Good News England?

Impartial? The BBC?

2012-02-09T16:19:00.000Z

According the BBC’s own editorial guidelines: ‘Impartiality lies at the heart of public service and is the core of the BBC’s commitment to its audiences . . . We must be inclusive, considering the broad perspective and ensuring the existence of a range of views is appropriately reflected.’
Yet according to the polls, around six in ten voters support Mr Cameron’s actions. Less than 15 per cent are against.
Not that you’d know it from listening to the ‘British Broadcasting Corporation’.

So not just the tickets for the Olympics providing jobs in the US, instead of here!

2012-02-09T16:18:00.001Z

Not the authors, of course; they've been dead 700 years. But a NIST engineering team, at the behest of the National Archives, designed and built a state-of-the-art encasement and transport cart to protect the Archive's prized copy of the 1297 Magna Carta. Their work—and the freshly conserved Magna Carta—were on display Feb. 2, 2012, at a special "behind-the-scenes" showing at the National Archives Conservation Lab. The enclosure is designed to visually enhance the parchment document while maintaining the interior environment so it does not degrade the document, which is the underpinning to Western Civilization and U.S. law.

Not in Hastings, I hope!

2012-02-02T16:53:00.003Z

Whitehall finds surplus land for 80,000 homes

The government has so far identified enough spare public land to accommodate 80,000 homes, housing minister Grant Shapps has said...

The title is NOT NIMBYism. We have a high concentration of population, owing to so many flats, and we have little or no STABLE land left to build on. We welcome brown site sympathetic brown site renovations and conversions, but there is a limit to how many more people the place can support - there aren't the jobs. And 180 degrees of our area is sea! Theses are all factors the government seems happy to ignore, but they should be central to decision making.

Missing the point!

2012-01-06T22:01:00.002Z

Housing association tenants ‘should have right to buy’

One million housing association tenants currently excluded from the right to buy scheme should be given the opportunity to purchase their own home, according to a report published by the Institute for Public Policy Research today...

No, the policy needs to be changed. Housing Association should be for those in need and starter homes for others. We already suffer from Mrs. Thatcher initial selling of social housing. Those ready to move on and buy, thus leaving the homes for others and helping industry, stayed where they were.

German unemployment hits record low

2012-01-02T14:11:00.000Z

Naturally - our government gives them our jobs - at the behest of the EU!

A quango that is meant to promote Britainis running a wasteful drive to boost the EU.

2012-01-01T16:08:00.001Z

The British Council, which receives £200million a year from UK taxpayers, is spending £20,000 on the ‘More Europe’ initiative.

The campaign, run from the British Council’s Brussels office, highlights the EU’s foreign policy and European art and culture.

But former Labour Minister Gisela Stuart claims it makes a mockery of the official aim of the British Council – to promote the English language and British art and culture.

Listen well - it's the truth!

2012-01-01T14:55:00.002Z

He became known to many Europeans just a year ago when enthusiasts published on YouTube a video of one of his short speeches to the European Parliament. The speech is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gm9q8uabTs. In a daring and politically incorrect tone, Farage asked the European Parliament who had just voted for tighter control by the Federal Government . . . oops, I meant the European Commission, over the process of national elections in the members states of the European Union. “Who the hell do you think you are” was the bottom line of the speech. Who the hell do you think you are to unilaterally destroy the freedom of the people to vote and decide for themselves?

Read more: A British Rebel in the Heart of the Brussels Empire | Godfather Politics http://godfatherpolitics.com/2803/a-british-rebel-in-the-heart-of-the-brussels-empire/#ixzz1iDakd6Jv

2011-12-20T16:31:00.001Z

A job well done, by Rebecca Riley and Jonathan Portes

Jobcentre Plus has gradually been moving people from benefits to jobs, showing that structural labour market reform can make a difference...

The delusions of the climate technocrats

2011-12-18T10:44:00.000Z

Ben Pile
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/11888/

The last people you should trust to save the world are the whiners and bureaucrats gathered in Durban................

For instance, among the things considered by the world’s most important people who assembled in Durban were the propositions that the ‘rights of mother Earth’ should be recognised; that international courts be established to ‘ensure respect for the intrinsic laws of nature’ and ‘to ensure harmony between humanity and nature and that their [sic] will be no commodification of the functions of nature’. With the stench of such nebulous eco-bullshit wafting around the negotiations, it’s no surprise that the fortnight-long session had to be extended in order desperately to find some areas of agreement.........................

The world's eight most distressed property markets - no, we're not one of them!

2011-12-17T09:46:00.000Z

By Emma Lunn
If the state of the UK property market is getting you down, rest assured things are worse elsewhere. Market value specialist IPSBMV has compiled a shortlist of the world’s eight most distressed property markets and looked at what this means for property investors. Ireland tops the line-up, followed by the U.S. where the sub-prime market began. Europe features heavily with Hungary, Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Spain and Portugal completing the list.
Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/mortgageshome/article-2071640/The-worlds-distressed-property-markets--grab-bargain-house.html#ixzz1gdOHArvb

See also

Australia's the land of the rip-off

The European Union has cracked. Good.

2011-12-16T14:38:00.002Z

Bruno Waterfiel
You don’t have to be a fan of swivel-eyed Eurosceptic Tories to hope that Cameron’s veto signals a return of public politics.
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/11884/

BBC impartial? Not on your nelly!

