World

The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945. Currently made up of 193 Member States, the UN and its work are guided by the purposes and principles contained in its founding Charter.

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 independent and equal countries. It is home to 2.4 billion people, and includes both advanced economies and developing countries. Our members work together to promote prosperity, democracy and peace, amplify the voice of small states, and protect the environment.

NATO is committed to the principle that an attack against one or several of its members is considered as an attack against all. This is the principle of collective defence, which is enshrined in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty.

CANZUK International was founded in January 2015 and is the world’s leading advocacy organisation promoting facilitated migration, free trade and foreign policy coordination between Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom (the “CANZUK” countries).

  • Partners in the Blue Pacific, consisting of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, which will work with Pacific partners to expand opportunities – Courtesy of Wikipedia

Other non-UK Alliances

  • The Quad, consisting of the U.S., Australia, India and Japan, showcasing how democracies working together can deliver benefits to the region – Courtesy of Wikipedia

United Kingdom

Frack Off – When communities threatened by fracking get organised to resist this invasion, they have a massive effect. Stopping any single well can be very difficult, especially with the whole weight of the state behind the fracking industry. However, in the long-term, massive investment will be required to make fracking a reality. Such investment will not be forth-coming if these projects do not look financially or politically viable.

Liberty is an independent membership organisation. We challenge injustice, defend freedom and campaign to make sure everyone in the UK is treated fairly. We are campaigners, lawyers and policy experts who work together to protect rights and hold the powerful to account. Together we’ve been making the UK a fairer, more equal place since 1934.

The aims of The Independent Network are to establish a clear recognisable identity for independents, publicise this identity and to help Independents get elected. Actively encourage more people to stand for election as Independents and  to promote high standards of behaviour by elected  politicians.

Frack Free United – It is clear the fracking industry cannot contribute to UK energy security in the near or medium term, and has no place as a bridge fuel in the country’s much-needed transition to a low-carbon economy. It is also evident that promoting fracking over cleaner, cheaper means of energy production is causing harm to many affected communities up and down the country, as well as draining financial resources that would be better spent on renewable energy projects.

Drill or Drop? – We ask whether the UK should drill – “go all out for shale” (and other sources of hydrocarbons) for their benefits to the economy and energy independence. Or should we drop the idea because it carries too great a risk to climate change, environmental damage, human rights and an industrialised countryside.

Electoral Reform Society – We campaign for your democratic rights and a democracy fit for the 21st century. We work across the political divide with all the parties and civil society to put voters at the heart of British politics.

Greenpeace is a movement of people who are passionate about defending the natural world from destruction. Our vision is a greener, healthier and more peaceful planet, one that can sustain life for generations to come. We are independent. We don’t accept any funding from governments, corporations or political parties – our work is funded by ordinary people. That means we are free to confront governments and corporations responsible for the destruction of the natural world and push for real change.

Warning – We judge issues on the evidence and how it will affect Yorkshire, its’ people, environment, economy and support a code of conduct upholding standards of elected representatives, known as the Bell principles (see the Membership section of this website). With that in mind we provide a link to an alternative analysis of Greenpeace’s business model & philosophy.

Unlock Democracy is a not-for-profit organisation which campaigns for real democracy protected by a new constitution. We want a democratic society that ensures equality and justice for all, and a political system that reflects and upholds the values we collectively share.

Open Democracy (UK) is an independent global media organisation. Through reporting and analysis of social and political issues, we seek to educate citizens to challenge power and encourage democratic debate across the world.

Trade Unions – The TUC exists to make the working world a better place for everyone. We bring together more than 5.5 million working people who make up our 48 member unions.

Amnesty (UK) – We are ordinary people from across the world standing up for humanity and human rights.

Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust works for democratic and political reform in the UK through our activities and the campaigns we fund.

Democracy Action is the website and e-newsletter all about action for democracy – engaging, collaborating, influencing, learning, sharing and inspiring.

Warning – Despite being funded by the JRRT (Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust), Democracy Action continues to carry material of a fashionable nature which advocates ‘positive discrimination’, diminishing its’ credibility. The matter has been raised directly to no avail. The issue of governance was highlighted to the JRRT, as a matter of concern by the YDM (Yorkshire Devolution Movement), when invitations to bid for funding were announced.

British Counties Campaign is a non-political organisation of like-minded people from across the United Kingdom who are seeking to restore by means of legislation the 92 traditional British Counties to their rightful place, properly recognised, signposted and marked on maps and used as a fixed frame of reference for sporting, cultural and addressing purposes.

The Common Ground, our country is angry and divided and our business as usual politics will not deliver the solutions we need. There is no will to enact the solutions to the challenges we face – and no collective voice calling for politicians to break free of party politics and act for the common good.

