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

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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

Janyary 10, 2006 (972 days since Iraq war ended)

Death Toll: 2,209 US - 98UK - >>30,000? Iraqi - 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 nternational 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

Britain the next 'sick old man of Europe'?

By Becky Barrow - Business Correspondent, Daily Mail, January 16, 2006

Britain is in danger of inheriting the title of the 'sick old man of Europe', a report warned yesterday. It revealed that the UK's tax burden paid largely by hardworking families, will this year be bigger than Germany's for the first time in a generation.

Germany has long been seen as a high taxation economy, funding heavy public spending and massive bureaucracy. Since Margaret Thatcher's Conservative administration, Britain has prided itself on keeping taxes low while freeing businesses of regulation. But after their 1997 victory New Labour launched a programme of public investment part-funded by stealth taxes.

The report is an analysis by Bank of America of figures published recently by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. It predicts Britain's taxes will hit 42.4% of gross domestic product (GDP) this year - higher than Germany for the first time in recent history. The figure for Germany, a huge economy but one which has struggled with high unemployment, will be 42.1%.

In 1999 German taxes came to 46.4% of GDP, compared to 40.4% in the UK. Holger Schmieding, chief European economist at Bank of America, said: "Anybody who believes Germany is high tax, big government and that Britain is lean and low tax, needs to look at these figures. As Britain squanders some of its post-Thatcherite advantage and the Continent embraces some reforms, the two sides of the Channel are becoming much more similar again."

Last week the Chancellor was criticised by the European Commission for breaking targets on borrowing. Britain's deficit has been 3.2% of national income for two years - higher than the EC's 3% limit. A Treasury spokesman said yesterday: "If you look at the average family in the UK< or the average business, what you find is that they are starting from a better position than their German counterparts. And they're being taxed less."

The Treasury claims their calculations show the tax burden to be lower than the Bank of America's figures. Last night they were unable to reveal their figures.

The report coincides with publication of The Bumper Book Of Government Waste: Scandal Of The Squandered Billions. Authors Matthew Elliott and Lee Rotherham accused Mr Brown of "presiding over the greatest waste of taxpayers' money in British history."

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