Peter Hain on the 'Balkanisation of Britain'
Monday, January 15, 2007
It's not quite 'Save the Pound' in terms of a last minute, jingoistic whip-round, but it's close.
Only Labour will preserve the United Kingdom, says Peter Hain today.
"Our shared values and interests are now under threat as never before from an opportunistic coalition of myopic Tories and the narrow separatists of Plaid Cymru and the Scottish Nationalists. The Tories, despite once priding themselves as 'the party of the Union', now place selfish party advantage ahead of national interest. By trying to whip up and then harness nationalist sentiment in England, they risk unleashing forces which can lead to only one thing: the Balkanisation of Britain."
In a bizarre move, the Welsh Secretary also cites the BBC's Doctor Who to back-up his faith in the Union; another case of Wales underselling itself as the plucky lower league outfit, punching somewhere near its weight.
In which other country would a slightly above average television drama be used as evidence of political prosperity? Does Tony Blair make speeches hailing Eastenders' contribution to showcasing England on the British stage?
To finish off, Hain contracts a century of history into a simple win-win formula:
"The Union has shaped every aspect of our lives, in Wales just as much as in Scotland and England. The contribution of Wales to the industrial development of Britain was enormous, helping to create prosperity and to turn us into a world power."
Nothing to do with the Empire then, Peter?
Labels: Balkanisation of Britain, BBC Wales, break-up of, Doctor Who, Great Britain, Peter Hain, Union, United Kingdom
posted by Blamerbell @ 8:44 am,
1 Comments:
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At 8:12 pm,
said...
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Peter Vain is a class act - he dresses up his naked political ambition to be Brown's deputy (once Blair and Prescott go off to write their memoirs) as a defence of the Union. The sub-text is "Gordon, you must realise I'm your man".
He's probably right that Dr Who wouldn't have happened in Cardiff without Wales being part of the Uk, but it's about as feeble as it gets. What next? Fireman Sam reveals his faith in Queen?
