The English Democrats Party is the only national political party which puts the interests of the men and women of England first. England’s three major parties, the Conservatives, the Labour Party, and the Liberal Democrats, all consider the UK as a whole and ignore the fact that there are many of their policies which support Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland but at the expense of the people of English. England has more than 55 million residents and the English Democrats feel that we need our own distinct voice so that we can be heard.
English Democrats are ‘conviction’ politicians. We will be elected to Parliament because we believe in what we are doing. We believe we can change the way England is governed and we want to do our best for our country. We will not be elected to Parliament just to get our noses in the trough, as it seems many other MPs are.
Since the English Democrats Party was formed in 2002 our membership has grown in leaps and bounds as voters hear about us and what we stand for. All of us are volunteers, we receive no expenses for their travel, telephone etc, from the English Democrats or the tax payer – unlike those of the traditional parties who are ‘experts’ in milking the system !!! We are happy to spend whatever money we can afford in fighting the cause for our country.
‘English & Proud’ – that’s what we in the English Democrats are, but why should it be implied that you are a ‘bigot’ or a ‘racist’ simply because you are proud of your country? We English Democrats are simply pro Engand, as many other nationals from countries all over the world are proud of belonging to their country. We would like to see a continuation of the Union of Crowns of Great Britain, but with willing participants and a new post-devolutionary agreement. We would govern in the name of England, and would work with political parties in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for the good and stability of the British Isles. Our vision is for there to be a Parliament for Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England.
The founding members of the English Democrats came together in 2002 when the party was launched at Imperial College London. Many of the founding members we ex-members of a non political grouping called The Campaign for an English Parliament, otherwise known as the CEP. Our party consists of normal patriotic people from all walks of life.
English Democrats have no links at all with the BNP, but we do have informal links with the Scottish National Party (SNP) & Plaid Cymru (PC). However unlike these two parties, English Democrats actively campaign to leave the European Union, maintaining free trade with Europe by rejoining the EFTA (European Trade Association).
Politically our policies are neither left nor right. We have a commitment to a mixed economy but also require protection for the vulnerable and would advocate developing public ownership policies for key strategic industries. We are implacably opposed to globalisation, economies based on ‘cheap labour’ and the offshoring of English jobs.
English Democrats are proud of who we are – English and Democratic. Comments about being racist are the favourite insults used by Liberal Democrats and New Labour, as their objective is to trade on self hatred and anti Englishness. The English Democrats take a hard line on anyone suggesting we are racist and will seek legal remedy via the 1976 Race Relations Act if appropriate for anyone implying that being English is racist in any way.
The party is open to all races, religions and people irrespective of where they live in the world. English Democrats are guardians of the English way of life and the values and beliefs of England. To be an English Democrats you must have England in your heart! We do not claim Englishness to be purely ethnic or purely cultural, but is a complex mix of the two. We firmly believe Englishness is a state of mind, and if people are born in England and have an English heritage they are welcome to share our national identity. Newcomers to this country are also welcome, providing they abide by English laws and conventions and seek to identify and give their loyalty to England.
We are not anti European. We are very interested in having good and productive relationships with all the countries in Europe, but we do not believe in political union, ie. The United States of Europe, otherwise known as the EU. We believe that the people of England have been betrayed by British Labour, Liberal Democrats and Conservatives & Unionists alike, with half truths and lies being told which have resulted in our country being stripped of its right to make laws on our own behalf. We reject any attempt to break England into Euro Regions, which would remove England’s status as a nation, we demand a vote on the EU Constitution and call for immediate withdrawal from political union with the EU.
The English Democrats want to be friends and trading partners with Europe – but we don’t want to be run by Brussels. We would never support joining the Euro and believe laws to penalise people who buy goods in Imperial measures are draconian and antidemocratic.
If we left the EU, trade would not suffer. All countries of the EU do much better trading with us than we do with them, so nothing will change there. We would develop and capitalise on trading links with the Commonwealth and seek to rejoin EFTA (European Free Trade Agreement), and we would seek to re-establish stronger trading links with the English-speaking nations of the world. We would seek a status with the EU on the same basis as those enjoyed by Switzerland and Norway, because this appears to have many of the advantages of EU membership with few of the drawbacks. We would return sovereignty to England and strengthen our relationships with other free-thinking nations.
Our trade would not suffer. We believe the EU has not brought any advantages to English businesses, in fact we believe the contrary to be the case. Onerous and expensive bureaucracies have flourished, issuing masses of legislative requirements that make our industries uncompetitive in comparison to the rest of the world. At the same time the EU is admitting vast amounts of trade from low cost countries like China and India, without their need to meet the same stringent standards. The consequence of these actions is our manufacturing base and production facilities are closing down and re-locating to where the bureaucracy and costs are so much cheaper. This process will in time be catastrophic for England and many European nations. The EU seems powerless to protect its own vital strategic interests and we have no faith that the faceless and unaccountable bureaucrats who are running the EU have the skills or ability to make a success of the venture. We will always oppose being part of the Eurozone.
The English Democrats have sought to steer away from contentious issues such as foxhunting and abortion which are largely a matter of conscience. Legislation is not always the answer to everything. Sometimes education and changing social attitudes is a better way to deal with the activities society finds problematic. The English Democrats hold dear original English Liberal values of freedom of choice and freedom from the state on the activities of the individual. Also, legislation can only really be considered if it is likely to be enforceable at a realistic cost. We know some people feel very strongly about animal rights and the right to life for the unborn child, and matters such as euthanasia and stem cell research are also crowding an area of policy which is controversial and full of lively debate. The party trusts its representatives to make decisions on these matters using their own conscience, guided by our Christian heritage and the need to protect society. It is for this reason that the party has no firm policies on such issues and would leave them as a ‘free vote’ to our representatives.
Of course if none of these matters is of any interest to you and you don’t care what is happening to England then the English Democrats have no right to ask for your support. On the other hand if you hate to see our great country being trampled underfoot by its current political leaders then, please, like the English Democrats Party, stand up and be counted.