St. George's Day finds England in lockdown - an unfortunate time to launch an English nationalist newspaper!

Robin Tilbrook and his English Democrats Party have had the misfortune of choosing this year’s St. George’s Day for the launch of their new English nationalist newspaper The English Patriot.  It appears they had hoped to distribute 50,000 copies at St. George’s Day parades across England.  I don’t think they will find many potential readers today!

Nevertheless, I am sure they will persevere in their endeavours to promote and advance the cause of English nationhood.  Robin Tilbrook and his followers intend that their publication “spreads not just the censored news they try to keep from you, but also our answers.”  It will be interesting to see if their newspaper succeeds in the long term despite the present unfavourable economic and social circumstances.

Thoughts on the performance of some of the minor parties in the UK's 2019 General Election.

I must admit to being surprised at the result of the GE.  The Conservatives' 80 seat majority was far larger than I thought it would be as I was expecting one of 20 seats or less.  I did not expect the Labour vote to drop 8 percentage points or the Liberal Democrats to do as well as they did, I had expected the Labour Party to squeeze their vote.

Be that as it may, the minor parties I have been following recently did not retain any of their deposits, and one did not stand at all.

Anne- Marie Waters’ For Britain Movement did not stand any candidates as far as I can see, although they have won a smattering of council seats during the year.  Perhaps the leadership of this fledgling party were wise not to risk their money until it has made further progress. 

William Clouston’s SDP stood a respectable 20 candidates, but they only managed, on average, around 160 votes each.  The Party is centre left and believes in Nationhood and an English Parliament, so it will be interesting to see if they can make a bigger impact as a result of Labour’s disinterest in patriotism.

Robin Tilbrook’s English Democrats stood in only 5 seats and received around 2,000 votes in total. An average of about 400 votes per candidate looks like its norm for General Elections over the past 10 years.  They seem to have plenty of money and more members as a result of the publicity garnered from pursuing Brexit through the courts.  Now Brexit appears certain to happen perhaps the Party should focus on campaigning for an English Parliament and promoting and protecting English culture, heritage and traditions.. 

The Yorkshire Party stood 28 candidates in the county from which it takes its name, and garnered around 30,000 votes.  I suspect it may do well in regional elections if the Conservatives decide to break up England into regions.

With the Conservatives’ massive majority it will be some considerable time before the next General Election.   In such circumstances it will be interesting to see if any of the minor parties flourish at sub-national level, or simply wither and die for lack of electoral opportunities and the publicity that gives them.

English is an “imperialist internationalist culture”? Not according to former Labour MP John Denham.

The favourite tactic of those who don’t like English nationhood or culture is to call into question the very existence of English identity and culture.  Professor John Denham gives his answer to an article in the New Statesman.  I came across his letter, reproduced below, in the edition of The Week published December 7.



Feeling English

To the New Statesman

Alex Niven tells Jason Crowley that the English “don’t exist as a national culture because we were an imperialist internationalist culture”.  Why is it such claims are made by people who don’t feel English, but not by those who do?

The Empire – which engaged the Scots and the Welsh as much as the English – was British.  Boris Johnson and his allies are Anglo-centric British nationalists who rarely talk about England.  Those who emphasise their English identity, by contrast, tend to be sceptical about the Union and want the interests of England itself protected.

England’s future story must reflect the nation as we are today, building on English and British identities as we now know them.  Condemning Englishness with inaccurate caricatures simply makes that harder.

Professor John Denham, Centre for English Identity and Politics, University of Southampton.


Incidentally, Professor Denham mentions the Scots and the Welsh as having a role in British empire-building.  He could also have mentioned the Irish who literally fought for it.  Some of the most famous regiments in the British Army were Irish.  One only has look at the battle honours awarded to Irish regiments to realise the vital role they played in establishing and maintaining the British Empire.

Consign "England" to the "waste bin of history" states a letter to The Guardian.