The Electoral Commission is the independent body which oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UK. We work to promote public confidence in the democratic process and ensure its integrity.

Association of British Counties – A society dedicated to promoting awareness of the continuing importance of the 92 historic (or traditional) Counties of the United Kingdom.

The Historic Counties Trust – The Historic County Borders Project digitised the borders of the historic counties of the UK and has made them freely available for public and commercial use.

A Citizens’ Assembly is a representative group of citizens who are selected at random from the population to learn about, deliberate upon, and make recommendations in relation to a particular issue or set of issues. It is still up to elected politicians whether or not to follow the assembly’s recommendations.

Independent (UK) Constitutionalists – Our parliamentary system is broken. Something needs to change. As few as 50 Independent MPs could reshape the balance of power in Westminster. We offer a strategy for voters to elect Independent MPs committed to changing the parliamentary system to promote a new form of democracy and an inclusive political economy.

We are pleased to announce that the Centre for Welfare Reform is changing. In the future we will be Citizen Network Research and we will work as a member of the Citizen Network cooperative. The reasons for this change are explained in detail here.

Make Votes Matter – The national movement for Proportional Representation. Our broken voting system cheats most voters and Parliament doesn’t reflect the way we voted. The UK is in crisis – to address this we urgently need to make seats match votes, with a good voting system, chosen by the people. Most people and parties agree.

Oceana (Europe) was established in 2001 by a group of leading foundations — The Pew Charitable Trusts, Oak Foundation, Marisla Foundation (formerly Homeland Foundation), and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. In 1999, these foundations commissioned a study and discovered that less than 0.5 percent of all resources spent by environmental nonprofit groups in the United States went to ocean advocacy. No organization was working exclusively to protect and restore the oceans on a global scale. To fill the gap, our founders created Oceana: an international organization focused solely on oceans, dedicated to achieving measurable change by conducting specific, science-based campaigns with fixed deadlines and articulated goals. The Ocean Law Project — also initiated by The Pew Charitable Trusts — was absorbed into Oceana in 2001 as Oceana’s legal arm. In 2002, Oceana merged with American Oceans Campaign, founded by actor and environmentalist Ted Danson, to more effectively address our common mission of protecting and restoring the world’s oceans.

The WASPI Campaign (Women Against State Pension Inequality) was founded in 2015 and is fighting for justice for all women born in the 1950s affected by the changes to the State Pension Age (SPA). WASPI is not against equalisation, but we do not accept the unfair way the changes to our SPA were implemented with inadequate or no notice.

IPPR – The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) is a registered charity and the UK’s pre-eminent progressive think tank.

The Constitution Unit conducts timely, rigorous, independent research into constitutional change and its consequences. Our research has significant real-world impact, informing policy-makers engaged in constitutional reform both in the United Kingdom and around the world.

The Institute for Government works to make UK government more effective through rigorous research, open discussion and fresh thinking.

England

Nothing to see here!

Successive UK Governments have introduced a limited form of devolution for Greater London, a.k.a. the London Assembly; English votes for English laws (EVEL) 2015-21 and imposed the token gesture of directly elected mayors; meaning the counties of England (except Greater London) have no voice or representation when compared to the devolved nations. Which inevitably lead to calls for devolution to the counties of a federal England (see the ‘Aims’ section of this website for further details).

County of Yorkshire

The Yorkshire Devolution Movement is an independent pressure group set up in 2012 to campaign for a directly elected regional parliament for Yorkshire. It has no party political affiliations but is open to working with those who share our aims.

We seek to redress the movement towards the over centralisation of power in the hands of the government at Westminster which has taken place over many years and to enhance democratic accountability by bringing key decision making powers to the region. We are not aligned with any particular interests but only seek to provide the people of Yorkshire with the means to achieve their true potential.

We are committed to standing up for Yorkshire’s interests and to striving to ensure that the region and its people receive fair treatment and opportunities.

The Yorkshire Ridings Society – Yorkshire is England’s largest county and its boundary, over 600 miles long, was established more than 1100 years ago. The word Riding is derived from a Danish word ‘thridding’, meaning a third. The invading Danes called representatives from each Thridding to a thing, or parliament and established the Ridings System. To this day, Yorkshire consists of a North, East and West Riding, along with the City of York, and that’s why there is no fourth, or South, Riding; except, of course, in a novel of that name.

The Yorkshire Society is a not-for-profit organisation, The Yorkshire Society puts Yorkshire first, celebrating and promoting its economy, history, heritage, beauty and unique culture. It is the established champion of ‘God’s own Country’ locally, nationally and internationally, working with affiliated organisations at home and abroad for the benefit of Yorkshire, not itself.

