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
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After a
clear vote against them, we still got eight non-elected
Regional Assemblies. When we vote against the EU Constitution,
we'll get them anyway.
Letter from P.Cove, Aylesbury, BUCKS.-
Daily Mail, January 31, 2005
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Britain
takes over as biggest contributor to the EU budget
Selling
Britain down the river
Analysis
by Edward Heathcoat Amory, Daily Mail, January 27, 2005
Only
this week we learned how much this country has surrendered to
Brussels already when Tony Blair's assurances that we still had
'complete control' over asylum policy proved utterly untrue.
Now, behind the bland-sounding question that will be asked
in the referendum on the EU Constitution lies a Trojan Horse containing
other huge sacrifices of sovereignty.
The Constitution is certainly not the 'tidying
up exercise' described by Labour minister Peter Hain, or similar
to the rules of a golf club, as described by Foreign Secretary
Jack Straw. The following is a guide to its real contents, stripped
of all ministerial spin.
The
right to say NO
Britain's
veto - the handbag which Margaret Thatcher wielded so effectively
to obtain our budget rebate is the single most important bulwark
shoring up our independence as a nation state. Tony Blair has
already signed two EU treaties that have given it up in 66 areas,
including transport, equal opportunities, social policy and asylum
and immigration. The Constitution would surrender the veto in
a further 61.
Even
worse, it introduces a voting system that makes it significantly
more difficult for Britain and its allies to block legislation
where we no longer have a veto. We would be at the mercy of the
Franco-Gernman alliance, obliged to put up with whatever legislation
they foisted on us. As for national parliaments, Mr Blair has
claimed that Westminster will have a new right to 'block Commission
measures'. This is another untruth. National Parliaments can complain,
but the Commission can simply ignore them.
Criminal
Justice and Asylum
What
remains of our national control over borders would go with the
creation of a much expanded 'common asylum policy'. A new Right
to Asylum in the Charter of Fundamental Rights - an integral part
of the constitution - would make the European Court the final
arbiter of all asylum issues in Britain. In addition, the Constitution
surrenders control over our criminal justice system, allowing
the EU to pass framework laws dictating what is an offence in
Britain and what penalties its perpetrators should suffer.
It also allows for the creation of a European public prosecutor
who could pursue defendants through the British courts, and even
permits Brussels to dictate to the British police how they should
conduct investigations.
Foreign
and Defence Policy
Europe
is to have a Foreign Minister, who will 'conduct the Union's common
foreign and security policy' with a European Foreign Ministry
and European embassies to help him. We will have an obligation
to 'actively and unreservedly support' the policy that this man
or woman pursues 'in a spirit of loyalty and mutual solidarity'.
We
will also have to give up our seat on the UN Security Council
if he wants it. For the first time, the Constitution also creates
a mutual defence pact within the EU to rival Nato. the document
also allows for the creation of a European Army.
Charter
of Fundamental Rights
Despite
the Government's desperate efforts to prevent it, out EU partners
insisted on this being an integral part of the Constitution. It
creates a series of wide-ranging new rights, which it will be
up to the European Court in Brussels to interpret, and will be
binding on governments and legal systems in all member states.
The
right to strike could allow the Army and the police in Britain
to strike for the first time. The right to education could allow
Eurocrats to tell us how to educate our fhildren, and permit disgruntled
parents to take schools to the European Court if they didn't like
the way that their child is being educated.
The
charter also creates new blanket rights to social security, housing
assistance, health care and environmental protection.
The
Economy
Last
year, the then French Finance Minister Nicola Sarkozy called the
Constitution ' the embryo of a European economic government'.
Brussels will win the right to 'coordinate' national employment
policies.
The
Constitution also gives the Commission complete control over trade
policy. Britain would be unable to make trade deals with other
nations without permission. It also allows Brussels to draft laws
on social security and social protection rights, working conditions,
and the 'modernisation of social security systems'. Britain has
given up its veto and acquired instead a hard-to-use 'emergency
brake' system in this area. It also supports the creation of European
trade unitons, encouraging British workers to come out on strike
in support of French colleagues.