Writing to The Guardian - surprise, surprise - in letter published on 22 November one Jim Grozier, from Brighton, states the name “England” should be consigned to “the waste bin of history”, its “parts” replaced by “neutral” names.
Perhaps Mr. Grozier is one of those English intellectuals George Orwell described as being “ashamed of their own nationality”?  The letter was in response to an article on English national identity and is reproduced below.  Make up your own mind!

" I heartily agree with Alex Niven that “building up the English regions” is a much more practical solution to the current identity crisis of the UK than “the quest for an artificial, unitary Englishness”. Who can honestly say that they identify with a region stretching from Land’s End to Berwick, defined largely by geography, and encompassing such huge disparities in wealth and opportunity on the way? Perhaps it is time for someone to come up with new, “neutral” names for the various parts of England, independent of past affiliations and rivalries, as was done during the major upheaval in local government in the 1970s, and to consign the name “England” to the waste bin of history."
Jim Grozier
Brighton, East Sussex


This gentleman does not appear to have heard of nations, old and new, encompassing much bigger areas with greater regional variations than England, and whose populations are content with their belief in Nationhood.

The Social Democratic Party, seemingly a patriotic party with a social conscience believing in a nation-state independent of the EU.

I just came across the Social Democratic Party website and had a look at their policy pages.  Among the policies listed the call for an English Parliament caught my eye.  On the same “Constitution” page was advocated the abolition of the House of Lords, proportional representation and a statement saying “No public sector employee should be paid more than the Prime Minister”.  Any English patriot should be delighted with such policies!


Reading further I was delighted to find that on animal welfare the SDP calls for a ban on non-stun slaughter “as requested by the British Veterinary Association and the RSPCA”.


The SDP advocate a cap on net AND gross immigration while current arbitrary spending on Foreign Aid would be scrapped - a common sense approach to both issues.


On land the railways would be re-nationalised and funding for regional and rural bus travel would be increased.  Meanwhile at sea the Royal Navy’s aircraft carriers appear to have top priority with regard to defence spending.


The Social Democratic Party seem to me to be a patriotic community-centric party with a social conscience which believes not in nationalism, but nationhood with the nation state being independent of the European Union.


I will seriously consider voting for them if given the chance, and if I was not too old I might even be tempted to join them!

Reflections on the remarkable EU Parliamentary Elections in the UK.

English Democrats becalmed.  Brexit Party is in full sail, leaving UKIP and all the others floundering in its wake.

The English Democrats received 39,938 votes in total in the 4 regions in which they stood; East of England, North West England, South West England and Yorkshire and The Humber.  In a previous blogpost I wrote that they would not retain their £20,000 worth of deposits and would do well if they garnered 40,000 votes – so I was not far wrong.  It was a gallant effort by patriotic candidates to raise the subject of English nationhood, but their voices were drowned out as The Brexit Party roared onto the scene.  Robin Tilbrook’s party may one day have a chance to prosper if and when the SNP enter a coalition with Labour and or other left-wing parties to form a government in Westminster.

I suspect UKIP will gradually fade from the scene and most of its 554,463 voters, 3.3 per cent of the vote,  will eventually  drift over to The Brexit Party and give further impetus to its 30.5 per cent of the vote.

The future of the Conservative Party and The Brexit Party will be decided by October 31.  If there is no Brexit by then the Conservatives are doomed as their Brexiteer supporters will jump ship to Nigel Farage’s party.

UK EU Parliamentary Elections 2019. The Brexit Party, English Democrats and UKIP take part, but the SDP and For Britain Movement are absent.

The British Political Establishment, which obviously believes in democracy only when doing so suits its purpose, has ducked, dived, dodged and weaved to such a disgraceful extent that Brexit has now been delayed and betrayed.  Three years after the EU Referendum we are still in the European Union and about to take part in the EU Parliamentary Elections on May 23.

The establishment parties in Westminster are dominated by Remainers, so who should Brexiteers vote for?

The obvious choice is Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party which has burst dramatically upon the scene and rides high in the opinion polls.   It will stand in all the EU’s Parliamentary Constituencies in the UK, except Northern Ireland. 

Without Farage UKIP seems to be in chaos having courted Tommy Robinson and his followers only to see him stand as an Independent. 