2011-12-16T10:41:00.000Z

Cameron used his veto to protect a ‘tiny part of our economy’. This claim slipped into the BBC’s Stephanie Flanders’ reports on Friday and is incorrect. Financial services accounted for a £35bn trade surplus last year — one of the few sectors that generated a surplus, as well almost 2 million jobs and it contributed £54bn in taxes.
http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/7471178/ten-myths-about-camerons-eu-veto.thtml

Bears repeating! We're not alone!

2011-12-15T19:38:00.000Z

Mats Persson
http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/7483143/26-versus-1-really.thtml
Judging from much of the coverage in UK media, you would be forgiven for thinking that Britain is on the fast track to becoming the North Korea of Europe — eccentric and completely isolated from the rest of the world. Indeed, the media narrative over the past couple of days has largely treated the agreement reached at the summit as concrete, supported in full by everyone apart from Britain. Or ‘27-minus’, as Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso put it.

The reality, of course, is quite different. Leaving aside whether Cameron could have played his cards better (he could have), as Gideon Rachman pointed out in yesterday’s FT, ‘the picture of an isolated Britain’ will become blurred as the rest of Europe grapples with the Merkozy deal.

So let’s have a look at the level of support in cabinets and parliaments around Europe, for the deal’s main points: fiscal integration, stricter EU budget rules and sanctions, new rules for the euro’s permanent bailout fund (the ESM) and fresh cash contributions to the IMF.

How wrong can you be?

2011-12-15T18:30:00.001Z

I thought Twitter was the stupidest idea I had heard off when it was first mooted - and I think I have been proved right, but it would appear most people don't agree.
Journalists allowed to use Twitter in English courts
Reporters can now use Twitter, text messages and email in courtrooms in England and Wales without needing to ask permission, the head of the judiciary said Wednesday.

2011-12-15T18:27:00.002Z

Bankers' bonuses not to blame, shows new research
(PhysOrg.com) -- Research from the University of Bath counters the claim that large bonuses in the banking industry are at the root of the global financial crisis.

I am reading Too Big To Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin. He could have left out some of the, often wrong, colour (plates of thali, I ask you!) but the picture he paints has had me in tears of frustration, disgust and disbelief.

These bankers (financiers, analysts, brokers, dealers, call them what you will, yes, you can say that!) bandy around figures in millions of dollars - $19 million paid for one of his three houses, a CEO who failed getting $161 million handshake, Bob Diamond of Barclay Capital, an American in London, in 2007 made $42 million.

And the world they liv e in, that puts all this money in their pockets, is not the real world. How can they understand someone getting less than 1,000 pounds a month, with a mortgage repayment of 514 pounds per month? It is outside their area of understanding.

And while people have so much money and can and do spend it in vast amounts, it drives up prices and inflation, making life intolerable for the man in the street.

Of course it should be regulated; of course there should be a cap on how much people can 'earn'.

It's not socialism (apparently a dirty word) but common sense. Not that there's a lot of that about.

The British might soon be missed . . .

2011-12-15T18:12:00.000Z

Der Spiegel’s London correspondent Marco Evers criticises Cameron’s decision to veto EU Treaty change, but concludes that Germans who regret losing the United Kingdom. “Despite all the anger, [the British] might soon be missed… ironically enough, it might just be the London's dedication to free trade, to the rule of law and to having things run in an orderly manner is not so easy to replace. Berlin is losing a partner who was a dependable counterweight to the club of those slack states in southern Europe whose freewheeling financial policies the restrained Germans have always abhorred.”

Putting it plainly.....

2011-12-14T15:59:00.000Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkP3IWuJqg8&feature=player_embedded

I don't like him but.....

2011-12-14T15:53:00.001Z

David Cameron was right to pull out of that bloc with his demand that, simply as a first step, the UK rebate be removed. (To remind you, our net contribution rose by 74 per cent last year; and, since we joined in 1973, we have been the second-largest net donor – a contribution which, far from eliciting gratitude, invariably prompts hectoring demands for more.)

The northern way -- how the North can become the world's foremost nuclear base

2011-12-14T15:20:00.001Z

The northern way -- how the North can become the world's foremost nuclear base
Commissioned by the Dalton Nuclear Institute, the country's leading academic nuclear research capability, the report highlights the opportunity for the Government to invest in the vast potential of the region to meet the demands of the UK's nuclear new build and use this as a springboard for providing goods and services to the £300bn global nuclear sector.

Australia's the land of the rip-off

2011-12-14T14:52:00.002Z

WELCOME to Australia, one of the world's most expensive countries. They pay higher prices than in London or New York.
FORGET the lucky country - Australia has been branded the land of the great big rip-off.

It is absurd that staples such as fruits and vegetables are several times more expensive than in Europe; DVDs and books can be bought far cheaper offshore; the same cars cost twice as much compared with overseas, and; housing is less affordable than some of the world's biggest cities, says a Centre for Independent Studies report.

EU 'democracy' at work again.

2011-12-13T18:52:00.002Z

BRITAIN last night faced a revenge attack for David Cameron’s EU snub when a senior Brussels bureaucrat promised a new deluge of damaging red tape on UK business.

European economics commissioner Olli Rehn insisted that the EU could override the Prime Minister’s veto to slap more regulation on the City of London.

