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
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Howard:
We'll turn back all asylum seekers
- Tories' dramatic pledge puts immigration and
asylum at the centre of the General Election battle -
By Simon Walters, Political Editor, The Mail on Sunday, January
23, 2005
Michael
Howard says all asylum seekers would be turned away if the Tories
came to power. The Tory leader's pledge was made in response to
growing public concern over the scale of immigration but he was
condemned by Labour last night for 'playing the race card'.
The
dramatic move came as the two parties launched all-out-war on
each other in the first major set piece battle in the General
Election campaign. Mr Howard said
if the Conservatives won, all asylum seekers would be turned back
at British ports and airports by new armed squads of security
guards on duty 24 hours a day. In addition, the 250,000 asylum
seekers already here, whose claims have been turned down, would
be thrown out.
Instead
of letting in asylum seekers, and then trying to find out which
ones were genuine, Mr Howard would introduce a new system. He
would accept 15,000 refugees each year who are currently in UN
camps around the world and have already proved that they are genuine
victims of torture or persecution.
The
Tories say it would save billions in legal aid and the massive
bureaucratic machine needed to deal with current claims. Mr Howard
argues that unless radical steps are taken to reduce all immigration,
legal and illegal, five million immigrants would settle in the
UK over the next three decades. That was the equivalent to five
new cities the size of Birmingham, he said.
He
intends to impose Australian-style annual quotas set by MPs for
three groups: those coming for family reunions; a points system
for skilled workers who want permits; and asylum seekers. The
Conservative leader, whose parents were immigrants, his father
from Romania, his mother from Russia, says he will not be intimidated
by Labour jibes that he is playing the race card.
"These
policies will reduce immigration," he said in a new Tory
advertising campaign. "Some people say this is racist. It's
not. It is common sense. Britain has always offered a home to
genuine refugees and to families who want to work hard. I know
- my family was one of them."
Explaining
his proposals in a TV interview to be broadcast on GMTV today,
he said: "What we ultimately want to do is to say no one
should apply for asylum in Britain. After all, you can only do
so if you've entered the country illegally or by deception. It's
an invitation to break the law. That's why such a small proportion
of the number of people who claim asylum here are genuine refugees.
"The
people who claim asylum under the present system are those who
can afford to pay the people-smugglers. I would say to the UN
High Commission for Refugees which looks after large numbers of
people who are really fleeing persecution and torture, that we
will take, say, 15,000 people a year. Then we really would be
giving sanctuary to genuine cases, not to those who simply have
enough money to pay the people-smugglers.
"At
the moment, only two out of ten people who come to this country
to claim asylum are actually granted asylum. The rest are not
genuine and that is what we want to put a stop to. Those who had
already beaten the system would be sent back. There are a quarter
of a million people in the country whose asylum claims have failed
but haven't been removed. If you bring the number under control,
as we will, that makes it easier to remove them."
Mr
Howard referred to the Bradford race riots and said that unless
action was taken, there could be more problems. "Community
relations are at risk because under this Government, immigration
is unlimited and out of control."
Labour
MPs hit back hard. "Michael Howard should know better than
to play the race card," one said. "The British sense
of fair play is too strong to turn away someone who might face
death if we sent them back." But privately, Downing Street
is alarmed by internal Labour polls showing that immigration is
the biggest worry of its own grass-roots supporters. Home Secretary
Charles Clarke is shortly expected to produce plans designed to
cut the numbers.
The
number of asylum seekers has soared since Labour came to power
in 1997. It peaked at 80,000 in 2002, but fell to 50,000 in 2003.
The government claims the figures are still falling. Ministers
say immigration is running at about 100,000 a year, but Sir Andrew
Green of Migrationwatch UK claims the true figure is around 150,000.
For
the health of our democracy, we, the people of the United Kingdom,
must find a way to force Mr Blair to resign
Such
defiance of the democratic process and the will of the majority
of we people of the UK, must be exposed by voters as a matter
or urgency, and not just in the two by-elections we have had this
July and the European elections in June 2004. But how can this
be done?
