Silent Majority Speaks
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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May 31, 2005 (761 days since war
ended)
Death Toll: 1,657 US - 89 UK - >6,164?
Iraqi - >17,300 civilians - 25 media
June 17, 2005 (779 days since war
ended)
Death Toll: 1,716 US - 89 UK -
>6,164? Iraqi - >17,300? civilians - 25 media
June 26, 2005 (788 days since war
ended)
Death Toll: 1,737 US - 89 UK -
>6,164? Iraqi - >17,300? civilians - 25 media
July 6, 2005 (798 days since war
ended)
Death Toll: 1,751 US - 90 UK -
>6,164? Iraqi - >17,300? civilians - 25 media
August 24, 2005 (847 days since
war ended)
Death Toll: 1,869 US - 93 UK - >>6,164?
Iraqi - >>17,300? civilians - 25 media
September
29, 2005 (883 days since war ended)
Death Toll: 1,928 US - 96 UK - >>6,164?
Iraqi - >>17,300? civilians - 25 media
October
11, 2005 (895 days since war ended)
Death Toll: 1,956 US - 96UK - >>6,164?
Iraqi - >>17,300? civilians - 25 media
October
20, 2005 (904 days since war ended)
Death Toll: 1,986 US - 97UK - >>6,164?
Iraqi - >>17,300? civilians - 25 media
October
25, 2005 (909 days since war ended)
Death Toll: 2,001 US - 97UK - >>6,164?
Iraqi - >>17,300? civilians - 25 media
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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November
17, 2005 (932 days since Iraq war ended)
Death Toll: 2,080 US - 97UK - >>6,164?
Iraqi - >>17,300? civilians - 25 media
Dentists
could dump 8million NHS patients
By
Tahira Yaqoob and Laura Peek - Daily Mail, November 21, 2005
More
than eight million patients could be left without an NHS dentist
after a massive overhaul of the service next year. Thousands of
practitioners are planning to leave the health service or slash
patient numbers because they are unhappy with new contracts they
will be forced to sign, a Daily Mail survey has found. More than
one in three patients currently being treated on the NHS could
be cut adrift.
An
estimated two million people are currently unable to find an NHS
dentist, leading to massive queues outside the very few new practices
being set up. But our survey of 245 dentists in 100 NHS surgeries
suggests the crisis is about to deepen. Half said they were either
planning to leave the NHS in frustration at reforms coming in
next April or scale down the number they saw on the NHS.
The
'wasted' resources
Paul
Challis has been NHS dentist for 25 years but fears those
days are numbered. Some 85% of the patients he treats
at his practice in Bexley, South East London, are NHS.
But Mr Challis, 50, predicts that within 3 years it will
be 75% private.
"I
want to provide an NHS service but the new system is far
too restrictive," he said. "There is no shortage
of dentists in the UK - the shortage is of dentists willing
to work within the NHS. Even the recently-qualified are
unwilling to work within a system seen as over-regulated
and under-resourced. Money is wasted on constant reorganisation,
new ideas, more managers, expensive recruitment drives
overseas."
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Dentists
have battled for years for reform of the current system of more
than 400 different charges for individual treatments. They complained
it led to a 'drill and fill' treadmill instead of giving them
a chance to teach patients about oral hygiene. Thousands believe
the new scheme will be even more disastrous, hitting them and
the patient with higher costs.
The
reforms include patients paying for a course of treatment covering
2 months, rather than for individual visits. Treatment would be
grouped into three bands starting at £15 for a basic check
up (more than double the current £6), £41 for treatments
such as fillings (now around £10), and £183 for more
complex work.
Dentist's
associations point out that a 2-month concept means patients would
pay the same £41 fee for one filling as for ten. The effect
would be to tempt them to wait until their dental health deteriorates
to ensure they get more value for money. Dentists would receive
a fixed sum for treating an agreed number of people, but argue
that the amounts on offer are hopelessly inadequate.
Derek
Watson, chief executive of the Dental Practitioners' Association,
said: "Almost every patient will pay for more treatment than
they receive." More than half the practitioners surveyed
by the Mail said they were planning to convert to private practices
or cut back on NHS work. The finding means 150,000 of the 415,951
patients currently being treated by them on the NHS could find
themselves hunting for a new dentist or having to pay privately
to stay with the same practice. Projected nationwide, that translates
to 8.7million patients.
Less
than one in three practices questions said they would keep the
same number of NHS patients. And of those which planned to retain
some, more than half said they had either closed their books to
new patients or had a waiting list of up to four months for a
first appointment. One dentist in South East London, who did not
want to be named, said: "I have been in the NHS for 42 years,
but the shambles has meant I'm going private in April and lose
1,000 NHS patients."
Nick
Patsias, vice-chairman of the Federation of London Local Dental
Committee, said: "If the contracts were written to drive
us out of the NHS, they could not have done a better job."
A
spokesman for the British Dental Association said: "The Daily
Mail's findings reinforce the advice we have been giving the Government
for months. Many dentists do not believe the new contract will
allow them to offer the modern preventative care that patients
deserve."
Shadow
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley added: "These findings show
the Government has not listened to dentists." Acting chief
dental officer Barry Cockcroft defended the contracts, saying
there was 'widespread enthusiasm for working in these new ways."
Health
Minister Rosie Winterton added: "We've recruited 1,453 dentists
to the NHS and increased dental training places by a quarter.
This is a good deal for dentists and patients."
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