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
THE
TIMES slavish support for the Government worries some
members of the paper's staff, not to mention any perspicacious
readers who are left. Political editor Philip Webster
was questioned about this when he addressed colleagues
as part of an in-house 'masterclass' exercise. Small wonder.
One of his Blair-worshipping subordinates wrote a news
story yesterday poo-pooing the row over Labours anti-semitic
poster mocking Michael Howard, saying it was merely £5million
worth of 'free publicity' for the party. Ephraim Hardcastle
- Daily Mail, Febrauary 2, 2005
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Health
Managers' pay soars (pity about the nurses)
By
Jenny Hope - Medical Correspondent, Daily Mail, February 27,
2005
Health
Service managers are taking home record salaries while hard-pressed
nurses are struggling for cash, it emerges today. The revelation
will fuel fears that the extra billions being poured into the
NHS by Labour are being wasted on pen-pushers rather than spent
on vital front-line services.
A
report says pay rises for chief executives of NHS organisations
hit record levels last year, with some enjoying annual salaries
of more than £200,000. Newly-qualified nurses, meanwhile,
are struggling to make ends meet on £18,000 a year.
Union
leaders said last night they were concerned at the widening
gap between the lowest paid staff, who are often women, and
chief executives running hospitals and primary fare trusts.
Figures show at least 40,000 nurses and midwives are quitting
the NHS each year.
Today's
report by consultants Incomes Data Services looked at pay rates
for 2,500 chief executives and directors in the year to last
March. It showed pay averaged £107,500 in England, £116,000
in Wales, £95,500 in Scotland and £87,500 in Northern
Ireland.
The
highest salary was in London, where chief executive of Hammersmith
Hospitals was paid more than £210,000. Derek Smith had
a £55,000 increase - a rise of 35% - for running hospitals
with an estimated annual deficit of at least £7million.
Around 100 beds have been mothballed because there was no money
to staff them.
The
trust said his pay consisted of pension arrears going back to
when he started at the trust three years ago and a salary increase
of 9%. A Hammersmith Hospitals spokesman said: "This was
agreed by the board after taking independent
pensions and legal advice and reflects a broadly comparable
basis of pension payment to other senior executives in the NHS."
Across
the country, average pay awards for chief executives were around
75%. The average salary for a primary care trust chief executive
is £92,500 compared to £100,000 for a hospital boss.
Some
of the lowest paid executives were in ambulance trusts in Cumbria,
Coventry and Warwickshire, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire where
salaries ranged from £47,500 to £62,500.
The
report found that since 1994 average pay for NHS hospital bosses
has risen 73% compared to 50% for nurses. Steve Tatton of Income
Date Services said: "It seems that pay movements in NHS
invite comparisons with the private sector especially the widening
gap between board and employee remuneration."
Dave
Prentis of Unison said: "We are concerned that the gap
between the top and bottom is widening at a time when there
are difficulties recruiting and retaining staff across the board."
A
major deal was signed three months ago to revolutionise pay
and conditions for NHS staff. But figures last year revealed
that medical staff make-up less than half the work force. Of
the 1.28 million staff in the UK, only 633,375 are qualified
doctors, GPs, nurses, therapists and ambulance staff.
A
Department of Health spokesman said the NHS was competing with
the private sector to get the best managers. He added: "NHS
chief executives are running incredibly large complex operations,
controlling multi-million pound budgets and employing hundreds
of staff so it is important to pay competitive rates."
He
added that senior nursing staff cold earn £86,000 a year
and the starting pay of nurses had risen 32% since 1997.
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.
