Somebody asked what has happened to English Regionalism and the likes of the Wessex and Mercian movements. Here is a blog I've come across; Wessex Regionalists: http://wessexre...logspot.com/
One would think that English regionalists and decentralists of all types should pull together to put English regionalism back on the agenda. Form an umbrella group to promote the idea and try to steal back the lead from the English Parliament brigade, but no.
Even England Devolve seems to have faded into a small time non membership organisation that no one listens to.
To qualify my above comments. I've a lot of time for England Devolve and the hard working individuals it and the Wessex/Mercian movements contain.
The other regionalists who supported the New Labour plans to devolve power to the government zones are a different kettle of fish however. Isn't it about time they licked their wounds and got back into the debate but this time took an open minded approach to what constitutes a region instead of slavishly following the governments map.
Why don't they open up a dialogue with England Devolve and the other regionalists?
edited by: Fulub-le-Breton, Oct 09, 2008 - 07:52 PM
The decentralists and regionalists have a hard fight. Decentralism is just not on the average person's radar saddly and it is even harder without the kind of seperate identity Cornwall has.
There are two basic enemies of regionalism in England, firstly the rightwing British and English nationalists who think it ruins England's "identity"(England is far too big and populous for that to be much more than an abstraction) and strength and some liberal/social democrats and others on the left who are very internationalist/universalist and want "less divisions" betwen humanity, have wet dreams about world gov't and have no respect for things like identity, traditon, local, regional and even national culture etc.
I have debated with both sides many times including over Cornwall. I recently made a thread on Cornwall at a mainly liberal/social demcoratic site and the vast majority on replies were negative and silly talking about how we should divide humanity even further, should we give villages independence, blah blah blah.
Well most of these wooly liberals and social dems don't. And you should never forget they are passionate enemies as most English/British nats.
I don't think they are complimentary, maybe some loose, confederal authority but a world gov't would go the way of the US, Australia, Canada and the rest unless it was very confederal.
I don't think ILH makes the difference and to be frank there are plenty of pro-EU regionalists in England Devolve.
Yes ideally but this is still some form of central government and also we need to get there some how. But anyway you agree the central factor is still needed when coordination is demanded.
It's funny but plenty of humanist liberals and socialists who are passionate European or World federalists/confederalists also see the need for regionalism and strong local government.
The EU stuff is very different from historical regions from Mercia. We are in the Southwest in that rubbish.
I don't think a world gov't or a European gov't is "needed" actually. I can put up with it though if it is done right, I don't think that it is likely to be put right through the current EU though.
And whether what I want is a gov't is debatable, it would be a very loose, bottom-up one. The fact that all power resides in the regions and locales and is just delegated for the coordination of a few tasks is key. Sovereignty would lie with the regions.
So did the Roman empire mate. I have seen few of these kinds of people who actually really have decentralist values, who want gov't to be really bottom up and care about the human scale. To most such things are a negative thing, you get all the sillyness about divisions in humanity and history, tradition, culture and identity meaning little, they support them for convenience sake because even in their "bigger is always better" world they can't quite imagine the central, world bureaucracy being able to work without some federal and local power. But the feelings and values aren't there.
You can tell by the intensity of feeling they have for each stage.
'Bottom up' yes I totally agree, but still 'up'. There are still issues that would need a European (or continent) or World approach.
Don't forget the EU has not dictated what forms the regions should take it is the UK government that has insisted on the current zones so you should really call them UK government zones.
Just look at the regions in Italy or Spain, all shapes and sizes.
Europe counted Cornwall as a region in its own right. That's why we got Objective One (regardless of how that has been misused by external carpetbaggers). We missed out on it for years due to the UK Govt's insistence upon Devonwall, backed by some of those in our own midst, like dear Doris. The only entity that is dead set against Cornwall's individual status is housed in Westminster and Whitehall. Not Brussels.
Well you empassis or enthusiasm, which is common among certain worldviews, I find unnerving but I sort of agree. I think that the issues are very few though and can generally be done by very loose confederal organisations mainly involved with coordination with little split sovereignty.
Well aside from the fact the EU is pretty much made up the elites who rule Westminister, Paris, Berlin et al so it isn't like the UK gov't and the EU are completely different and conflicting entities.
But anyway I believe the regions sometimes go across national borders. There was certainly EU involvement and encouragement in the project. You can sort of understand why some see it as a plan by the EU to undermine the national gov'ts(a good thing I'd say .) and then seize power themselves(actually making things worse.
Child abuse cases to be re-opened
Three child abuse cases Cornwall are to be re-examined in the wake of the Baby P case in Haringey.
Farmhouse murder case man freed
A 21-year-old man cleared of murdering a woman in her Cornish farmhouse walks free from court.
Drive clamp-down catches hundreds
More than 1,700 motorists are caught in an undercover police campaign against dangerous driving.
Firm's loss a 'body blow' to town
The closure of a Cornish firm in Bodmin, with the loss of 260 jobs, is a "body blow" says the town's mayor.
Business confidence hits new low
Business confidence in the South West falls to the lowest in England and Wales, according to survey.
Extra planes for stranded Britons
Cornish photgrapher amongst UK tourists stranded in Thailand hoping extra flights will help him return home.
Icy conditions causing accidents
Police warn drivers to beware as icy road conditions cause a number of crashes involving multiple vehicles.
Stranded dolphins returned to sea
Vets, volunteers and marine experts battle for hours to rescue a dolphin and her calf stranded in Cornwall.
.) and then seize power themselves(actually making things worse.