And he vowed that Brussels would ignore Mr Cameron’s bid to protect British finance and British jobs.

Finnish-born Mr Rehn said: “If this move was intended to prevent bankers and financial corporations in the City from being regulated, that is not going to happen. We must all draw lessons from the financial crisis and that goes for the financial sector as well.”

In a further threat, the commissioner added: “The UK’s excessive deficit and debt will be the subject of surveillance like other member states, even if the enforcement mechanism mostly applies to the euro-area member states.”
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/289613/EU-plots-revenge-against-Britain

Impartial? The BBC?

2011-12-13T15:56:00.002Z

Yet according to the polls, around six in ten voters support Mr Cameron’s actions. Less than 15 per cent are against.

Not that you’d know it from listening to the ‘British Broadcasting Corporation’.

Fiskalunion? Nein Danke!

2011-12-10T16:36:00.001Z

Patrick Hayes
Fiskalunion? Nein Danke!
The long-running drive to give Brussels greater power over EU member states is anti-growth and anti-democratic.

Olympic success: Intangible benefits worth up to $3.4 billion

2011-12-08T16:07:00.000Z

Olympic success: Intangible benefits worth up to $3.4 billion
At the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, when Canadians roared with delight at a medal haul that placed the country at an "all-time, all-nation Winter Olympics record of 14 gold medals," athletes did more than win goldthey fired up exuberant displays of national pride and unity across the country.

Hydro assets not for sale - What a pity Mrs Thatcher didn't have the same foresight!

2011-12-07T14:58:00.001Z

Hydro Tasmania bosses have hosed down suggestions the company's strong performing subsidiaries could be sold to help the state budget.

Once it's gone, it's gone! No more income for the state, just shareholders!

England riots study: Anti-police anger 'was factor' - Like they are going to say. . . .

2011-12-07T09:56:00.000Z

. . . . sorry, I just got carried away. ....sorry, everyone else was getting stuff, why shouldn't I?

Too simplistic by half. Let's have some honesty here. It is actually important, because this half-baked 'reason' could be seen as a precedent.

Nigel Lawson Responds To David Attenborough (Good, as no one listens to me!)

2011-12-06T14:09:00.001Z

David Attenborough is one of this country’s finest journalists, and a great expert on animal life. Unfortunately, however, when it comes to global warming he seems to prefer sensation to objectivity.

Had he wished to be objective, he would have pointed out that, while satellite observations do indeed confirm that the extent of arctic sea ice has been declining over the past 30 years, the same satellite observations show that, overall, Antarctic sea ice has been expanding over the same period.

Had he wished to be objective, he would have pointed out that the polar bear population has not been falling, but rising.

Had he wished to be objective, he would have mentioned that recent research findings show that the increased evaporation from the Arctic ocean, as a result of warming, will cause there to be more cloud cover, thus counteracting the adverse effect he is so concerned about.

Had he wished to be objective, he would have noted that, while there was indeed a modest increase in mean global temperature (of about half a degree Centigrade) during the last quarter of the 20th century, so far this century both the UK Met Office and the World Meteorological Office confirm that there has been no further global warming at all.

What will happen in the future is inevitably unclear. But two things are clear. First, that Sir David’s alarmism is sheer speculation. Second, that if there is a resumption of warming, the only rational course is to adapt to it, rather than to try (happily a lost cause) to persuade the world to impoverish itself by moving from relatively cheap carbon-based energy to much more expensive non-carbon energy.

Radio Times, 3-9 December 2011

The IPCC exposed - Global warming pseudo science

2011-12-05T11:40:00.000Z

Rob Lyons
.......... political to its core
A new book demolishes the neutral, scientific façade of the UN’s climate change body and reveals its real, debate-ending purpose.
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/reviewofbooks_preview/11860

Couldn't agree more with Brendan O’Neill

2011-12-04T11:37:00.000Z

"So it seems the biggest British strike since 1926 was a roaring success.

At least in as far as its organisers squeezed an apology from BBC petrolhead Jeremy Clarkson over his unfunny quip about ‘shooting strikers’.

Is this what industrial action has been reduced to: trying to get people sacked because you don’t like what they think or say?

It’s kind of ironic, and also evidence that modern trade unions are far more obsessed with scoring PR points against chattering-class hate figures than they are with improving workers’ lives and liberties."

This announcement will take some of the sting out of this year’s fare rises.....

2011-12-03T14:02:00.003Z

MP Amber Rudd said she welcomed the news. She said: “It will help hard pressed families with the cost of living. This is good news for rail users.”

No, it is NOT good news. This announcement raises the suspicion that it was always intended to be 6% but was initially announced as 8% so they could pretend it is good news.

It is not good news, it is above the rate of inflation (but will help increase inflation) it is way above any wage, pension salary increase, for those lucky enough to see a raise at all.

How the EU oligarchy has downsized democracyESSAY

2011-12-03T12:35:00.000Z

Frank Furedi
So-called liberals and leftists have become obsessed with constructing a political firewall between the elite and the multitude.
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/essays/article/11851

Um, yes! that's what Dr Atkins said!

2011-12-02T12:26:00.000Z

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-dieters-foods-rich-protein-dairy.html
Dieters should eat foods rich in protein, mostly from dairy, to protect bones during weight loss New research suggests that a calorie-restricted diet higher in protein mostly from dairy foods and lower in carbohydrates coupled with daily exercise has a major positive impact on bone health in overweight and obese young women.

