Buzzards over Beacon Hill near Ilminster, South Somerset.

On Christmas Eve the rain stopped, the wind abated and the skies cleared for a while, so I went for a stroll in Dillington Park and on to Beacon Hill just outside Ilminster.  I used the gently sloping cycle path from Bay Hill to walk up to the park.  The path starts between two Lodge Gatehouses and is not difficult to spot.  Finding somewhere to park for more than an hour or two in Ilminster is not easy, although the town does have ample pay and display car parking.

The town was one of those fortified as "ant-tank islands" on the WW2 Taunton to Axmouth "stop-line", a defensive line designed to block any German advance from beachheads further to the west.  A pill-box and dragons teeth can still be found in Dillington Park Drive, on the eastern outskirts of Ilminster, in a position to cover the old A303 London Road.

On Beacon Hill, near another pill-box, I saw three buzzards circling overhead in clear blue sky.  I had my camera with me so took some pictures.


Buzzard over Beacon Hill, near Ilminster in South Somerset.

England's politicians must be affilliated to National (ENGLISH) parties.

A guest post by R.A.Hopkins.


It is beyond belief that a recent press headline read “Jeremy Corbyn needs to learn to love England".

In what other country in the democratic world would any nation's MP, leave alone a party leader, have to “learn” to love the country and its electorate that he purports to represent?    

Mr. Corbyn along with some 530 MPs owes his total political existence and allegiance to England's electorate - he should not have to be told he is there to put his country and its people first.   

However he is not alone in needing such advice for, from David Cameron down, legions of English MPs are no champions of England and its people - they would not last 2 minutes  in a proper democracy.

Love of one’s country and promotion of national interests is in the "DNA" of all patriotic politicians affiliated to their own national parties as they are in Scotland, Wales Northern Ireland and in democracies worldwide.  

By contrast England's inhabitants suffer tragic political misrepresentation having MPs (and MEPs) still affiliated to incongruous non- national “UK main parties”- they are not on our side.         

Since 1999 Devolution the so-called “UK" Westminster government has been in charge of only-

(A) UK  Non-devolved matters mainly defence, foreign affairs, taxation etc. - in reality Mr. Cameron is  full “UK” Prime Minister only of these functions and

(B)England Only (EO) matters i.e. encompassing all other political functions devolved to self-governing Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in 1999 and being some 85% of Westminster’s governance.         Effectively Mr. Cameron is England’s “first minister” of all EO matters and along with some 530 English MPs is charged to champion the national interests of England inhabitants therein.

Yet Westminster grossly is failing England's inhabitants burdening us with "£9000 tuition fees, mass immigration, housing (NPPF), Barnett, devolution settlements etc. - the list is endless.  

Since 1999 the post Devolution governments of Blair, Brown and Cameron (another BBC plot?) have put the interests of their obsolete "UK" parties before that of England and its people. 

There has been no reason for the incongruous nondescript “UK main parties” i.e. Conservatives, Labour party, Lib-Dem party to exist in a post devolution world - they are not fit for England’s purpose.        

The writing is on the wall England must now join the real democratic world become a proper democracy with our MPs (and MEPs) affiliated to national English parties i.e. - English Conservatives, English Labour, English Democrats etc.     

Only then will England's MPs (and MEPs) “learn” to love and promote the national interests of the country and people who they are elected and paid to represent - they owe their country big-time. 

A shorter version of this article was published as a letter in the Western Daily Press on November 9th.
 

Axmouth Harbour, Seaton Bay on the Devonshire Coast.

On recent very breezy December day, just after storm Desmond or was it Clodagh, I can’t remember which, I decided to take a stroll by the sea.  Seaton on the Devonshire coast is only about 10 miles from the border with Somerset so off I went down the A358.  The road follows, roughly, the old World War Two Taunton stop-line, a defence line built in 1940/41 to counter any German advance from beachheads to the west.  It’s remarkable that so many old pill-boxes, gun emplacements and dragon’s teeth survive.  They can be seen here and there all the way to Axmouth – if you know where to look.

I parked on the sea front at Seaton – free at this time of year – and headed east along the pebble beach past the Axe Yacht Club toward the seaward end of Axmouth Harbour. The tide was coming in and the sea was quite rough with a strong south west wind whipping up the waves.  Some hardy souls were walking their dogs along the shoreline, not sure I would have done the same with my old dog – if she was still around.  Although I enjoyed the walk the air was not as fresh as I had hoped, in fact it seemed a bit damp.  I could see why when looking back across Seaton Bay.  The very strong wind was whipping up the spray from the breaking waves and creating a light mist – not the best conditions for asthmatics like me.  Nevertheless, it was a bright day with lots of blue sky and I had my camera with me so was able to take some photos.  



Outside Axmouth Harbour in Seaton Bay the sea was noisy and turbulent.



Inside Axmouth Harbour all was tranquil.

Over time, storms and the movement of shingle eastward along the beach from Seaton have caused changes to the Axe estuary mouth.  Today the river inlet is not as wide and deep as it was from the Iron Age to the Middle Ages when it had the most important harbour in the West of England.  In the sixteenth century Axmouth Harbour accounted for one sixth of Devonshire’s trade and improvements in the nineteenth century allowed cargo ships of up to 100 tons to use the harbour.  Today it is used only by pleasure craft and fishing boats.

MPs blamed as callous Westminster desecrates England's green and pleasant land while National Planning Policy Framework causes chaos.