The
most effective way of getting our deceitful PM to resign would
be to mobilise the army of Labour MPs currently in the House of
Commons and get them to demand it, the loss of their seat to be
a penalty if they did not. All voters in Labour-held constituencies
need to write a letter along these lines to their local Labour
MPs:
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Dear
Despite
his absolute and unequivocal assurances over the past year
of the serious risk to our security of Saddam Hussein's
'weapons of mass destruction', Prime Minister Blair
has admitted, that the threat was non-existent. For that
critical error of judgement and for his gross incompetence
in handling this very important issue, I ask you to take
immediate steps to ensure that Tony Blair does the honourable
thing and resign without delay..
I
would therefore be much obliged if you would propose and
help mobilise a Parliamentary vote of 'No Confidence' in
Mr Blair which, despite Labour's huge majority, would leave
the PM with no option but to resign.
If
I get no reply to this letter, I shall assume you will continue
to support Mr Blair as our Prime Minister. In such circumstances
I shall not vote for you in the forthcoming General Election.
Signed:
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Simple,
non-violent, protest letters along these lines on a variety of
issues could be the basis for re-vitalising our democracy and
increasing voters' interest and participation in politics. Download
a printable copy of the above letter here.
There
is another way for the voice of the silent majority to be heard,
a voice that made sure broken promises would not only be revealed,
but punished in subsequent elections.
In
the year available before the General Election expected in 2005,
many topics are available as ammunition, each one asking questions.
A weapon for our purpose will be the results of Opinion Polls
in individual constituencies using ICM, NOP, Gallop, Mori
or YouGov.
Questions
suggested for this purpose are listed here.
CAST
YOUR VOTE ON A VARIETY OF OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES HERE.
Current
and prospective Parliamentary candidates of all Parties running
for election could share a platform at public forums in every
constituency. They would be presented with the results of
polls on this issue expressed by the majority of voters in that
constituency.
The candidates could be asked if their own views and that of their
Party manifesto corresponded with the polls, and if not, how they
intended to represent the will of the majority of local voters.
Local and National Press, Radio and TV coverage would be arranged
and the results published on this web site.
Here
is another powerful strategy for using your vote effectively in
the forthcoming General Election. Send your sitting and prospective
MPs a letter defining your requirements if they want your vote.
This example deals with the proposed
EU Constitutional Treaty.
Your
letters would end: "If you do not answer
this letter, I shall take it that you intend to follow the Government
line. I shall act accordingly in the forthcoming General Election.
Or
why not create a questionnaire that you send to all the candidates
in your constituency, getting them to give yes/no answers to questions
of your choice, and ending it with the same paragraph(above).
Download
a printable example of the questionnaire.
It
is high time for the people of this United Kingdom to stop allowing
themselves to be manipulated by politicians. We need our representatives
in Parliament to genuinely reflect the view of the majority in
their own constituency, even if this means going against their
personal and/or their party's policy. While they may argue their
case, hoping to change the minds of the majority in their constituency,
they should ultimately be obliged to reflect the majority view
of those who elect them.
It
will be argued by politicians of all parties that most voters
don't have the knowledge necessary to express an opinion on important
subjects at issue, and that our vote is a form of delegated democracy.
We should argue that it is their duty to ensure that we voters
do have ready access to such information as is necessary to form
an intelligent opinion. That, after all, is one main purpose of
Opposition Parties in our Parliamentary Democracy.
Most
important of all, such proceedings would rekindle in voters their
latent interest and obligation to cast their vote, knowing that
the candidate of their choice would be more likely to act in accordance
with their wishes. A much higher turnout in elections would be
the result.
Contact
your local Party Chairman. Gain his support for setting up public
forums in your constituency on these, as well as any other relevant
topics, well before the next General Election expected in 2005.
You should then, depending on the integrity of the candidate of
your choice, feel fairly certain that your view on any subject
being debated in Parliament will more accurately be reflected
by your representative in that assembly.
