I've started, so I'll....Thud

If you had Magnus Magnusson in mind then you probably think the title of this post is in poor taste. But actually it is a reference to my blogging of late. The way that I conjure up an article, or think of something that I want to say and then can't be bothered to. It's not blogger's cramp, just laziness. Which is a shame because there's so much good stuff around on my favourite subject at the moment, and all I can be bothered to do is offer you the following that I posted earlier on the CEP.

David Cameron belatedly sprung to the defence of English Farmers, leaving cynics like me to wonder whether there's more to this than just concern for farming:

English farmers will receive less in subsidies than those in Scotland, Wales or the rest of Europe because of the way the Government has botched agricultural reforms, David Cameron claimed yesterday.

The SNP have been dealt a blow:

THE SNP's case for independence was dealt a damaging blow last night when the European Commission and senior academics challenged the Nationalists' core assumption - that an independent Scotland would automatically become a member of the European Union....The EC stressed that Scotland's entry as a member state would have to be "negotiated" and would not be the "seamless" transition the SNP has claimed.

I imagine that the ears of many Conservative, UKIP and BNP members have just pricked up because, presumably, England also will have to reapply for for EU membership should it become independent. There's no particular reason why England should be a successor state to the UK if Scotland isn't. Suddenly the prospect of independence doesn't horrify the right of British politics quite as much as it did.

But it still horrifies Brown. The Scotsman:

GORDON Brown yesterday promised to do more to reflect England's national identity, but ruled out any move to ban Scots MPs from voting on laws that affect only England.

Now then, why would he ban himself from voting on English legislation? Well, because:

"A policy of English votes for English laws would, in the end, break up the United Kingdom because the executive would have to owe its authority to simply the English members"

Not if there were separate English and UK Governments Mr Brown you half-truth telling little shite.

"I think [there are] various ways that Englishness can be recognised, in fact, if that is the view," Mr Brown said, declining to give any examples.

There are many ways that Englishness can be recognised and I won't decline to give examples. One way - just off the top of my head - would be to have an explicitly English government that has been purged of politicians that have no constituency in England. Another way would be to take down the Union flag and raise the English flag over Westminster. I'm sure others will come to me but please feel free to leave your own examples in the comments.

Thanks to Iain Dale I at least know that even some politicians share my less than flattering thoughts on Gordon Brown and his Britishness, good on you Frank Field:

Well if I was a Scottish MP wanting to become Prime Minister, I would be endlessly prattling on about British-ness and trying to convince people that somehow that’s what the game was about. That’s been going on for some time, it’s fooled nobody, the polls are leaning in the opposite direction. And I don’t share Oliver’s [Heald] view. I mean, I love England but somehow to think that we’ve got special status in the world because we’re the United Kingdom I just think is tragic to still be peddling that view. I think any greatness that we have comes from other reasons, not because of this artificially engendered union with other countries. And I don’t believe these big constitutional questions should be settled on whether a Scottish Member of Parliament wishes to become Prime Minister or not. I think these are such fundamental questions we ought to settle them on their own merit and not actually think well it would be easier for Gordon Brown if we didn’t raise this question. Or if the electorate didn’t raise the question.