English Democrats Party

English Democrats
Leader	Robin Tilbrook - National Chairman
Founded	2002
Headquarters	Ongar, Essex, England
Political Ideology	English nationalism, euroscepticism
Political Position	Centre
International Affiliation	None
European Affiliation	None
European Parliament Group	None
Colours	White & red
Website	www.englishdemocrats.org.uk
See also	Politics of the UK Political parties Elections

The English Democrats Party is the largest English Nationalist political party in England committed to the formation of a devolved English Parliament with at least the same powers as those granted to the Scottish Parliament.

Contents 1 Formation 2 Organisation 3 Elections 3.1 2004 European Parliament elections 3.2 2005 general election 3.3 2006 English local elections 3.4 2007 English local elections 3.5 2007 Welsh Assembly elections 3.6 2008 London Mayoral & Assembly Elections 3.7 Electoral performance 3.8 Councillors 4 Policies 4.1 English Parliament 4.2 European Union 4.3 Traditional counties 4.4 House of Lords 4.5 Immigration 5 Nationalist connections 6 Opinion polls - English Parliament 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

Formation

In 1997, and in response to calls for the devolution of power to Scotland and Wales, Robin Tilbrook formed the English National Party, with the aim of reforming the defunct English National Party which had been founded in the 1960s, but had ceased operating as a party by 1981. The English National Party formed by Tilbrook included members of the Campaign for an English Parliament, a pressure group that lobbies for a devolved English parliament. The party was relaunched as the English Democrats Party in September 2002, after merging with several other smaller political parties. In October 2004, the party merged with the Reform UK Party, which was a small splinter group from the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP). The New England Party merged with the English Democrats in February 2007.

The English Democrats are co-founders of the English Constitutional Convention.^[1] In December 2004, it was rumoured that Robert Kilroy-Silk, the former UKIP Member of the European Parliament (MEP) had entered into negotiation to join the English Democrats,^[2] however Kilroy-Silk went on to form Veritas.

Organisation

The English Democrats have an England-wide network of area, county and some Borough officers. In April 2006, it announced full national representative coverage of the nine English Regions. In addition to the twenty-person National Council including nine area chairmen, there are 14 National Sub-Committees to expedite progress in the party development. The national chairman of the party is Robin Tilbrook, a solicitor, who attended Wellington College, Berkshire and is a former member of the Conservative Party. The party claimed a total membership of 1,011 at the end of 2004, and 1,202 at the end of 2005.^[3]

Elections

2004 European Parliament elections

The English Democrats stood candidates for election in the 2004 European Parliament election in five of the nine regions of England. Its candidates won 130,056 votes in total. On the same date the party received 20.25% of votes cast in the Crouch ward in Basildon, when the English Democrat candidate finished second ahead of both the Liberal Democrat and Labour party candidates.^[4] And a month later just 1.4% of votes cast at the 2004 Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election. Their 2004 election canvassing leaflet featured the slogan, "Not left, not right, just English".

2005 general election

In total, the English Democrats fielded 24 candidates for the May 2005 general election, including Staffordshire South where the election was delayed until June due to the death of a candidate. A further three English nationalist affiliated candidates also ran in the election. The 23 candidates in May polled an average of 593 votes (1.5%). Nine English Democrats candidates also contested the County Council elections held on the same day. They polled an average of 299 votes (5.6%). The party's slogan for the 2005 general election was "English Democrats - Putting England First!" Garry Bushell the former Sun journalist and currently the Daily Star Sunday TV critic, became the most high profile candidate for the English Democrats in the 2005 general election, standing in the Greenwich and Woolwich constituency in London.^[5] Bushell's 1,216 votes (a 3.4% share for that constituency) represented the party's best showing for the election, beating the UKIP candidate, Stan Gain, who secured 2.0% of the vote. In June 2005, Bushell also stood in Staffordshire South, where he received 643 votes (2.5%) coming fifth out of eight candidates.^[6]

2006 English local elections

In the May 2006 local elections, 16 English Democrats contested council seats. Across those seats, the average English Democrats poll was 11%, and their best result was in the Finningley ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster (21.2%), finishing second after the Conservative Party.

2007 English local elections

In February 2007, the English Democrats contested a by-election in the Bede ward of Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council. They polled 75 votes, 4.3%, and came fifth out of seven candidates, beating the UKIP and Save the NHS candidates. In the 2007 local elections, seventy-eight candidates stood for election in boroughs and districts across fifteen English counties, including twenty in Dartford, ten in Portsmouth, six in Calderdale, three in Medway, three in Braintree,and three in Kirklees. All were unsuccessful, however the English Democrats achieved nine second places and an average vote of 13%, which was two percent higher then the previous year. The highest percentage vote was achieved by Mike Tibby who received the equivalent of 35.8%, as a candidate in a single candidate ward, in the Dartford Littlebrook ward. He was 62 votes short of being elected. Nine candidates also stood for Parish and Town Councils. Four were successful. For instance, Crowborough Town Council, St Johns Ward.^[7] After the Local Elections the English Democrats announced that the majority of the former West Dorset Branch of UKIP, had defected to The English Democrats.^[8]

2007 Welsh Assembly elections

In line with the English Democrats stance on the status of Monmouthshire, thirteen English Democrat candidates contested the Welsh Assembly elections in the South East Wales region, and the constituencies of Monmouth (fifth with 2.7%), Newport East (sixth 2.2%) and Newport West (fifth 2.7%).^[9] The party received 0.9% of the vote on the regional list.

