English Devolution and coalitions in Cyberspace
I wish London was independent of England. Having spent the past week in Leicestershire, it really is a different country, with different concerns. So long as policy is made, the newspapers are printed, and money is controlled from the City-State where I am now, nothing will change.
London, which is bigger than Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland together and which has been a distinctive entity for as long than they have, was historically recognised as different. Its demographics, economy, and politics ought to be too. Otherwise, the decaying, late Austro-Hungarian animate cadaver that passes for a state on these islands outside the Irish republic will continue to madly spin and limit lives, driven by a London-based 'British' agenda that suits no one.
So it was interesting to me to read The Exile's take on this over at his site. The exile disagrees with me about London, as I recall, but has his own reasons for distrusting the south of england and its complaints.
Exile is a keen, and clear political analyst. He does swear a lot, and if you don't like having sensibilities outraged, don't go there. But it is worth the effort, if these things do not bother you.
The author is a radical polemicist of genius. Recent posts on the collapse of New Labour, and now on the revival of Northumbria, are what marketing people would call 'outside the box' thinking that really make one think, which is what a blog ought to do, rather than conform to any cosy consensus. If you happen to be a social worker, or ambivalent about the war in Iraq, or an admirer of the USA, you will also come away from the exile highly offended, though The Times has recently linked to Exile's well-founded dispute with the entire social work profession.
Exile is keen on building a coalition against the political-media class and you'll see a genuine openness of debate there--much more so than here, since I censor my comments. Anonymous, comments, personal abuse, or swearing, just won't get put up, and nor will the standard aliases of Neil Clark's detractors. Go and have a look at the exile if you think you want to-- just don't complain if you join the fight and get punched in the face. It is a very free place.
I wish London was independent of England. Having spent the past week in Leicestershire, it really is a different country, with different concerns. So long as policy is made, the newspapers are printed, and money is controlled from the City-State where I am now, nothing will change.
London, which is bigger than Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland together and which has been a distinctive entity for as long than they have, was historically recognised as different. Its demographics, economy, and politics ought to be too. Otherwise, the decaying, late Austro-Hungarian animate cadaver that passes for a state on these islands outside the Irish republic will continue to madly spin and limit lives, driven by a London-based 'British' agenda that suits no one.
So it was interesting to me to read The Exile's take on this over at his site. The exile disagrees with me about London, as I recall, but has his own reasons for distrusting the south of england and its complaints.
Exile is a keen, and clear political analyst. He does swear a lot, and if you don't like having sensibilities outraged, don't go there. But it is worth the effort, if these things do not bother you.
The author is a radical polemicist of genius. Recent posts on the collapse of New Labour, and now on the revival of Northumbria, are what marketing people would call 'outside the box' thinking that really make one think, which is what a blog ought to do, rather than conform to any cosy consensus. If you happen to be a social worker, or ambivalent about the war in Iraq, or an admirer of the USA, you will also come away from the exile highly offended, though The Times has recently linked to Exile's well-founded dispute with the entire social work profession.
Exile is keen on building a coalition against the political-media class and you'll see a genuine openness of debate there--much more so than here, since I censor my comments. Anonymous, comments, personal abuse, or swearing, just won't get put up, and nor will the standard aliases of Neil Clark's detractors. Go and have a look at the exile if you think you want to-- just don't complain if you join the fight and get punched in the face. It is a very free place.
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