The English Democrats stood in all of England’s constituencies in 2014.  They are standing in only four constituencies this time; the East of England, North West, South West and Yorkshire and Humber.  A gallant effort to promote English Nationhood, but they will lose £20,000 in deposits and will have done well if they gather 40,000 votes.

Meanwhile the other minor Brexiteer parties, the SDP and Anne Marie Waters’ For Britain Movement are nowhere to be seen.

I will vote for either Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party or Robin Tilbrook’s English Democrats, and make my decision in the polling booth!

The British political landscape fractures as Brexit approaches, what will fill the voids?

If the cracks now appearing in the unity of the two main British political parties turn into a chasm I wonder what will rush in to fill the void.  Now that moderate and Jewish MPs are abandoning the Labour party as it steers a course to the extreme left  under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell will others  amongst the more moderate  Labour MPs jump ship and join Chukka Umunna’s crew in “The Independent Group”?

Will the free marketers in the Conservative Party drag it to the right and allow unrestrained capitalism to run riot for the benefit of the rich and powerful at the expense of the less well off?

With the Greens and Liberal Democrats, according to the opinion polls, apparently unable to make progress there are several parties, some new and several long-established, which could step into the spaces created by Labour and Conservative fractious in-fighting.

The pro-Brexit SDP could revive with the assistance of politicians like prominent former UKIP member Patrick O’Flynn.  UKIP itself could make a comeback with Gerard Batten and possibly Tommy Robinson at the helm.  Anne Marie Waters and her For Britain Movement with its pro-Brexit and patriotic working-class stance could burst upon the scene.  Robin Tilbrook’s English Democrats could be of appeal to those supporting English nationhood and a parliament for England.

Meanwhile, the fissures in the British political landscape develop as Brexit approaches, but will the British Political Establishment connive to rescind the referendum result?  If it does, Nigel Farage and his Brexit Party are waiting in the wings to avenge such duplicity!

Professor John Denham, another "nationalist and xenophobe"? Of course not!

I have never heard of Gavin Jacobson or read any of his book reviews.  However he seems to have stirred John Denham, former Labour cabinet minister and MP for Southampton Itchen who now heads The University of Winchester’s Centre for English Identity and Politics, into writing to the New Statesman.

It seems that anyone who dares to mention any concern about migration is seen in some quarters as xenophobic!

John Denham’s letter, which I came across published in The Week on 15 December 2018, is reproduced below.  It first appeared in the New Statesman.

Not another xenophobe.

To the New Statesman

After the rush of EU migrants post-2004, the day rate for self-employed building workers in Southampton fell by 50%.  The 15,000 new arrivals were accommodated by private landlords turning family homes into multiple occupancies, thereby changing the character of streets and neighbourhoods.  Some schools were ill-equipped for their first non-English-language-speaking students.  At the time, I regarded these as legitimate concerns, but I learn from Gavin Jacobson that I was just another “nationalist and xenophobe”.  His assumption that any worry about immigration is evidence of a pernicious outlook skews his reviews of several important books on populism.

John Denham, Labour MP 1992-2015 and former cabinet minister.

An overload of lawyers in the House of Commons. Oh for an Ernie Bevin!

I came across the letter below in the December 8th edition of The Week.  It comments on the fact that there appears to be an overload of lawyers and so called professional politicians in the House of Commons.

An overload of lawyers.

To The Times

At 15% in the Commons, and more in senior appointments, the legal profession is already over-represented in Parliament compared with other occupations.  Alongside the so-called professional politicians (Oxbridge PPE and not much else), lawyers have dominated cabinet positions disproportionately for far too long.  We need to attract a more diverse pool of talent, and boost the numbers of those who have had to concern themselves with profit and loss, investment decisions and people issues.  Perhaps with the pragmatism that comes from such experience, we could have headed off the shambles that we see in today’s politics.

Sir Christopher Coville, past chairman, Westland Helicopters.

The letter spurred me into doing a little research and I came up with the following facts.  Of the MPs elected in 2017 82% are graduates and 24% attended Oxford or Cambridge.  There were only 6 MPs whose occupations were described as “Manual”, another 6 were “Agricultural/Farmers” and only 4 were from the armed forces.*

Oh for a few patriots like Ernie Bevin!

