Silent Majority Speaks
Rescuing Democracy in the United Kingdom from our current Elected Dictatorship
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Spin,
not face-to-face confrontations with the voters, is the Government's
chosen method of communication. Ordinary people are dangerous. Ordinary
people might ask a question which throws a politician 'off message';
the Cabinet member might reveal himself or herself to be a human being
like us, and not a programmed android. Worse still, he or she might
tell the truth.
Ann Leslie - Daily Mail, September 16, 2004
Blair wants to leave his
mark on history - looks more like a stain to me.
Peter Thorndyke, Diss,
Norfolk - Daily Mail, May 23, 2005
I know I'm me - why do I
need an ID card?
"Sorry, officers, I
don't have an ID card. I never applied for one. It seemed a bit steep
at 300 quid. I do have my free passport, my driving licence and my
London freedom travel pass, each with my photograph. I have my NHS
medical card, with its lengthy number, given me at birth, my RAF
service book with my Armed Forces number, and a chit authorising me to
wear a few gongs -including a General Service Medal with Malaya bar,
for fighting communist terrorists on behalf of my country, or so they
told me.
"I've also got various credit
cards and store cards, all with my signature on the back, generally
good for buying the everyday requrements for life as well as the odd
luxury. If you decide to arrest me, I suppose I'll have to be
photographed and given another number, besides my PINs.
"I'm afraid I haven't got a
pension book; it was taken away."
"By thieves, sir?"
"No ... well, not exactly. By the
Government. By the way, may I see your warrant cards please, gentlemen?"
Oh dear, they've disappeared. E.
Harry Gumer, Romford, ESSEX - Daily Mail, June 1, 2005
NO means NO
When does NO mean MAYBE?
When it's not the answer the EU wants. With the courageous French
NON resounding in their ears, shabby, undemocratic self-interested
leaders of Europe propose ignoring the part of their precious
constitution that requires ratification by all members and
continuing without one of the biggest founder members to
prevent derailing the gravy train.
As in Ireland,
they refuse to accept any NO votes, ignoring the will of the people,
and re-stage votes until they can engineer the 'correct' answer. Sadly,
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw dances to their tune like a puppet on a
string. With tactics such as these, how can anyone really believe the
EU has our interests at heart. Letter from Steve Penny, Kingsnorth, Kent - Daily
Mail, June1, 2005
Surely
the French result makes the £1million the EU recently spent on a
treaty signing ceremony seem a trifle premature and extravagant. Letter from Keith Wiseman, Bury, Lancs. - Daily Mail,
June1, 2005
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Britain has
traditionally been one of the biggest net contributors to the EU
because we do not get as much money back from Brussels in farm and
regional subsidies as our rivals.
According to
Treasury figures, between 1995-2002, Britain's average contribution
taking the rebate into account, was £2.6billion, or £43.55
per head of population.
The French -
the biggest recipient of farm subsidies - contributed £1billion a
year or £16.08 per head of their population.
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Tony
Blair should know that respect comes by example - from the
top. If a country's leader has no respect for the rule of
international law and no respect for the truth, how can
he expect anyone to have respect. Letter
from P.J.Atkinson, Ashford, Kent - Daily Mail, January 12,
2006
The
Chancellor's single greatest act of vandalism in almost
nine years in office has been his wanton destruction of
Britain's private retirement industry. By slapping a massive
tax on pension funds, now worth
£7.3billion a year, he has helped to turn
the best private retirement industry in Europe into a basket-case
in perpetual crisis. Together with the adoption of European
accounting rules - which make it much riskier to operate
a company pension scheme - hundreds of firms have shut their
final salary plans to new employees and slashed benefits
to existing staff. From
Allister Heath: "I've seen the future and its grey"
in THE SPECTATOR - April 15, 2006
Nine
years ago the British people were sold a fantasy of clean
and competent government of principle and honesty. Its shiny
wrappings stripped away, the product now reveals its true
nature: Personal greed, arrogance, incompetence, shamelessness,
rash warmongering and an inability to accept - as is clear
to almost everyone else - that it is time to go. Editorial
- The Mail on Sunday, May 28, 2006
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August
18, 2006 (1210 days since war ended)
Death
Toll: 2601 US - 115 UK - >300,000? civilians - 25 media
August
23, 2006 (1215 days since war ended)
Death
Toll: 2613 US - 115 UK - >300,000? civilians - 25 media
How
long to clear backlog of failed asylum seekers?
113
years
By
Matthew Hickley - Home Affairs Correspondent - Daily Mail, August
23, 2006
It
will take more than a century to clear the backlog of failed asylum
seekers, latest figures reveal. The past 12 months have seen 3,500
more deportations than new cases.
But,
with an estimated 400,000 rejected asylum seekers still living
here illegally, it would take another 113 years to clear the backlog.
John
Reid astonished MPs last month by promising to complete the deportations
'within five years and hopefully sooner'. The Home Secretary soon
backtracked and claimed he was referring only to failed asylum
seekers 'who can be found' by immigration officers.
Tony
Blair's target of having more deportations than new cases has
led to major distortions in Home Office operations. The department's
1,100 enforcement staff now have to concentrate almost exclusively
on sending home failed asylum seekers. Work neglected as a result
includes deportation of foreign prisoners, a policy area that
cost Charles Clarke his job as home secretary.
The
Mail reported last week that immigration officers routinely ignore
tip-offs from employers warning of illegal immigrants applying
for jobs with forged papers. The officers say they lack the manpower
to investigate the calls while also searching for failed asylum
seekers.
In
the three months to June this year, 5,070 illegals were removed
from the UK, up slightly on the previous three months. Around
40% of those went home voluntarily, taking advantage of the £3,000
bribes and free flights. Forced deportations cost £11,000.
In
the same three months period, 4,105 asylum seekers lodged claims
that are expected to be dismissed. This cut the backlog by only
295 a month - around 3,500 a year.
Damian
Green, Tory immigrations spokesman, said: "At this rate it
would take over a century to clear the backlog this undermining
John Reid's claim to resolve this problem within 5 years. In any
case, this was an artificial target designed to grab headlines
rather than address the problem, which has resulted in the Government
taking its eye off the ball in several other important areas."
Last
month, the Home Office dramatically increased its estimate of
the number of illegals living in Britain. A trawl through old
files uncovered an astonishing 200,000 forgotten cases - taking
the total to 400,000 or more. At the current rate, the last of
these would be deported some time in the year 2119. Officials
accept, however, that many will probably never be traced down
or sent home.
The
overall number of asylum applications continued to fall in the
three months to June. Cases were down 12% on last year, with 6,380
would-be refugees arriving in the UK. The chief countries of origin
were Afghanistan, China and Eritrea. Eight out of ten asylum seekers
are refused permission to stay in the UK. Almost all go on to
lodge appeals, around a quarter of which are successful. Around
55,000 asylum seekers receive state benefits.
Home
Office minister, Tony McNulty, yesterday hailed the latest figures,
claiming they gave 'many reasons to be optimistic that we can
restore public confidence in our immigration system.'
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