Transforming Yorkshire is about Yorkshire, the three ridings and the city of York; for Yorkshire folk taking control of Yorkshire affairs; and, for Transforming God’s Own County into the best place in the world to live, work and play! (But keep it quiet)

The Campaign for a Democratic Yorkshire is a community-led effort to build an equitable, sustainable, and democratic local economy drawing on the principles of Doughnut Economics and Participative-representative Democracy as proposed respectively by Kate Raworth and IC-UK.

One Yorkshire was launched on Yorkshire Day 2018 by the then Archbishop of York. The Committee comprises council, business, trade union, academic and political leaders with the goal of supporting the Yorkshire Leaders Board in their work on devolution.

The Yorkshire Archaeological & Historical Society, through our collections of books and archives, our publications and lectures, we promote the preservation and study of the archaeology, history, architecture, antiquities, culture and traditions of the historic county of York.

Forget flat caps and whippets, Yorkshire is a contemporary destination which hasn’t neglected its roots. Welcome to Yorkshire has created a fresh, dynamic view of the UK’s largest county.

Established in 1897, the Yorkshire Dialect Society is Britain’s oldest surviving dialect society. It grew out of a committee formed nearly three years earlier by Professor Joseph Wright, which was set up to collect additional Yorkshire material for the English Dialect Dictionary.

The Yorkshire Rewilding Network aims to bring together anyone in the region who has an interest in rewilding — to inspire one-another, share knowledge and experience, and work towards a brighter, more sustainable future for all inhabitants… be they creatures great or small.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is a charity dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring wildlife and wild places in Yorkshire. Established as a charity in 1946, and are part of The Wildlife Trusts movement. We look after over 100 nature reserves right across Yorkshire, and are involved in hundreds of other conservation-related projects. Our work inspires people to understand the value of nature and to take action for it.

Within Yorkshire

The Minsters Rail Campaign seeks to link East Yorkshire to the main rail network, giving people the choice of how they travel into and out of the area.

H.E.Y. Frack Off – Hull & East Yorks against extreme energy, part of Frack Free East Yorkshire, a coalition of groups opposed to extreme fossil fuels.

Frack Free Ryedale remain vigilant and continue to oppose fracking and other forms of unconventional gas exploitation in Ryedale and North Yorkshire (and support others who do so elsewhere). Should the Government’s position change, Frack Free Ryedale is ready to facilitate an appropriate response.

Frack-Free York & Villages is a grassroots group, set up to raise awareness about the dangers of new forms of gas extraction, and prevent it happening in our local community. With two thirds of the UK’s land being made available for hydraulic fracturing (fracking) we are part of a huge nationwide resistance. We provide a channel for action and work together with local and national groups.Our aim is to make York a Frack-Free zone. We want York Council to declare that it will not support applications for unconventional gas extraction, instead supporting the move away from fossil fuels toward a clean energy economy.

Fossil Free East Yorkshire – Town by town, city by city, we’re ending the age of fossil fuels and building a world of community-led renewable energy for all.

The One ‘Hull’ Of a Forest (OHOF) initiative aims to put the city on the map for its reforestation efforts, as part of the government’s Northern Forest Initiative to plant 50 million trees along the M62 corridor.

Regionalist Parties

The Yorkshire Party is founded on the social democratic principles of subsidiarity, dignity, community and cooperation. We believe that by moving powers as close to people as possible, we can empower communities to be ambitious and allow individuals freedom for creativity and enterprise. We believe service to humanity should be the foundation of government and that as members of society we share a responsibility to participate in building a region of fairness and opportunity.

North East Party – We want a better deal for our region than the Westminster parties are willing to offer, including devolution of political powers and protected budgets for services and infrastructure. For too long, our area has been neglected and taken for granted.

Lincolnshire Independents cooperate with good decision-making, but have no time for a national, party line to be forced upon us here in Lincolnshire. Party allegiances risk poor decisions for our people.

The Wessex Regionalists exist to represent and defend the wider interests of the people of South and South West England. All of this area was at some stage included in the Kingdom of Wessex. Our region has a unique sense of identity rooted in our distinct cultural heritage. Our identity could be our greatest asset, nourishing a real sense of place and purpose, providing a unifying element for the whole population. Instead, its existence is largely denied by the institutions of the United Kingdom.

Mebyon Kernow believes that the historic nation of Cornwall, with its own distinct identity, language and heritage, has the same right to self-determination as other constituent parts of the UK, such as Scotland and Wales. We are leading the campaign for the creation of a National Assembly for Cornwall, with our policy document “Towards a National Assembly of Cornwall“.

The Regional Party of England is a new political party for English devolution, democratic control, proportional representation and votes for all aged 16 and over. We urgently need English devolution and a new political party to bring positive change. The Regional Party wants a modern, democratic and devolved England that fully represents ordinary people across all English regions. It also wants new, constructive political relationships between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and is open-minded about all possible options.