*https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7483/CBP-7483.pdf

Robin Tilbrook, Chairman of the English Democrats, mentioned in Quentin Letts’ book Patronising Bastards.

Earlier this year I read Quentin Letts’ Patronising Bastards – How the elites betrayed Britain (Constable, 2017) a hilarious, but barbed take-down of the “furtive elite” who want to “control opinion and dictate attitudes”. 

I was pleasantly surprised to come across a mention for Robin Tilbrook, Chairman of the English Democrats Party.  Mr Tilbrook, I hasten to add, is not one of Quentin Letts’ Patronising Bastards.  The mention in the book comes in a reference to Professor Nicholas Boyle from the University of Cambridge who wrote of the English in the New European: “Like resentful ruffians uprooting the new trees in the park and trashing the new play area, 17 million English, the lager louts of Europe, voted for Brexit in an act of geographical vandalism.”

Quentin Letts informs us that Robin Tilbrook reported Boyle to Essex police for a “hate incident” claiming that: “As an Englishman I am offended by such a tirade by a person who is supposed to be and is paid to be a role model for students.  Attacking the English is just as much “racist” as attacking any other groups.”

Professor Boyle is number 96 on Mr Letts’ list of the top 100 Patronising Bastards.

English voters are " . . . ignored, marginalised and abused in political debate."

I came across this letter in The Week (December 1) from former Labour MP John Denham who is now the director of the Centre for English Identity and Politics at the University of Winchester.  In his letter he notes that: “Theresa May, Jeremy Corbyn and Vince Cable managed to mention England just once between them at this year’s party conferences.”  He also states that English nationalism has no serious political party; it seems he is yet to be impressed by the English Democrats.

Without an English Parliament the people of England have no dedicated political representation and therefore no effective collective voice.  Quite rightly the Welsh, Scots and Northern Irish have their own parliaments and assemblies to represent them.  Aren’t they lucky!

Below is Professor Denham’s letter.  It was first published in The Guardian.   

An overlooked nation.

To The Guardian

It is far too lazy to blame Brexit chaos on English nationalism.  It is a strange type of nationalism that never names the nation, has no serious political party, no leaders or public intellectuals, and no significant cultural expression.  Neither Leavers nor Remainers made an argument about what was best for England (though they did for Scotland and Wales).  Brexit is being led by elite politicians who identify as British, not English.  And Theresa May, Jeremy Corbyn and Vince Cable managed to mention England just once between them at this year’s party conferences.  If English voters have a problem, it is that they are frequently ignored, marginalised and abused in political debate.  Asserting distinct English interests reflects frustration much more than nationalism.

Professor John Denham, director, Centre for English Identity and Politics, University of Winchester

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

No English Democrats candidate in the recent Lewisham East parliamentary by-election. Robin Tilbrook gives reasons why.

In a recent article on his blog Robin Tilbrook, Chairman of the English Democrats, reflects on why there was no English Democrats candidate in the recent Lewisham East parliamentary by-election.  He notes the Lewisham East electorate’s lack of enthusiasm to identify as “British” let alone “English”. 

Here is part of Mr Tilbrook’s article: 

      

“When I was aware that the Labour MP, Heidi Alexander, was stepping down and causing a by-election in the Lewisham East constituency, I was immediately very doubtful as to whether it was worth the English Democrats standing there.  Although I should say that I would never discourage any of our members from standing even in the most unpromising areas if they really want to do so and have the necessary resources to do so.  Even in the most discouraging constituencies there may be some potential converts to the Cause of England!

Lewisham East is certainly such a seat.  Looking at the 2011 Census results Lewisham is a place where relatively few people identified as being “English” and surprisingly few even identified as being in any sense multi-cultural “British”.  

Since 2011 the misleadingly named “Conservative” Party (which actually is led by “Liberal” zealots) has continued with the unrestricted, uncontrolled mass immigration of New Labour and so every single year since then half a million or more immigrants have come to England, many of them settling in places like Lewisham.  That together with “white flight” or the continuing movement of English people out of such places, has led to a near total population displacement where the indigenous English population is largely absent.”

