English Democrats Party

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Template:Infobox British Political Party The English Democrats Party, previously the English National Party, is the largest and best established English nationalist political party in England, with representation throughout England, which seeks the establishment of a Parliament for England with at least the same powers as those granted to the Scottish Parliament.

1 History
2 Policies
3 See also
4 External links

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History

The English National Party was formed in 1997 by Robin Tilbrook, with the aim reforming the historic English National Party, in response to calls for the devolution of power to Scotland and Wales. After this, it included members of the Campaign for an English Parliament (CEP). It was relaunched as the English Democrats Party in September 2002.

No English National Party candidates stood in the 2001 general election.

The national party chairman is Robin Tilbrook, a former member of the Conservative Party. The party stood candidates for election in the 2004 European Parliament election in five of the nine regions of England. Its candidates won 130,056 votes. English Democrats got over 20% of the vote in Basildon, and just over 1% of the vote at the 2004 Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election. Their 2004 election canvassing leaflet featured the slogan, 'Not left, not right, just English'.

In October 2004, the English Democrats Party merged with the UK Reform Party to form the "English Democrats". The Reform Party was splinter group from the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP).

As of May 2005, the membership of the English Democrats is estimated at around 1,500. It claimed a total membership of 1,039 in 2004 year-end accounts. [1]

It has an England-wide network of area and county officers; and particular strength in the Home Counties, covered by the East England and South East England areas, and also the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber areas, in April 2006 it announced full representative coverage of the 9 English Areas.

The election slogan for the May 2005 general election was 'English Democrats - Putting England First!'

Garry Bushell (former Sun journalist and Sunday People TV critic) became the most high profile candidate for the English Democrats for the 2005 general election, standing in the Greenwich and Woolwich constituency in London. 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 total, the English Democrats were able to field 24 candidates (including Staffordshire South where the election was delayed until June due to the death of a candidate), throughout the country in the general election, with a further three English nationalist 'affiliated' candidates, taking the total to 27.

The 23 candidates who contested seats in May polled an average of 593 votes (1.5%). 9 English Democrat candidates also contested the County Council elections held on the same day. They polled an average of 299 votes (5.6%)

In June 2005, Bushell stood in Staffordshire South. He received unofficial support from Veritas Party activists. Bushell achieved 643 votes (2.51%) coming fifth, beating the candidates of the Green Party and the British National Party splinter group 'The Freedom Party'.

In November 2005, Paul Adams became the first elected English Democrat councillor. He was elected in a by-election for Crowborough Town Council in East Sussex with 56.8% of the poll, convincingly beating the Liberal Democrats and Green Parties.

Two New England Party (English Democrats in Dartford, Kent) councillors in Dartford, Kent, bring the total number of English Nationalist elected councillors to three as of January 2006.

In May 2006, the English Democrats fielded candidates in all English Areas with the exception of the East and West Midlands - a total of 16 candidates were able to stand.

Plans are already under way for the London mayoral election in 2008 where it is proposed that Garry Bushell will stand for the English Democrats and 2009 European elections to be held in June 2009. English Democrats plan to put up a full set of candidates in all nine English regions.

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Policies

The party proposes to convene the first exclusively English Parliament since the initial Act of Union with Wales in 1536 through one of three methods:

by converting the current House of Commons into a Devolved English parliament within the asymmetrical devolution framework currently existing in the United Kingdom;
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];
as an independent, sovereign legislature for the re-founded state of England, upon dissolution of the Union.

The party is opposed to Britain's membership of the European Union, and is against the establishment of regional assemblies in the Regions of England. It believes England needs a separate, single parliament, or a conversion of the House of Commons to an English Parliament. It claims that the Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales provide a voice to those two countries that England lacks within the UK. It has also called for a referendum on whether Monmouthshire should be part of England or Wales (currently the latter).

In April 2006, the English Democrats became members of the Elect the Lords Campaign,a democratic second chamber a natural complement to the desire for an English Parliament, whether the English Parliament is within a Federal UK or the simply as a Devolved Parliament within the current UK structure.

The English Democrats publish a manifesto each year with alterations voted for by their membership at a London based Autumn AGM and a Spring EGM rotating around England. Full details of their latest manifesto can be found on their web-site detailed below.

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