Who should I listen to, the people of the UK, or the EU?

2011-12-01T20:23:00.003Z

How can you acquit a man of a crime of which he is demonstrably guilty?

2011-11-20T16:22:00.002Z

Jury acquits man over Facebook messages

http://www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/news/local-news/jury_acquits_man_over_facebook_messages_1_3261763

Published on Saturday 19 November 2011 16:00

A JURY took just 30 minutes to clear a St Leonards man of posting a series of messages on Facebook to incite looting at the height of the nationwide riots in the summer.

Nathan Sinden, 27, of Blackman Avenue, said he was only joking when he wrote comments including: “Let’s start a riot in Hastings. Who’s on it?”

The point is, it wasn't his intention that was being tried, but his action; and even if it was a 'joke' (in the worst of taste) it had the potential to cause a great deal of harm. What a pity it didn't go before a magistrate's court, where it might have been treated with the seriousness it deserves.

A far more unequal union, with bullying lenders and enfeebled debtors.

2011-11-13T16:55:00.001Z

"Merkel and Sarkozy have both been fond of saying that they ‘will do everything necessary’ to save the eurozone. Neither Berlusconi or Papandreou would now doubt them. But a situation where even British officials talk about helping regime change in Italy is not one that can — or should — last long. Berlusconi’s demise marks the EU now entering its endgame. When empires collapse, they can do so very suddenly. David Cameron had better be ready."

Fraser Nelson
12 November 2011
http://www.spectator.co.uk/essays/all/7378428/europes-hit-squad.thtml

Brendan O’Neill sums up the EU. Take note!

2011-11-11T16:52:00.000Z

Events in Greece and Italy over the past week should be a wake-up call for anyone with any illusions in the European Union. For years, politicians across Europe have used the EU’s institutions as a means of bypassing their electorates and avoiding responsibility. But underlying that anti-democratic impulse there was at least the option for people to vote out their national governments, providing a semblance of political accountability. Now we see elected leaders given their marching orders by unelected placemen. Truly we are living under the tyranny of technocrats.

And is there Honey still for tea? Honey's orf, dear/

2011-11-08T17:33:00.001Z

Open Europe, which is by no means a rabidly Eurosceptic organisation, concedes that there are important protections for workers provided by social regulations that should not be unravelled. But many rules are unnecessary – and just halving their cost could result in a boost to economic output equivalent to the creation of 140,000 new jobs in Britain. This, you might have thought, is an ambition that all politicians should strive to achieve at a time of economic slowdown. Indeed, such a move was being urged upon David Cameron last night at a Downing Street dinner attended by senior Tory Eurosceptics.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/8874528/So-much-for-Edward-Heaths-land-of-milk-and-honey-in-the-EU.html

See full article for explanation of title.

EU democracy = blackmail

2011-11-07T16:31:00.001Z

Under changes already agreed in the Lisbon Treaty, the EU’s eurozone states will have a permanent in-built majority in the EU's main decision-making body – the Council of Ministers – from November 2014 (or 2017 if a member state requests it). If the eurozone block votes unanimously as a "caucus", Britain and the other non-eurozone members would not be able to block a proposal they may disagree with.

Euro localism is an oxymoron

2011-11-06T14:21:00.000Z

“European localism” is what we need to reform the EU and make it more to our liking, says a new report out tomorrow. Except the idea of European localism is an oxymoron. A contradiction in terms.

The European project has only ever been about transferring power upward. Every successive treaty reform has taken powers that rested with member states or with a free and civic society, and put them in the hands of remote EU officialdom. The idea that the EU might now begin to devolve control outwards and downwards is ridiculous.

Does this new Euro localism mean returning agricultural policy to each member state? Control over fishing or financial services? Would it mean devolving trade policy back to Britain? Or giving all 17 members of the Euro control over their own interest rates?

http://www.talkcarswell.com/show.aspx?id=2085

Blackmail

2011-11-05T17:18:00.000Z

Following a tense meeting yesterday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou confirmed that the referendum he surprisingly announced on Monday would effectively decide on whether Greece would remain in the eurozone. The possibility of Greece leaving the euro was explicitly mentioned by Merkel and Sarkozy for the first time, with the German Chancellor saying, “The referendum…in essence is about nothing else but the question, does Greece want to stay in the eurozone, yes or no?” The leaders also made it clear that Greece would not receive its next tranche of emergency aid until the referendum had passed, leading to speculation about how long the Greek government can remain solvent in the absence of the planned €8bn cash injection from the EU.

Variation in Justice

2011-11-04T12:44:00.000Z

In May 2010 Tohseef Shah spray painted a British War Memorial with "islam will dominate Osama" he was fined £50 & walked free from court.

In November 2010, Emdadur Choudhury burned a Poppy during the 2mins silence. He too was given a fine, £50 and walked free from court.

Last week in a Portsmouth Court, 2 men were sentenced to 6 months in prison for painting a Poppy on a mosque.

I don't support any of the above actions, they are equally puerile, but the sentences passed are not equal, and that is where the fault lies.

Media Bias?

