EU Referendum. English Democrats "delighted" at the result.

Robin Tilbrook, Chairman of the English Democrats, welcomes the vote to leave and states: " We believe in England" in the following press release.

 "The English Democrats delightedly welcome the result of the EU referendum as the majority of the People across the whole of the United Kingdom have democratically voted for the sensible option of leaving the EU.  We especially welcome the result in England. In England the turnout was 73%, the highest of the 4 countries in UK and England has voted by 53.4% to leave the EU.

It is now incumbent upon David Cameron, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, to activate Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to begin the process of disengagement from the EU.  If, despite the result of the EU referendum, he is not prepared to do so then he should resign forthwith and not wait until October.

The important thing is that the democratic vote of the People should be honoured without reservation.

The English Democrats now call for those parts of the United Kingdom, namely Scotland and Northern Ireland whom have voted to Remain to have the democratic Will of that Nation and Province also honoured.

Under the current uneven Devolution arrangements the UK's membership of the EU is a ‘reserved matter’ which means that has to be decided by Government of the United Kingdom, not by the devolved assemblies or parliaments.

The English Democrats support the right of the Nation and Province which voted to Remain to do so.  We therefore call upon the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to not only to activate Article 50, but to negotiate to enable the Remain voting Nation and Province to Remain within the EU whilst England and Wales leaves.

Robin Tilbrook, the Chairman of the English Democrats said:-  “I am delighted with the result of the EU referendum vote but concerned that David Cameron and his clique will now try to subvert the democratically expressed Will of the English People and of the Welsh People.”

Robin continued:- “As a democrat I am also calling for the democratic Will of the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish Peoples be fully honoured without reservation and that their Will to Leave or to Remain should be honoured.”

"For the English Democrats it is very clear that the United Kingdom is now dead. It is no longer possible to argue that Britain speaks with one voice. We will work to ensure that the will of the people of England is carried out. We believe in England not Britain."

Robin Tilbrook
Chairman,
The English Democrats.


An edited version of the press release appeared in the letters column of the Western Daily Press on June 25th. 

In my view all who believe that nations have the right of self-determination could not disagree that Scotland and Northern Ireland should have the right to leave the United Kingdom and join the European Union if that is the will of their electorates. 

A Pig farm on the Blackdown Hills in Somerset.

I must admit to being partial to a ham or bacon sandwich, as wells as a plate of sausages or gammon. So when I came across a pig farm on the Blackdown Hills I was pleased to see the pigs free to enjoy themselves in the muddy fields or lying in the sunshine.  They deserve a healthy and contented outdoor life before being taken off to market.

I came across these piglets on the Blackdown Hills in Somerset.
 

EU Referendum. Brexit, a victory for traditional England "beyond the M25".

In an article on the BBC News website Mark Easton, its Home editor, writes: "The maps of how people voted show that this was a victory for the countryside over the cities, particularly in England. London, Manchester, Bristol, Leicester, Leeds and Liverpool - for the most part, the metropolitan centres voted to remain. But the further from the big city centres one travels, the more emphatically people voted to leave."

"At its most concentrated, this divide manifests itself as anti-London. There is a widespread view in the land beyond the M25 that the capital has been the driving force behind a globalising agenda that pays no regard to the customs and way of life of non-metropolitan Britain. London's overwhelming vote to remain will simply be seen as evidence of how out of touch it has become."

Here is a link to the article entitled A less than United Kingdom:
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36605656

And, perhaps, an appropriate poem!

The Other England

Behind 'the dark Satanic mills' that spoil our native land,
Behind the dismal city streets where crowded houses stand,
There still lies another country that's grounded in the past,
Where rootless, city folk still dream they'll find true peace at last.

The beauty of our countryside beyond the urban sprawl,
Still holds a rich diversity to touch the hearts of all.
From the rugged border country, through northern dales and fells,
To the gentler, southern counties it weaves its magic spells.

From 'England's Garden' in the east with rich and fertile ground,
To Cornwall with its storm-tossed cliffs where Celtic myths abound,
In countless, ancient villages another England lies
With church and inn and manor house whose witness still survives.

Our lovely countryside remains in spite of every threat,
To be cherished  and protected, lest one day we forget
That it's deep in rural England that our roots are to be found
And the land we treat so lightly is really hallowed ground.

For beside the village churches with which our land is blest,
The bodies of our forefathers were gently laid to rest.
For all of us were country folk, until industrial change
Transformed the face of English towns and rural life grew strange.

