Silent Majority Speaks

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

WWW silentmajorityspeaks.com

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.

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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November 26, 2007 (1609 days since war ended)

Death Toll: 3876 US - 173 UK - >1,000,000? civilians - 25 media

November 29, 2007 (1612 days since war ended)

Death Toll: 3879 US - 173 UK - >1,000,000? civilians - 25 media

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Brown continues the spin

Letter from David Griffin, Grantham, Lincs. - Daily Mail, December 7, 2007

The recent issues of Northern Rock, lost records and party funding, while indicators of poor control, aren't the main criteria in considering whether Gordon Brown is fit for office as PM.

More indicative of Mr Brown's character and style is his obvious electioneering when he took office, proving spin is as much ingrained in his philosophy as it was in Tony Blair's.

Examples are: using a rather frail Margaret Thatcher in an attempt to outflank David Cameron with Middle England: announcing troop withdrawals on his visit to Iraq when some were already home, and giving George Bush a clearly orchestrated cold shoulder with body language designed to distance himself from Blair's approach.

Mr Brown repeatedly declared he was a conviction politician like Mrs. Thatcher. But Mrs. Thatcher PROVED she was, she didn't have to go round telling everyone.

Brown's only clear conviction appears to be his ambition from an early age to become Prime Minister. His reliance on spin was evident in his Budget speeches where his technique was to keep re-announcing apparent good news while hiding stealth taxes in the small print.

Mr Brown has carefully constructed around himself an image of competence but, again, spin has played a large part. He was told by a senior treasury official on his first day as Chancellor that the Tories had left him a 'solid gold economic legacy' - but much of this legacy is in danger of being thrown away by the pouring of money into public services without reforms in the way these services are run.

There seems to be a leaning towards Mr Brown that he doesn't deserve: he lacks the statesmanship and character for the top job. He has tried to choreograph an image that he is offering something different from the Blair years, but the real Mr Brown has shown himself in recent months over the 'election that never was'.

His obsession with holding the job of Prime Minister without the substance or statesmanship to back it up could be most unfortunate for the nation.

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