A view from Gloucestershire in this letter published in the Western Daily Press on December 12th.  I am sure R.A.Hopkins speaks for all English patriots and those who cherish the unique beauty and character of the English countryside.

War raging over the English countryside.
England is a country at “war” with its own MPs affiliated to so-called incongruous “UK main parties” – they exist only in England. Concerned people all over the country are up in arms as a callous Westminster desecrates our “green and pleasant land” with millions of houses.

Blame rests with England’s 530 MPs who approved Westminster’s crass National Planning Policy Framework turning England’s planning system into chaos.

Though constituencies may have the support of their MP in the fight against local desecration party loyalty comes first so they merely “rearrange the deckchairs”.

So called “UK main parties” have no primary allegiance to the country nor people of England so why are we still having to vote for MPs affiliated to such incongruous parties?

England is the only country in the democratic world whose MPs are not affiliated to national political parties – and it shows. By contrast self-governing Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland cherish their countryside championed by MPs (and MEPs) affiliated to their own main national parties.

England is the third most densely populated country on earth with 407 people per square kilometre so it needs more people like “a hole in the head”.

Our political representatives are not building “Jerusalem” in England’s green and pleasant land they are the agents of its destruction.

England must join the real democratic world with our 530 MPs (and MEPs) affiliated to national main parties – English Labour, English Conservatives, English Democrats etc. Only then we will have a government that is “on our side” – perhaps for the first time since the act of Union in 1707.

R A Hopkins

Leckhampton, Gloucestershire

Oldham West and Royton by-election result. A view from Robert Craig of The Saxish Home Rule Party.

Being an English patriot I obviously do not support Robert Craig of The Saxish Home Rule Party/League when he calls for the breakup of England into 3 regions; Saxland, a London Region and an English Region confined to an area north of a line roughly from The Wash to the Mouth of the Severn.

Be that as it may, Mr Craig's analysis of the Oldham West and Royton by-election, published in the Letters column of the Western Daily Press on December 5th,  makes interesting reading, especially his comments on UKIP. 

UKIP failed because it's a one-trick pony.
In the Oldham West and Royton by-election on Thursday, Labour swept to a conclusive victory defeating the Ukip challenge with massive majority in the first poll test of Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour leadership.

It was a convincing endorsement of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership following the Commons vote on air strikes in Syria and an overwhelming defeat for Nigel Farage’s party which came in as a poor second.

Ukip has passed its sell-by date and is on its way out. It is a one-trick pony and that trick has a fatal flaw which is revealed in its name. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland receive largesse from the EU, the City of London is intimately involved with the EU and depends on EU membership to convince overseas investors to trust it.

It might be possible to cobble together a small majority to leave the EU within England, but not within the UK as a whole. The English Democrats’ aim of extracting an independent England from the EU is just about achievable, Ukip’s aim of taking the UK out of the EU intact is not. That flaw is why Ukip will fail.

Robert Craig

The Saxish Home Rule Party

"Political Correctness" - an evil to be confronted and defeated.

A guest post by Clive Lavelle of the English Democrats.

If we are to enjoy true democracy, there has to be debate and no subject should be off-limits. “Freedom of Speech” should be just that; freedom to express an opinion on any matter regardless of how contentious or even distasteful others may find it.

There are, of course, certain proper limitations on Freedom of Speech; defamation being an example. There is, however, an insidious limiter of our Freedom of Speech under whose tyrannical rule we have, to a lesser or greater extent, all succumbed.

The Tyrant’s name? Political Correctness.

Political Correctness hides behind a (seemingly philanthropic) smokescreen of not wanting to “offend” people, (individuals or groups). However, its true purpose is simply to stifle debate.

By creating a myriad of groups and ways in which to “offend” them, the Politically Correct have also created a minefield that makes ordinary folk fearful of expressing a point of view that may “give offence”.

The source of the fear? Assorted labels that the Politically Correct apply to dissenters. Most of these end in either “ist” or “phobe”, and include, “extremist”, “homophobe”, “islamophobe” and, of course, their Ace of Spades, “racist”. Nobody wants to have any of these labels (and particularly, “racist “) applied to them, so most folk endeavour to ensure that their language is “PC”.

The consequence? The Politically Correct no longer need to formulate an argument. All they need to say is, “You don’t need to listen to him, and he’s a Racist.” Or, “Don’t listen to her, she’s a Homophobe.” It matters nothing that an argument has been carefully formulated; if it’s not PC, you needn’t listen.

One final PC epithet that must be mentioned is “Bigot”. Anyone who dares to express a point of view on, say, immigration, that isn’t entirely favourable, risks being labelled a “Racist” or a “Bigot” or both.

A bigot is someone who believes that the only valid opinion is his own. The Politically Correct believe that the only opinions that are valid, are theirs, and woe betide anyone who dares to express another. Funny, that! The people who call everyone else “bigots” are actually the ones who will not tolerate any other point of view.

Clive Lavelle was the English Democrats' candidate for Weston-super-Mare in the 2015 General Election.


 

Corbyn's Labour victorious in Oldham West and Royton by-election as UKIP stall. A view from Robin Tilbrook, Chairman of the English Democrats.

Robin Tilbrook, Chairman of the English Democrats, said today:

"Despite having a clear run left for them by the English Democrats, UKIP have failed (again) to beat Corbyn’s Labour in Oldham. UKIP have 'shot their bolt'!

The English Democrats left the field clear for UKIP insurgents to do as well as possible in Oldham.  Despite Labour’s new Leader making it clear that he was very much of the unpatriotic Far Left, nevertheless UKIP was unable to make the breakthrough.

