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 3 , 2005 (765 days since war
ended)
Death Toll: 1,670 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
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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GM
farming can sterilise our fields for generations
By
Sean Poulter - Consumer Affairs Correspondent, Daily Mail, September
29, 2005
Growing
GM crops would effectively 'sterilise' Britain's farmland, threatening
wild plants and the birds and insects that feed upon them. The
disastrous long-term effects of the GM crop farming regime - particularly
the use of powerful pesticides - were revealed yesterday by a
study.
The
GM regime destroys weeds, dramatically reducing the number of
weed seeds that provide vital food source for insects and birds,
according to Government's own advisers. This, in turn, threatens
the future of farmland birds such as the skylark, which are already
suffering a sharp fall in numbers.
Research
by experts at Centre for Ecology and Hydrology makes clear that
the impact of growing GM crops for only one year can affect the
countryside for many years afterwards. These findings confirm
the fears highlighted by the Daily Mail about the dangers of GM
crops. Green campaigners have repeatedly warned that GM farming
risks turning the countryside into a biological desert.
The
Government's farm-scale evaluations looked at the impact of growing
GM oilseed rape, beet and maize on trial sites across the country.
The new research found that the number of butterflies, bees, beetles
and weeds in fields of GM oilseed rape and beet were all significantly
lower than with conventional farming. The problems persisted in
the GM oilseed rape fields in the years after the crops were removed.
The same concerns surround GM beet, but the research on this crop
was less clear. GM crops were altered to withstand being sprayed
by powerful weedkillers, which effectively wipe out anything they
touch.
It
appears that it is the use of these highly toxic pesticides -
which are central to the GM farming regime - that pose the long-term
threat. They are so successful in wiping out weeds that these
plants find it difficult to recover.
Dr
Les Firbank, of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, who led
the Government's GM trials, said: "After two years, the numbers
of weeds were still very different from non-GM fields, and we
would expect those differences to persist over time. Thesee changes
could continue indefinitely unless the farmers who own these fields
change their farming methods."
The
RSPB is particularly concerned about the threat GM farming poses
to farmland birds. One study suggested the skylark could be extinct
within 20 years because the weed seeds that it needs as food would
be wiped out by GM farming. Dr David Gibbons, head of conservation
science at the RSPB, said: "These new results reinforce the
knowledge that growing some GM crops could have seriously damaging
effects."
The
Government has been cheerleader for GM crops and food in Europe,
supporting efforts to speed their path into fields and the diet.
However, critics claim Tony Blair and his Cabinet colleagues have
supported the technology before it has been properly researched.
The Agricultural Biotechnology Council, which speaks for the GM
giants, insisted that many farmers want the ability to control
weeds more effectively, because they would be able to grow more
crops per acre.
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