The proposal is that a new border be drawn between England and Scotland, running from the mouth of the river Dee, near Chester, in the west to the mouth of the river Humber, near Sheffield, in the east.
The campaign is not new – it was posted about a year ago – but following the shock electoral win by Britain’s Conservative Party last week, the number of people signing up has jumped massively.
The campaign creator, who signed himself Stu Dent, explained, “The deliberations in Westminster are becoming increasingly irrelevant to the north of England. The northern cities feel far greater affinity with their Scottish counterparts such as Glasgow and Edinburgh than with the ideologies of the London-centric south.
“The needs and challenges of the north can not be understood by the endless parade of old Etonions lining the frontbenches of the House of Commons.
“We, the people of the north, demand that in the event that Scotland becomes independent the border between England and the New Scotland be drawn along a line that runs between the River Dee and the mouth of The Humber.”
Among remarks by those who have signed is one by Elizabeth Rogerson: “It would solve all of this country’s problems if we could dig a big trench around London and push it out to sea with a long stick. It can be a horrible little tax retreat for the ultra-rich and we can get back to having a proper country.”
Amelia Pollard remarked, “Free university, no tories – what’s not to love?”
Although the Conservatives won last week’s general election by a wide margin, the Scottish Nationalist Party, under Nicola Sturgeon, made huge gains, taking 56 out of the 59 Scottish parliamentary seats at Westminster, from just six before.
One other signatory, Alison Winter, from Bramhall in Stockport – just north of the proposed border – wrote: “Simple, Nicola Sturgeon spoke more truth to me than any other politician during the campaign, I just wasn’t allowed to vote for her. Always loved the Scottish, they’ve been kind to me, they put people before business.”
Although it is unlikely that Scotland will secede from the United Kingdom, and most unlikely that it would be able to take a large chunk of England with it, the growing number of people signing the campaign is another sign of discontent with Westminster politicians, widely seen as intent on making the rich richer at the cost of the average British citizen.
The Change.org campaign is here.