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

 

WWW silentmajorityspeaks.com

Inheritance Tax demand Oliver Letwin says when the Conservative Party returns to power, it will give high priority to the redistribution of wealth (Mail) As a member and supporter of his party, my best advice to him and his parliamentary colleagues is to abolish or at least double the allowance for inheritance tax. At a stroke, that would channel to relatives and friends money that would be spent or saved by the recipients, benefiting the economy, rather than to the wasteful Exchequer. Letter from David Owen, Exmouth, Devon to the Daily Mail, January 3, 3006

How to rescue two million of taxpayers from paying Inheritance Tax by allowing us to inherit up to £1,000,000 - tax free.

The Daily Mail September 24, 2004 - David Hughes and Benedict Brogan write:

Soaring house prices have pushed more and more people into its (Inheritance Tax) clutches,, confronting them with the depressing prospect of leaving ktheir children with a considerable tax bill. Inheritance tax is currently levied at 40% on all assets above £263,000, a figure that is only some £100,000 more than the average house price.

A survey last month showed that an astonishing 2.4 million estates are now liable to the tax - a total that has been increasing by two family every minute. Raising the threshold to £1m would reduce the number to around 425,000. Almost half of those have become millionaires only in the last three years because of the increase in house prices.

When Labour came to power in 1997, only one town in Britain - Gerrard's Cross in Buckinghamshire - boasted average house pr ices higher than the inheritance tax threshold. Today there are 86 towns in that position. As a result, the amount raised by inheritance tax has gone from £1.6billion a year to £2.8billion.

The Daily Telegraph (September 24, 2004) writes:

Inheritance tax is a invidious penalty on family devotion, personal responsibility and thrift. It taxes wealth that has already been taxed once as earnings (and possibly again as income on investment) and it now falls on almost anyone who owns an ordinary home in a prosperous part of the country. Stamp duty on property is a tax on mobility, both geographical and social, and hits those who must, for any reason, move home. The Tories are right to see that attacking these particular taxes would have more resonance with voters than a widely cast promise to lower the overall tax burden.

The sum raised by Inheritance tax last year was £2.504billion in a total tax take of £155.5billion.

Tory Shadow Chancellor, Oliver Letwin, says:

"Inheritance Tax has become plain unfair. Once only the very rich paid it, but under Gordon Brown it is hitting ordinary families all over Britain. Two and a half houses with six million people living in them are potentially liable to inheritance tax and the number is rising rapidly. Even former council houses are being drawn into the net. This problem needs to be remedied.

NOTE: The cost of raising the Inheritance Tax threshold to £1million would be about £1billion.

Do you agree that the threshold, above which Inheritance Tax is charged, should be increased from £263,000 to £1,000,000? Agree strongly Agree Disagree Disagree strongly Don't know Don't care Please click one of the links above to cast your vote Current results

 For the health of our democracy, we, the people of the United Kingdom, must find a way to force Mr Blair to resign

Mr Blair has lied and deceived us over Iraq. He must resign at once. Do you agree? Agree strongly Agree Disagree Disagree strongly Don't know Don't care Please click one of the links above to cast your vote Current results

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:

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:

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.