English independence is a political stance advocating secession of England, the largest and most populous country of the British Isles from the United Kingdom. Support for secession of England has been influenced by the increasing devolution of political powers to Scotland and Wales, where independence from the United Kingdom is a prominent political feature.
English independence is seen by its advocates as a way to resolve the West Lothian question in British politics, whereby Scottish and Welsh MPs in the Parliament of the United Kingdom at Westminster can vote on matters affecting England, while English MPs do not have the same power over equivalent issues in Scotland or Wales, as these powers are devolved to the Scottish Parliament or the National Assembly for Wales.
While some minor political parties have campaigned for English independence, all major UK-wide political parties adhere to the opposing view of British unionism, and oppose altering the constitutional status of England. Scottish demands for independence, rather than English demands, are seen as the most pressing threat to British unity, with Scotland due to hold a referendum on independence in 2014.
Read more about English Independence: History, Arguments For English Independence, Opinion Polls, Organisations
Famous quotes containing the words english and/or independence:
“But there is nothing which delights and terrifies our English Theatre so much as a Ghost, especially when he appears in a bloody Shirt. A Spectre has very often saved a Play, though he has done nothing but stalked across the Stage, or rose through a Cleft of it, and sunk again without speaking one Word.”
—Joseph Addison (1672–1719)
“We commonly say that the rich man can speak the truth, can afford honesty, can afford independence of opinion and action;—and that is the theory of nobility. But it is the rich man in a true sense, that is to say, not the man of large income and large expenditure, but solely the man whose outlay is less than his income and is steadily kept so.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)