Devolution=discrimination?

[jgs]

If you're under 25 and Welsh, prescriptions are free. If you're under 25 and English, they cost �6-50.

I've just paid �13-00 over the last 2 weeks for antibiotics because I live in England.

Is this racial discrimination?

Unlike Scotland and Wales, England doesn't have it's own Parliament/ Assembly. England is the only 'nation' in the UK and EU without a Parliament.

Is this lack of specific political representation a breach of my human rights?

[Lonnie]

Devolution is a way of discriminating against the English by a Scottish led goverment, (apologies to the Scots on this site, this is a tirade against the Goverment, not you), since they got in, they've been hellbent on destroying anything English, eg, the last census, you could put down if you were Scottish or Welsh, but they made it against the law to say if you were English, and you've only got to look at our voting system, made allowable by devolution, this goverment only got back in with the Scottish vote, you try to vote in the Scottish elections and see what happens, and yes, I know our goverment is the British Goverment.

Bring in devolution for England,.

I totally agree with your post, now i'm waiting for the flak, and I haven't said as much as i'd like to, saving it up.

[DirtyHabit]

Yes.
Why not join http://www.thecep.org.uk/

[Lonnie]

Thanks DirtyHabit, its now in my favourites, and i'll look at it properly later, at my leisure.

[Lonnie]

Just another little bit, some time ago, we had a social worker round to fill in a form for our daughter, (she's handicapped), one of the questions was nationality, we said English, she said she was told that that wasn't allowed,

[casaespana]

Wales and Scotland had their industries and communities virtually destroyed by an English led government not so long ago, or is this something you care to forget. I don't recall anything being mentioned about discrimination and human rights then. I hope both assemblies can deliver what their peoples aspire to and never again be left at the mercy and manipulation of those in London.

[Buenchico]

To address the original question:
The difference in prescription charges can't be racial discrimination because Englishmen (under 25) living in Wales don't pay and Welshmen living in England do. (i.e. the rules vary according to the place of residence not because of the racial origins of the person requiring the prescription).

Chris


PS: Despite being born (and living) in England, I do not regard myself as English. Neither do I regard myself as British. For the purposes of international law, I have to, grudgingly, accept the label of 'citizen of the United Kingdom'. The only label which I feel proud to use is 'European'. (I always refuse to stand for a National Anthem which asks a non-existent god to save a monarch whom I refuse to acknowledge. Whenever the European Anthem is played, however, I'll always stand with pride). Abolish all of the regional assemblies! Abolish the Westminster Parliament! Direct rule from Brussels NOW!!

[Loosehead]

The last thing we needed is devolution, another batch of politicians with their snouts in the trough, sweep away the Welsh assembly and the Scottish parliament, they have very little power anyway.

Lonnie is correct the Scots have never forgiven England for transferring resources to them to make their country a going concern. Most Scots are a balanced people with chips on both shoulders and as Lonnie says their mission in Governement is the distruction of England. Unfortunately they have the assistance if English dimwits like Prescot who would like to break us up into regions.. Perlease!

On my census I ticked the "Other white" box and put English!

[undercovers]

don't you just love the UK - we're a tiny little place and yet we all hate each other and think we are so different from those over there... ahh maybe thats just human but i appreciate what the gov are trying to do with devolution in that they are attempting to adopt an american approach of fedralism (and as i understand it they have been trying quite hard to set up regional assemblies in england - though without much success or support). This approach would (eventually) reform the UK constitution (or create one depending on what school of thought to subscribe to) and radically alter the political environment of the country, which in my opinion would be a great thing ... as long as it meant getting rid of blair

[brachiopod]

"the last census you could put down if you were Scottish or Welsh"

Lonnie, would you care to point out where on the 2001 Census Form for England & Wales that you could do that?

"but they made it against the law to say you were English"

And exactly which law would that be, then?

[Romaz]

'Unlike Scotland and Wales, England doesn't have it's own Parliament/Assembly'

Please explain who Tony Blair, Gordon Brown et al are then?

Loosehead Scotland has not forgiven England for invading it and subjecting it to years of foriegn rule, the plunder of Scottish gas, oil and water is recent and as a consequence the scottish people give back to the English government a lot more than they get.

[Loosehead]

So Scotland owns the North sea then does it? Oil gas was there for millions of years and the Scot's just waited for England to extract it and then claimed it was there's. Yep good Scot logic at work again!

[Lonnie]

brachiiopod, the box that says 'any other white ethnic background'', you could put any of the UK nationalities, except English, if you remember, we were told, that if you put English as your nationality, you would be fined, don't know if they carried that out, but the threat was made, Now, I don't honestly know the law as such, but surely, you can only be fined if you've broken one.