The Northern Independence Party is a democratic socialist party, who are committed to uplifting the voices of our members. We were founded in 2020 to combat the injustice of the north/south divide. We stand opposed to all forms of ideology based on hatred and bigotry.

Independent Mercia recreating Mercia as an autonomous and sustainable bioregion, within a confederation of English regions, based on organic democracy, co-operative community and ecological balance.

Other Parties

Warning – The following entries have been included because we share some views in common but as far as we are aware, none of them support the concept of a federal England, which is why we are not members and consider the party system to be part of the problem.

The National Health Action Party was founded on the principles of public service and accountable democracy. We believe our public services should reflect our sense of national identity and social cohesion. They should be publicly owned, publicly delivered, and publicly accountable.

Social Democratic Party – Free from vested interests, the SDP seeks the common good in Britain’s national interest. We represent neither capital nor labour, not private industry nor the public sector, but only the welfare of the British people and residents of these islands.

Co-operative Party – We are the party of the co-operative movement, committed to building a society in where power and wealth are shared. Democratic public ownership of the services and utilities we all rely on. Tackling the housing crisis through co-operative housing. Fans having a say in their sports club. Credit unions as an alternative to rip-off payday lenders. Shops owned by their customers that give back to the community.The Co-operative Party is a voice for co-operative values and principles from local communities up to the places where decisions are taken and laws are made.

Green Party – The pandemic has shown us more than ever what we really value – our health, the people we love, our communities. Our vision for a Green Recovery is about putting people and the planet at the heart of decision making – building a future that is Green and equal. The Green Recovery will address the climate and ecological emergency with bold, decisive action from government, business and communities. With that will come more security and more choice in our day to day lives.

Warning – The following entry has been included because in our view all opinions are entitled to be heard in any debate and indeed it makes some valid points but is also at odds with our aim of a federal England. In the current political climate it is probably considered to be ‘far right’ or extremist but that is an inevitable consequence of ignoring moderate calls for reform.

The primary aim of the English Constitution Party is English self determination, by taking back control of; the English constitution and common law, a light touch English parliament, English independently governed counties not regions, fair and honest elections with representatives that support your English constitutional rights.

The Heritage Party was formed in May 2020 as a socially conservative political party in the United Kingdom. Defending our heritage; we stand for free speech and liberty, traditional family values, national sovereignty and financial responsibility.

10-01-2022 – The preceding link to the Heritage party website, contains an error when selecting the ‘Get our Newsletter’ option, it returns a blank dialogue box but we don’t think that is intentional irony!

The Internet

World Wide Web Foundation – Everyone should have access to a safe and empowering web. We use original research, advocacy, and public action to shape the policies and products we need for the web we want.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international community where Member organizations, a full-time staff, and the public work together to develop Web standards. Led by Web inventor and Director Tim Berners-Lee and CEO Jeffrey Jaffe, W3C’s mission is to lead the Web to its full potential.

Inrupt Solid – Sir Tim Berners-Lee’s vision of a vibrant web, for all. Solid is a technology for organizing data, applications, and identities on the web. Solid enables richer choices for people, organizations and app developers by building on existing web standards.

The Tor Project – Just like Tor users, the developers, researchers, and founders who’ve made Tor possible are a diverse group of people. But all of the people who have been involved in Tor are united by a common belief: internet users should have private access to an uncensored web.

BOINC lets you help cutting-edge science research using your computer. The BOINC app, running on your computer, downloads scientific computing jobs and runs them invisibly in the background. It’s easy and safe.

Big Brother Watch – Extraordinary circumstances require extraordinary measures, but we cannot let basic rights fall casualty to crisis. Emergency laws have introduced the most draconian powers ever in peace-time Britain.

Securing Our Digital Future – As cyberspace has become the modern domain of human productivity, it has also become a place of conflict and risk. Cyber attacks increasingly threaten key infrastructure, and the damage can be catastrophic. Our essayists explain why a new domain demands new rules to ensure responsible behavior in cyberspace.

Raison d’etre

When we reference or collaborate with other organizations, it does not imply we agree with all aspects of their agenda, indeed if we did there would be no need for the YPF to maintain its’ own independent challenge to current thinking.

We judge issues on the evidence and how it will affect Yorkshire, its’ people, environment, economy and support a code of conduct upholding standards of elected representatives, known as the Bell principles (see the Membership section of this website).

We reserve the right to remove any reference on our pages to organisations deemed to be in breach of our ethical principles without notice.

p.s. It is planned to introduce an ethical footnote system, to alert our readers to content within websites, which does not meet our ethical criteria, in a consistent manner across the whole of our ‘Useful Links’ section.

Once in place, we should be able to remove the red commentary scattered throughout this section. By the way, more than one organization has already been removed completely for unacceptable levels of abuse of their privileged recommendation.