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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November
17, 2005 (932 days since war ended)
Death Toll: 2,080 US - 97UK - >>6,164?
Iraqi - >>17,300? civilians - 25 media
How
Labour got it wrong on truancy
By
Laura Clark, Education Reporter, Daily Mail, November 16, 2005
Ministers
are being accused of seriously underestimating the number of persistent
truants who skip lessons for weeks at a time. Only eight weeks
ago they promised to target a hard core of 8,000 absentee pupils
responsible for a fifth of all truancy. Now the Government has
announced a major expansion of the crackdown to cover at least
25% more students.
It's
'fast-track' prosecution scheme will be extended to cover more
than 10,000 'serial truants' who miss five or more weeks of school
in a year. Department for Education and Skills officials said
schools had identified more pupils who could be targeted. But
Tory schools spokesman Mark Hoban said ministers had underestimated
the scale of persistent truancy.
"Government
do not have a grip of the problem if they are having to revise
their figures just eight weeks after announcing their latest crackdown,"
he said. The revelation is embarrassing for Labour which has trumpeted
a battery of anti-truancy initiatives over the past eight years.
Ministers have spent £1billion on behaviour and attendance
clampdowns but recent figures showed the cash has failed to reverse
the problem.
A
record 1.4 million pupils skipped lessons last year, with nearly
56,000 truanting on any one day. This was 4,300 more than 1997
when Labour came to power pledging to slash absenteesism by a
third.
Since
2002, councils have been able to tell the parents of truanting
pupils they have 12 weeks to improve their attendance or face
a court appearance potentially leading to £2,500 fines or
three months in prison. 21,000 parents have so far been subject
to the three-month deadline.
Ministers
responded to the latest figures by telling 146 secondary schools
with worst attendance records to target 8,000 persistent truants
by putting their parents on the scheme. Now the 'net has been
widened' to cover 200 schools and 2,000 more truanting pupils.
"Schools
are telling us they can certainly identify 8,000 but they can
put more names forward as well," said a DfES spokesman. "We
are also identifying more schools which could benefit."
Earlier
this year, the charity New Philanthropy Capital claimed ministers
had 'no clear strategy' for tackling truancy despite spending
£1bn on initiatives to tackle behaviour and attendance.
It said the Government has launched 36 pupils absence initiatives
in the last two years alone.
Taxpayers
cash has gone on a range of schemes including town centre truancy
sweeps in which police and welfare staff question children found
out-of-doors during school hours; 'truancy buster' awards of £10,000
for schools with biggest improvements in attendanceong, and electronic
registration systems which are meant to alert teachers the moment
a pupil fails to turn up.
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