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.

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

The Chancellor's single greatest act of vandalism in almost nine years in office has been his wanton destruction of Britain's private retirement industry. By slapping a massive tax on pension funds, now worth £7.3billion a year, he has helped to turn the best private retirement industry in Europe into a basket-case in perpetual crisis. Together with the adoption of European accounting rules - which make it much riskier to operate a company pension scheme - hundreds of firms have shut their final salary plans to new employees and slashed benefits to existing staff. From Allister Heath: "I've seen the future and its grey" in THE SPECTATOR - April 15, 2006

Nine years ago the British people were sold a fantasy of clean and competent government of principle and honesty. Its shiny wrappings stripped away, the product now reveals its true nature: Personal greed, arrogance, incompetence, shamelessness, rash warmongering and an inability to accept - as is clear to almost everyone else - that it is time to go. Editorial - The Mail on Sunday, May 28, 2006

June 16 , 2006 (1133 days since war ended)

Death Toll: 2500 US - 113 UK - >60,000? civilians - 25 media

STOP PRESS

Scots DO get too much money, says the peer who devised the rules

By Tim Shipman- Political Correspondent - Daily Mail, June 24, 2006

The Labour peer who invented the system by which billions of pounds of English taxpayers' money is diverted to Scotland said the system should be scrapped because it is unfair.

Yesterday's intervention by Lord Barnett follows heated exchanges between English and Scottish politicians over the influence of Labour's 'tartan army' in Westminster and whether Scots should support England in the World Cup.

Under the Barnett formula, drawn up in the 1970's, Scotland currently gets £1,500 more cash to spend on public services for each member of the population than England. But Lord Barnett said the rules which bear his name are unfair and should be scrapped, forcing the Scots to give up the 'very large sums' they get in subside from taxpayers south of the border.

The Barnett formula dictates that Scotland, which has around 8% of the UK population, gets a fixed quota of 10% of the cash for public services. Even poor English regions such as the North-East receive less money than prosperous areas of Scotland.

Official figures this year put public spending per head in England at £6,762. But in Scotland it was £8,265 per head, a difference of £1,503. The formula - intended to last for only one year - was kept in place because the Tories feared even greater unpopularity in Scotland.

In an interview with GMTV to be broadcast tomorrow, Lord Barnett said the system should be replaced with a formula reflecting the needs of each region. He said: "It's quite wrong. It clearly should not be based on per head expenditure but should be based on needs in particular areas. The amount of money going to Scotland on a needs basis by comparison, say with my own North West or the North East, is far higher than it should be , so it should be changed."

Lord Barnett accused Scotland's devolved government of using English taxpayers' money to build its parliament building, which cost £431million and went ten times over budget. His reverse will cause anger in England.

Scottish First Minister Jack McConnell has raised antagonisms by publicly supporting England's opponents during World Cup football matches, despite a series of sickening attacks on English people wearing England football kit, or displaying the flag of St George in Scotland.

Since 1997, the Government has regularly relied on Scottish Labour MPs to carry contentious legislation which involves only England - leading to calls for reform. Nearly 30 Labour MPs and 188 Tories want Scots excluded from voting in the Commons on issues that do not affect their constituents. The anomaly where Scottish MPs have a say over English laws but their counterparts cannot vote on Scottish policies is know as the West Lothian Question, after the MP for that constituency, Tam Dalyell, first raised the issue.

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