Here's something else, Regional Assemblies, if they were to come about, from that 'arch traitor' Prescott, the plan,which hasn't been spoken about for some time, is to do away with 'Nation States', britain would be broken up into self governing areas, Scotland and Wales, (and i'm only talking about the mainland), would still be Scotland and Wales, but areas of Europe, instead of nations, England would be broken up into about five different areas, each area to have its own name, and the name England would go.

[brachiopod]

Lonnie, I remember no such mention in the Guidance Notes for filling in the Census form that said it was ok to put 'Welsh' or 'Scottish' in the space next to "Any other White background", but not, under threat of fine, "English".

When you say "we were told...you would be fined", do you mean you 'read it in a newspaper' ?

[january_bug]

I echo the sensible sentiments above and agree in particular with brachiopod.

Lonnie, with the greatest respect you seem like an intelligent person, more than capable of engaging in poltiical debate, but you appear to have let yourself down by reading a tabloid and believing it to be true.

I raise this because I wonder if the hatred some people feel of other parts of the UK would not be felt so strongly if it weren't for the tabloids (like the Mail) pouring petrol on the fire and then fanning the flames.

It is fair to say that England doesn't have a parliament in the same sense that the Scottish do, and the Welsh have an assembly. However, to pretend that we are in someway underrepresented is a gross error and should be avoided by any wishing to make a reasonable contribution to the debate.

Chris - I think it's great that you choose to make your protest during the anthem (even if I totally disagree with your views), I just think it's a realy pity that probably hardly anyone notices because of people's lack of interest in showing patriotism in a positive way (i.e., hardly anyone stands anyway, so they probably think you're just showing apathy or disinterest!). What a pity that people waste so much energy whinging about hating other countries, that they have no time left to celebrate the country/nation/union that they should surely like/love!

[Lonnie]

jan-bug & brachiopod, Its true that the bit about splitting up the UK into areas I read in a paper, it was an excerpt from a goverment release, which is why I took it as read, as for the other bit about the fine for saying your English, that was not only in the papers, but on the radio an television also, so i'll accept your admonishent on the first, but not the second, mainly because I have first hand experience, as stated above, of not being able to say that you are English, and as a point, contact your local Social Services department to check it out, I think you'll find its true.

[january_bug]

I'm sure you can always select "other" and fill in "English" in the details.

What have you got against being British, or a UK citizen anyway? I don't mean that critically, I'm honestly just interested. I tend to say I'm English, when technically I'm British as I'm quarter Scottish and not pure English at all therefore.

I do agree that it's ridiculous IF it's ok for the Welsh to be Welsh, and the Scots to be Scottish, but not for the English to be English, but I honestly do not think that we are being denied our nationality. Nationality is something that you feel, as much as you are (IMHO).

Do people genuinely get upset by these forms? Again, I ask not as a dig, but because it appears that people do, and this is something I have difficulty empathising with although, with a little explanation, it is something I am perfectly intelligent enough to understand.

Finally, I am glad that we are finally agreed that it is not "against the law" to claim to be English. :-)

[january_bug]

PS - I was perfectly serious... when anyone is next looking in, if jgs wouldn't mind, I am genuinely interested to hear people's thoughts. jgs - if you'd prefer this to be in a separate thread, then please do say so! I don't want ti hijack! :-D

[Lonnie]

jan-bug, I never thought for a moment you were having a dig, we are all different, which why this site is so interesting, i'll try put my point of view as clearly as I can

I have absolutely nothing against being British, or a UK citizen, and even though there are some things in Britains past that we could say our heads should hang in shame, I am very proud of being British, and English. I voluntarily joined the British army in 1966, first posting was Aden, I did three tours of N.I, and saw active service in other parts of the world, for the Britain that I knew and loved.

I know the roots of the present situation can be traced back to Ted Heath, but its under this present goverment that the changes have really happened.

The arguements about devoulution have been set out in previous post, so I won't go into them, but I hear John Prescott say he's going to buld on the 'green Belt' 'The Labour Party invented the Green Belt, so we can do what we like with it' his words, but in respose to a question I posted, these changes apparently are not going to happen in Scotland, I stand to be corrected on this point, its what a Scot on this site said.

But in retrospect, I think my main gripe is that I see these changes happening, and in my opinion, for the worst, and it all started with devolution.

I won't carry on, or i'd be here all night, but thanks for the way you worded your post.

[rogerthomas]

If you're so keen on devolution jgs, you can gladly come to Cardiff and take away with you that third rate talking shop filled with fourth rate idiots. After your health service has been turned into a shambles and your council tax has risen by 150% in six years you'll have a different opinion about regional assemblies.

[bernardo]

No and no