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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January
21, 2007 (1332 days since war ended)
Death
Toll: 3046 US - 130 UK - >650,000? civilians - 25 media
January
23, 2007 (1334 days since war ended)
Death
Toll: 3059 US - 130 UK - >650,000? civilians - 25 media
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In
a desperate day for justice, with all jails full, the Lord Chancellor,
Attorney General and Home Secretary issue plea to judges
Don't
jail any more criminals
By
James Slack - Home Affairs Editor - Daily Mail, January 24, 2007
Desperate
Ministers will today beg judges to stop sending criminals to prisons
- because they are full. A letter will be sent to courts across
the country admitting that jails are officially in crisis.
The
letter, signed by Home Secretary John Reid, Lord chancellor Lord
Falconer and Attorney General Lord Goldsmith, is the first in
a series of drastic steps likely over the next few weeks. The
most dramatic option is to order the early release of thousands
of inmates sentenced to 12 months or less.
The
Home Secretary has been struggling since last summer to contain
the overcrowding crisis - caused by the Government ignoring repeated
advice to build more prisons - but it is now escalating rapidly.
On Monday alone, nearly 300 more prisoners were sent down by the
courts than were released, pushing the jail population to almost
80,000.
Yesterday
Mr Reid, Lord Falconer and Lord Goldsmith met senior judges to
explain that the system is now in meltdown. It was agreed that
the three Ministers would circulate a 'communiqué' to the
entire criminal justice system. It calls on the courts to jail
only the worst criminals - effectively freeing thousands who would
normally have been put behind bars.
In
cases where judges and magistrates are considering a term of 12
months or less, they are 'reminded' they could use a community
sentence instead. Magistrates are also urged to consider bail
instead of remanding suspects such as burglars. Around 13,000
suspects are in custody awaiting trial.
Mr
Reid paved the way for his move when he said recently that taxpayers'
money should not be 'squandered' on locking up or monitoring offenders
who would be better punished in the community, But having to plead
with the courts is still a humiliation for the Home Secretary
and leaves Labour's pledge to be tough on crime in tatters.
Home
Office ministers have been warned repeatedly by their officials
that the jail population was growing rapidly, but have failed
to provide sufficient extra places. Mr Reid has belatedly promised
8,000 more - but none will be available until spring. In the meantime,
hundreds of criminals are locked in police cells at a cost of
£365 a day.
Shadow
Home Secretary David Davis said last night: "It is outrageous
that sentences are being dictated by the prison capacity and not
by the crime committed. Yet again we see the public being put
at risk by the failure of ministers. How much longer must the
public pay the price of Gordon Brown's miserliness and John Reid's
incompetence? John Reid must say what he intends to do about this
crisis, and not rely on his usual tactic of dreaming up an unworkable
gimmick to try and deflect the bad headlines."
Home
Office officials are hoping today's letter will buy Mr Reid some
time to think of a politically-acceptable solution. But they fear
he will be forced to take more drastic action as early as next
week. The 'nuclear option' is the early release of thousands of
inmates sentenced to a year or less. They would not even be placed
under supervision, simply be told they were free to go. Mr Reid
wants to avoid this at all costs, fearing it would instantly wreck
his reputation for toughness and demolish any hopes of a challenge
for the Labour leadership.
Less
dramatic, but still highly damaging, would be an extension in
the use of releasing inmates on tags. Other plans include letting
as many as 30,000 criminals serving up to four years walk free
ten days before their sentences would normally end. This was suggested
by officials last year, but blocked by the Home Secretary and
Downing Street.
Mr
Reid is also likely to try to move foreign prisoners awaiting
deportation decisions into immigration holding centres, and his
officials are trying to acquire prison ships.
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