A slightly different (although less newsworthy) interpretation:
. Over two-thirds of English people say Scotland gets its fair share of cash.
. Over 80% of English people wish to keep Scotland in the UK.
. 57% of English people believe England should continue to be governed by Westminster.
I've got to say that along with Scottish Unionist, I think the findings contained here are overall positive from a Unionist point of view; the fact that the SNP have studiously ignored them is probably proof enough of that....a United Kingdom whose citizens continue to get along just fine with each other just doesn't fit cosily into their narrative.
7 comments:
True, however a couple of weeks ago both the President and the Prime Minister (now outgoing) of Iceland laid into the UK government for trying to use their country's financial problems to attack Scottish independence. Also the UK was accused of bullying Iceland by using terrorism legislation. The Icelandic President said that such moves would not have been used against German or French banks in the same circumstances as the Icelandic ones.
A lot of blogs which had been crowing about Iceland's problems were strangely silent-----
Bullying wee countries - was not the UK the country who went to war in 1914 for Germany doing (albeit in a more extreme fashion) the same thing?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7836115.stm
That'll be the Iceland whose government has just resigned in ignominy??
http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20090129220507177
Although I've got to say that I'm struggling to pull together the connection between Iceland and a post that's about English attitudes to Scotland/Wales- I do enjoy your lateral and abstract take on UK affairs, but even by your standards I think you're stretching the comparisons and metaphors on this one!
Actually the narrative is and always has been that we can be close friendly neighbours who have deep strong ties, but neighbours we shall be.
Why would it be in the interests of Scots to be on unfriendly terms with our nearest neighbours. Often in your anti-SNP quest you fail to notice that you are not making much sense. This is (yet) another of those times.
Often in your anti-SNP quest you fail to notice that you are not making much sense. This is (yet) another of those times.
You've misunderstood the post, the survey deals with English reactions to Scotland, not the other way round. And the SNP's narrative is the "inevitability of separation", an inevitability that will be driven as much by discontent in England as in Scotland. The survey's findings contradict that narrative.
I know it was a long shot, but since you were complaining about people trying to hide news they did not wish to acknowledge I aimed at the "wider" - stretching it a bit though - context of your argument!
Like you say, a question of presentation. Here would be my take:
Figures just published in the British Social Attitudes Report show that a majority of the people of England wish for England to continue to be ruled by a Parliament at its traditional home of Westminster. However, although one in five favour ejecting Scotland from the Union altogether, the majority in England would merely prefer to eject Scotland's MPs from our Parliament, with the intention of turning Westminster into a true English Parliament.
People are rightly outraged by the current scandal about unelected and unaccountable members of the House of Lords from across the UK being bribed to interfere with English domestic legislation. Now is the perfect time to instigate reform of an increasingly discredited parliamentary setup by creating an English Parliament in the lower house and replacing the House of Lords with a body to deal with UK-wide reserved matters.
Note: A clear majority (61%) of the English polled believe Scottish MPs (e.g. Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling) should not be allowed to vote on English legislation. However, after Devolution they aren't able to vote on Scottish legislation either, thus making their positions redundant. "Perhaps they could apply to a reformed House of Lords for a new job?"
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