 

This was even with all UKIP's tremendous campaigning efforts and its £100,000 campaign spend.  UKIP’s "Believe in Britain" and "British" Eurosceptic message failed to resonate sufficiently with Oldham's patriotic English voters.

 

It is now increasingly clear that UKIP’s time has come and gone. UKIP’s shelf life is limited in any case to the end of 2017, by which time the EU Referendum would have been decided and UKIP’s sole purpose will have either been endorsed or rejected by the electorate of the United Kingdom.

 

It was sadly all too predictable that UKIP’s insurgency in Oldham would fail, given UKIP’s failure to become an English nationalist party and its leadership’s obsession with increasingly old-fashioned and irrelevant Britishness.

  

UKIP’s shelf life is now approaching the end, as once the EU Referendum has come and gone, before the end of 2017, UKIP’s sole purpose will have ended.  I am now looking forward to the day when the rising sense of English nationalism is politically and culturally centre stage - from 2018 onwards!”

This by-election result supports my view that Jeremy Corbyn is not so unpopular in Labour's heartlands as some media commentators and pundits would have us believe.

Mr Corbyn is no crusader for English nationhood or Englishness.  However, whether you agree with him or not, you know where he stands and that he sticks to his beliefs - an attribute which is rare in the British political establishment. 

Brexit will lead to Armageddon? English Democrats highlight insidious scare tactics.

A letter from Clive Lavelle of the English Democrats in the Western Daily Press on November 20th.

Irish encouraged to stay within the EU
The tactic of the "yes"(stay-in) campaign for the forthcoming Euro-referendum is to paint a near-Armageddon picture of England outside of the European Union.

We're told that if we leave, we'll lose our influence in Europe. I didn't know we had any.  Alternatively, it's, if we leave the union, we'll all end up unemployed.

I read in Monday's Irish Post that Enda Kenny, Ireland's Taoiseach, is weighing in to a debate that's none of his business, by saying he will exhort Irish people living in England to vote "yes".  This, not because of any benefit that might accrue to England, but because a "no" vote might be to the detriment of Ireland.

There was also a suggestion that a "no" vote might jeopardise the Northern Ireland peace process.  This has to be the most insidious scare tactic to date.

Clive Lavelle
Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.

Clatworthy Reservoir in the Brendon Hills, West Somerset.

One weekday last August I decided to pay a first visit to Clatworthy Reservoir, the smaller of the two reservoirs in the Brendon Hills.

Clatworthy is reasonably well signposted from Wiveliscombe so I followed the country lanes via Langley Marsh, Maundown and the prettily named Huish Champflower: Huish is a Saxon word meaning lands or household while Champflower is the name of the family which owned the lands in the 12th century.  It was a slow but enjoyable drive, twisting up and down hills through, in places, very narrow lanes.  When I arrived just after midday at the spacious free car park, which is on a hill overlooking the dam, it was very peaceful with only a handful of cars dotted around.

The reservoir, run by Wessex Water, takes its inflow from the River Tone and is 130 acres in area with a capacity of 5,364 million litres.  It was inaugurated by H.R.H. Princess Alexandra of Kent on the 6th July 1961.  The settlement of Syndercombe, mentioned in the Domesday Book, was flooded on the creation of the reservoir.

Clatworthy Reservoir viewed from the car park. 

For walkers - no dogs allowed - there is a footpath around the 5 mile perimeter of the reservoir.  I decided to walk down the hill and cross the dam to the wooded hill on the far side.  Unfortunately, as an asthmatic, this was a bad choice as by the time I had negotiated the zigzag path up the hill I was too worn out to go further.  Next time I visit I will try the clockwise route as it appears to follow more level ground although I don't envisage walking the whole circuit: the hills seem to be a bit too demanding.

The fish farm with its trout ponds below the dam.

Independence for Scotland? Yes please - it will bring on English independence and an English Parliament.

A letter in the Western Morning News 20th November.

Bring on English independence.

I recall that the SNP once followed a self-imposed policy of not voting in the Westminster Parliament on "England-only" matters.  Things have changed, now it seems policies for England on subjects ranging from fox-hunting to Sunday trading have, in the SNP's view, an effect on people in Scotland.
 

The reason for this change of thought by the SNP is understandable.  To further their campaign for independence they are determined to interfere, whenever the opportunity arises, in the domestic affairs of England and cause as much disruption and annoyance to English political decision making as possible.  I say bring on independence - English independence!

S.W.
English Democrats, Somerset

"Jeremy Corbyn needs to learn to love England". A headline beyond belief.

As R.A.Hopkins points out in his letter published in the Western Daily Press on November 9th it is not just Jeremy Corbyn who needs to learn to learn to love England.

English parties must become nationalist.
It is beyond belief that a recent press headline read “Jeremy Corbyn needs to learn to love England”. In what other country in the democratic world would any nation’s MP, leave alone a party leader, have to “learn” to love the country and its electorate that he purports to represent?

However he is not alone in needing such advice for, from David Cameron down, legions of English MPs are no champions of England and its people.

Love of one’s country and promotion of national interests is in the “DNA” of all patriotic politicians affiliated to their own national parties as they are in Scotland, Wales Northern Ireland and in democracies worldwide. .

Since 1999 the post Devolution governments of Blair, Brown and Cameron have put the interests of their obsolete “UK” parties before that of England and its people.

The writing is on the wall – England must now join the real democratic world with our MPs (and MEPs) affiliated to national English parties.

