Dear all

I thought it would be a good idea to let everyone who has bought ribbons, know that ‘you are not alone’, and people all over England are feeling the same way as you.
As you can see from the map, we have supporters in almost every county – London, Kent and Essex being the most concentrated down South, then in the North; Durham, Cumbria and West Yorkshire.
We also have supporters in Scotland, Wales (esp. Monmouthshire) Norway, France. Canada and as far away as New Zealand.
(These are all supporters via the web site and does not include people who have bought ribbons from our resellers).

Continue to wear your Ribbons with pride and alert as many people as will listen to what is going on.

Many thanks to you all.

Justine.

Complaint to the BBC Lunchtime News - 18/7/06....

Re: the NHS overcharging story...... we said -

Dear Sir,
'The story about the NHS charging for parking, eye tests, prescriptions, dental work etc is primarily about England. It is English patients who are being ripped off by the English NHS. Scotland and Wales have their own NHS services - and they do not charge for parking, barely charge for prescriptions (free for everyone in Wales next year). Eye tests are already free in Scotland...... So it was the English NHS that the story is concerned with as the committee HAS NO INFLUENCE on Scottish or Welsh NHS policy as this has been devolved to them - and anyway, as explained, they hardly charge for anything. So why did the BBC News insist on giving the impression the committee was referring to the whole of the UK. Honestly, your news editors need to report ACCURATELY - and report when the English population are getting a raw deal from this awful government. Even the so called 'expert' failed to explain who was being charged. You really do need to get your reporting act together.'

They replied......

Dear Justin,
Thank you for your e-mail regarding the 'One O'Clock News', broadcast on 18 July. I understand you have concerns that the story about NHS charges was only applicable to England and that this was not clarified.

Therefore, please be assured that your comments have been fully registered and added to our daily audience log. This is an internal document that is made available to all BBC staff, including the 'One O'Clock News' production team and Senior BBC Management.

Feedback of this nature helps us when making decisions about future BBC programmes and your comments will play a part in this process. Once again, thank you for taking the time to contact us with the strength of your concerns.

Regards

Paul Kettle
BBC Information

Result - All subsequent reports on the subject had the words 'in England' stitched into them.

Nuclear power stations for all – or national NIMBYISM?
Letter sent to various newspapers, 17.7.06

Sir - The recently published Energy Review presented a stark choice for the people of Britain. And according to Tony Blair & Allistair Darling, Britain is going to have to act with maturity and stoicism – and take delivery of a new generation of nuclear power stations, which will apparently help to plug our yawning energy gap.

We may not want them, but as the whole country will benefit from the energy they produce, the whole country will have to act in an adult manner and accept a nuclear station in their neck of the woods. No room for Nimbyism in the UK then?

Well yes actually. Nimbyism is alive and well and living in Scotland and Wales. The Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly have effectively banned any more nuclear power stations being built in their respective countries. That just leaves England – and thanks to our non-representation at national level, there is no one to lobby on our behalf to protect our planning laws. Instead Blair has committed to changing the laws on planning in England to ensure no one can object to having a nuclear power station planted right next to them.

In order to get the planning changes through Parliament, he will no doubt rely heavily on Scottish and Welsh Labour MPs to ensure the Bill goes through. They will no doubt nod wisely and vote for the changes knowing that it will not affect their own precious constituents.

So England will have all the newly commissioned nuclear power stations dumped on them courtesy of Scottish and Welsh Labour MPs – and Scotland and Wales will reap the energy rewards, without the inconvenience of concrete eyesores or the potential radio-active fallout….. How very democratic. Maybe if we had our own English Parliament, we too could make decisions for the benefit of our citizens – rather than us constantly playing the roll of the UK patsy. One thing’s for sure, the current crop of English Westminster MPs will not defend our rights – so who will?

And next time you hear Tony Blair telling us how the whole country will have to accept nuclear power stations, just remember he’s talking about England – and not Wales or his own native Scotland.

Justice for England
English and therefore ignored

Communication to Tom Harris, Labour MP for Glasgow South 14.7.06

Mr Harris, this is not a constituency matter - more one of a democratic deficit within a country called England (the one that Blair tends to forget about). I saw your quote in the Guardian the other day regarding the West Lothian question. Sorry, Mr Harris - but your party's reluctance to recognise such an appalling constitutional failure by your government - to give US a national voice via an English Parliament is just breathtaking.

How you can call yourself a democrat is frankly laughable. You are happy to support a system that disenfranchises 85% of the UK population - but hey, they're English so it doesn't really matter does it? And you wonder just why people are put off politics. The fundamental basis of democracy is 'REPRESENTATION'. The people elect their MP - and if they don't like what their MP has done for the constituency then the MP is booted out. Tell me Mr Harris - how can your constituents gauge what you have done for them on Health, Education, Transport, Planning, Housing..... in fact virtually every single subject the average constituent is interested in.

Rest assured, the issue will not go away - it will grow and grow. Only arrogant, reality-bypass politicians could believe that the continuing smoke and mirrors job being done on the English will carry on ad nauseum.

You should hang your head in shame for supporting such a Soviet style of 'democracy'.

Justice for England
English and therefore disenfranchised.