Robin Tilbrook, Chairman of the English Democrats, highlights how British Government spending discriminates against England.

I have just come across a tweet from the Scottish Conservatives lauding the “Union Dividend”.  The tweet proclaims: “This week we once again saw the benefit of being in the UK.  Thanks to the Union every Scot received an extra £1,576 above the UK average . . . .”  Do not the Scottish Conservatives wonder how these words will be received by the English and Welsh? 

In such circumstances it is timely of Robin Tilbrook, Chairman of the English Democrats, to have just written an article on his blog, using figures from a House of Commons research paper, highlighting how British Government spending discriminates against England.

Here are the basic facts given in the first three paragraphs of Robin Tilbrook’s article.

“The House of Commons Library published a paper in November last year which was brought to my attention recently.  The report has the figures for the financial year 2016/17 of the Barnett Formula.  The Barnett Formula determines that differential spending on UK citizens depending on which of the UK countries those citizens live in. 

The summary of the House of Commons research paper shows that England has the lowest national average spent on every man, woman and child.  This was £8,898 in 2016/17.  In Northern Ireland by contrast, it was £11,042. 

If you live in the English “Regions” of the South East, East of England, East Midlands, South West or West Midlands you get less spent on you than even the average of England.  It is only in London that British Government spending is more than even one of the other Nations of the UK.  It is slightly more than Wales.  London has £10,192 for every man, woman and child, instead of the Welsh average of £10,076!”

The entire article is well worth reading, here is a link:

http://robintilbrook.blogspot.com/2018/08/england-discriminated-against-by.html

David Allen, English Democrats' Mayoral Candidate, excluded from Sheffield City Region Election Hustings.

David Allen the English Democrats' candidate in the Sheffield City Region Mayoral Election was one of two candidates excluded from an election hustings organised by Sheffield for Democracy – a name which seems rather inappropriate in the circumstances!

According to a report in The Star hustings event co-ordinator Vicky Seddon said they had “nothing to apologise for” and the move was “perfectly legitimate”.  She said the candidates from the respected (sic) parties were chosen on the amount of councillors and prospective candidates standing in local elections in South Yorkshire.

Oh well, that’s democracy in Sheffield for you!

Here is a link to the story:

https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/sheffield-city-region-mayoral-candidate-felt-discriminated-against-after-snub-from-hustings-1-9135753

For readers interested in David Allen’s views and policies, the words below were taken from his Election Address in the Sheffield City Region Mayoral Information Booklet.

“I was born in Doncaster and have been based here all my life. I have an engineering and sales background and I am married with two daughters. I am a proud Yorkshireman but even prouder to be an Englishman. I campaigned and voted for England to leave the EU, just like majority of the people of South Yorkshire.

South Yorkshire in particular and also Yorkshire as a whole would be better served by an English national parliament that could fairly distribute taxpayer’s money. The British government's various devolution arrangements for the UK have granted a national parliament for Scotland, and effectively the same for Wales and Northern Ireland. British establishment Remainers who hate the very idea of England, instead intend to break England up by forced ‘regionalisation’ against the will of our people. If elected I would do everything in my power to prevent the implementation of an EU Region by the anti-English Remainers within the British State and by local MPs!

Vote for me and I shall be a strong voice for England and I shall block the creation of a new tier of "Regional" government for the bogus EU Region of "Yorkshire and the Humber" - which includes part of North Lincolnshire and excludes parts of our traditional county!

The people of South Yorkshire voted overwhelmingly for Brexit. I guarantee to represent the democratically expressed wishes of the people in our desire for a meaningful and swift exit of the EU and regaining control of our borders, our laws and ending mass immigration.”

"Somerset receives less funding for services than most other counties in England", reports the Chard and Ilminster News.

I was surprised to read in the Chard and Ilminster News (“Somerset receives less funding for services than most other counties in England”, November 20) that out of 37 county areas in England Somerset ranked fifth from bottom as regards Council funding received.  Furthermore, Somerset receives, at £540 per head, the least of all amongst the counties of the South West.

The County Councils Network have published figures which show that on average county councils received £650 per head for spending on the services they provide while a city or metropolitan borough receives £825 and inner London a whopping £1,190 per person.

In such circumstances it is a pity that Somerset County Council no longer exists within its traditional county boundary.  Perhaps it is time for North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset to be reunited with the rest of the County in order to give it more political and financial clout.

It seems that Somerset’s financial position in England mirrors that of England within the United Kingdom.  In a recent blogpost Robin Tilbrook, Chairman of the English Democrats, informed us that British Government public spending, as a consequence of the Barnett Formula, is as follows: Northern Ireland receives most at £14,263 per head; Scotland a lavish £13,054; Wales an ample £12,531 while England receives only £11,297. 

We may live in a United Kingdom, but it seems all the nations within it are far from being treated equally!

Here is a link to Robin Tilbrook’s blogpost:

http://robintilbrook.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/updated-differences-in-uk-government.html

Funding setback for Somerset's Wellington Monument. The National Trust should take advice from Scotland.

Take funding advice from Scotland.

"You have to admire the way our Scottish neighbours manage to extract finance from British institutions.  The Barnett formula enables the Scots to obtain more funds, per head, from the British Treasury than is given to the English.  That situation is mirrored by the Big Lottery Fund as the Scots receive £14.04 per head, the English £9.32.