For
the health of our democracy, we, the people of the United Kingdom,
must find a way to force Mr Blair to resign
Such
defiance of the democratic process and the will of the majority
of we people of the UK, must be exposed by voters as a matter
or urgency, and not just in the two by-elections we have had this
July and the European elections in June 2004. But how can this
be done?
The
most effective way of getting our deceitful PM to resign would
be to mobilise the army of Labour MPs currently in the House of
Commons and get them to demand it, the loss of their seat to be
a penalty if they did not. All voters in Labour-held constituencies
need to write a letter along these lines to their local Labour
MPs:
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Dear
Despite
his absolute and unequivocal assurances over the past year
of the serious risk to our security of Saddam Hussein's
'weapons of mass destruction', Prime Minister Blair
has admitted, that the threat was non-existent. For that
critical error of judgement and for his gross incompetence
in handling this very important issue, I ask you to take
immediate steps to ensure that Tony Blair does the honourable
thing and resign without delay..
I
would therefore be much obliged if you would propose and
help mobilise a Parliamentary vote of 'No Confidence' in
Mr Blair which, despite Labour's huge majority, would leave
the PM with no option but to resign.
If
I get no reply to this letter, I shall assume you will continue
to support Mr Blair as our Prime Minister. In such circumstances
I shall not vote for you in the forthcoming General Election.
Signed:
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Simple,
non-violent, protest letters along these lines on a variety of
issues could be the basis for re-vitalising our democracy and
increasing voters' interest and participation in politics. Download
a printable copy of the above letter here.
There
is another way for the voice of the silent majority to be heard,
a voice that made sure broken promises would not only be revealed,
but punished in subsequent elections.
In
the year available before the General Election expected in 2005,
many topics are available as ammunition, each one asking questions.
A weapon for our purpose will be the results of Opinion Polls
in individual constituencies using ICM, NOP, Gallop, Mori
or YouGov.
Questions
suggested for this purpose are listed here.
CAST
YOUR VOTE ON A VARIETY OF OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES HERE.
Current
and prospective Parliamentary candidates of all Parties running
for election could share a platform at public forums in every
constituency. They would be presented with the results of
polls on this issue expressed by the majority of voters in that
constituency.
The candidates could be asked if their own views and that of their
Party manifesto corresponded with the polls, and if not, how they
intended to represent the will of the majority of local voters.
Local and National Press, Radio and TV coverage would be arranged
and the results published on this web site.
Here
is another powerful strategy for using your vote effectively in
the forthcoming General Election. Send your sitting and prospective
MPs a letter defining your requirements if they want your vote.
This example deals with the proposed
EU Constitutional Treaty.
Your
letters would end: "If you do not answer
this letter, I shall take it that you intend to follow the Government
line. I shall act accordingly in the forthcoming General Election.
Or
why not create a questionnaire that you send to all the candidates
in your constituency, getting them to give yes/no answers to questions
of your choice, and ending it with the same paragraph(above).
Download
a printable example of the questionnaire.
It
is high time for the people of this United Kingdom to stop allowing
themselves to be manipulated by politicians. We need our representatives
in Parliament to genuinely reflect the view of the majority in
their own constituency, even if this means going against their
personal and/or their party's policy. While they may argue their
case, hoping to change the minds of the majority in their constituency,
they should ultimately be obliged to reflect the majority view
of those who elect them.
It
will be argued by politicians of all parties that most voters
don't have the knowledge necessary to express an opinion on important
subjects at issue, and that our vote is a form of delegated democracy.
We should argue that it is their duty to ensure that we voters
do have ready access to such information as is necessary to form
an intelligent opinion. That, after all, is one main purpose of
Opposition Parties in our Parliamentary Democracy.
Most
important of all, such proceedings would rekindle in voters their
latent interest and obligation to cast their vote, knowing that
the candidate of their choice would be more likely to act in accordance
with their wishes. A much higher turnout in elections would be
the result.
Contact
your local Party Chairman. Gain his support for setting up public
forums in your constituency on these, as well as any other relevant
topics, well before the next General Election expected in 2005.
You should then, depending on the integrity of the candidate of
your choice, feel fairly certain that your view on any subject
being debated in Parliament will more accurately be reflected
by your representative in that assembly.
