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
14, 2005 (959 days since Iraq war ended)
Death Toll: 2,150 US - 98UK - >>30,000?
Iraqi - 25 media
You
£7billion failure
Cameron
accuses Blair of surrendering to the French over the EU rebate
Graeme
Wilson, Political Correspondent, Daily Mail - Dec. 20, 2005
David
Cameron accused Tony Blair of an abject surrender on Europe yesterday,
claiming it will see Britain sacrificing £2billion a year
from the EU rebate. In rowdy scenes in the Commons, the new Tory
leader said the Prime Minister had failed to meet any of the objectives
he had set before last week's marathon negotiations on the EU's
new budget.
In
particular, Mr Blair had broken clear pledges that there would
be no talks on our £3billion rebate without far-reaching
reform of the EU's bloated farm subsidies. Mr Cameron stressed
that the small print of the deal reveals that within a few years
we will be surrendering £2billion a year from our rebate.
To loud cheers from the Tory benches, he said it was little surprise
that the Prime Minister had failed to consult the Chancellor before
signing the agreement.
An
indignant Mr Blair hit back, accusing the Conservatives of supporting
the decision to expand the EU to include former Warsaw Pact countries
- but then refusing to foot the bill for this enlargement. Clearly
rattled by criticism, he resorted to tried and tested tactics
of branding the Conservatives anti-European. "One thing is
very obvious from this debate - Euro-scepticism is alive and well
in the Tory Party," he declared.
The
clashes came as Mr Blair delivered a statement to the Commons
on his dramatic climbdown at last week;s EU summit. Under the
deal, Britain agreed to slash our rebate by a total of £7.2billion
between 2007-13 - an average of just over £1billion a year.
But Mr Blair failed to secure any reform of farm subsidies from
the French and had to make do with the promise of a 'review' of
the system in 2008 - when France will hold the rotating presidency
of the EU.
It
also emerged yesterday that cuts in our rebate will increase gradually
over seven years covered by the Budget. The rebate will remain
untouched in 2007 and 2008 before the first cut of £500
million is made in 2009. In 2010 the rebate will be slashed by
around £1.5billion, rising to £2billion by 2013.
Mr
Cameron warned that this meant the £2billion figure will
now be the 'baseline from which we will negotiate' when the EU
starts talks on its next budget. The Tory leader said Mr Blair
had broken clear promises that there would be no movement on our
rebate without reform of farm subsidies in return. "What
has happened is that the farm subsidies remain and £7billion
of the rebate has been negotiated away. If this was always the
Government's plan, why wasn't any reduction of the rebate in the
Chancellor's pre-budget statement?" he demanded.
"Why
did you give up £7billion for next to nothing? How is the
Chancellor going to pay for it - more taxes, more borrowing, or
cuts in spending? Which is it?" Mr Cameron also seized on
reports of Mr Brown's dismay at a deal on which he was not even
consulted. "Normally it's the Chancellor who doesn't tell
the Prime Minister what's in the Budget. This time the Prime Minister
didn't tell the Chancellor," said Mr Cameron.
A
furious Mr Blair insisted the deal was vital to help EU's newest
members. He also tried to deflect criticism by arguing that the
French contribution to the EU budget would rise by 124% under
the deal, while Britain's only rose by 60%. "You are in favour
of enlargement but refuse to follow it through," he said.
"The consequences of that position is that you are not exercising
leadership. You are abdicating leadership. If we support and drive
through a policy of ending the post-war division of Europe, we
have to be ready too accept our fair share of the costs."
He
also taunted Tories over their decision to quit the main conservative
grouping in the European Parliament, a move which will see them
sitting alongside extremists, including Jean Marie LePen's French
National Front.
But
Mr Blair was further embarrassed last night when the French claimed
victory and insisted the review of farm subsidies in 2008 would
not lead to any changes in the common Agriculture Policy for almost
a decade. Foreign Minister Philippe Douster-Blazy said: "France
won because the CAP will not be changed before January 1, 2014."
Earlier,
Austria - which takes over the presidency from Britain next month
- said it would take a 'hell of a job' to get Mr Blair's budget
deal through the European Parliament. Gregor Woschnagg, Austria's
EU ambassador, warned: "Now it is up to Austria to find agreement
in the European Parliament, which has much higher ambitions. It
is going to be one hell of a job."
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