Tonight Paul Nuttall, UKIP's chairman, presented the Politics Slot on Channel 4. I was delighted to see that my meetings with him and Nigel Farage have thus far borne fruit. In the King James version of the Gospel of St Luke, Chapter 15, we find the 'Parable of the Lost Sheep':-
Jesus "spake this parable unto them, saying:
4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he finds it?
5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost?
7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, who need no repentance."
However, in UKIP's case, it does pay to be cautious before rejoicing. Paul's proposal is just that - a proposed policy. It will not become UKIP's actual policy unless their membership approve it - which presumably they will have the chance to do at their next party conference in March. It is by no means certain that they will do so however as can be seen by this item >>> http://juniusonukip.blogspot.com/2011/12/farage-and-nuttall-v-ukip-wales-party.html
I have also been here before. I helped formulate their previous devolution policy, when it was being written by their then Chairman, now Tory defector, David Campbell Bannerman. After David had retricted the policy to a version of English Votes for English Laws, I was surprised to see him claim on TV that 'UKIP were now the only party campaigning for an English Parliament'!
Nevertheless I think we may be cautiously optimistic that the English Democrats' campaign for 'an English Parliament, First Minister and Government with at least the same powers as the Scottish ones' may be shortly joined by UKIP.
If that happens we English Nationalists will be a significant step closer to the day when we have our own English version of Alex Salmond as our First Minister standing up for English Interests!
Oh Robin... !! You are not going to go all religious on us are you ?It is religion that got us into this mess in the first place .Steve C
ReplyDeleteIt is the lack of Christian morality and the promotion of social marxism that is the cause of England's problems. Rules made by man change with the wind and he who pays the bellow's blower. It is not religion but the men who bend it to their will at fault.
DeleteSorry had to reply to " your not going all Religious on us" Jesus came to stop Religion.... True Christianity is not about "Religion" its about following the teachings of Jesus.... have you ever seen the clip on You Tube "Why I hate Religion but Love Jesus" Amazing young man...and he says it all :) x
DeleteIt is ABUSE of Religion that causes problems
DeleteSome UKIP members are working to get a federal system for the UK as UKIP policy. Please see below two entries I made to "Nick's blog" on the IPPR website, where I develop this theme.
ReplyDelete"A more radical solution is needed: not only should there be an English parliament, but a federal structure for the government of the UK is needed. Thus there is no need for the House of Commons to have MPs from all four UK nations: it should contain only English MPs, with the Celtic nations all having their own parliament with their own MPs. The House of Lords can then become fully elected, and function as the upper house for the entire United Kingdom. Finally it would at last become a truly proper functioning second chamber for the UK, rather like the US Senate acts for the USA.
The House of Lords would hold the British Prime Minister and the British cabinet to account, whose responsibilities would be solely for defence, foreign affairs and perhaps matters of macro economic importance affecting the UK. All other affairs could, and should, be the responsibility of each nation’s own parliament."
And later when another contributor to the IPPR website got confused thinking I was proposing a purely English House of Lords, I posted this entry:
"I proposed a 'fully elected' House of Lords, and I added that it should 'function as the upper house for the entire United Kingdom'. It is surely obvious that the members of my proposed House of Lords would have to be elected from ALL four nations in the UK, so there can be no assumption that the British Prime Minister would be English. I certainly do not have a problem with a Celtic Prime Minister: we have had many excellent examples in the 20th century, Lloyd George and Harold MacMillan for example.
As a further refinement to assuage Celtic sensitivities, the House of Lords could be made peripatetic: i.e. it could sit for three months in the capital city of each UK nation. There is some precedence for this: in olden days Parliament would follow the monarch round England and Wales."
Incidentally, my name is Derek Armstrong: I am a member of the CEP (Campaign for an English Parliament) and also UKIP
That's not quite the way Mr Uncles has been reporting events........
ReplyDeleteNever trust again a non English PM
ReplyDeletenever ever trust again a NON ENGLISH PM
ReplyDeleteENGLISH ONLY so we can decide who we want and make them ACCOUNTABLE ! for any Treachery we have had enough of celtic treachery.
Surely UKIP can see that they will never be accepted in any great numbers by the Celtic elements of the UK. Once the Celts have their own governments, which they surely will, it will be the case of them jumping on the "EU gravy train", as they cannot survive without external funding..........
ReplyDeleteBut if UKIP adopt an English Parliament Policy, what would then be different to them joing the ranks of The Englsih Democrats?
ReplyDeleteWaiting for Scottish independence is so frustrating get on with it and GO! We the English can then (with the Welsh) move forward and govern our own affairs. At last no more scots PM's or MP's running our Country, go on your way rejoicing. I only wish the English shared the same amount of pride in their nation as those north of the BORDER!
ReplyDeleteAs the old saying goes, wish in one hand and s#@t in the other and see which one gets fulfilled first. This applies in this instance.
DeleteA member of the UNITED KINGDOM Independence Party also being a member of CEP seems to me to be a contradiction. This is a party who clearly support the status quo i.e a UNITED KINGDOM, and who continue to support severence with the EU (a view I happen to support). While I agree with the policies suggested (A Federation of Nation States) each with its own parliament, and the umberella of defence and foreign affairs dealt with (by consent of the member states), at Westminster. It seems that UKIP are a little unsure of what it is they stand for - perhaps they should abandon their uncertain party and join us EDP.
ReplyDeleteA couple of points here, I don't want an English parliament unless it is the highest authority in England.
ReplyDeleteFirst, we will never have power whilst we are controlled by the EU,
Second, if there is a UK Parliament over us, then, once again, what's the point.
My other point is, David Campbell Bannerman was either weak, foolish, or both.
Weak because he had no convictions and went where he thought the money was, or foolish because he thought Cameron would hold a reference, or both, which is where my money is going.
Some people here can't see the wood for the trees.
ReplyDeleteThe only alternative to a step by step process,i.e. create a federal system first before considering secession
would be to take up arms.
But in my experiance,most of the people we are talking to are fans of Jeremy Kyle.
And on a side note.As a non Christian I certainly don't desire the mess that is Jerusalem rebuilt in Englands green and pleasant land.