Given the circumstances described in the article I suggest there was little point in the English Democrats accepting the almost certain loss of a £500 deposit in a valiant attempt to garner the votes of the few English patriots who might be found in the constituency.

Robin Tilbrook also commented on the performance of UKIP, the Democrats and Veterans Party and Anne Marie Waters’ For Britain Movement.  The entire article can be found here:

http://robintilbrook.blogspot.com/2018/06/right-wing-woes-in-lewisham-east.html

     

"English patriotism is strengthening", claims Robin Tilbrook Chairman of the English Democrats.

A shaft of sunlight illuminates the Cross of St. George against the backdrop of a menacing thundercloud. 

A recent poll on English identity, questioning just over 20,000 adults, conducted by YouGov for the BBC produced some interesting results.

In general the poll suggested to me that the further away from London you go the greater the sense of being English becomes.  In London over a third of those questioned did not feel English at all or not very strongly – disappointing, but hardly surprising given the pattern of recent mass immigration.  In the rest of England the percentage of those identifying strongly as English was approaching a very satisfactory 85 per cent!  

As for the creation of an English Parliament, 41 per cent were in favour with 24 per cent against.

Robin Tilbrook, Chairman of the English Democrats, commented:

“The English Democrats are delighted to hear that the BBC's latest Poll, due to be published on Monday 4th June, finds more and more English people being proud to be English and wanting England to have our own national Parliament and our own Government. 

Could this be not only the product of the 40m leaflets the English Democrats have now distributed, but also from watching our Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish neighbours getting unfairly favourable treatment from the British Government and from the growing realisation that the UK and Westminster system often operates against the interests of the English Nation and that therefore we need our own English Government to look after our nation's interests?

The latest research shows that English patriotism is strengthening!"

Here is a link the BBC report:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-44142843

The King William IV in Curry Rivel, South Somerset. Another pub set to disappear?

A few days ago I happened to be passing an estate agents window when my attention was drawn to a photo advertising the sale of The King William IV public house in the South Somerset village of Curry Rivel. This village of some two thousand souls which sprawls along the A378 a mile or two south west of Langport now has only one pub, The Firehouse, when not so long ago it had three; the Bell Hotel closed some years ago and is now being redeveloped for residential use.  According to the estate agent it seems the same fate may befall The King William IV!

The King William IV pub in the village of Curry Rivel in South Somerset. Photographed on 3rd May 2018.

A little research reveals that pubs, an intrinsic part of England’s culture and heritage, have closed at the rate of 2 per day over the last year, not quite as bad as the rate in 2014 when 29 were closing each week.*  

While on the subject of closures I read that Royal Bank of Scotland is closing another 162 branches across England and Wales.  According to a report in the Mirror, since 2015 the banks have closed 1,944 branches with another 642 to close this year.**  Furthermore, today I came across a YouTube webcast by Anne Marie Waters, leader of The For Britain Movement, in which she deplores the collapse of another 1,500 high street stores due to soaring business rates as reported in the Daily Express.*** 

It appears that the retail and social infrastructure of our towns and villages are slowly fading away while it seems Lib/Lab/Con politicians at national and local level shrug their shoulders, turn their backs, and walk away.

*https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2018/02/rate-of-uk-pub-closures-has-slowed-to-two-per-day/

**https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/more-519-bank-branch-closures-12460452

***https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/952659/High-street-shops-closing-figures-report

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.”

The Labour Party's reluctance to talk about England makes it sound "out of touch with millions of voters".

In a recent post on his blog Robin Tilbrook, chairman of the English Democrats, drew attention to an article by John Denham, former Labour Cabinet Minister and now the Professor of English Identity and Politics at Winchester University.  In the article entitled Why does our Labour Party refuse to talk about England?  Mr Denham bemoans the fact that the Party appears extremely reluctant to even mention the word “England”.  Below are a couple of paragraphs from the article:

“The 1997 Labour government did not make a serious attempt – despite John Prescott’s best efforts – to shift power and resources out of London. England saw no constitutional change (except, ironically, in London). England needs devolution today because the last Labour government, of which I was a part, failed. Labour members should be asked about the governance of England as a whole: how power and resources will be devolved, how laws for England are made, and about England’s relationship with the rest of the UK.

