Northern Irish, Lord Bew: Ridicules the English at Brexit debate

On the 27^th April 2016, during a debate entitled ‘Brexit: The Day after the Day After, The picture in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland’ being held at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, two striking comments were made when the panel discussed who is funding the UK and how they thought the English would react to being kept in the EU. The first comment by Paul Bew, a Northern Irish historian and Westminster Peer should worry every English person who supports Brexit.

He openly  belittled the English backbone over Brexit by stating with the bluntness of someone who doesn’t think highly about the English that even if the Scottish EU vote kept England in the EU, against an English majority vote to come out, “that the English will just hack it”. Members of the audience who obviously supported ‘EU Remain’ laughed in scornful agreement to that comment.

Professor Lord Bew continued by stating that UK tax money given to Northern Ireland keeps coming from ‘the unknown English taxpayer …. who will keep paying the bill even if they are told to pay more’. That arrogant, uncaring comment did not show any concern that the English taxpayer is facing austerity measures that mean their local hospital departments and councils services are closing down.

Eddie Bone, the Campaign Director of the Campaign for an English Parliament, who was present at the debate stated that “A British government that robs England to give money to Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland can always rely on the support of Northern Irish, Welsh and Scottish politicians to continue doing so”.  He continued “ Lord Bew’s comments show just how little these Northern Irish, Welsh and Scottish Unionist politicians care about England. The English taxpayer needs a democratically elected English First Minister and Government to protect their interests (and tax money!)”.

Eddie Bone

Campaign Director

Campaign for an English Parliament