rural parliament

‘Support’ for English devolution – BBC poll

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In the light of this article and the very positive Scottish experience why not support the idea of an English Rural Parliament?

Some 80% of people in England support having more powers devolved to local areas, a poll on devolution commissioned by the BBC has suggested.

The poll also suggested 66% support the idea of allowing only MPs from England to vote on laws in the Westminster Parliament that affect only England.

ComRes spoke to almost 3,000 adults in England by telephone between 17 and 27 October.

The government said it wanted to shift power “into the hands of local people”.

Scotland’s First Rural Parliament

We could really use one of these in England. Efforts have been made but unsuccessfully so far. This article tells us:

The three day event, from 6th – 8th November, will bring together 400-500 decision-makers, organisations and people from rural communities across Scotland.

They will produce a shared manifesto for rural Scotland whilst celebrating the strengths and achievements of rural communities.

Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead, said:

“Rural Parliaments work well in other European countries, giving our rural communities and businesses a stronger voice in policy making and an opportunity to celebrate all that is good about living and working in rural areas. I would urge everyone across rural Scotland to take advantage of the opportunity to be involved in shaping the agenda and themes of our nation’s very first Rural Parliament and make it a success.”