In such circumstances it is hardly surprising that the National Trust failed, for the second time, in their application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the £2 million required to initiate much needed repairs to the Wellington Monument, that striking landmark on the Blackdown Hills (“Fund setback for West monument”, Western Daily Press, Oct 4) .  Perhaps the National Trust in England should ask its counterpart in Scotland for advice.  The Scots certainly seem to have the knack for obtaining money from British national institutions."

S.W., Ilminster, Somerset

The letter above was published in the Western Daily Press on October 13th.  Reading it and the Daily Mail article below (see link) illustrates how our neighbours in Scotland manage to extract what could be said to be more than their fair share of UK finance.  It seems that England always comes last in the queue, behind Northern Ireland and Wales, as well as Scotland.  

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4867000/Scots-win-lotto-English-charities-50-head.html

Labour's policy on writing off student debt. Clive Lavelle of the English Democrats gives his view.

Clive Lavelle of the English Democrats comments on the Labour Party's change of tune on university tuition fees and student debt, apparently an election promise has now become an "ambition".  The letter below was published in the Western Daily Press on July 12th.

Labour changes tune on university tuition.

I heard the Labour Party’s shadow education minister going on about her party’s “ambition” to write off student debt.  A few weeks ago, during the election campaign, this was going to happen.  Now they’ve discovered that their “ambition” will cost £100 billion and they don’t know where they can find such an eye-watering sum.

She also alluded to a student debt “crisis”, claiming that this was “unacceptable”.  How short these people’s memories (conveniently) are.

University tuition fees were foisted on to English students by Tony Blair’s Labour government.  Despite many of his own MPs voting against it, the measure was railroaded through, thanks to the votes of Scottish Labour MPs who knew that their compatriots would be accessing free university places, paid for by the English taxpayer, through the Barnett Formula.

Clive Lavelle

Weston-super-Mare English Democrats

Eddie Bone, director of the Campaign for an English Parliament, says Theresa May is not doing enough to support England.

In an interview with the Daily Express Eddie Bone, of the Campaign for an English Parliament, complains about the disproportionate funding Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland receive through the Barnett Formula, at England’s expense.  He goes on to raise the issue of the extra £1billiion Theresa May has promised for Northern Ireland in order to garner the support of the DUP for her minority government.

Here is a link to the interview with Mr Bone.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/823826/theresa-may-dup-snp-united-kingdom-eddie-bone-campaign-for-english-parliament

While I sympathize with Eddie Bone’s concern over another £1billion being sent to Northern Ireland, it seems a price worth paying if it helps smooth the way for Brexit.  The UK’s membership of the EU is a far greater threat to the existence of England than even the Anglophobic British political establishment.

West of England mayoral election - sadly there is no candidate from the English Democrats. However, Stephen Morris steps up to the plate in Greater Manchester.

As someone who lived in Bristol for 60 years before moving to Somerset, I take a passing interest in the West of England Mayoral election – in effect an election for a mayor of Greater Bristol.  It is a pity there is no candidate from the English Democrats.  However, I am pleased to see tireless campaigner Stephen Morris is standing for the English Democrats in the Greater Manchester mayoral election.

In a recent interview he gave to Mancunnionmatters I noted three of his policy statements with which I entirely agree.

He opposes building on the green belt and proposes all new planning applications would have to include solar panels on residential property and industrial units. 

He is against hospital car-parking charges saying: "We already pay for hospitals with our taxes.  Parking charges are an attack on the sick injured and vulnerable and we can't have it".

Regarding the Green Party he suggests that their "open border policy" makes it not such an environmentally friendly party as it would seem. 

For Mancunnionmatters entire article on Stephen Morris, the English Democrats' candidate for the Greater Manchester mayoral election, here is a link: 

http://www.mancunianmatters.co.uk/content/070476566-interview-i-want-manchester-be-place-%E2%80%93-english-democrats-mayoral-election

Labour leadership candidate Owen Smith to scrap university tuition fees. Clive Lavelle of the English Democrats comments in the Western Daily Press.

The BBC News website reports that Labour leadership candidate Owen Smith has pledged to scrap university tuition fees. The report states;
" Mr Smith has called for the current funding system to be abolished and replaced with a 1%-2% graduate tax.  Under Mr Smith's plan to abolish tuition fees, graduates would pay an additional 1-2% tax on income above £15,000 for a specified period - possibly around 25 years after leaving university."
Here is a link to the full report:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37204996

Clive Lavelle of the English Democrats comments in this letter to the Western Daily Press published on 30th of August.

Students in need of equality through UK.

Owen Smith, Labour Party leadership hopeful, has promised to scrap tuition fees for English students. He intends to replace these with a “graduate tax” of 1 to 2 per cent.

Currently, English students (and only English students) run up a debt of £27,000 over a three-year course, which they pay back, upon graduating and finding work. Under Smith’s proposal, they will pay an extra 2 per cent tax to pay for their university course. In short, Smith will give with the right hand, while he takes with the left.

If this man were worth a single vote, he would be promising to scrap the Barnett Formula, which diverts English taxes to Scotland and Wales to fund free tuition for Scottish students and heavily subsidised tuition for Welsh students. Instead, he promises the same end by a different means. The English pay; the rest don’t.

Clive Lavelle

Weston-super-Mare English Democrats