R A Hopkins

Leckhampton, Gloucestershire

Over 70 years ago George Orwell wrote: "England is perhaps the only great country whose intellectuals are ashamed of their own nationality. In left-wing circles it is always felt that there is something slightly disgraceful in being an Englishman and that it is a duty to snigger at every English institution, from horse racing to suet puddings. It is a strange fact, but it is unquestionably true that almost any English intellectual would feel more ashamed of standing to attention during God save the King than of stealing from a poor box".  This still rings true today!

Political appointments and reform of the House of Lords. A letter in the Western Daily Press.

In my view the burgeoning House of Lords, largely made up of party donors, cronies and former MPs, should be abolished entirely.  Why have a second chamber to "scrutinise and revise" the work of the House of Commons?  After all if members in the Commons fail to do their job properly and introduce bad legislation they can be voted out of office.

However, if there must be a House of Lords this letter from Robert Craig, published in the Western Daily Press on November 7th, includes a reasonable suggestion of how to create one.

Lords reform should focus on parties.
Political appointments to the House of Lords should be in proportion to the number of votes cast for parties at the previous general election. That would lead to the presence of parties not currently represented in the Lords such as the Greens, the English Democrats and Ukip, without increasing the number of Lords.

One might have thought that Stuart Eels ( Western Daily Press November 3) would welcome the existence of Ukip as a party (rather than individuals) in the Lords, and a reduction in the vastly inflated number of Liberal Democrats whose party was rejected by the British people in last May's general election.

On the subject of the EU, Colin Fountain, in the same edition, referred to how Malta ignores EU law on hunting and trapping leading to the massacre of migrating turtle doves and other small birds, pushing them towards extinction. The British government, as a member of the EU, must be conniving at Malta's illegal actions. Over-fishing of sand eels in the North Sea has led to worrying declines in puffin numbers. This would appear to be a another failure by the EU and the UK government.

Six years ago David Cameron told the electorate to vote Blue and get Green. It is hard to see any evidence of him honouring that declaration.

Robert Craig

The Saxish Home Rule League

English Votes on English Laws (Evel) is meaningless. It does not answer the West Lothian question.

Clive Lavelle of the English Democrats had this letter published in the Western Daily Press on November 14th.  He points out the inadequacy of English Votes on English Laws.

Evel is not answer to British problem.

I am no fan of the idea of relaxing Sunday trading restrictions.

However, a government proposal to do just that in England has been scuppered by none other than the Scottish National Party.

It feared that if the proposal were implemented, wages in Scotland might be driven down.

This demonstrates two things. The first is that SNP politicians in the UK parliament are there, not for the benefit of the UK, but for that of Scotland. Secondly, English Votes on English Laws (Evel) is meaningless. Despite this being an England-only issue, the Scots blew it out of the water.

This is because Evel is entirely negative. Under Evel, British MPs sitting for English constituencies can only veto legislation affecting England alone. It does not prevent Scottish MPs vetoing such legislation.

Evel has been billed as the answer to the English (aka the West Lothian) question. It clearly is not. Only an English parliament can answer that question.

Clive Lavelle.

Weston-super-Mare English Democrats.

I recall that the SNP once had a policy of voting in the Westminster Parliament only when an issue impacted on Scotland.  Now it seems policies in England on matters ranging from fox-hunting to Sunday trading have, in the SNP's view, an effect on people in Scotland.  The reason for this change of thought by the SNP is understandable and obvious.  In order to further their cause of independence they are determined to interfere, whenever the opportunity arises, in the domestic affairs of England and cause as much disruption, mischief and annoyance to English political decision making as possible.  I say bring on independence - English independence!

Beacon Batch and Black Down on the Mendip Hills in Somerset. Their link with the Bristol Blitz of 1940/41.

Beacon Batch on Black Down is, at 1068 feet, the highest point in the Mendip Hills. 

The most convenient place from which to approach Black Down is the car park adjacent to Burrington Ham on the B3134.  Cross the road, with care, and make your way left, then take the track to your right which goes past Ellick House and leads on to a gate which gives access to the northern slopes of Black Down.

I usually follow the diagonal path up towards Beacon Batch and the trig point.  This route is easier going but takes time: I find I am forever stopping to enjoy the magnificent view - carrying binoculars is recommended!

Black Down is crossed by a number of footpaths so an OS map is handy if you prefer walking and exploring rather than taking in the spectacular scenery.

Black Down viewed from Burrington Ham.

The link to the Bristol Blitz of 1940/41.

The first heavy raid on Bristol occurred on the night of 23rd/24th November 1940.  Subsequently, over the next six months, the city was frequently targeted by the Germans.

As part of Bristol's air defence system Black Down was chosen as a "Starfish" site: an area laid out with suitably lit fires and lighting to simulate a city under night bombing attack.  It was hoped that such sites would decoy Luftwaffe bomber crews away from their real target.  Those hopes were realised at the end of 1940 when the first bombs fell on Black Down and in the following January the site attracted over 1,000 incendiaries. The nearby Starfish sites at Chew Magna and Downside also proved successful.

My late mother described the site on Black Down in action as: " looking very pretty, just like twinkling fairy lights".  Twelve years old in 1940, she spent most of the next decade staying with relatives at Lye Hole and Redhill, just north of the Mendips, and with a fine view of Black Down.  She and my grandparents had the roof of their home in South Bristol badly damaged by a "near miss" early on in the Bristol Blitz.  It was fortunate that my grandmother came from a farming family with a spacious farmhouse in Lye Hole where safe refuge was at hand.