2011-11-03T12:26:00.002Z

If a Left-wing party had reached Ukip’s size and consequence, the media would be fascinated. But, because of its old-fashioned and decidedly provincial approach, it has been practically ignored. In the 2004 European elections, the party gained a sensational 16 per cent of the vote. Had it been the Greens or the Communists that had pulled off this feat, the BBC would have gone crazy. Instead it chose not to mention this event, coolly classifying Ukip as “other”.

For the metropolitan elite, the party scarcely exists. This is why last Sunday’s YouGov poll showing that support for Farage’s party had crept up to 7 per cent – just one point fewer than the Liberal Democrats – gained no coverage. But the significance of this is very great. I believe that Ukip is about to take over from the Lib Dems as Britain’s third largest political party.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/peteroborne/100115144/as-the-landscape-starts-to-shift-ukip-can-create-political-havoc/

For the record - I am not right wing, I regard myself as a traditional labour supporter - but I am a member of UKIP!

All ver well, but what about the unemployed? None-the-less, good on the volunteers

2011-11-02T16:28:00.000Z

Rise in library volunteers as staff numbers fall

Volunteering in libraries increased significantly in 2010/11 as staff numbers continued to fall, figures published by CIPFA have revealed...

Something awry here?

2011-10-30T12:41:00.000Z

Girl to get $10M for amputations after ER delay
(AP) -- The family of a California girl whose extremities were amputated because of a lengthy emergency room delay has agreed to a $10 million malpractice settlement.

Lead poisoning in 2,000 children in north Nigeria
Illegal gold mining has left at least 2,000 children with lead poisoning in several northern Nigerian villages, where 400 children have already died from contamination, an official said Friday.

Hands off GMT!

2011-10-29T12:23:00.001+01:00

"The clocks go back tomorrow for what could be the last time - but only if the Scots agree."

How about the English agreeing? Don't we count? Democracy at work - I think not.

British Summer Time ends at 2am, but if a new Daylight Saving Bill which has received ministerial backing goes ahead it could bring the UK into line with Central European Time (CET) for a trial period of three years.

The bill, tabled by Rebecca Harris, Conservative MP for Castle Point in Essex, calls for a review of the potential costs and benefits of a move to CET and would need further legislation before any trial was launched.

Any "clear opposition" from devolved authorities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland would see the plans dropped.

So alright, it's Scotland - but still! Using a sledgehammer to crack a walnut.

2011-10-28T15:27:00.002+01:00

Stephen Birrell doesn’t like Catholics, he doesn’t like Celtic Football Club manager Neil Lennon and he doesn’t like Celtic supporters. These are not exactly unusual sentiments in certain parts of Scotland. But what is unusual is that last week Birrell was jailed for expressing such prejudices. His crime was to join a Facebook page and share his unpleasant views with the rest of us.....................

Yet the 28-year-old football fan was charged with ‘religiously aggravated’ breach of the peace and sent to prison for eight months. He was also banned from attending any football games in the UK for five years. In short, this was seen as a religious hate crime and all this has happened even before the new Offensive and Threatening Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications Bill (Scotland) is passed by the Scottish Parliament - a law that would introduce prison terms of up to five years for making sectarian comments at football games or on the internet..................... http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/earticle/11337/

EU - taking our money and not giving much back

2011-10-27T15:31:00.001+01:00

Does Britain really put much more into Europe than it gets out? How have our contributions risen and fallen? This chart reveals how the EU works for us

Enlarge

Being a member of the European Union has been a one-way street for Britain. Contributions from Britain to the EU budget have outstripped the benefits received in every single year of membership.

In total since 1979, Britain has paid in about €260 billion (£228 billion). It has received back in benefits just €163 billion (£143 billion). The difference of €97 billion (£85 billion at today’s exchange rate) has been Britain’s subsidy to the European project.

New euro 'empire' plot by Brussels

2011-10-24T12:35:00.000+01:00

The single Treasury plan emerged in Brussels yesterday as Europe’s finance ministers tried to find a way out of the crisis engulfing the eurozone. A full-scale rescue plan could cost about £1.75 trillion.

British sources said Mr Van Rompuy, who is regarded as being close to the German government, suggested plans for a “finance ministry” to be based either in Frankfurt or Paris. The EU already has its own “foreign ministry”, headed by Baroness Ashton, the former British Labour minister, and based in Brussels.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/8843785/New-euro-empire-plot-by-Brussels.html

Grandma did and does know best!

2011-10-23T16:32:00.000+01:00

Casting the words ‘prunes’ and ‘bowels’ into the sea of the Internet nets you a staggering 1,570,000 results. Not exactly a secret then. But a panel of European 'experts', charged with telling 500 million European citizens what they are allowed to be told about the health benefits of food, thinks otherwise. We are of course talking about EFSA's Panel on Dietetic Foods, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) which, in its wisdom, has concluded that there was insufficient evidence provided to establish a cause and effect relationship between prunes and normal bowel function. Meaning that the health benefit claim that would lead consumers to a cheap, natural and effective remedy to restore normal bowel function has been rejected. Let's remember that this is just one of around 3,600 health claims that EFSA has rejected prior to the EU's plan to integrate them into a draconian European law that represents the most astonishing infringement on freedom of speech.................................

http://www.anh-europe.org/node/3429?utm_source=The+Alliance+for+Natural+Health&utm_campaign=63f7b59bcc-111021_ANH_Intl_e_Alert_No_6810_21_2011&utm_medium=email

EU starts campaign and give Cameron his orders - but Cameron pretends it is his idea

2011-10-20T20:39:00.000+01:00

Note today's Express article, "Energy firms to send 8m letters telling how to find cheaper deals", containing quote,

"David Cameron said: ' we are writing to millions of customers to encourage them to shop around for the cheapest deal.

