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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December
28, 2005 (959 days since Iraq war ended)
Death Toll: 2,172 US - 98UK - >>30,000?
Iraqi - 25 media
Pensions
blame game fiasco
City
Comment by Alex Brummer - Daily Mail, December 29, 2005
TUC
general secretary Brendan Barber is right to highlight the black
hole in private sector pensions as the big issue of 2006. As consultants
Deloitte have pointed out, the deficit among Britain's top 100
quoted companies climbed to £75billion last year, despite
the recovery in the stock market.
Barber
is wrong when he places blame for the mess at the door of the
companies themselves. The shortfall in the pension funds of the
top firms is, in fact, less than the estimated £100billion
in tax benefits that was removed from the very same groups in
1997. It was then that Gordon Brown, advised by Geoffrey Robinson
and defunct auditors Anthur Anderson, thought he had come up with
a painless ruse to bring stability to the public finances without
having to raise income taxes.
The
TUC boss claims that FTSE100 companies have only themselves to
blame for taking pensions holidays, when they made no contributions
to the funds, during a period of rising stock markets. What he
appears to have forgotten is that the government insisted on the
pensions holidays by capping surpluses at 10% of funds.
All
that the TUC has done in recent times is worsen the chances of
producing equitable pensions reforms. It is the unions who forced
the government into freezing in aspic final salary pensions for
state employees and retirement age of 60. This makes it all the
more difficult for private companies to meet the retirement aspirations
of their workforce and undermines Lord Turner's plan to create
a National Pension Savings Scheme.
One
of the main barriers to pension reform is the division within
the Labour government. Gordon Brown believes his 'means tested'
pensions credit is the best way of targeting people experiencing
hardship in retirement. Blair agrees with Turner that the goal
should be a universal citizens pension which rises in line with
earnings growth.
Putting
aside debate about state pensions for the moment, it should not
be impossible to fix private pensions as long as the willpower
is there. The Rentokil approach of simply announcing an end to
final salary pensions is not the answer. A more sensible way is
a negotiated solution between pension fund trustees and employees,
with both sides making sacrifices.
In
the past couple of weeks we have seen Footsie giants Halifax,
Bank of Scotland and HSBC take steps to resolve their pension
shortfalls by making one-off payments of £1billion each
into their funds. Another group, BAE, plans to pay in £500million.
In so doing they also remove an overhang from the company's share
price.
Where
big companies can demonstrate good faith is to end the practice
under which top executives are treated differently from the rest
of the workforce. Most Footsie executives are so well rewarded
that they can afford to make their own retirement arrangements.
Credibility will always be in doubt if they enrich themselves
while seeking to downgrade arrangements for workers.
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