A lot of people seem to see Billy Bragg as the saviour of the English people – he’s a proud Englishman, he’s reviving English folk culture and fisking politicians who want to destroy our country. However, his interview with Christine Constable, Chairman of the EDP, last night on 18 Doughty Street tells a different story.
In his interview he promotes the European federalism and regionalisation. He calls for regional government with artificial regional identities rather than a national parliament for England. He is, in reality, advocating the abolition of our nation and its subsumation into a Federal Europe.
But surely Christine Constable put him right, surely she put across the case for an English Parliament and corrected him when he made inaccurate statements? No, she sat there and let him take control of the whole interview. She didn’t correct him when he came out with the most fundamental misconception about English nationalists’ objection to Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish MP’s getting involved in devolved issues – it is not Gordon Brown’s nationality that is the problem, it is where he was elected. If Gordon Brown was English and elected in Scotland, it would still be unacceptable because it is the fact that he has no say on devolved matters in his own constituency but does in England that is wrong.
The interview was truly awful and Billy Bragg went away with the same misconceptions that he arrived with. I sincerely hope the EDP don’t use the interview to promote their cause.
Christine Constable is a joke. She wasted one programme on an ‘interview’ with Gary Bushell which was mostly devoted to a eulogy for Benny Hill.
She’s not up to the role and should give it up.
“A lot of people seem to see Billy Bragg as the saviour of the English people”
Really?
How about ‘National Parliament for England first then regional assemblies later’.
Sureley there’s a case for both?
Stefanik, if that is what is decided by an English Parliament then so be it. I’m quite happy to have regional government underneath an English national government as long as its powers are devolved from the English Parliament and not created by the British government. It should be up to Members of an English Parliament, elected to represent England, to decide what form of government England should have. The Scottish Claim of Right said that Scots had a right to decide the best form of government for themselves, England should have that same right.
Why have Regional assemblies, even following an English parliament? We already have County Councils which seem to be quite capable of filling that role, without yet another layer of expensive bureaucracy being added to the sandwich.
Lord knows I’m no fan of Christine but you’re being a bit unfair. You can only work with what you’re given. Bragg these days has sold out, he’s bought into the anodyne Brown version of Britishness, and he’s become one of his foot soldiers.
That said Christine could have tried to come over a little less star-struck and sycophantic, and she obviously hadn’t done much research.
I hear what you’re saying Gareth but she was the presenter and he was the guest. There were several times she should have stopped him and corrected him. As it is, any Tory watching that with any pro-English leaning is going to come to the conslusion that what Bragg said is acceptable and that the EDP agree with it.
Wonkostane – yes, it should be following the setting up of an English parliament.
KeithS – I hear what you say about county councils, of course this should be seen within the remit of the EP but I think it’s worth considering structures which may be stronger and larger than county councils. Not all counties are the size and population of Yorkshire.
I suppose you’re right, but to be honest I don’t think Tories will take too much notice of either Bragg or Constable. Even I couldn’t be bothered to watch to the end of the programme and I’m an English nationalist.
Never trust a man who calls “his” country “our” country.
Too right comrade.