Today St George, our Patron Saint, still flies the banner high,
The symbol of the land we love, its earth, its sea, its sky.
Like him we pray that we may stand in hamlet, village, town,
For this other land of England - our pride, our joy, our Crown!

                                                  Canon E W Eyden 

EU Referendum. Brexit, the English -and their Welsh neighbours - have spoken!

THE SECRET PEOPLE.

Smile at us, pay us, pass us; but do not quite forget;
For we are the people of England, that never have spoken yet.
There is many a fat farmer that drinks less cheerfully,
There is many a free French peasant who is richer and sadder than we.
There are no folk in the whole world so helpless or so wise.
There is hunger in our bellies, there is laughter in our eyes;
You laugh at us and love us, both mugs and eyes are wet:
Only you do not know us.  For we have not spoken yet.

We hear men speaking for us of new laws strong and sweet,
Yet is there no man speaketh as we speak in the street.
It may be we shall rise the last as Frenchmen rose the first,
Our wrath come after Russia's wrath and our wrath be the worst.
It may be we are meant to mark with our riot and our rest
God's scorn for all men governing.  It may be beer is best.
But we are the people of England; and we have not spoken yet.
Smile at us, pay us, pass us.  But do not quite forget.

G K Chesterton

Well, the English spoke on June 23rd - with a vengeance!

EU Referendum debate. Economic forecasting? Take heed of J.K.Galbraith!

This letter was submitted to the Western Daily Press and Western Morning News on June 8th but I am not aware of it being published.

The economic establishment made up of institutions as diverse as, for example, The Treasury, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the International Monetary Fund and bankers JP Morgan, have issued forecasts which range from gloomy to apocalyptic should “Brexit” come to pass.

 

When hearing such forecasts I think of the words of the late Canadian-born American economist, public official and diplomat John Kenneth Galbraith who said: “The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectable.”

 

So forget the nightmare financial scenarios of the “Remainiacs” and the “Brexiteers” prophecy of an economic Shangri-La.

 

The real decision to be made on June 23 is not about economics, it is whether to live in an independent nation with its own sovereign parliament or have a parliament which will inevitably become little more than a regional administrative office of the European Union.

  

S.W.

English Democrats, Somerset


Since this letter was written the "Remaniac" camp has proceeded from "Project Fear" to "Project Blackmail" with George Osborne threatening cuts in pensions and emergency austerity budgets if the electorate vote "Leave".

Meanwhile, European Council president Donald Tusk has told the German newspaper Bild: "As a historian I fear Brexit could be the beginning of the destruction of not only the EU but also western political civilisation in its entirety."  Blimey!

However, in the Daily Telegraph a Brussels diplomat takes the opposite view to Mr Tusk and is quoted as saying in the event of Brexit: "The EU will have found an identity and will have moved forward, deepening in key areas like monetary union and defence."

The European Council president and the unnamed Brussels diplomat cannot both be right.  Time will tell which one has correctly forecast the European Union's destiny, and that time is not far off.

Here is a link to The Telegraph article:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/15/eu-referendum-defiant-senior-brussels-diplomat-warns-uk-not-to-o/

Ashton Windmill on the Isle of Wedmore in Somerset.

Ashton Windmill is an 18th century flour mill on the Isle of Wedmore in Somerset.  The mill stopped working in 1927.  I decided to go and have a look at it while driving south on the A38; it is easy to find by turning east off the A38 at Lower Weare and just following the road for about 2 miles.  The windmill is about 50 yards from the road and a convenient lay-by.

It was very peaceful - there was no-one else around during the visit - with views of the Mendip Hills to the north and the Polden Hills to the south.   The windmill stands on a ridge at a height of 141 feet so, unsurprisingly, there was a refreshing breeze which my wife and I enjoyed for about 40 minutes before heading back to the A38.

Ashton Windmill is in the care of Sedgemoor District Council, more information and details of when it is open can be found here:
 http://www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/museums

Ashton Windmill on the Isle of Wedmore in Somerset.
 

EU Referendum debate. Past PM abusive, present PM patronising writes Clive Lavelle of the English Democrats.

Clive Lavelle of the English Democrats sent me the text of two letters he submitted to the Western Daily Press pointing out the campaign tactics used by John Major and David Cameron.

This letter submitted on 7th June comments on a Past Conservative PM being abusive.


"Project Fear (a.k.a. the Remain Campaign) is now resorting to abuse. John Major, the Conservative P.M. who led us into the European Exchange Rate Mechanism and almost cost us our entire convertible currency reserve in the process, described Boris Johnson as a "court jester" on the Andrew Marr programme, last Sunday.

