Category: Blog

Back in 2020 I published Yorkshire – The Case For Independence which is a feasibility study into whether Yorkshire could, actually, be independent. My conclusion is Yes We Can – we have the capability, mind-set and the finances (even before we include the £3bn of agricultural turnover). I look now at the pantomime that is […]

Our demands for a Yorkshire Regional Government, a fairer electoral system and the means to enable Yorkshire to achieve its real potential are consistent and soundly based. Why then, are they consistently ignored? The Labour Party’s report of the Commission on the UK’s Future “A New Britain : Renewing Our Democracy And Rebuilding Our Economy” […]

(This article has been provided by the Democratic Yorkshire Alliance in support of the Citizen-led Constitutional Convention. It was updated on 12 Jan 2023) Whether it be for the governance of a resident’s group, a community centre, or an entire region like Yorkshire, the first and often most difficult step in creating a constitution is […]

A year ago we said “We have been talking about devolution for Yorkshire for some years but, whilst devolution of sorts has been on the agenda for a while, Yorkshire still has no focal point; no voice; and no representation. There is no one organisation or group that commands sufficient authority to lead the county. […]

In the same spirit that the NHS was created over half a century ago, our third objective is to build an efficient public transport system that works for everyone, that is reliable, comfortable, convenient, and free at the time of use. We can tackle poverty and social exclusion by extending access across urban and rural […]

What Kind of Economic Future Do We Want for Yorkshire’s children introduces Democratic Yorkshire’s ideas on future economic development in the county. These will be discussed more fully in the event of the same name on 3 August. Please follow the link to book. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/what-kind-of-economic-future-do-we-want-for-yorkshires-children-tickets-366847369357 Background Times are hard, and like the rest of the […]

The Yorkshire economy operates within the wider environment of the UK economy. The UK economy is currently in the news due to the “cost of living crisis” which has provoked industrial action in some parts of the economy as workers try to defend their living standards. The UK economy, like every other economy in the […]

The purpose of the Yorkshire Parliament would be to transform Yorkshire, the three ridings and the city of York, into the best place in the world to live, work and play. This is a very simple statement of a vision which would require many complex processes to achieve. When we talk about what powers a […]

We thought it might be useful to list the 12 Missions to Level Up the UK, taken from the Levelling Up White Paper, so that we can have visibility of these and monitor progress. We make no comment but the backdrop is one of rising inflation and apparent declining competitiveness for the UK as a […]

With the relentless progress of digital technology, could direct democracy soon be within reach? Would we want it? Direct democracy is where citizens decide for themselves what they wish to do in terms of making laws. They do not elect representatives to do this on their behalf. The technology now exists to consider direct democracy […]