YP Letters: History repeats in new harrying of the North

IT struck me that we have 
had a Northern powerhouse before.

In 1070 following the harrying of the North, King William installed his vassal lords to take over the best bits of the North and leave the rest as waste.

They then paid homage to the King by passing most of the wealth of the north to the King down south. They used the best horses and oxen to move it south as fast as possible.

We now have King George (of the Osborne) doing exactly the same. He is offering power to local vassals, but only if they obey his rules (elected Mayors).

Despite the fact that these rules have been constitutionally rejected, he will still hold the purse strings and woe betide you if you step out of line.

He is also keen on HS2 to get hold of his vassals and the money as quickly as possible.

You may say that we will have a constitutional say in this. Then we look at 1215 the Magna Carta, this was signed by King John but later watered down to a very large extent by subsequent monarchs to such an extent that it was not until the 19th century that the freedoms people thought it embodied actually started to come about.

Do you live in a powerhouse or the waste?

What about one for all and all for one?