'This is about Government, about the Citizens' Advice Bureau, about other organisations working together to help people keep their energy-bills down.'

NOW note this:

(AE) EU/ENVIRONMENT: Campaign on resource efficiency for consumers

Brussels, 17/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - In an effort to encourage EU consumers to adopt more resource efficient habits, the EU has just launched a campaign among citizens to raise awareness about depleting resources and the necessity of using them efficiently. The go-ahead for this campaign, “Generation Awake; Your choices make a world of difference!”, was given on 17 October in Warsaw by Janez Potoènik, the European commissioner for the environment, and Andrzej Kraszweski, the Polish environment minister...Other launch events will be organised this year in the Czech Republic, Hungary and the United Kingdom. For further information:

http://www.generationawake.eu/

video clip 'generation awake'

http://www.youtube.com/user/GenerationAwake

PM wrong? Lying? Misleading?

2011-10-19T22:07:00.000+01:00

Prime minister wrong to claim we support Health Bill, say public health experts
Public health experts writing in this week's BMJ say the prime minister was wrong to claim they support the government's health reforms.

"Brent libraries’ Indignados strike a global chord"

2011-10-18T15:27:00.001+01:00

The campaign for the survival of Brent’s libraries faltered last week when it lost its High Court battle. But the public anger given voice by the Brent campaigners is being replicated across the world, and politicians need to start paying attention.

http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2011/10/brent-libraries-indignados-strike-a-global-chord/

"Kids in crowded homes, without shiny iPads and laptops to access knowledge, kids who can’t just click that Amazon button and see the tome of their dreams appear, are asking awkward questions. So too are the elderly and unemployed who see the library as a place to read the paper, take out a thriller and share some warm space with other humans. So too are the plain old book worms who borrowed rather than bought and sought the help of the local librarian to guide their literary journey."

Libraries exist to better a community

2011-10-13T14:46:00.001+01:00

.............................Lib Dem MP for Brent Central, Sarah Teather, who is also Minister of State for Children and Families, said: "Local residents have made their opinions clear - they want the libraries to stay open and are willing to fight to make that happen - it is a real shame that Labour-run Brent Council are refusing to listen."

Celebrities such as playwright Alan Bennett, singer Nick Cave and the bands Depeche Mode, the Pet Shop Boys and Goldfrapp had backed the campaign, with many contributing to the costs...................................

"Brent Council has already spent over £70,000 of residents' money on this legal case and they should not waste any more money in pursuing a library closure policy that the vast majority of Brent residents oppose."........................

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-15285836

Philbradley
50 MINUTES AGO

Libraries exist to better a community. To help people learn, read, obtain knowledge, as a place to obtain credible, authoritative information. To provide opportunities for the young, old, literate, illiterate, the poor and the rich. Closing a library doesn't just close a building, it says to a community 'You are not important. You and your aspirations don't matter.' It's not about money but respect.

What is a Charity?

2011-10-08T18:43:00.003+01:00

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/oct/07/adam-werritty-charity-liam-fox

"...... a rightwing charity, the Atlantic Bridge, which works in conjunction with a major US business lobby group. The office was provided to Fox at taxpayers' expense while he was in opposition until last year.

It also emerged that between 2007 and 2010, Werritty earned more than £90,000 as chief executive of the Atlantic Bridge, and that the most senior civil servant in the Ministry of Defence had warned Fox about his connections to Werritty.

A charity? - 'works in conjunction with a major US business lobby group' Contradiction in terms?

A charity? That pays out £90,000 to a Chief Executive?

Oh yes, founded by Liam Fox!

Now how come how Government can't manage this?

2011-10-08T17:39:00.002+01:00

Mostly I dislike the apparently English habit of putting down our country, compared to the rest of the world, but I happen to know of a number of cases where this (not necessarily citing Oracle) would be appropriate.

Oracle fined $200 million for overcharging US govt
Business software and hardware giant Oracle was fined nearly $200 million dollars for overcharging the US government, the Justice Department announced Thursday.

Think, think and then ACT!

2011-10-07T20:48:00.000+01:00

The EU budget is not some mythical pot of money: whether it is a slice of VAT revenue or membership fees, the money has to come from somewhere – and it comes from our taxes. When we’re told a project has been ‘EU-funded’ that means the British taxpayer has paid more than double the cost of the project, not counting the cost of EU bureaucracy . So-called matched funding also means that our government has to pay towards a project that we might not need in the first place.

Which brings us back to the propaganda – the requirement for the EU flag and ‘project funded by the European Community’ to be displayed prominently shows us that the EU expects us to be grateful that it’s given us some of our own money back and then told us how to spend it!

Battle, site of the Battle of Hastings

2011-10-05T12:46:00.000+01:00

I was checking facts about men from Hastings in the Second Crusade and I came a across a barrage of blogs, wiki answers, etc. indicating that there was a place called Battle, prior to the Battle!