The view north from Black Down. Blagdon Lake is in the foreground with the village of Butcombe just beyond.  Bristol can be seen to the top left, most of the city is hidden by Dundry Hill.   

Saved by the Russians?

Between August 1940 and June 1941 Bristol was the fifth most heavily bombed city in Britain.  In late spring of 1941 the heaviest raids were over as the Luftwaffe's bomber groups began moving east in preparation for the German invasion of Russia.  From the autumn of 1941 the Germans faced determined and steadily mounting Russian resistance.  Under increasing pressure the Luftwaffe was never again able to gather enough bombers to mount air assaults on England of the same scale as 1940/41.

The EVEL debate. The English Democrats are happy! Robin Tilbrook in the Western Daily Press.

Robin Tilbrook, Chairman of the English Democrats, was published in the letters column of the Western Daily Press on the 26th October.

England campaign is starting to bear fruit.

The English Democrats are happy to hear that many Conservative MPs reported in yesterday's debate being inundated with demands for an English Parliament. This shows that our long campaign for England (and also the over 30 million leaflets which we have delivered so far) is bearing fruit.

The English Democrats are the only English Nationalist Party.

We are confident that once EVEL fails to deliver a proper voice for England, the only remaining possibility within a continuing UK will be a fully Federal English Parliament, First Minister and Government with at least the same powers as the Scottish ones. If that isn't delivered soon then the already rising demand for English Independence will grow rapidly.

 

We are also pleased that there is absolutely no popular demand or democratic mandate for “devolution” within England AKA “Regions” or “Northern Powerhouses”.

 

Robin Tilbrook

Chairman,

The English Democrats


It is interesting to note that all nine of Somerset's MPs supported EVEL in the Parliamentary debate on the 22nd of October.  Of Bristol's four MPs, Charlotte Leslie was amongst the Ayes while Kerry McCarthy was with the Noes, Thangam Debbonaire and Karin Smyth did not vote.

George Monbiot suggests the "rewilding" of our National Parks. Pumas, lynxes, wolves and even bears to be reintroduced to the English countryside?

As recently suggested by editorial comments in both the Western Morning News and Western Daily Press, George Monbiot's idea of "rewilding" and reforesting our National Parks is not without merit.  I certainly would not be opposed to re-establishing forests. They have been, and still are, part of the traditional English landscape.

However, Mr Monbiot's idea of reintroducing lynxes, wolves and possibly bears does seem a little impractical now that England is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and the population of Britain as a whole is now heading for 74 million.  When the British lynx died out in around 700AD the population of Anglo Saxon England was about 2 million.  Bears survived until the10th century when the population of England was still about 2 million.   At around the start of the 16th century, the wolf became extinct in England when the population was 3 million having reached 5 or 6 million at the end of the 13th century only to be devastated by the Black Death.

If the bear, wolf and lynx could not co-exist alongside the very much smaller populations of past centuries then it is difficult to see how they could do so now.

This letter in the Western Morning News on the 29th of October reflects my view.

No room for lynx in overcrowded island.

David Cameron recently announced he is launching a “crusade” for a million new homes by 2020. Lord Adonis, the new National Infrastructures Commission chairman, says that 40 towns and cities in southern England must double in size even if it means building on the Green Belt. Eighty-four bishops from the Church of England have called for the Government to take in 50,000 refugees from war ravaged Syria – they will all need housing. Clearly the urbanisation of the English landscape will proceed apace as a necessary consequence of such campaigning. Now I read that the veteran environmentalist George Monbiot wants to reintroduce lynxes to our National Parks, (WMN, October 18). If Mr Monbiot’s “shy and secretive” creatures need a tranquil and spacious countryside in which to make their home I doubt they will find anywhere to their liking on this increasingly overcrowded island of ours.

S.W.

Ilminster

Questioning the "benefits" of mass immigration. England is full - there is no room.

Clive Lavelle of the English Democrats had this letter published in the Western Daily Press on the 10th of October 2015.

England is full - there is no room.
At the Conservative Party’s conference, Theresa May made a speech in which she questioned the “benefits” of mass immigration.

The following day, in a national daily, this headline appeared. “What have migrants ever done for us, Theresa?”

It went on to list the numbers of doctors, nurses, etc who come from immigrant stock.

Now, the journalist who wrote the headline has either, not bothered to listen closely enough to what was being said, too thick to know the difference between the words “immigration” and “immigrant”, or content to misquote people for his own political ends.

Mrs May was talking about immigration – the process whereby foreigners come to settle in England.

Last year, these numbered a third of a million.

The immigrants themselves are, no doubt, all nice people. But to house them all will involve building a town the size of Doncaster. There’s another third of a million on their way.

Another town the size of Doncaster will be required to house them and this building process will involve concreting over yet more of England’s “green and pleasant land”.

England is full. The population per square mile of France is about 270; of Germany, 550 and of Scotland, 175. The population per square mile of England is about 1,070 and rising.

It’s time to hang up the “no vacancies” sign.

Clive Lavelle

Weston-super-Mare

Can any reasonable person disagree?

On a similar theme this letter was published in the Western Daily Press four days later on the 14th October.

No more beauty of English countryside?
The Conservative government’s new National Infrastructures Commission chairman Lord Adonis, a former Labour Cabinet Minister, has said that 40 towns and cities in southern England must double in size even if it means building on the green belt. As Clive Lavelle of the English Democrats pointed out in his letter “England is full – there is no room” ( Western Daily Press, October 10) any such building will involve losing much more of England’s green and pleasant land.

