Rejected petition Move the seat of government from London

Moving parliament from London would not only change its location, it would change political attitudes. Our capital city is in a league of its own; a world city, a thriving financial centre and a cultural icon; but by placing our government in this city we are breeding a political culture of centralisation and disregarding the varied nature of this highly populated nation.

In 2014 Scotland votes on the issue of Independence, a key argument used by those who espouse disunity is that the Westminster government is too absorbed in Southern affairs. By moving the centre of power even a mere 120 miles to Birmingham, our second city, would go some way in making sure MPs are not London-centric in their attitudes and would make a bold political statement - that the UK government is representative of the United Kingdom and not just the South.

As we move towards the debate over the Union in 2014, we should inject new momentum into shifting government, and moving political attitudes with it.