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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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
28, 2005 (959 days since Iraq war ended)
Death Toll: 2,172 US - 98UK - >>30,000?
Iraqi - 25 media
Janyary
10, 2006 (972 days since Iraq war ended)
Death Toll: 2,209 US - 98UK - >>30,000?
Iraqi - 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
nternational 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 |
Don't
let Blair steal your ID
Cameron
calls ID cards 'unBritish'
By
Benedict Brogan - Political Editor, Daily Mail, January 16, 2006
Compulsory
ID cards were branded 'unBritish' by David Cameron yesterday ahead
of a crucial Lords vote on the scheme. Ministers face seeing their
flagship project scuppered by a mounting row over the cost and
persistent Cabinet doubts.
Big
Brother Blair's sinister power grab Comment
- Daily Mail, January 16, 2006
Some
have said the July 7 bombings brought out the best in
Tony Blair as he articulated the unflappable resolve of
a nation under threat. Since then a less attractive side
of his character has emerged as he uses the attacks to
justify a dangerous accretion of powers to the state.
First
came proposals to lock up terror suspects without charge
for up to 90 days - a measure without parallel in any
Western democracy. Parliament had the good sense to kick
it out - but make no mistake, Mr Blair still wants it.
Ministers
then used July 7 to bolster the case for ID cards - a
specious argument because such cards would have done nothing
to prevent the bombings. It's no surprise that the House
of Lords is poised today to vote down the scheme.
Now
we learn that Mr Blair wants to end the 40-year immunity
of MPs to phone taps by the security services. Does he
really believe having Big Brother spying on our legislators
is healthy for a parliamentary democracy? Let's not forget
July 7 marked a failure of intelligence, not of legislation.
Britain's terror alert status was downgraded a month before
the attack and at least one of the bombers was known to
MI5 but was allowed to slip through their fingers.
The
security services don't need more powers - they need to
use their existing powers more efficiently.
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Peers
will today debate an amendment that would force the Government
into a cost analysis of the project after experts warned the final
price-tag could hit £14.5billion. A damning report from
London School of Economics suggested that escalating costs could
kill off the project before it gets off the ground.
The
Tory leader vowed to step up opposition to the scheme amid signs
of growing Labour unease at the way it is being managed. He seized
on a hint from Gordon Brown that he is among those inside the
Cabinet who are unhappy about the plan, Homing in on the Chancellor's
weekend speech in favour of renewed sense of Britishness, Mr Cameron
argued that ID cards go against historic national traditions of
freedom and individual liberty.
He
told BBC's Sunday AM programme: "On a weekend when Gordon
Brown has rightly talked about the importance of Britishness,
what is the Government doing introducing something so profoundly
unBritish as compulsory ID cards?"
Asked
if the Tories would press home their opposition, Mr Cameron said:
"Absolutely. And for a very good reason. For practical reasons
and I don't like ID cards. I don't like the idea that you have
to have this bit of paper just for existing." He added: "The
London School of Economics says its £14.5billion, that is
half of the Department of Education's budget. This is a huge amount
of money that's being wasted on something that in my view won't
work."
The
Identity Cards Bill - seen as a key weapon in the war against
terror - has already been approved by the Commons and is now in
the Lords. Today's Tory amendment - likely to be backed by a majority
of peers - would require the Government to undergo a cost-assessment
before legislation can go ahead, and for the budget to be vetted
by the National Audit Office.
If
the amendment, and another which is set to follow it, are forced
through, the legislation will be sent back to MPs, giving ministers
a chance to overturn the changes. With Downing Street desperate
to avoid confrontations with backbenchers, a Lords defeat would
leave Home Secretary Charles Clarke facing an acute dilemma. Still
bruised by his defeat on the Terror Bill last year, he will have
to decide whether to risk another rejection or abandon the project.
The
Home Office estimates that the total cost of ID cards would be
around £6billion over ten years, with each ID card costing
£93. But the LSE, a persistent critic of ID cards, puts
the final price at nearly three times Government estimates, with
an actual price paid by the taxpayer closer to £300 - and
as high as £500 each.
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Don't
let Blair steal your ID
Letter
from Victoria Townley, London N22 - Daily Mail, January 16, 2006
Government
plans to get local authorities to levy £2,500 fines on ID
card 'refuseniks' reveal the Orwellian nightmare Tony Blair seeks
to impose on us.
One
aspect of the proposed ID card that has escaped people's notice
is that everyone will have to register their address when they
move. At present, only sex offenders have to do this. New Labour
plans to treat everyone like a sex offender. This shows Government's
contempt for the people, just 36% of whom were naive enough to
vote for it.
ID
cards won't prevent identity theft; they're more likely to facilitate
it, with the theft by muggers of biometric information leading
to lifelong identity confusion. Even if the law doesn't demand
that cards be carried at all times, that will come later.
The
requirement to provide a photograph is a threat: the police already
have an extensive database of political activists. In future,
they will run the photographs through computers to bring up names
and addresses of those who oppose the Government. All this information
will be able to be transferred, at the flick of a switch, anywhere
in the world.
ID
card supporters say if you've done nothing wrong, you don't have
to worry - but they are naive. We need to organise a public covenant
of people who pledge never to carry an ID card - and to bear the
consequences.
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