It seems rather bizarre that a Conservative government apparently no longer believes in conserving the English countryside in general or the green belt in particular.

S.W.

Ilminster, Somerset

Barrington Court near Ilminster in South Somerset. The remarkable restoration of a Tudor manor house.

Barrington Court, a Tudor manor house built of Ham Hill stone and completed in the 1550s, is situated near the village of Barrington in South Somerset.  It is approached along country lanes signposted from the B3168 and A303 South Petherton roundabout.

The Tudor manor house at Barrington Court.

By the early 19th century the house had fallen into disrepair having been used as a tenanted farm.  In 1912 it was described by Edward Hutton (Highways and Byways in Somerset) as being: "a farmhouse going to ruin - the great Hall, a cider cellar, and all spoilt."

However, the house, the first to be bought by the National Trust, was turned around in the 1920s by Colonel A.A.Lyle of the Tate & Lyle Company.  Having taken the lease he refurbished the court house and renovated the adjacent Strode House, originally a stable and coach block built in 1674 by William Strode ll: the Strodes owned the estate from 1625 until 1745.

The west wing of the manor house with its barley twist chimneys and finials.

The Long Gallery runs the length of the top floor.  During the English Civil War it was used to billet 500 Parliamentary troops.  The panelling is from Colonel Lyle's collection. 

Barrington Court House, although unfurnished, is well worth visiting if only to view the outcome of such a remarkable restoration - which also incorporates Colonel Lyle's collection of oak panelling - and, of course, there are the gardens to enjoy.

The English Democrats National Council.

As today is Trafalgar Day I will quote Nelson and say "England expects that every man will do his duty".

I am sure this dedicated group of English patriots will do their political duty by putting the English first and relentlessly campaigning for an independent English Parliament.

A further thought.  After a closer look at the English Democrats National Council photo it might be just as appropriate, with the anniversary of the beginning of the Second Battle of El Alamein almost upon us (October 23rd), to quote from one of General Montgomery's wartime speeches: "We've got far the best men, and women too - far the best!"

Forde Abbey Estate in Dorsetshire and its Red Ruby Devon Cattle.

I had read somewhere that at this time of year Forde Abbey's garden and arboretum are well worth a visit for their autumnal colours so I decided on a short hop over the border into Dorsetshire.  I followed the well sign-posted route from the A30 at Cricket St Thomas. The final mile or so takes you down some narrow lanes - some caution is needed - I met an oncoming truck and tyre marks on the road suggest some heavy braking has been required!

Forde Abbey.

The Cistercian Monastery at Forde Abbey on the banks of the River Axe was established in 1148.  It prospered until 1539 when it was handed over to the Crown at the time of Henry the Vlll's dissolution of the monasteries.

In 1649 the estate was purchased by Edmund Prideaux, MP for Lyme Regis, an ardent supporter of the Parliamentary cause.  He turned the Abbey into a private residence.  Prideaux was Oliver Cromwell's Attorney General and also the architect of the first national postal service.

Prideaux's son,  also called Edmund, was unlucky enough to have once entertained, in 1680, the Duke of Monmouth.  Hence his arrest on a charge of high treason  after the Battle of Sedgemoor in1685.  The notorious Judge Jeffries demanded, and received, £15,000 to save him from the gallows.

In 1702 Edmund's daughter Margaret inherited the Abbey and moved in with her husband Francis Gwyn, a politician who became Queen Anne's Secretary of War.  The Gwyns ownership of the Estate lasted until 1846.

Mrs Bertram Evans bought the Abbey and Estate in 1863 and it remains in the hands of her descendants to this day.

The Great Pond.

While enjoying a stroll around the gardens, arboretum and lakes I came across the estate's herd of Red Ruby Devon Cattle in the adjacent fields - they certainly are a striking colour.  I can't recall ever seeing such cattle before I moved to South Somerset yet now I have spotted them at Knightshayes Court in Devonshire, in fields around Chard and also grazing in the shadow of Brent Knoll further north.  According to the Devon Cattle Breeders Society: "Grass fed Red Ruby Devon beef simply can't be beaten for marbling, texture, flavour and tenderness".  I will have to try some!

Red Ruby Devon Cattle on the Forde Abbey Estate.

I did not have time to tour the Abbey itself so a second visit will be needed - another chance to view the beautiful Centenary Fountain in action!

The British Government's relationship with Saudi Arabia. A letter NOT published in the Western Daily Press.

The Western Daily Press has always seemed happy to publish letters submitted by English Democrats activists.  However, this letter highlighting Saudi Arabia's attitude towards religions other than Islam and questioning its relationship with the British Government was, apparently, not published.

Has Saudi Arabia bought Britain's friendship? 

Sir,

Saudi Arabia has offered to pay for the construction of 200 mosques in Germany to cater for the religious needs of Muslim refugees fleeing war ravaged countries in the Middle East.  The British Government should follow that example in similar fashion and, using money from its huge foreign aid budget, offer to fund the building of churches in Saudi Arabia thus enabling Christian refugees taking shelter there to follow their faith.

On second thoughts that idea is a non-starter: Saudi Arabia refuses to accept refugees and does not allow public worship by Christians or of any religion other than Islam.

