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.
|
|
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
|
October
9, 2006 (1262 days since war ended)
Death
Toll: 2744 US - 119 UK - >300,000? civilians - 25 media
October
17, 2006 (1268 days since war ended)
Death
Toll: 2771 US - 119 UK - >300,000? civilians - 25 media
A
year on, this is Binge Britain
Labour
promised 24-hour licensing would improve our quality of life and
even help reduce crime
By
Ben Taylor, Matthew Hickley and Jaya Narain - Daily Mail, October
16, 2006
It
was meant to pave the way for the civilised 'cafe culture' that
thrives in mainland Europe. But as the first anniversary of the
liberalisation of the licensing laws approaches, the booze-soaked
streets of Britain tell a very different story.
Experts
warned yesterday that binge drinking has reached 'epidemic' levels
- a conclusion backed by shocking new police figures that show
the level of alcohol-related arrests more than doubling since
2004 as pubs and clubs keep serving through the night. Half of
all violent crime in Britain is now fuelled by drunkenness, latest
Home Office figures show - rising to 62% for fights between strangers.
There were 2.4million drunken assaults last year, creating a new
victim every 13 secs.
WHAT
THEY SAID
"This
is a serious piece of legislation intended to improve
quality of life and curb crime"
Tessa
Jowell, Culture Secretary, August 2005
"The
law-abiding majority who want the ability, after going
to the cinema or theatre, say, to have a drink at the
time they want should not be inconvenienced."
Tony
Blair, January 2005
Research
indicates that spreading the period during which customers
leave should produce --- significant reduction in reports
of drink-related offences and in arrest for such offences
... and reductions in binge drinking and drunkenness on
the streets
Government
White Paper, Time for Reform, 2000
|
Hospital
admissions are also soaring as a result of round-the-clock drinking.
Medical experts say that casualty departments are struggling to
cope with a huge rise in the number of drunks and victims of drunken
violence who are arriving well into the early hours. The findings
appear to confirm the worst fears of police chiefs, senior doctors
and judges who spoke out against the Government's bitterly controversial
reforms.
Martin
Shalley, president of the British Association for Emergency Medicine,
told the Mail: "It really is reaching epidemic proportions
and Britain is changing culturally into a nation of heavy drinkers.
It is extremely worrying because the impact on the NHS is enormous."
The
impact on police has been equally serious. Data from the latest
nationwide crackdown on binge drinking shows the number of arrests
for alcohol-related offences has leapt 86% since a similar purge
six months earlier, and more than doubled since Christmas 2004.
The
Home Office report measured the results of the twice-yearly Alcohol
Misuse Enforcement Campaign, under which police police forces
are given millions of pounds to target binge drinking. The number
of alcohol-related arrests each day during this summer was 936,
compared with 531 during a similar operation before Christmas,
and 309 per day the previous December. The
rate of drink-related arrests in each police area taking part
has more than doubled in 18 months.
Front-line
police have voiced intense frustrations, claiming they lack the
manpower or cell space to arrest more than a fraction of the drunken
louts who should be locked up on busy nights, and that aggressors
and their victims are often equally drunk and later cannot remember
what happened.
Some
police forces have seen sharp rises in violence against the person
offences - the category which includes most drunken brawling -
since the laws changed last year. In the three months to June,
Hampshire Police saw the number of attacks rise 30% year-on-year,
with similar rises of 17% in Wiltshire, 16% in Greater Manchester,
12% in Northumbria and 10% in Hertfordshire.
In
Brighton police report a 60% rise in low level violence since
the new laws were introduced, despite 30 pubs being closed down
due to disorder problems. Local Chief Superintendent Jeremy Paine
said: "Larger numbers of officers than ever before are now
deployed to tackle anti-social, loutish or yobbish behaviour,
particularly on Friday and Saturday evenings. We are now arresting
people up to 7am or 8am who have drunk too much."
Crime
rates have fallen in other areas though and one rural chief constable
claimed the new drinking laws were helping to curb violence outside
pubs and clubs. Carole Howlett, of Norfolk Police, said she was
'pleasantly surprised' that fewer fights were breaking out as
drinkers no longer poured out onto the streets at the same time.
Violence against the person was down 8% in the first half of 2006.
The
Licensing Act, which came into force on November 23 last year,
swept away traditional closing times for pubs, clubs and bars
and off-licences across England and Wales, with thousands granted
late-night opening and hundreds of venues allowed to serve alcohol
around the clock.
Ministers
claimed the changes would usher in a 'Continental-style' drinking
culture and better behaviour. Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell described
it in August last year as 'a serious piece of legislation intended
to improve quality of life and curb crime.' Earlier she had said:
"We are promoting flexible hours to reduce violence at last
orders."
But
critics insisted it was a recipe for disaster. Almost half of
young adults aged 28 to 24 now admit to being regular binge-drinkers
- drinking to get very drunk at least once a month - and they
commit a huge proportion of crimes such as assault and criminal
damage.
Mr
Shalley, a consultant at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital who speaks
on behalf of the country's major hospitals, added yesterday: "More
people with alcohol-related injuries or symptoms are presenting
at hospitals for treatment than a year ago. Whereas many would
be seen earlier in the evening, now people are coming later and
later because of the change in licensing laws."
In
the past alcohol-related admissions typically peaked and tailed
off after 11 pm, he said, but now the surge continues as late
as 4 am. a recent study by the BAEM found one in six hospital
reported workloads spreading later through the night.
Mr
Shalley said: "This also has a massive effect on the rest
of the NHS with cirrhosis, mental problems and a whole raft of
associated diseases having to be treated. Ten years ago we were
not seeing nearly as much alcohol-related disease. It is enormously
expensive and has repercussions throughout the NHS."
Ambulance
crews are also seeing their workload increase, with staff having
to alter shift patterns to give increased coverage up until 5am,
which means there are fewer ambulances available during the day.
If you have suggestions
for additional subjects, or material to include in the pages linked
to the subjects listed, please contact the webmaster.
