Silent Majority Speaks

Rescuing Democracy in the United Kingdom from our current Elected Dictatorship

You will notice that, since New Labour came to power, not a single leading Cabinet member or party 'heavy hitter' has appeared on the programme (BBC's Question Time). 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

 

WWW silentmajorityspeaks.com

One driver in five takes to the road with no insurance

by David Williams and Olinka Koster - Daily Mail - July 31,2004

One in five motorists atopped by policce in random checks had no insurance cover. this suggests as many as five million could be getting behind the wheel illegally. Dozens of those caught were immigrants or asylum seekers driving what officers describe as 'death-trap bangers'.

Motoring organisations believe there are more than one million uninsured drivers on the roads out of an estimated 28 million motorists. But the police findings suggest that the figure could be five times higher. Of 1,000 motorists checked by officers on Humberside over a three-day period, more than 200 were found to be driving illegally. Police in Wolverhampton revealed recently that six asylum seekers an hour were caught driving without licence, tax, insurance or MoT certificates.

The scandal costs those driving legally an average £30 extra on their yearly car insurance to underwrite payouts from central funds held by the Motor Insurers Bureau for crashes involving those without cover. Almost 38,000 people made compensation claims last year after accidents with uninsured drivers. It is estimated some £500million was paid out from the fund. At the same time, the cost of a year's insurance has gone up by around £30 over the last yeear to an average £400, said insurance experts.

Most illegal drivers are young men who calculate that the'derisory' fines they receive if prosecuted are a fraction of the cost of insurance cover. Police say drivers have admitted it is cheaper to give up their vehicle to the crusher then buy another than to pay for insurance.

Those stopped during the Humberside operation were given 14 days to obtain insurance or have their vehicles crushed. Drivers could have their vehicles destroyed if they could not afford to have them insured. Of the 216 seized, 174 were put in storage and 42 crushed.

Meanwhile, immigration officials worried over the number of cases of asylum seekers and illegal immigrants driving illegally are to raise their concerns with the Home Office. They have warned that immigrants in unsafe cars have become a 'lethal menace' on the roads, with many never having taken a test and some unable to read road signs.

Asylum seekers driving without insurance or a licence have been involved in a number of fatal crashes. The dilemma for police is that it is difficult and costly to prosecute illegal immigrants for motoring offences. Many 'disappear' after being stopped or give false names and addresses. The figures on illegal drivers follow a Daily Mail investigation which revealed the ease with which rogue drivers can take to the road in dangerous cars. Thousands of wrecks salvaged from crashes are sold at auctions to customers who do not have to produce a driving licence, meaning they cannot be traced.

The Department of Transport said it believed just over a million drivers have no insurance. A spokesman said the Government would shortly announce plans to tackle the problem. Shadow Home Secretary David Davies said last night: "It's an outrage that the bureaucracy is so burdensome that police cannot bring to court large numbers of offenders."

Do you agree that every foreigner found guilty of driving uninsured and untaxed vehicles, or of causing fatal accidents on our roads, must be deported immediately before they kill or injure more innocent people? Agree strongly Agree Disagree Disagree strongly Don't know Don't care Please click one of the links above to cast your vote Current results

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."

Blair's defiance of the will of the majority of we, the people of the UK, over the invasion of Iraq 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:

Here's one to get Tony Blair to resign:

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:

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.

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.