Despite such prejudice the UK Government website reports that, earlier this month, the British Ambassador in Riyadh said: "Saudi Arabia is . . . an important player in the world and a close friend and partner of the UK.  I am looking forward to celebrating the anniversary of 100 years of relations between our two Kingdoms . . . " 

It is, to put it mildly, deeply regrettable that British politicians and diplomats seek to be so chummy with such a religiously intolerant state - has Saudi Arabia's oil riches bought the British Government's friendship?

Yours faithfully,

S.W.

English Democrats, Somerset,

Letter in the Western Daily Press. England should be treated in the same way as Scotland, with its own government and First Minister.

"England should be treated in the same way as Scotland, with its own government and First Minister." writes Clive Lavelle of the English Democrats.

I agree wholeheartedly!

Letter in the Western Daily Press 5th October, 2015.

England should be the same as Scotland.

Back in 1997, the Scots and Welsh were offered a referendum on devolved government.

The referenda were duly held and the two peoples voted in favour – resulting in the setting-up of the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly. These institutions enable Scotland and Wales to function as quasi-independent countries.

Following the Scottish independence referendum, the British government has sought to pretend that it is now in favour of English devolution.

We need to be clear. English devolution can only be the same devolution settlement as Scotland’s – namely a national parliament for England with an English First Minister.

Sadly, what the British are seeking to foist on to us is de-centralisation, posing as devolution.

So now, the chancellor, George Osborne is setting up, without any referenda or by-your-leave, ‘city regions’.

He simply rocked up in Manchester, invited various local councils effectively to merge and gave these ambitious councillors control over the national budget allocated to their ‘region’.

It needs to be repeated. This is not devolution. It is de-centralisation and pits parts of England against others.

George Osborne is railroading regionalisation through with no democratic mandate. England should be treated in the same way as Scotland, with its own government and First Minister.

Clive Lavelle

Worle, Weston-super-Mare

Tyntesfield House, Wraxall, North Somerset. A magnificent example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture.

The original Regency building of 1813 was transformed in the 1860s by architect John Norton into a magnificent country house in Victorian Gothic Revival style.

Tyntesfield came into the possession of the Gibbs family in 1843.  It was around this time that the family's business venture in agricultural fertiliser and the shipment of guano from islands off Peru began to produce great wealth. The restructuring of the house started by William Gibbs was completed in 1864. It then remained the family home until the death of George Richard Lawley Gibbs, 2nd Lord Wraxall, in 2001 whereupon it was eventually bought by the National Trust.

The Tyntesfield Estate in Wraxall, North Somerset, only 10 minutes drive from the outskirts of Bristol, is one of the most popular National Trust properties I have visited.  However, there is ample and convenient car parking close to the restaurant and shop area - often a bit crowded.  Nevertheless, the estate is big enough to spend an afternoon wandering around in peace while enjoying the scenery and bucolic atmosphere and, of course, there is always the Victorian Gothic house to admire. 

The turrets, chimney pots and weathercocks of Tyntesfield House. 

Inside the house the Library and Main Hall are particularly impressive.   Several visits are required to appreciate fully all the wonders of the house, garden and park.

Syrian refugee crisis - "The records of Gulf countries is absolutely appalling..."

In recent weeks the letters columns of the Western Daily Press have been dominated by the Syrian refugee crisis.  The letter below was published in that paper on the 16th September 2015. 

Arab states fail to follow EU example.
In his recent letter Robert Readman asks how many refugees fleeing Syria have been offered shelter by wealthy Arab nations such as Saudi Arabia.

Apparently the five richest Gulf nations – Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain – have taken none at all. Furthermore, the Daily Mail quotes Amnesty International’s head of refugee and migrant’s rights as saying: “The records of Gulf countries is absolutely appalling, in terms of actually showing compassion and sharing the responsibility of this crisis... It is a disgrace.”

David Cameron has pledged that this country will take in 20,000 Syrian refugees. Saudi Arabia is 16 times the size of England so could accommodate 320,000 refugees if its rulers followed our Prime Minister’s example – but it seems they do not have the will.

S.W.
English Democrats, Somerset

Welsh government, empowered by the British government, to give Cardiff Airport unfair financial advantage over its English neighbour.

I read in the Daily Telegraph an article by Liam Fox, Conservative MP for North Somerset, bemoaning the lack of a third runway at Heathrow and the consequent loss of £billions to the British economy. 

It is a pity Mr Fox  does not pay more attention to his own constituency where, according to Bristol Airport bosses, 1500 jobs may be lost together with  £843million annually from the West of England economy as a result of the Conservative policy of appeasing the Welsh and Scottish governments.

The following letter, published in the Bristol Evening Post (14th September 2015), from Clive Lavelle of the English Democrats further explains the issues.

Injustices we've been trying to highlight.

I READ with interest the feature in the Bristol Post about the threat to Bristol Airport’s future from a proposed reduction in Airport Passenger Duty in Wales.

Robert Sinclair ( right), CEO at Bristol Airport was reported as calling for a “level playing field”. His sentiments were echoed in an editorial “We say” comment.

The comment states, “Giving the Welsh government the right to set Air Passenger Duty would see Cardiff Airport gain an unfair advantage over Bristol Airport.”

What Mr Sinclair and the editorial fail to grasp is that the “right” to set Airport Passenger Duty has been granted to the Welsh government by the British government (there is no English government).

Furthermore, the funding that enables the Welsh government to exercise this “right” comes directly from the English taxpayer, through the Barnett Formula; money filched from the English, by the British and handed over to the Scots and Welsh to give them these advantages.

The English Democrats have been trying to highlight these injustices for many years, through your columns and in other ways.

