Election 2015: Does the heart of England want more say on English matters?
I have to say in all this fete-ing of small nationalist parties (even the SNP is only likely to get 5% of the UK vote) I am getting fed up with being in what some people might describe as the “blank space” in the heart of the UK. This article provides further food for thought and if you would like to join the debate on the issue post election come to our national rural conference on 9 September in Cheltenham.
The Conservatives have set out a timetable for “English votes for English laws” if they win the election. Labour wants a constitutional convention on the issue. But do the English want more say on English matters?
Meriden may be a small place in the West Midlands, but it boasts a pretty big title.
An ancient monument on the village green marks the “traditional centre of England”.
It’s not the only site that stakes a claim to the exact middle of the country. It depends on who is measuring, and how.
But it serves as a suitable spot to survey what the heart of England thinks about whether the English want more controls over their own affairs.
“It depends what you mean by English laws and English issues, but clearly people think it’s bonkers that Scottish MPs can vote on big issues that affect only England, like health and education policy, but England don’t have any reverse rights,” says 55-year-old training consultant David McGrath.
Nick Hone, 64, shares a similar sentiment. “Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland have had their own devolution, and we’ve been left behind. I believe each country should have its own autonomy,” he says.
The men have different ideas about how this should happen. “Why not get together and have a UK-wide debate?” says Mr McGrath. “I think we should have a federal system like Australia and Canada,” suggests Mr Hone.