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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May 31, 2005 (761 days since war
ended)
Death Toll: 1,657 US - 89 UK - >6,164?
Iraqi - >17,300 civilians - 25 media
June 17, 2005 (779 days since war
ended)
Death Toll: 1,716 US - 89 UK -
>6,164? Iraqi - >17,300? civilians - 25 media
June 26, 2005 (788 days since war
ended)
Death Toll: 1,737 US - 89 UK -
>6,164? Iraqi - >17,300? civilians - 25 media
July 6, 2005 (798 days since war
ended)
Death Toll: 1,751 US - 90 UK -
>6,164? Iraqi - >17,300? civilians - 25 media
August 24, 2005 (847 days since
war ended)
Death Toll: 1,869 US - 93 UK - >>6,164?
Iraqi - >>17,300? civilians - 25 media
September
29, 2005 (883 days since war ended)
Death Toll: 1,928 US - 96 UK - >>6,164?
Iraqi - >>17,300? civilians - 25 media
October
11, 2005 (895 days since war ended)
Death Toll: 1,956 US - 96UK - >>6,164?
Iraqi - >>17,300? civilians - 25 media
October
20, 2005 (904 days since war ended)
Death Toll: 1,986 US - 97UK - >>6,164?
Iraqi - >>17,300? civilians - 25 media
October
25, 2005 (909 days since war ended)
Death Toll: 2,001 US - 97UK - >>6,164?
Iraqi - >>17,300? civilians - 25 media
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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December
1, 2005 (946 days since Iraq war ended)
Death Toll: 2,114 US - 98UK - >>6,164?
Iraqi - >>17,300? civilians - 25 media
10,000
dentists have quit Health Service since 1997
writes
Jenny Hope, Medical Correspondent - Daily Mail, Dec. 6, 2005
More
than 10,000 dentists have left the Health Service since Labour
came to power, it emerged yesterday. The alarming figures may
even understate the crisis because they do not account for dentists
who have scaled back their NHS work.
And
it is feared that even more dentists may now turn to private work
rather than accept a new Health Service contract which comes into
force in April (2006). Ian Wylie, chief executive of the British
Dental Association, said: "This is crunch time for NHS dentistry
in England. Dentists have been waiting a long time for the detail
of the new contract, and now, less than five months before implementation,
they have it. It is for individual dentists alone to decide whether
or not this contract is workable and thus whether NHS dentistry
has a future."
Some
state dentists have already decided to go private with patients
being told they must sign up on a 'first come, first served' basis.
There are 33,000 dentists on the register according to Government
figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats. Some 1,097 quit in
the year to September 30. That takes to 10,278 the total number
to have left the Health Service since 1997.
In
1992, a typical dentist earned 6% of his income from private work.
Today that figure is above 50% - showing that individual dentists
are switching their focus to private patients. The Government,
which says it has taken on 1,000 extra dentists in the past year,
has 'no plans' to monitor the time dentists spend treating NHS
patients.
Liberal
Democrat health spokesman Julia Goldsworthy said last night: "These
figures reveal the crisis in NHS dentistry. Dentists are leaving
the NHS in droves and finding a dentist is like finding a needle
in a haystack. Many dentists have reduced their NHS commitment,
while retaining a small number of NHS patients. This means that
they are still included in the Government's head count of dentists."
At
least 28million people are not registered with a state dentist
and desperate patients have queued for hours to register at new
Health Service practices. A Daily Mail survey showed last week
that across huge swathes of the country it is difficult or impossible
to get on the books of a state dentist. Many fear this situation
will worsen with the introduction of the new contract in England
and Wales - the biggest shake-up in dentistry for 50 years. Similar
changes are planned in Scotland.
The
government says the move will curb bureaucracy, make charges less
confusing and give dentists a guaranteed income. The contract
is supposed to free dentists from 'drill and fill' piecework and
replace it with more preventative work. Almost 400 different treatment
charges will be rolled into just three price bands.
Dentists
are said to be very unhappy at the proposals and Mr Wylie said
it was not a 'magic bullet'. But acting chief dental officer Dr
Barry Cockcroft said the new contract would allow dentists to
spend more time with patients. "This will make the NHS a
more attractive place for dentists to work and keep dentists committed
to working in the NHS," he said.
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