Mr Johnson is a highly intelligent, well educated individual who seeks independence from Brussels. He argues his case, eloquently. His eloquence is met with remarks like "nonsense" or even "nonsense on stilts" by his opponents, (notably, the Prime Minister.)

Resorting to abuse is generally seen as a sign of losing the argument. Project Fear has lost it.

Vote Leave."

This one submitted on the 8th June comments on the present Conservative PM being patronising. 

"The Prime Minister, recently stated that he wants to live in "Great Britain" not "Little England". How patronising! England accounts for nearly ninety percent of "Great Britain". Britain is "great" because of England.

Unlike the P.M., I want to live in a Great England, free from the shackles of the E.U. and of the U.K. and leaving the E.U. will take me more than halfway there."

It would be unfair not to mention Tony Blair (of "dodgy dossier" fame) and so Clive does indeed refer to him in another letter submitted on the 9th.

"Tony Blair (of Iraq War fame) and John Major (of Exchange Rate Mechanism fame) have both pitched into Project Fear by claiming that a "Leave" vote would jeopardise the United Kingdom; providing yet another positive reason to vote Leave.

Great Britain is the last artificial country in Europe and possibly, the world. We have witnessed the de-merger of the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia in the past thirty-odd years. Each independent component is doing fine as an independent country.

The de-merger of England and Scotland is long overdue. I look forward to our being independent neighbours and friends, (sooner, rather than later)."

I am unable to confirm whether or not the letters were published but I am sure most English patriots would agree with Clive's words.

EU Referendum debate. Do we have a strong economy or one propped up by the French and Germans? Clive Lavelle of the English Democrats gives an opinion.

David Cameron and George Osborne appear to be suggesting that the British economy will collapse if it does not have the support of the European Union. Does that mean the economy is not as strong as they would have us believe?  Clive Lavelle of the English Democrats gives his verdict in this letter he submitted to the Western Daily Press on June 4th.  I am not sure if it has been published but here is the text Clive sent me.

"Britain Stronger in Europe" a.k.a. Project Fear has continually trumpeted messages of "Disaster" and "Catastrophe" since well before the Referendum campaign officially started.
 

This kind of talk can reasonably be interpreted as an admission that our economy is so fragile that it could not survive without being propped up by the French and Germans. But that flies in the face of claims by David (Dave) Cameron and his fellow Project Fear mouthpiece George Osborne that their Conservative government has worked wonders to create a strong economy.
 

Economic "Disaster" and "Catastrophe" are generally predicted by a slump in the Stock Market. The FTSE is currently hovering around the 6100 mark. Any sniff of "Catastrophe" would have sent it toward the basement by now.
 

Vote "Leave".

A white Crab Spider in a South Somerset garden.

I spotted this white Crab Spider (Misumena vatia) on a rose in my garden.  It obligingly waited for me to dash indoors and grab my camera.


A white Crab Spider on a rose in a South Somerset garden.

The crab spider does not spin a web to catch its prey but sits and waits -  then pounces as a fly or other small insect passes by.  I have not come across one before, apparently they can change their body colour to white, yellow or green to blend in with their background.



A closer view of the Crab Spider waiting for its prey.

EU Referendum debate. Sixth-Form stuff from George and Jeremy writes Clive Lavelle of the English Democrats.

Clive Lavelle of the English Democrats kindly sent me the text of a letter he  submitted to the Western Daily Press around the 23rd of May.  However, I am not sure if it was published in the paper's letters column.  Be that as it may, the full text is below.

In the last few days we have heard George Osborne, a mouthpiece for Project Fear, tell us that house prices will fall if we leave the E.U. At the same time, Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party has been bleating about "skyrocketing" rents. These gentlemen are supposed to be experts in economics. What they are talking about is Sixth-Form stuff.

It's called "Supply and Demand", George. Prices rise if demand rises. Prices rise if supply falls. In the case of housing, both have happened simultaneously. The result is the ludicrous escalation in house-prices, seen over many a long year. The shortage of supply is down to too few houses being built. The increase in demand is down to the third of a million continental Europeans, arriving in England every year.

So, you see, George, if we leave the E.U., we can prevent all these E.U. migrants from creating unsustainable increased demand for housing. This will, in turn, reduce prices; great for first-time buyers, not so good for wealthy multiple property-owners.

Now, for the benefit of Jeremy, rents tend to increase in line with property values. "Skyrocketing" rents are down to E.U. migrant-fuelled skyrocketing house-prices. You can't have your penny and your bun, Jeremy. It's either "leave the E.U." or continue with escalating house-prices and rents. Take your pick.