There is growing evidence that the English are dissatisfied with current arrangements for the territorial government of the UK in general, and England in particular. Why should this be so? Part of the problem is to do with maintaining the continuity of the Ancient and Geographic Counties and their affiliations. As an example, consider the Saddleworth White Rose society who are compaigning to maintain the historical division of England into counties rather than administrative regions. Historically, the ancient Township of Saddleworth has links with the County of York which can be traced back in history to Norman times. Before 1974, Saddleworth was an Urban District within the West Riding of Yorkshire but is now a part of Oldham within the administrative county of greater Manchester (Lancashire). To the outsider, these changes probably seem trivial, but to the local people they are truly significant as they represent a loss of local control for English people.
The second part of the problem is to do with who is making decisions in the interests of the English. The English electorate wants to have representatives from England rather than elected representatives from the UK as a whole. These representatives would add an “English Dimension” to decision making which is at present lacking.
Evidence for an English awakening is contained within a recent survey conducted by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). The English language did originate with these people so why not download the report and give it a read.
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