Last month, you said: “… the union is supposed to be a relationship of equals”. With this in mind, may I remind you of the following.
Scotland has a Parliament to deal with Scottish domestic issues. England is the only country in the UK to be governed solely by the UK Parliament.
English students pay up-front tuition fees of £3000 a year. Scottish students pay around £2000 once they have graduated. The only reason for the difference is that, while Scotland’s Parliament rejected the idea of tuition fees, the UK Parliament voted for them in England- against the wishes of the majority of English MPs.
In 2004, according to Help the Aged 21,000 elderly people in England died through lack of adequate central heating. In Scotland, central heating is provided for free by the Scottish Executive.
According to Treasury figures, had public spending between the four nations of the UK been equal in 2004-5, England would have received an extra £12 billion in public spending. This is because of the Barnett Formula, which Lord Barnett himself has said should be scrapped.
And then, to cap it off, the leader of the only major party I thought could be relied upon to speak up against such injustices has the sheer gall to argue that, being English, my “ignorance” about “Scots and Scotland” is damaging the Union.
No, Mr. Cameron. What is damaging the Union is the ignorance of people like you who assume that, because of my ethnicity, I am ignorant about Scotland. What is damaging the Union is that it is the people of England who are not being given the respect they deserve. What is damaging the Union is that, while ordinary English and Scottish people have respect for one another, the top politicians in Britain in the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats and now the Conservative Party, are intent on tearing Britain apart.
I would be grateful if you could try to convince me that I am wrong to include the Conservative Party in the group of parties intent on wrecking the Union.
Yours sincerely,
CEP Oxfordshire member
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