Silent Majority Speaks
Rescuing Democracy in the United Kingdom from our current Elected Dictatorship
|
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
|
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.
|
May
20, 2006 (1106 days since war ended)
Death
Toll: 2455 US - 111 UK - >60,000? civilians - 25 media
|
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
|
Blair
does not care about sleaze, warns standards watchdog
Premier
blamed for falling public confidence in how ministers behave
By
James Chapman - Deputy Political Editor, Daily Mail, May 22, 2006
Tony
Blair came under unprecedented attack yesterday from the official
anti-sleaze watchdog for his handling of a series of ministerial
scandals. In a devastating, wide-ranging assessment, Sir Alistair
Graham said the Prime Minister evidently regarded ministerial
behaviour as a 'minor issue not worthy of serious consideration'.
He left no doubt that he blamed Mr Blair personally for eroding
confidence in standards in public life. Labour was now regarded
as being just as sleazy as John Major's government in the 1990's,
he said.
Sir
Alistair, chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life,
claimed Mr Blair was paying the price for ignoring the importance
of upholding standards. He highlighted a secret loan to Labour
by the Science Minister, Lord Sainsbury, and the Prime Minister's
handling of the revelation of John Prescott's extra-marital affair
as of particular concern.
He
is also deeply concerned about the Government's failure to implement
plans by the Electoral Commission to root out voting fraud.
In
a very unusual attack for a civil servant, Sir Alistair said:
"I've been disappointed that the Prime Minister has not
given greater emphasis to standards in governing the country,
and I think it's a major error of judgment. He sees standards
as peripheral, a minor issue not worthy of serious consideration.
I think it is demonstrated by opinion polls that the public think
this government is as sleazy as the last. He has paid a heavy
price for ignoring standards. We would have preferred more positive
support from the Prime Minister. We suspect he is pretty lukewarm
to the work we do."
Blair's
legacy and the smell of sleaze
Comment
- Daily Mail, May 22, 2006
It
comes to something when the chief guardian of standards
in public life is so appalled by the conduct of the Prime
Minister that he feels obliged to go public over the 'major
error in judgment' in Downing Street. It speaks volumes
when he attacks Mr Blair for treating sleaze as 'a minor
issue, not worthy of serious consideration'.
Sir
Alistair Graham, a former union leader and now a Blair
appointee as standards watchdog, would not normally be
expected to bark quite so fiercely. After all, some might
regard him as 'New Labour' to his fingertips. But this
is an honest man frustrated beyond measure by the grubbiness
he sees and the refusal of the Prime Minster - he
who once promised to be 'whiter than white'
- to do anything about it.
Peerages
for sale ... John Prescott cavorting with a secretary
... the Tessa Jowell imbroglio ... Labour's secret £2million
loan from Science Minister Lord Sainsbury ... amid all
this, Mr Blair's only instinct is to reach for the whitewash.
Two
months ago, Sir Alistair said he was 'puzzled' by the
complacency over sleaze and appealed for independent inquiries
into Ministerial misdeeds. The response? Mr Blair brushed
him aside.
Unfortunately
for the Prime Minister, the stink of some-thing rotten
got worse. Only then, in a transparently self-serving
stunt, did he appoint a sleazebuster - but one without
real independence. No wonder Sir Alistair describes this
appointment as 'a cobbled up affair' and warns that 'the
public thinks this Government is as sleazy as the last.'
So
can we now expect a shamed Prime Minister to clean up
his act? Dream on. Remember the last watchdog who growled?
Former Parliamentary commissioner Elizabeth Filkin enraged
New Labour when she investigated claims of wrongdoing
against Peter Mandelson, Keith Vaz and John Reid, among
others. Her reward for doing her job properly was to be
sacked. That was 5 years ago. Nothing has changed.
Now
police investigations into the cash for coronets scandal
reach into Downing Street. A poll shows most voters think
Mr Blair should face charges if the law has been broken.
Politics and politicians have never been held in such
low esteem.
The
Prime Minister does not need to stay on to establish his
legacy. It is there already, in the smell that will always
be associated with Blairism.
|
Sir
Alistair's intervention comes as detectives investigate claims
that Labour offered seats in the Lords in return for loans or
donations. The inquiry is believed to be focusing on Downing Street's
role. He said he was particularly disturbed by the disclosure
that the Science Minister, Lord Sainsbury had secretly lent the
party £2million to help bankroll last year's General Election
campaign. "I think it's an unhappy situation if something
like that happens in a secretive, non-transparent way."
He
also expressed concern about the Deputy Prime Minister's affair
with his secretary Tracey Temple. "You can get a situation
where a minister is subject to such ridicule and scorn that their
position becomes very difficult," he said. "My position
is, 'Is there clear evidence that in pursuing their private matters
they have taken advantage of their public position, or breached
accepted codes of conduct in fulfilling their public duty?'
Sir
Alistair complained that the Prime Minister had ignored recommendations
designed to stamp out the perception of cronyism in public appointments.
He also cited allegations against David Blunkett, the former Home
Secretary - who was forced to quit over claims he helped fast-track
a visa for the nanny of his then lover Kimberley Quinn - and Culture
Secretary Tessa Jowell.
"David
Blunkett seemed to be using ministerial arrangements to assist
somebody, and we had potential conflicts of interest arising from
Tessa Jowell's husband's relations," he told the Sunday Times.
Sir Alistair said he was 'very critical' of the Government for
not revising the ministerial code of conduct to provide for allegations
to be independently investigated.
By
contrast, sir Alistair said he had been 'pleasantly surprised'
by the attitude of Chancellor Gordon Brown to standards. Sir Alistair,
a former union official, had not been expected to cause undue
trouble for the Government when he was appointed in 1994. His
committee has no powers to investigate individuals but can make
tough recommendations on how Government tackles sleaze.
Shadow
secretary of state for constitutional affairs Oliver Heald said:
"This criticism by Sir Alistair Graham is of great importance
and requires an immediate government response."
Education
Minister Jim Knight said the Premier was 'serious about cleaning
up politics'. Downing Street refused comment.
If you have
suggestions for additional subjects, or material to include in the
pages linked to the subjects listed, please contact the webmaster.
|
