Silent Majority Speaks

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

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.

December 28, 2005 (959 days since Iraq war ended)

Death Toll: 2,172 US - 98UK - >>30,000? Iraqi - 25 media

January 16, 2006 (978 days since Iraq war ended)

Death Toll: 2,219 US - 98UK - >>30,000? Iraqi - 25 media

March 18, 2006 (1043 days since war ended)

Death Toll: 2317US - 103UK - >>6,164? Iraqi - >>17,300? civilians - 25 media

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

STOP PRESS

'Bizarre' plea for testing of GM crops to be made less stringent

By Sean Poulter - Consumer Affairs Correspondent - Daily Mail, March 17, 2006

Trials of genetically modified crops should be made less stringent, according to a Government body. Full farm-scale tests focus too much on 'the disbenefits of this technology', the GM scrutiny committee said. Deputy chairman Professor Jules Pretty added:: "We need to ensure society does not lose out on the potential benefits of new technologies because we are looking too narrowly at the problems."

The recommendations were described as bizarre by green campaigners and consumer groups. They say that only exhaustive and independent farm-scale trials can generate a real picture of the impact of commercial growing of GM crops such as oilseed rape, sugar beet and maize. A three-year Farm Scale Evaluation of GM varieties of these three crops - published in October 2003 - identified several potentially alarming consequences.

Findings suggested that GM farming, which uses powerful weedkillers, risked creating a biological desert in the countryside, wiping out wild plants, butterflies, bees and birds such as the skylark. The trials proved to be hugely powerful in combating the claims of the GM giants such as Monsanto, that GM farming would be good for wildlife.

However, the Government's scrutiny body, Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE), now suggests such exhaustive trials will not be necessary in future. At this stage the ACRE proposals are only a discussion document. The committee is hoping the British government and the EU - which now has ultimate control over GM regulation - will take them up.

But Pete Riley, director of the national GM Freeze campaign, warned: "ACRE seems to be more keen on promoting biotechnology than in protecting the environment, which is its primary duty."

Friends of the Earth's Clare Oxborrow added: "This new line from ACRE is utterly bizarre. The farm-scale trials picked out all the negative consequence of GM farming. If they had not been carried out we would not have the evidence of harm."

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