ plan. It’s not about Exeter being ruled from Newcastle or vice versa. It’s about both being subject to more power from Westminster, to impose agendas that Westminster wants.