Gareth Young's blog regularly comments on the injustice of Welsh and Scottish MPs interfering in what are English only matters since the advent of devolution. It is a point with which I have much sympathy. One of the main reason's for the change of fortune in the devolution debate in Wales was the fact that Wales suffered so much during the previous Conservative government, partially because four Secretaries of State for Wales were MPs from English constituencies who had little knowledge of and less sympathy for Wales. I see no difference between Lembit Opik's new responsibilities for the Lib Dem's policies on housing in England and John Redwood's former responsibility for housing in Wales.
One of the issues devolved to Wales is education and the school curriculum, so I wonder what Gareth will make of Wrexham MP Ian Lucas' latest publicity stunt.
Ian Lucas has published an article in the Fabian Society's magazine suggesting that as Welsh History is taught in Welsh schools and Scottish History is taught in Scottish schools, then "regional" history should be part of the curriculum in schools in the English administrative regions.
Apart from the fact that this devolved issue is none of the Welsh constituency MP's business, Mr Lucas' plan has another fatal flaw. The administrative regions of England are not historical regions, so they don't have a shared regional history.
Coming from Newcastle, Lucas said his own schooling included none of Northumberland's rich history, yet his children's schooling in Wrexham is strong on the history of Wales. And he said the different experience of the industrial revolution around England could be reflected in what children are taught.
But Northumberland isn't an English administrative region Mr Lucas!
I have nothing against teaching local history to children, indeed it is something which deserves support, but isn't the most appropriate historic unit on which such history should be taught the ancient county rather than a non-historic region?
Of course Ian Lucas' silly idea has nothing to do with teaching local history in schools it is part of Labour's plan to "save the union" by denying England's right to exist as a nation. He wants to teach regional history for political rather than educational reasons. It is part of Labour's ploy to force regional rather than national devolution onto England, because Labour hates the idea of English nationalism ten times more than it hates Scottish and Welsh nationalism.
I can imagine the history that would be taught by the pro regionalists in the North East of England. The yes campaigners for a NE regional assembly used the Jarrow Marchers, the Miners strike and the return of the Lindisfarne Bible from the brit museum as a tool to drum up a faux North East Nationalism against southern England.They kicked of their anti English campaign with the arrival of a braying hooray Henry type, with top hat and monocle, getting off the train in Newcastle supposedly to tell us norveners what to do. One yes campaigner letter writer to the press was actually complaining about so many southern English accents in his pub.
ReplyDeletePrescott and New Labour sanctioned this campaign of villification against the southern English. I hope one day we can wipe new labour and all unionists out in England.
England does need to celebrate its regional diversity of course, although that should be based on the traditional counties and the cities.
ReplyDeleteOne of the problems is that England is too much dominated by London. What a shame that local government isn't truly local. I'd quite happily see a school leaving age of say 14 in Newcastle and 18 in Bristol if that is what the local electorate wanted. At the moment local government is far too much an agent for central government, whith too much power in the hands of the officials rather than the elected members.
We all need far more democracy although it has to be funded by local taxes
Think yourself lucky that Wales had/has Secretaries of State, old darling - England didn't/doesn't.
ReplyDeleteStill, the end of the Union will come about. Then we can have a fully independent Wales and a fully independent Scotland. A lovely "pure" "Celtic" fraternity. Bliss. Whilst the rest of us great unwashed in England get on with our lives free of racism and domination from those infamous "UK" cultural elites.
There's no justification for the current system of apartheid exercised in the "UK" and I think that you are absolutely pathetic to witter on about previous Tory adminstrations.
The only racist comments here are yours Maria. It is you not the author who mentions racial purity and claims that the English are "unwashed".
ReplyDeleteIf you bothered to read the post before sending your comment you would have realised that it is is supportive of English identity rather than being anti-English in any way.
As you publish a blog that complains about the 1970s isn't it a bit rich for you to call others "pathetic" for referring to historic facts from the 1980's :-S
Presumably though Lembit Opik will be a better singer of Jerusalem than John Redwood was of Land of My Fathers.
ReplyDeleteI intend to respond more fully to this post when I get a moment.