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

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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.

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

ONE MILLION:

The REAL number of migrants who arrived last year

By Steve Doughty - Social Affairs Correspondent - Daily Mail, March 31, 2006

Nearly a million immigrants came to Britain last year - far more than official figures admit - it was claimed yesterday. They helped swell the population by more than half a million, according to the respected City forecaster Capital Economics.

It claimed that the true number of migrants from Poland and Eastern Europe and full levels of illegal immigration have been left out of the Government's figures. Estimating the real scale of immigration last year at between 830,000 and 976,000, the report said that around 350,000 were likely to have left the country.

This meant a net increase of more than 500,000 - more than double the official tally of 223,000.

The prediction came amid new political worries over migration. This week Foreign Secretary Jack Straw's officials warned of community tension because of immigration pressures. The Foreign Office pointed to visa applications likely to pass the three million point over the next two years.

And yesterday there were rumours of a Government amnesty for half a million illegal immigrants after Labour's favourite think tank said the state could save £4.7billion by abandoning the idea of deporting them. The Institute for Public Policy Research said that if illegal immigrants paid taxes that would raise £1billion for the Treasury.

The Home Office - which has given an amnesty to around 100,000 asylum seekers over the past 30 months - declined to deny that it was considering the idea. The million-a-year migrant estimate puts immigration at a level which would transform the economy and the face of British cities.

It would push the population up to 73million from the current 60million level within two decades, so that 21st century immigrants would become one in five of the population. Sir Andrew Green, of the MigrationWatch think tank, said the estimate was 'intelligent speculation' and added: "These are huge numbers but they are by no means impossible. If they turn out to be even roughly right, the consequences for our society will be severe."

The Capital Economics analysis takes into account the 'Polish plumber' phenomenon - the way Government figures appear to have heavily underestimated the real scale of immigration from Eastern Europe since ten countries joined the European Union in 2004.

Last autumn, the Home Office said there were 95 Polish plumbers in Britain. The Daily Mail then gathered that number together in West London inside 24 hours by putting one card in a news-agent's window and making three phone calls.

The City breakdown said that the official register of Eastern European workers fails to count many who do not wish to supply the Government with their details. It also used Bank of England labour statistics to estimate numbers of the self-employed, who, notoriously do not feature on the Home Office register. It said many of the uncounted migrants are working in agriculture or construction.

Capital also estimated that 64,000 new illegal immigrants arrive every year. The forecast also said that immigration is unlikely to drop. The Government insists that net immigration in future will run at no more than 145,000 a year.

The report by Capital said that immigration is working to keep inflation down by providing large numbers of cheap workers. Existing workers, it said are fearful of demanding pay rises because they can easily be replaced by migrants.

The report from the Labour think tank IPPR, however, said that it was not feasible to send hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants out of the country. It director Nick Pearce said: "Nobody likes illegal immigration, and the subject is deeply difficult for politicians to tackle. But the bare truth is that we are not going to deport hundreds of thousands of people. Our economy would shrink and we would notice it straight-away in uncleaned offices, dirty streets and unstaffed pubs and clubs."

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