This charming market town grew up around Battle Abbey and takes its name from the famous battle between England’s would be rulers William Duke of Normandy and the Saxon King Harold. On 14th October 1066, this area witnessed the most celebrated confrontation to take place on English soil – the Battle of Hastings, an event so significant it completely changed the course of English history.

Following the battle William the Conqueror built Battle Abbey – a penance ordered by the Pope for the loss of life incurred in the conflict.. - http://www.visit1066country.com/explore-1066-country/battle

Why not visit Hastings during Hastings Week, starting on October 8th - and don't miss the bonfire and fireworks on 15th.

GMT threatened!

2011-10-04T15:08:00.002+01:00

You'd have to have a heart of stone not to feel a shiver of childish excitement as you stand on the metal strip marking the Prime Meridian at Greenwich.

From there, overlooking the East End of London, you can straddle the world, one foot in the Eastern hemisphere, another in the West.

The place is steeped in history. It is home to the most famous observatory in the world, to beautiful clocks that allowed sailors to explore the seas with safety, and to the Greenwich Meridian, the line that divides the world.

For nearly 130 years it’s also been home to time itself.

The moment when the sun passes its highest point at Greenwich is noon Greenwich Mean Time.

And GMT is the standard that is used to set every timepiece in the world.

It’s even the official time zone for outer space.

When astronauts wake up on the International Space Station, they don’t follow Moscow or Washington time, they wake up to GMT.

But all that could soon change. Bureaucrats at the International Telecommunications Union in Geneva want to abandon GMT as the world’s standard time.

For the first time in history, global time will no longer be linked to the spinning of the Earth. Instead, it will be determined solely by the ticking of atomic clocks.

If plans are voted through in January, the new guardians of time will be the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Paris.

Now read Napier, Bill: Shattered Icon - a novel of how plotters planned to steal our meridian, so to speak, in Elizabethan times. Is there a parallel!

If only there was some Good News England - instead of Bad News EU!

2011-10-01T15:42:00.000+01:00

1. Derek Clark, UKIP MEP, speech in Strasbourg - "Global Governance through scare stories - Derek Clark (with Florenz question)"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0keZjBTNIg

2. Marta Andreasen, UKIP MEP, speaks out about scale of EU fraud and bad accounting
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/8797358/EU-fraud-and-irregularities-hit-1.6-billion.html

3. The Conservatives have betrayed the City of London - Marta Andreaen speaks out

http://www.nowpublic.com/world/cameron-has-betrayed-city-marta-andreasen-mep

You scratch my back .... My country? Oh, that doesn't matter!

2011-09-29T18:28:00.000+01:00

http://www.ukip.org/content/latest-news/2491-state-of-the-union-its-in-a-state

When you watch this remember that Cameron had the chance to stop this insane movement of the EU Parliament between Brussels and Strasbourg less than a month ago . The Parliament had actually pased a bill to stick with Brussels only which had to be authorised by member Governments. Cameron had supported the Bill in April and all UKIP and Conservative MPs voted in favour but when the deadline for approval came Cameron was nowhere to be seen even though the UK's supporrt would have ensured its passage. Clearly Cameron paying back Sarkozy for support over the Libyan adventure.

And for this we pay?

2011-09-28T13:16:00.002+01:00

"Tthe BBC betrayed its charter commitment, lost its sense of fair-mindedness and became in effect a partisan player in a great national debate — all the more insidious because of its pretence at neutrality." The article from which this is taken is to do with the euro - http://www.spectator.co.uk/spectator/thisweek/7256618/the-great-euro-swindle.thtml but the it reflects equally the BBC stance on climate change!

EU integration is the last thing we need

2011-09-23T18:24:00.000+01:00

Jason Walsh
EU integration is the last thing we need
No matter how crisis- ridden and corrupt the EU becomes, the elites’ solution is always: ‘More EU!’

EU money goes from Britain back to EU firms

2011-09-20T11:53:00.000+01:00

"Foreign Firms Reap £500 Million A Year In Subsidies From UK Wind Farms"
http://www.thegwpf.org/uk-news/3894-foreign-firms-reap-p500-million-a-year-in-subsidies-from-uk-wind-farms.html

Let's set the record straight! Please Note...

2011-09-19T15:40:00.003+01:00

....Times Atlas 'wrong' on Greenland ice

The Scott Polar group, which includes director Julian Dowdeswell, says the claim of a 15% loss in just 12 years is wrong.

The Scott Polar team says treatment of eastern Greenland is of particular concern

"Recent satellite images of Greenland make it clear that there are in fact still numerous glaciers and permanent ice cover where the new Times Atlas shows ice-free conditions and the emergence of new lands," they say in a letter that has been sent to the Times.

"We do not know why this error has occurred, but it is regrettable that the claimed drastic reduction in the extent of ice in Greenland has created headline news around the world."

Credit where credit is due (it so rarely is!) This is a BBC report.

What nonsense!

2011-09-17T16:44:00.002+01:00

British education ‘held back by poor classroom teachers’

Rewarding teachers on the basis of their classroom performance could dramatically improve British education, the Sutton Trust charity has said...

Why? They are paid to do a good job; if they aren't capable they shouldn't be doing it. It comes back to the old mantra of making sure they are properly educated, and don't call them qualified until they are! Not necessarily academic qualifications, but the ability to engage and encourage children to want to learn.