The party must stop talking as though England and Britain are the same thing. This lazy confusion feeds nationalist propaganda in Scotland, discourages party members from thinking about England’s needs and makes us sound out of touch with millions of voters.”

Here is a link to the entire article:

https://labourlist.org/2018/04/john-denham-why-does-our-labour-party-refuse-to-talk-about-england/

After reading the whole article I am tempted to think that nothing much has changed in the 78 years since George Orwell wrote the following words in his essay The Lion and the Unicorn: 

“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”.

The English Democrats' David Allen stands as candidate for Mayor of Sheffield City Region.

At the moment there is not enough electoral activity going on in Bristol and Somerset to galvanise the interest of any members of the English Democrats Party in the area.  In such circumstances it is little wonder that, as far as I can tell, the Party in The South West seems to be in a state of hibernation. 

Be that as it may, there is action in The North!  Yorkshireman David Allan, a stalwart party activist, has stepped up to the plate again as the English Democrats’ candidate in the forthcoming mayoral election for Sheffield City Region.

After the recent set-to in the law courts between the English Democrats and the Electoral Commission over the form of words allowed as a registered party description on ballot papers, for this election the English Democrats will be highlighting their core policy and USP.  David Allen is using the description English Democrats – “A Parliament For England!”  A good choice I reckon - keep it clear and simple!

This is from an English Democrats’ press release:
"David will be standing against Labour’s Dan Jarvis.  David is a real Yorkshireman, born and bred in Yorkshire and has an established track record of standing in elections in South Yorkshire, where he was one of only three candidates who saved his deposit in the Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Mayoral election in 2012 and came second in the first South Yorkshire Police Commissioner election.  David is also the Yorkshire General Secretary of the Workers of England Trade Union.

David aims to offer the electorate of South Yorkshire a proper English nationalist and Leave supporting candidate as the only realistic opposition in South Yorkshire to the Internationalist and Remain supporting Labour candidate.

David Allen said:-  I believe that if South Yorkshire is to have a directly elected Mayor, which the British Establishment parties have decided is going to happen whether the people of South Yorkshire want it or not, then the people of South Yorkshire do at least need to be able to vote for a patriotic, South Yorkshire born and bred patriotic English candidate, who reflects the democratic will of the people of South Yorkshire to Leave the EU and to get our country back, not only from the undemocratic EU, but also from the undemocratically minded British Political Establishment “Cartel Parties” that are hell-bent on trying to undermine our traditional English communities and Nation.”

Dan Jarvis MP for Barnsley Central "in continuing push for Regionalisation", reports Robin Tilbrook, Chairman of the English Democrats.

Robin Tilbrook, Chairman of the English Democrats, has written on his blog of how Dan Jarvis, Labour MP for Barnsley Central, has used statistics gleaned from “community polls” and “consultations” to claim: “Barnsley and Doncaster made their voices heard.  Some 85 per cent voted in favour of a wider Yorkshire deal.”  This claim was made during a debate on Yorkshire Devolution.

However, Mr Jarvis seems to have tortured the statistics into giving him the answer he wanted.  What he did not reveal was that out of an electorate of almost 4 million in the Yorkshire and Humber region only 87,750 voters took part in the “polls” and “consultations”.

For more on Mr Jarvis’ “dodgy devolution dossier”, below is a link to Robin Tilbrook’s blogpost - and have a look at the “comments” section.  I entirely agree with Clive from Weston-super-Mare.  In my view the promotion of “city-regions” and “metro-mayors” for the English is not devolution, but a ploy by the British political establishment aimed at dismembering England.  Divide and Rule, a well tried British political tactic; keep the natives busy squabbling amongst themselves over financial crumbs from the Westminster table!

http://robintilbrook.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/labours-devious-dan-jarvis-and-his.html