A  couple of weeks ago the warm-up question for BBC’s Question Time was this: if Cornwall can now be afforded “European minority status”, why not the mighty province of York?

Yorkshire has a larger population than Scotland and an economy twice the size of Wales, but with the powers of neither.
EDA researchers have discovered that the Yorkshire Tykes took matters into their own hands ages ago prompted not by the change of status in Cornwall but by the Scottish vote on independence.
Frustrated by what they see is a political system oriented towards the South East they have created a political party called Yorkshire First of neither the right nor the left but with a regional agenda. Yorkshire First believe that it is important to

1. Engage folk as citizens to design, deliver and improve services
2. Seek new ways of connecting people with the decision making and policy development processes
3. Encourage new participation in the political process
4. Work to secure a regional growth strategy with any interested organisation
5. Work to equip the people of Yorkshire to succeed through a focus on skills development
6. Encourage recirculation of cash in the Yorkshire economy
. Encourage the use of local supply chains wherever possible
. Fight to ensure small business competes on a level playing field with large corporations
. We will focus on encouraging areas/sectors where Yorkshire has distinct economic challenges or advantages
. Shape legislation that will benefit the development of these sectors or areas of opportunity
Rather than independence, Yorkshire First are seeking greater devolution of powers through some sort of regional parliament. Candidates are standing in the European elections. They will do so operating as a collection of Independents, united by believing in the aims of Yorkshire First. The party will have no whips, and personal conscience will always trumps party consideration. Candidates will also endeavor to stick to the principles of governance formulated by the former independent MP, Martin Bell. You may recall in 1997 Martin Bell displaced Neil Hamilton, who was mired in sleaze allegations, from the “safe” seat of Tatton, overturning a conservative majority of 22,000.
The Bell Principles

• abide wholeheartedly by the spirit and letter of the Seven Principles of Public Life set out by Lord Nolan in 1995: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership
• be guided by considered evidence, our real world experience and expertise, our constituencies and our consciences
• be free from the control of any political party, pressure group or whip
• be ethical, non-discriminatory, and committed to pluralism
• make decisions transparently and openly at every stage and level of the political process, enabling people to see how decisions are made and the evidence on which they are based
• listen, consulting our communities constantly and innovatively
• treat political opponents with courtesy and respect, challenging them when we believe they are wrong, and agreeing with them when we believe they are right
• resist abuses of power and patronage and promote democracy at every level
• work with other elected independents as a Group with a chosen spokesperson
• claim expenses, salaries and compensation openly so the public can judge the value for money of our activities
http://www.yorkshirefirst.org.uk/
Is this the beginning of a new trend towards regional rather than national based politics, and personal integrity versus self-interest?