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

Has Labour's £17billion extra done any good for schools?

By Laura Clark - Education Reporter, Daily Mail, February 23, 2006

Billions of pounds of extra funding for schools may have had little real impact, a report claimed yesterday. The results of Labour's massive spending on flagship initiatives are impossible to gauge, according to researchers. Better exam scores may owe more to 'teaching to test' rather than genuine gains in pupil performance. And secondaries that shone after 'specialist school' funding may have already been on course to improve.

Analysts from the Centre for Economic Performance give a mixed verdict on Labour's education record. Their findings will be a setback for Chancellor Gordon Br0wn, who has ratcheted up school spending in the hope of transforming state education. Labour has increased the education budget from £35billion in 1997 to £52billion this year.

The researchers, based at the London School of Economics, say this amounts to a 36% increase after taking inflation into account. They said: "There have been some improvements in outcomes, but the question is whether the money could have been spent more efficiently."

Progress in deprived areas 'remains stubbornly low'. It added: "The upward trend in attainment does not necessarily mean that Government's policies are working. Results may improve because teachers get better at teaching what is on the test rather than imparting more 'real' knowledge. The relationship between expenditure and performance was simply too 'hard to disentangle.'

The report was released as education watchdog Ofsted condemned standards at a flagship new city academy school as 'exceptionally low'. Inspectors highlighted major weaknesses in the 'inadequate' sixth form at £26million Peckham Academy in South London. The centre's report said the city academy scheme, where troubled comprehensives are replaced with schools built with private-sector backing, is as yet 'unproven'.

But it added that such 'radical measures' may be needed. The report is more critical of the specialist schools policy, where secondaries are given extra funds to develop teaching expertise in subjects such as sport and languages. Ministers hailed the school for outperforming other comprehensives.

But the report said these schools had already demonstrated their potential for gains. "The suspicion is that such 'successful' schools were already on course to make improvements in performance," it added.

The analysis praised initiatives such as the literacy strategy to improved reading and writing in primaries. But it questioned planned education reforms, claiming that move to give parents greater choice over schools could deepen social class divisions while failing to raise standards.

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