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
|
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.
|
|
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
The
Chancellor's single greatest act of vandalism in almost
nine years in office has been his wanton destruction of
Britain's private retirement industry. By slapping a massive
tax on pension funds, now worth
£7.3billion a year, he has helped to turn
the best private retirement industry in Europe into a basket-case
in perpetual crisis. Together with the adoption of European
accounting rules - which make it much riskier to operate
a company pension scheme - hundreds of firms have shut their
final salary plans to new employees and slashed benefits
to existing staff. From
Allister Heath: "I've seen the future and its grey"
in THE SPECTATOR - April 15, 2006
Nine
years ago the British people were sold a fantasy of clean
and competent government of principle and honesty. Its shiny
wrappings stripped away, the product now reveals its true
nature: Personal greed, arrogance, incompetence, shamelessness,
rash warmongering and an inability to accept - as is clear
to almost everyone else - that it is time to go. Editorial
- The Mail on Sunday, May 28, 2006
|
November
5, 2006 (1270 days since war ended)
Death
Toll: 2837 US - 121 UK - >650,000? civilians - 25 media
November
13 2006 (1278 days since war ended)
Death
Toll: 2851 US - 125 UK - >650,000? civilians - 25 media
Extremist
Abid Javaid at the Home Office keeps his job
Fanatic
at the Home Office
Leading
member of extremist Islamic group works in immigration
By
Ben Taylor and Ian Drury - Daily Mail, November 15, 2006
A
leading member of an extremist Islamic group is working as a senior
official at the Home Office, it emerged last night. Abid Javaid
is a senior executive officer in the IT department at the scandal-it
Immigration and Nationality Directorate, which processes tens
of thousands of asylum and visa applications.
He
is also an activist in the fundamentalist Islamic group Hizb-ut-Tahir,
which believes in a worldwide Islamic state under Shariah law.
The Prime Minister called for the organisation to be banned last
year.
The
group's smartly dressed spokesmen have caused repeated outrage
over their refusal to condemn terrorist attacks, including last
year's London bombings. One of their leaflets called for Jews
to be murdered and for the destruction of Israel.
Last
night the Tories described Javaid's employment as a 'disgrace'
and said it was further proof that both the Home Office and the
IND remained 'unfit for purpose'. Patrick Mercer, the party's
homeland security spokesman, said:"I am amazed that this
man has managed to infiltrate such a sensitive government department.
I find it deeply worrying. This is an insidious and dangerous
organisation that is clearly trying to work its way into as many
government organisations as possible. In August 2005, the Prime
Minister said that these people should be banned. Now, less than
18 months later, to all intents and purposes they are legal. This
is a clandestine organisation which seeks to infiltrate wherever
it can. This is further proof, if any were needed, that both the
IND and the Home Office are unfit for purpose."
VENOMOUS
WORDS OF THE EXTREMISTS
"I
will condemn what happened in London only after there
is the promise from Western leaders to condemn what they
have done in Falluja, other parts of Iraq and in Afghanistan"
Dr
Imran Waheed, spokesman for Hizb ut-Tahrir, on the July
7, 2005 bombings in London
"I
think Muslims in this country need to take a long, hard
look at themselves and decide what is their identity.
Are they British or are they Muslim?
Hizb
ut-Tahrir promotional video
"Kill
them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where
they have turned you out."
Hizb
ut-Tahrir leaflet on Jews given in Copenhagen
"Know
that the Jews and their usurping state in Palestine will,
by the Help and Mercy of Allah, be destroyed."
"Resume
the Islamic way of life by establishing an Islamic State
that executes the systems of Islam and carries its call
to the world."
Hizb
ut-Tahrir's
website
"Jihad
is a compulsory duty on all Muslims. Military traing in
therefore compulsory. Thus, every male Mu9slim, fifteen
years and over, is obliged to undergo military training
in readiness for Jihad."
Hizb
ut-Tahrir's
constitution
|
Javaid
works at Lunar House in Croydon, South London. Staff in the tower
block process many of the tens of thousands of asylum claims made
every year. The IND has been at the centre of a series of recent
scandals, including the failure to deport foreign prisoners and
claims that case workers offered a premium service to migrants
if they agreed to perform sexual favours.
In
another case, a senior official was sacked after being caught
on camera offering to help a Zimbabwean rape victim with her claim
in return for having sex with him. With hundreds of thousands
of claims for visas and asylum stacked in cardboard boxes, the
IND has been accused of losing track of applicants.
Javid's
dual role was revealed following a joint investigation by BBC2's
Newsnight and File on 4 into 'Islamic infiltration' into everyday
UK life. The problem reveals that the civil servant is a prominent
Hizb ut-Tahrir activist in South London. He has represented the
group in talks with the Croydon Mosque, which has been trying
to kick out radical influences.
Last
night a senior figure at the mosque said Javaid was among a group
of radical worshippers who caused trouble. Shuaib Yusaf, a trustee,
said the mosque had been plagued by a faction from Hizb ut-Tahrir.
He
added: "We've tried to build good
community relations but the activities of HT have polarised some
of the community. They were holding their own meetings of about
100 people which we then stopped because it was causing problems.
A lot of youngsters were coming to the mosque and these youngsters
were being taken into the fold by HT. Parents used to complain
that though they were happy their children were attending the
mosque, they were unhappy that they were getting involved in this
group and they were becoming withdrawn from mainstream society.
They would distribute leaflets and letters outside the mosque
with, for instance, the banner,'Are you British or are you Muslim?'
when quite clearly we are both British and Muslim.
"Indoctrination
is not too strong a word for what they were peddling. Parents
were quite pleased if their children had a religious slant and
attended the mosque but they were not happy for them to become
sucked into these radical groups."
Mr
Yusaf said the mosque's committee, trustees and imam, Ashraf Hasnot,
took decisive action to tackle HT. He said about 100 of the mosque's
2,500 to 3,000 worshippers attended the hard-line meetings at
their peak about 18 months ago.
He
said: "We have to distance ourselves from HT because we were
in danger of losing our charitable status and the standing of
the mosque because we are not allowed to give a platform to any
political party, whether Conservative, Labour or HT. Notices were
put up in the mosque and the imam and trustees were forthright
in ordering the disbanding of the meetings, often at personal
risk.
"There
were instances when they would confront the group and they would
be egged on or provoked by dozens of people at the meeting in
order to get a reaction."
Tony
Blair made his pledge to ban the group in a tough-talking speech
after the July 7 bombings in London last year. He vowed to outlaw
extremist groups and said: "People can't come here and abuse
our good nature and our tolerance. They can't come here and start
inciting our young people in communities to take up violence against
British people here."
Last
year, the group said suicide bombers were no worse than moderate
Muslims. Their articulate spokesmen frequently appear on TV as
the 'respectable' face of Islamic extremism. But critics point
out that the group has been particularly effective at radicalising
young students on university campuses.
If you have suggestions
for additional subjects, or material to include in the pages linked
to the subjects listed, please contact the webmaster.
