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

WWW silentmajorityspeaks.com

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

February 16, 2006 (1011 days since war ended)

Death Toll: 2273 US - 101UK - >>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

Brown knew pension fund raid would rob employees of £12billion

100,000 more work on past retirement age

By Sam Fleming - Economics Correspondent, Daily Mail, February 16, 2006

Fears of a pensions crisis deepened yesterday as the Government revealed that an extra 100,000 man and women carried on working last year. The number of pension-aged workers surged to more than 1 million in 2005, the Office for National Statistics said.

That is the highest level since records began in 1992. The portion of the older population who are in work is now just over 10%. Critics say this highlights the devastating effects of Chancellor Gordon Brown's £5billion a year raid on pension funds and the deteriorating state of corporate retirement plans. At the end of last year, Government adviser Adair Turner warned that the retirement age will have to rise to 67 because of the massive hole in British pension funds.

The charity Age Concern says up to ten million Britons either need to consider boosting their savings or working for longer. And the pressure on older citizens' income is increasing as home heating and council tax bills rise faster than the state pension, pushing one in five pensioners into poverty.

Yesterday's jobs report, which revealed the pensions data, also underlines the injustice of the government's deal with trade unions last year. Millions of state workers were allowed to retire at 60, far earlier than in the private sector.

While Government employees can look forward to state-funded retirements, many companies have closed their final-salary pension schemes, throwing thousands of employees' plans into chaos.

George Buckley, UK economist at Deutsche Bank, said: "In the past pensioners would have taken early retirement, but now many are taking on additional jobs after reaching retirement age to support themselves, because their income from the pension plan is insufficient."

But demand for labour is deteriorating, suggesting that older Britons will not have an easy time seeking work. The overall unemployment rate hit 5.1%, the highest since 2003, the figures showed. The ranks of pension-age workers will only expand - 24.4% of the population was over 65 in 2001, but by 2025 this will be 37.1%.

Tory work and pensions spokesman Philip Hammond said: "The skills and experience that older workers can bring to the job market are extrememly valuable, and it is welcome news that more are choosing to remain in the workplace."

But, he added. workers should also be able to feel secure about their retirement prospects. "Unfortunately, Gordon Brown's annual £5billion tax raid on pension funds has put this security at risk, with 60,000 company pension scemes folding since 1997."

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