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: 2,001US - 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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Half
of British workers don't have a pension
By
Becky Barrow - Business Correspondent, Daily Mail, October 28,
2005
Retirement
savings have collapsed under Labour, it was revealed yesterday.
Shocking official figures showed fewer than half Britain's 37
million adults are putting money into a personal or company pension.
It
means the majority of working-age people are facing an impoverished
old age. It is the worst situation since the Office for National
Statistics began keeping records in 1996. Even people who are
saving are not saving enough in many cases.
Experts
blamed the Government for destroying incentives to save and failing
to stop a series of scandals which hit people's confidence.
They said the rot set in with Gordon Brown's £5billion a
year tax raid on pension schemes in 1997 - a devastating blow
for many company schemes. The effects were worsened by
the stock market collapse of 2000, when people who had saved all
their lives saw thousands wiped off their nest eggs.
Tory
spokesman Nigel Waterson said last night: "Unless
the Government gets a grip, millions will be retiring in relative
poverty. We already knew Labour had created a pensions crisis
with their tax on people's pension funds. Now we can see how how
bad it is."
The
ONS Pensions Trend survey found that just 48% of men and 40% of
women are making contributions to a pension scheme. It is the
first time the figures have dipped below 50%. The total for men
has fallen from nearly 60% in 1996, in a clear sign that constant
warnings about the crisis are not getting through. The figure
for women has actually improved slightly, from 39%, because more
are working.
But
women have generally saved far less than men, particularly if
they have taken time off to look after their families. The ONS
found that 73% have less than £10,000 in a personal or stake-holder
pension.
Ian
Naismith, head of pensions at Scottish Widows, said: "If
this trend continues we will face a serious crisis." He said
it was 'pretty horrendous' that people are relying on basic state
pension, currently just £82.05 a week for a single person
before any pension credits are added.
The
figures show that millions will have to work until their 70th
birthday or beyond to try to make ends meet. Workers in the public
sector - with gold-plated final salary schemes and the right to
retire at 60 - will enjoy a much better deal. A series of issues
have created the crisis. By introducing the means-tested pensions
credit, the Government undermined the culture of pension saving.
Many
experts say it is a waste of time for people on low to average
income to save towards their retirement. A series of scandals,
such as the near-collapse of Equitable Life, seriously undercut
people's confidence in the system. Equitable Life members, who
saw the value of their savings destroyed, were devastated the
Government's failure to help.
Confidence
in company pensions schemes has also been eroded as a series of
companies closed down and dumped their pension liabilities, leaving
people facing poverty. ONS also reported a startling collapse
in the number of generous final-salary pension schemes in the
private sector, from 34,700 in 2000 to just 18,100 last year.
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