2008 London Mayoral & Assembly Elections

In July 2007 Garry Bushell was nominated as Mayoral Candidate for the English Democrats - with the campaign slogan - "Serious About London" ^[10]

Electoral performance

English Democrats have contested the following elections:

• 2001 Ipswich (UK Parliament constituency) (Polled 84 votes, 0.3%)
• 2004 June European Election - (5 out of 9 English regions) polled (1.4% over 5 Regions - 130,056 Votes)
• 2004 July Birmingham, Hodge Hill by-election, 2004 (polled 277 votes, 1.4%)
• 2004 October Hartlepool by-election, 2004 (polled 41 votes, 0.1%)
• 2005 general election - 27 seats (17,152 votes -- average of 1.5% of popular vote per seat, 635 votes per seat on average) - highest 3.4% in Greenwich & Woolwich
• 2005 County Council elections - polled an average of 299 votes (5.6%)
• 2005 June delayed - due to death South Staffordshire (constituency) (polled 643 votes, 2.5%)
• 2005 November Paul Adams - Crowborough Town Council - Sussex 120 votes - 56.8% of the poll, on a turnout of 10%.^[11]
• 2006 May English local elections - 16 wards (average poll 11% - highest 21%)
• 2006 June Bromley and Chislehurst by-election, 2006 (polled 212 votes, 0.7%)
• 2007 May English local elections - 78 wards (19,766 Votes average poll 13% - highest 35%) - in addition five parish/town councillors elected and one town councillor retained in uncontested elections - two borough councillors lost in Dartford.^[12]
• 2007 July Ealing Southall (UK Parliament constituency) (polled 152 votes, 0.4%)
• 2007 July Sedgefield (UK Parliament constituency) (polled 177 votes, 0.6%)

This does not include unsuccessful Borough and Parish Council by-elections.

Councillors

In November 2005, Paul Adams became the first elected English Democrat councillor, winning his seat on Crowborough Town Council, East Sussex in a by-election. He received 56.8% of the poll, beating the Liberal Democrats and Green Parties. He retained his seat in an uncontested election in May 2007. In July 2006, Paul Rogan, a Conservative Party councillor for the Rastrick ward of Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council defected to the party.^[13] In February 2007, Michael Tibby and Austen Brooker both New England Party councillors in the Kent Borough of Dartford, joined the English Democrats.^[14] At the subsequent local elections in May 2007 councillor Tibby lost his seat while Brooker retired and did not contest the election. ^[15] Also in May 2007 five town or parish council seats were gained in uncontested elections in Sutton-on-the-Forest in North Yorkshire, Thorpe Market in Norfolk,Wallingford in Oxfordshire and Wokingham in Berkshire. This means there are the following English Democrats elected officials: six parish or town councillors and one metropolitan borough councillor.

Policies

The English Democrats publish a manifesto each year with alterations voted for by their membership at an Autumn Annual General Meeting and occasional Spring EGM.

English Parliament

The party contends that the Scottish Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales provide a voice to those two constituent nations of the UK that England lacks. The party proposes to convene the first exclusively English Parliament since the initial Laws in Wales Act 1535 through one of three methods:

1. By converting the current House of Commons into a Devolved English parliament within the asymmetrical devolution framework currently existing in the United Kingdom,
2. By creating a new legislature with equal status to the Scottish Parliament and a more powerful Welsh Parliament within a re-constituted federal or confederal United Kingdom,
3. As an independent, sovereign legislature for the re-founded state of England, upon dissolution of the Union - most likely to be created by independence for Scotland and Wales.

The party has rejected suggestions that non-English MPs in the House of Commons should be barred from voting on England-specific matters, on the basis that this would lead to their being, in effect, two parliaments in the same building and that this would be problematic.^[16]

European Union

The party is opposed to Britain's membership of the European Union, is a member of the "Better Off Out" Campaign and is against the establishment of regional assemblies in the Regions of England. The party has a policy to hold a national referendum to decide on whether or not to leave the European Union, and has commmitted itself to campaign on the "leave European Union now" side of the campaign. The English Democrats policy is to maintain free trade arrangements by rejoining the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

Traditional counties

The party is supportive of historic counties and has called for a referendum on whether Monmouthshire should be part of England as opposed to Wales: "The English Democrats Party consider that the position of Monmouthshire in Wales is anomalous, as historically it had mostly been part of England until recent boundary re-organisation. Accordingly, we would wish to see a county referendum in Monmouthshire as to whether the people of Monmouthshire would wish to be treated as being part of Wales or part of England."^{[cite this quote]}

House of Lords

In April 2006, the English Democrats became members of the Elect the Lords Campaign, whether the English Parliament is within a Federal UK or simply as a Devolved Parliament within the current UK structure.

Immigration

The party's manifesto states that "we need to change immigration policy so that it better reflects the needs and wishes of the English people". A points system for entry to the UK, based on the Canadian and Australian models, is advocated. The party's manifesto also suggests that the country should withdraw from international conventions on asylum and immigration.

Nationalist connections

The English Democrats have informal relations with the Scottish National Party (SNP), with whom they shared platforms in January 2007 on the BBC Newsnight programme and on the Internet TV station 18 Doughty Street.

Opinion polls - English Parliament

• In an ICM poll for The Sunday Telegraph on 26 November 2006 68% of the (potential) English voters, who were polled, were in favour of an English Parliament.^[17]
• In a joint BBC and Opinion Research Business (ORB) poll in January 2007 for the BBC's Newsnight programme, 61% of those in England thought that an English Parliament should be established.^[18]
• A You Gov Poll on 8 February 2007 showed 69% in favour of an English Parliament
• An ICM poll for the Campiagn for an English Parliament (CEP) on 19 April 2007 showed 67% in favour of an English Parliament.

See also

• West Lothian Question
• Devolved English Parliament
• Parliament of England

References

External links

• English Democrats Official website

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