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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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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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
March 18, 2006 (1043 days since war ended)
Death
Toll: 2317US - 103UK - >>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 |
Millions
more from taxpayers to fund MPs' gold-plated pensions
By
Jane Merrick and Becky Barrow - Daily Mail, March 31, 2006
Taxpayers
must pay millions more to fund MPs' lavish pensions, the Government
announced yesterday. MPs' gold-plated retirement packages are
to be topped up with an extra £1.2million a year - on top
of the £13million taxpayers already pay for them annually.
The
move is to meet a shortfall of nearly £50million in the
£278.6million pensions fund which has nearly doubled in
the last three years. It means that at a time when the pensions
crisis is causing misery for millions of private-sector workers,
their hard-earned taxes are being used to protect the retirements
of the 646 highly-paid MPs.
MPs,
who earn £60,277, already have one of the best pension deals
in the country - and voted to make it even better a few years
ago at the taxpayers' expense. While thousands of companies have
been forced to close their final-salary schemes because of the
pensions crisis, MPs' pensions remain on a final salary basis.
An
MP who has served 26 years retiring today could expect to receive
an annual inflation-proofed payout of £40,000 from his pension.
One of his constituents would have to build a massive pension
pot worth about £800,000 to get the same sort of pension.
But this is highly unlikely - the average amount in a company
pension pot on retirement is only £40,000, or £28,000
for a personal pension. A worker with a £40,000 company
pension pot could expect a pension of just £1,600/year.
State
contributions for MPs are more than four times higher than the
average paid by companies for final-salary schemes.
The
announcement came just two days after council workers took part
in a nationwide strike over their own pension plans. It caused
outrage among critics who said trust in politicians was at rock
bottom following the loans-for-peerages scandal. Questions will
be raised about the timing of the announcement - which was slipped
out on the last day before the Easter recess.
Leader
of the Commons, Geoff Hoon announced that the contribution to
MPs' pensions from the public purse was to rise by 2.8% - worth
£1.2million a year - taking the level of Exchequer contributions
from 24% to 26.8%. The extra cash is to cover an increase in the
fund's deficit , which has risen from £25.2million in 2002
to £49.5million.
The
increase in the deficit was due to lower than expected investment
returns, which accounted for £5million, and rising life
expectancy, which cost another £13million. The remaining
£7million was the result of interest accrued since 2002.
Deputy
Prime Minister John Prescott, who has served nine years as Cabinet
Minister and 27 years as a backbench MP, can expect a generous
pension package worth more than £55,000 a year - and a total
pension fund of more than £1million.
Besides
generous pensions schemes, MPs' perks include travel and housing
expenses, 80-day summer holidays and 'parachute' payments worth
tens of thousands of pounds when they lose their seat. The increase
in the state contribution was recommended by the government Actuary,
which assesses the pensions fund every three years - but it would
have been rubber-stamped by Tony Blair, the Chancellor and the
Cabinet.
Former
independent MP Martin Bell said: "It fundamentally undermines
public trust in public life, which is already at a low ebb, that
MPs have these special privileges that other citizens don't have."
James
Frayne, campaign director of the TaxPayers Alliance, said: "MPs
can't criticise public sector strikes on pensions one day and
then expect the taxpayer to top up their own generous pension
schemes the next. It's unbelievable hypocrisy."
Pay
rises of 2% for MPs and ministers were also announced yesterday
- taking an MP's salary from £59,095 to £60,277, while
Cabinet ministers' salaries rise from £133,997 to £136,677.
Mr Blair's pay will rise from £183,932 to £187,610.
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