Happy New Year to you. Long time no see! There is a chance I may be down your way this year - will keep you informed.
I agree with Peter Risdon - the West Lothian Question won't go away "just like that".
The best solution is here. (scroll down if necessary) 2 January 2007, 18:30:38 GMT – Like – Reply
David Davis David, happy new year, and do you ever get down south to sort of here?
I sadly also agree but I sympathise with Peter Risdon's comments above. You will probably remember that Paul Johnson, about 8 or 9 years ago in the Spectator, predicted that the Tory party in Britain would disintegrate, and possibly (just) be replaced with a sort of English nationalist party. It might just happen if they follow MParris's recommendations, that it won't implode, and might survive as doing what he says. Or, more likely, it might not, and the rest will be might-have-beens. 2 January 2007, 17:55:01 GMT – Like – Reply
Sam Duncan Sadly, David, I think you and Parris are right ("sadly" because I'm bloody British, and this tartan-wrapped "Celtic" faux-nationalism gets on my wick).
However, I think his most interesting point is the one about there being an opening for a Spanish nationalist party in Madrid as a corollary to a centre-right Catalan party accepting autonomy. Certainly the Tories should be listening to this, but surely it also shows that there's a genuine chance for UKIP? They should be pointing out the absurdity of the SNP's "Independence in Europe" position, and backing that up in the rest of the country by promising (as they already do to an extent, to be fair) greater genuine devolution, rather than more jobs for the boys.
The Nats saw the connection between European unionism and Scottish "devolution"/"independence" twenty years ago. Far too few on the other side of the argument do. 30 December 2006, 15:57:00 GMT – Like – Reply
Peter Risdon There's one thing Mr Parris doesn't get; objections to the English subsidy of Scotland is not necessarily based on a kind of mean refusal by a richer part of a commonality to help a poorer one. The situation today is one of taxation without representation. The Scottish Assembly receives money from people who cannot vote it down if they disapprove of the way that money is spent.
English taxes should be spent in Scotland and Wales only through the Westminster Parliament, and the respective assemblies should only be able to spend revenues they raise directly. 30 December 2006, 12:18:45 GMT
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David Farrer
David
Happy New Year to you. Long time no see! There is a chance I may be down your way this year - will keep you informed.
I agree with Peter Risdon - the West Lothian Question won't go away "just like that".
The best solution is here. (scroll down if necessary)
2 January 2007, 18:30:38 GMT – Like – Reply
David Davis
David, happy new year, and do you ever get down south to sort of here?
I sadly also agree but I sympathise with Peter Risdon's comments above. You will probably remember that Paul Johnson, about 8 or 9 years ago in the Spectator, predicted that the Tory party in Britain would disintegrate, and possibly (just) be replaced with a sort of English nationalist party. It might just happen if they follow MParris's recommendations, that it won't implode, and might survive as doing what he says. Or, more likely, it might not, and the rest will be might-have-beens.
2 January 2007, 17:55:01 GMT – Like – Reply
Sam Duncan
Sadly, David, I think you and Parris are right ("sadly" because I'm bloody British, and this tartan-wrapped "Celtic" faux-nationalism gets on my wick).
However, I think his most interesting point is the one about there being an opening for a Spanish nationalist party in Madrid as a corollary to a centre-right Catalan party accepting autonomy. Certainly the Tories should be listening to this, but surely it also shows that there's a genuine chance for UKIP? They should be pointing out the absurdity of the SNP's "Independence in Europe" position, and backing that up in the rest of the country by promising (as they already do to an extent, to be fair) greater genuine devolution, rather than more jobs for the boys.
The Nats saw the connection between European unionism and Scottish "devolution"/"independence" twenty years ago. Far too few on the other side of the argument do.
30 December 2006, 15:57:00 GMT – Like – Reply
Peter Risdon
There's one thing Mr Parris doesn't get; objections to the English subsidy of Scotland is not necessarily based on a kind of mean refusal by a richer part of a commonality to help a poorer one. The situation today is one of taxation without representation. The Scottish Assembly receives money from people who cannot vote it down if they disapprove of the way that money is spent.
English taxes should be spent in Scotland and Wales only through the Westminster Parliament, and the respective assemblies should only be able to spend revenues they raise directly.
30 December 2006, 12:18:45 GMT
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