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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May
9, 2006 (1095 days since war ended)
Death
Toll: 2428 US - 109 UK - >60,000? civilians - 25 media
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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
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The
6,000 failed asylum seekers who have been in Britain so long they
can apply AGAIN to stay
By
James Slack, Home Affairs Editor, Daily Mail, May 13, 2006
At
least 6,000 failed asylum seekers who should be deported are being
allowed to stay in the UK so they can have a second go at winning
refugee status, it emerged last night. The revelation lays bare
the Government's shambolic attempts to try to clear the huge backlog
of 285,000 cases.
It
means that, rather than being detained pending their removal,
they can return to a life of free housing and almost £40
a week in benefits while their claim is reconsidered. The Home
Office has never made public the fact that claims were being considered
for a second time, but 6,000 cases have emerged in a trawl of
'internal management information'.
The
farce stems from the failure of officials to get the estimated
285,000 failed refugees out of the UK within a reasonable time
of being turned down. Insiders said they are staying here for
so long, they can legitimately claim their circumstances back
home have changed dramatically since first being rejected.
The
Home Office, under human rights obligations not to deport people
to countries where they could face ill-treatment or torture, is
then forced to reconsider. Critics last night pointed out that
if asylum seekers had their claims assessed quickly and were then
deported if they were deemed to be unfounded, claiming the situation
in their homeland had changed would not be possible.
Tory
immigration spokesman Damian Green said: "This is a very
large number which Government should explain. Any pretence that
the Government has got a grip on the problems in asylum and immigration
system is patently untrue."
Sir
Andrew Green, chairman of Migrationwatch UK, said: "This
is ridiculous. We spend £2billion a year on the asylum system.
This should not be to allow people to go round the circuit twice,
initiating an endless cycle of claims."
It
is the latest in a long list of shambolic developments involving
the huge failed asylum seeker backlog. The chaos- which stems
from the record number of would-be refugees who managed to get
into Britain between 1999 and 2003 - is likely to continue for
years to come.
Ministers
have managed to dramatically reduce the numbers heading here by
belatedly improving border controls. But getting rid of those
failed asylum seekers already here will take at least 20 years
at current rate of progress. One solution put forward by the Home
Office was to announce an amnesty for families who had applied
for asylum before October 2000 and had been in the UK for four
years.
The
Government estimated that 15,000 would put themselves forward
for the deal, which offers them indefinite leave to remain in
Britain - but more than 55,000 applied. The numbers allowed to
stay have yet to be revealed, and officials have refused a Daily
Mail Freedom of Information request to make public the behind-the-scenes
details of the fiasco.
Earlier
this month, it emerged a second tactic for clearing the backlog
had run into trouble. Ministers are currently offering a £3,000
bribe for failed refugees to go home, payable after they leave
the country. But, incredibly, they are being allowed to then
return to Britain. At least nine have already done so.
One
has already received a second free trip home.
Immigration
Minister Tony McNulty admitted: "We are progressing the cases
of approximately 6,000 failed asylum seekers who have submitted
further representations which they claim amount to a fresh asylum
application, following exhaustion of all their appeal rights.
This information is based on internal management information and
as such is not published within official statistics."
A
Home Office spokesman said the department would not reconsider
claims which are clearly unfounded. The new evidence presented
by the asylum seeker must be 'significantly different' from the
original claim, he added, creating a 'realistic prospect' of success.
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