Will York be ceded to Scotland too?
There is now a campaign to take Berwick out of England and put into Scotland. Once Berwick is gone, will Scottish eyes then fall upon York? After all, York was the English staging post for our many attacks on Scotland in the past, William Wallace conquered it and in order to protect Scotland's borders, it would be a very handy City to have.
Firstly, how should the Berwick question be decided? By referendum? Should we ask the people of Berwick if that's what they want? With Scotland doing already so much better than England in so many ways, better health care, better schooling, free tuition fees, it might not be a big surprise if the people of Berwick voted with their wallets. Especially when last week PM Gordon apparently feels it is only right for more spending power to be allowed to the Scottish Parliament, they can be expected to be even better off.
Perhaps we should ask the wider public. Ask the people of England if they want to cede one of their towns. Ask the people of Scotland if they even want Berwick. No, I forgot, even when absolutely promised a referendum on moving closer into the EU, PM Brown has decided we won't get one after all. Not much chance of a referendum then. No doubt instead, a secret committee appointed by the Government, which will of course have public consultation but as usual, take no notice of it, will make the decision.
Seems we can no longer turn to our armed forces to protect our sovereignty either. The British Army finds that the one bootlace left to them has now been cut in half. Already well-overstretched policing civil wars and so forth, getting proper gear, including enough bootlaces is to be denied them too. Never mind our brave boys, you are now, like the rest of us taxpayers £3,500 better off as the value of the Northern Rock hits the Country's assets. Oh, or is it a liability?
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In a special referendum held by ITV1’s Tonight programme (screened Monday 18 February at 8pm ITV1 and 19 February at 10.30pm on STV), just over 60 per cent of people voting in the border town said they wanted Berwick to become part of Scotland and to have the same free public servicdes currently enjoyed by the Scots.
Impressively, 1,957 votes were polled for the TV referendum, compared to some 3,800 in the last local elections. 1,182 (60.4%) voted ‘Yes’ to becoming part of Scotland; 775 (39.6%) voted to stay English.
Presenter Jonathan Maitland staged the referendum in Berwick to highlight concerns about the inequalities between Scotland and England’s public services: with the Scots getting free personal care for the elderly, free higher education, prescriptions and better access to new medicines – exclusive benefits all subsides by English taxpayers.
Former Diplomatic policeman Michael Ross from Berwick headed the pro-Scotland campaign for the TV vote. “Berwick is a very special place and I think is largely forgotten within England,” he said. “I believe we would be the jewel in the crown of Scotland, I believe our economy would be better understood and better looked after by the Edinburgh government than it is by Westminster.”
Former Berwick school teacher Barbara Herdman campaigned in the town for a pro-English vote and for a change in how public spending is allocated across the UK. “I think that Berwick should stay part of England because it’s so unfair what is happening at the moment. The Scots are getting more money than we are. I’m not saying that the Scots should not get what they get, but that we should get the same.”
“The government funding formulas for the national regions are increasingly a subject of great debate for politicians and social commentators, particularly since the SNP – who are campaigning for Scottish independence - came to power.”
Latest public spend figures indicate that each Scot now gets £1,500 more per head spent on them from public funds than their English neighbour.
Benefits exclusive to Scotland include:
• Free University fees
• Free Personal care for the elderly
• Free central heating installation for pensioners
• Free school meals for some Scottish children between the ages of four and seven-with plans to extend to children of all ages.
• More readily available specialist drugs for many serious illnesses, such as cancer, sometimes free
• Free prescription charges for all by 2011- as announced by First Minister Alex Salmond
• Free dental check-ups and eye tests
Tonight talks to English and Scottish people whose individual circumstances and public service needs are similar, but who face very different levels of benefit – including two students from Berwick equal in their ability and desire to study the same University course, one of whom lives a mile or so over the border in Scotland and therefore will study for free, while the student residing in England faces £3,000 a year in fees.
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