Clive Lavelle

Weston-super-Mare English Democrats

Burrow Mump, near Burrowbridge, in South Somerset. Outpost of King Alfred's final redoubt in Anglo-Saxon Wessex.

Burrow Mump, near Burrowbridge and the confluence of the Rivers Tone and Parrett, was an eastern outpost of King Alfred the Great's fortress on the Isle of Athelney - the King's final redoubt in Anglo-Saxon Wessex.

Seen from the National Trust car park, just off the A361, Burrow Mump is certainly no Glastonbury Tor but a gentle climb to its 79 feet high summit is rewarded with some memorable panoramic views.


The ruined chapel dedicated to St Michael atop Burrow Mump.  On the south wall is a memorial plaque including the words: "That the men and women of Somerset who died serving their country in the Second World War may be remembered here in time to come."

To the north, 13 miles away across Sedgemoor, the upper slopes of Brent Knoll are visible, Glastonbury Tor can be seen to the east.  The Burton Pynsent Monument near Curry Rivel is conspicuous to the south, while  the Wellington Monument on the Blackdown Hills is discernible in the far south west.

Following the decisive Battle of Edington (Ethandune), King Alfred had the defeated Danish king baptised in the village of Aller which lies at the western foot of Aller Hill 2.5 miles south east of the Mump.  Edington, 6 miles north on the far side of the Polden Hills, is suggested by some historians to be "Ethandune", the site of Alfred's victory, rather than Edington in Wiltshire.  Being from Somerset, I am happy to support this theory!

The view south-east across Southlake Moor.  The western slopes of Aller Hill and the village of Aller are at the top left.  

In the neighbouring County of Devonshire, near Tiverton, is Knightshayes Court.

On a recent misty September morning I decided on a spin into Devonshire to visit Knightshayes Court.  Driving south on the M5, the top of the 175 feet high Wellington Monument was hidden in hazy low cloud.  However, having left the motorway at Junction 27 and continued a further 10 miles to Bolham via the A361 and A396, the sun was shining as I drove past the Lodge into the Knightshayes estate and up through the gently rising parkland towards the house. 

Once the family home of the Heathcoat-Amorys, this Victorian house is now owned by the National Trust.  It was designed in 1873 by the flamboyant William Burges for John Heathcoat-Amory who, in 1861, had inherited the lace manufacturing business of his grandfather John Heathcoat. The business had been moved to Tiverton after the factory in Loughborough was destroyed by Luddites in 1816.

Although Burges' exterior design was retained the interior was redesigned by John Dibblee Crace as Burges' plans proved too exotic for the Heathcoat-Amorys.  Even Crace's designs, completed in 1883, were not to the family's taste and many of them were covered up over time until the National Trust began a process of restoration.

The south front of Knightshayes.

After a visit to the Stable Café for a cup of tea and a tasty locally made sausage roll my wife and I strolled across to the house, enjoying the view of the parkland as we did so.  There seemed to be just as many people walking their dogs in the park as there were visitors to the house and garden.

The highlights, for me, of our meander through the house were the Library and the view from the Main Bedroom: from the window Sir John could see his factory in Tiverton.

Having bought two delicious ice-creams in the Conservatory tea-room we sat outside on the terrace in the sunshine and admired the view down through the parkland toward Tiverton.

The view south from the Terrace.

This was also the scene of a fatal air crash in the Second World War when an American fighter pilot, Second Lieutenant Albin P Zychowski serving with the 61st Squadron, 56th Fighter Group, was killed in his P47 Thunderbolt on May 1st 1945.  Knightshayes was at that time a combat rest home for the US 8th Air Force.  The National Trust souvenir guide book relates the sad tale: "Very near the end of the Second World War a tragedy took place.  It was the custom of departed occupants to return from their airfields in order to "buzz" the house, which meant flying up the park almost at tree height, to applause and cheers from the Terraces.  One pilot dared too much and lost his life performing this stunt, his plane hitting the tops of several trees.  The clearing away of the broken trees after the War was, more happily, the beginning of the Garden in the Wood."

The Terrace at Knightshayes Court.

There is too much on the Estate to experience in one day so our next visit will be to the exhibition in the Tennis Court which relates Knightshayes' role in both World Wars - it is open daily until November 15th.

BBC's Victoria Derbyshire hosts discussion on the Syrian refugee crisis. Was the invited panel unbalanced?

The September 3rd edition of the Victoria Derbyshire programme hosted a discussion on the Syrian refugee crisis.

It seemed to me that those in favour of allowing refugees into England outnumbered those with a different view by four to two.

Be that as it may, of the two against one argued for safe havens to be set up in or near Syria. The other, Steve Uncles of the English Democrats, quite rightly pointed out that England was already one of the most densely populated countries in the world while Saudi Arabia, one of the wealthiest and sixteen times the size of England, had taken in no refugees at all.

Moreover, the five richest Gulf Nations, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain have taken no refugees at all.  An article by Jay Akbar in the Daily Mail quotes Amnesty International's Head of Refugee and Migrant's Rights as saying: "The records of Gulf countries is absolutely appalling, in terms of actually showing compassion and sharing the responsibility of this crisis... It is a disgrace."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3222405/How-six-wealthiest-Gulf-Nations-refused-single-Syrian-refugee.html

Our government has already spent £1billion, since 2012, to help refugees who have fled from Syria.  We in this country have "done our bit".  Perhaps the BBC should put its editorial spotlight on those countries which could do more - a lot more!