BORIS Johnson can stop Scots voting for independence by keeping the cricket on normal telly, according to a bizarre “patriotic list” of demands backed by the DUP’s Arlene Foster.
Other proposals contained in the report from the Policy Exchange think-tank, entitled Unleashing the power of the Union, include bringing in red, white and blue number plates and making Remembrance day a bank holiday.
It also called for a massive infrastructure spending programme, a “cultural renewal” in Britain and allowing parts of the UK to to levy a tourist tax that would be ring-fenced for local investment.
Foster, whose 10 MPs prop up Boris Johnson’s minority government, said the proposals were “‘exactly the right place to start”.
In a joint statement with Tees Valley’s Tory mayor Ben Houchen, the pair said: “Boris Johnson made clear his commitment to the Union – the ‘Awesome Foursome’ as he put it. We know first-hand the talent that is spread across the UK and welcome the Prime Minister’s promise to help unlock this potential. Today’s excellent Policy Exchange report offers a blueprint for modernising the country.”
The document says the “case for the power of the UK remains strong and unionists should not be reluctant to continue to make it.”
It says drivers should be allowed to “display their area’s symbol or county coat of arms, flag, or similar, on their number plate, as is the case in many other European countries like Germany and Switzerland”.
“For many people, their identity is strongly attached to where they live and where they were brought up.
“This can be seen in the way people support their local football team.
“Providing people the opportunity to display their civic pride would be a positive way for people to express local patriotism in much the same way.”
It also suggests a review of sports events protected by the Broadcasting Act to ensure those in the national interest, such as international cricket, are free to watch.
The report says: “One only has to look at the impact of having the Women’s Football World Cup on the BBC has had for women’s football – the peak audience of England’s semi-final was 11.7 million people – and then compare it to the Cricket World Cup on subscription TV which, despite it being hosted in England and Wales, passed by largely unnoticed by the public until the final was broadcast on free-to-air television at the last minute.”
On plans for a bank holiday on Remembrance Day, the report points out that November 11 is already currently a public holiday in France, Belgium and the United States, while six of the ten Canadian provinces also have a statutory holiday for Remembrance Day.
The think tank also calls for joint bids from the UK and Ireland for the men’s football World Cup in 2030 and women’s World Cup in 2027.
The report is being taken seriously as a number of former employees of the Policy Exchange think-tank now work for Johnson in No 10. A source told the Mail on Sunday they would study the plans with interest.
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