UKIP Policy - not jingoism!

2011-09-15T13:43:00.000+01:00

UKIP is not an anti-European party. Such thoughts would be moronic. At a conference last week, we had French, Dutch and Finnish friends on the platform, people who share many of the same views as us.

We all want a Europe of free trade and co-operation, not one run by people like my old friend Herman van Rompuy. That is why the UKIP policy is, and always was, one of seeking an amicable divorce from the European Union and its replacement with a genuine free-trade agreement (this is what my parents thought they were voting for in 1975).

The case for trade is clear. If little countries like Norway and Switzerland can have the same free-market access as we do without the impositions of EU-membership, then I am certain that the EU's biggest export-market, the UK, can negotiate a sensible deal.

UKIP is not based on isolation or xenophobia. We just want our country back and the rights of self-government that we are determined to leave to our children and grandchildren.

Our wish to leave the EU is now a mainstream, majority opinion.

Sorry, I was wrong!

2011-09-14T16:35:00.001+01:00

In this extraordinary recantation, Max Hastings, pro-European all his adult life, admits the EU is now a disaster which is blighting every aspect of British life - and crippling our recovery

By MAX HASTINGS

Last updated at 4:27 PM on 13th September 2011

Put aside the crash this week in European shares over the nightmare that is the Greek economy, and the fact remains that the EU is in dire straits, unprecedented in its history.

All my adult life, I have called myself a pro-European. I deplored Brussels’ follies as much as anyone, but went on hoping for better things. I believed Europe was broadly a force for good.

However, today, I recant. After much agonising and hesitation, I adopt the conclusion that many of you probably reached years ago: that the EU in its present form has become a disaster, which threatens the future of its major members, unless its terms and powers are drastically recast.

Guest input - EU and the Courts

2011-09-12T15:56:00.001+01:00

"Right from the begining I have maintained that at the heart of the UK's relationship with the EU lies the one thing above all else,which the electorate cannot stomach,which is the prospect of being governed from Brussels or Strasbourg. In order for this to happen, there is one and only one measure that the EU needs to enforce and that is to make both the EU Courts of Law and of Human Rights the overall ruling legal system. Unfortunately from a media point of view,this prospect is not sexy news so the population is largely unaware of this fact. By signing (without the country's permission) the Lisbon Treaty, we find ourselves locked into this dreadful situation. However,if we had a government with sufficient guts,we could extract ourselves from this ghastly mistake,simply by telling the EU commission in no uncertain terms that as from a certain date,the UK refuses to recognise either of these Courts on the basis that we have the oldest,most tested and tried legal system in the world which,unlike these Courts, is put in place by a SOVEREIGN Mother of Parliaments which is actually ELECTED. Should our Government decide to do this,and everything flows from it, it follows that we effectively would leave the EU. The PRIMACY of a country's legal system is what gives it its SOVEREIGNTY."

Our countryside is at risk! Object NOW!

2011-09-12T12:11:00.000+01:00

Apathy over planning law changes could put countryside in danger

Home | Campaign to Protect Rural England

Green environments essential for human health
Research shows that a walk in the park is more than just a nice way to spend an afternoon. It's an essential component for good health, according to University of Illinois environment and behavior researcher Frances "Ming" Kuo.

Nature 'is worth billions' to UK

The UK's parks, lakes, forests and wildlife are worth billions of pounds to the economy, says a major report.

The health benefits of merely living close to a green space are worth up to £300 per person per year, it concludes.

Last Night of the Proms

2011-09-11T20:04:00.000+01:00

The men in the orchestra looked great! The women......, chickens in a farmyard, competing for attention. Colours of every description, lots of bare flesh, very little grace or elegance. It seems like an insult to the men, not to mention the audience. This is feminism a step too far.

Going off half-cocked!

2011-09-11T12:00:00.002+01:00

Work longer: new pension bombshell for under-50s

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/sep/10/work-longer-pension-bombshell-50s

It's all v ery well raising the pension age, no doubt the better off will still be able to enjoy "early retirement'" but what about the jobs market? Unless there is a radical rethink throughout government and private industry, where the older employees are used as mentors for youngsters, there will be no jobs vacant for those ready to enter the workplace.

And creating more university places is not the answer. Universities have already been dumbed down about as far as they can go to allow so called equality.

Here's a radical ea - let's create training colleges, polytechs, call them what you will, and ensure people have adequate skills to take their place in the workforce. Introduce more work-based trainin g while on the job, don't employ over-priced consultants, ensure your employees can do the task and use their knowledge of your particular niche. Civil Service, listen up here!

Then universities can go back to doing what they used to do best, creating think tanks and promoting culture, undertsanding science and working towards real solutions, not computer generated garbage.

Andy Pag, 36, scavenged oil from fryers to clock up more than 18,000 miles (29,000 kilometres) travelling through 25 countries in an environmentally-f

2011-09-10T17:50:00.001+01:00

British adventurer returns from global eco-bus trip

An eco-adventurer arrived back in Britain on Friday after driving round the world in a battered old "biotruck" rescued from a junkyard and powered by used cooking oil.

Discombobulated!

2011-09-09T18:12:00.002+01:00

Don't suppose David Cameron knows the meaning of the word, because he constantly demonstrates that the level of his education is less than mine and my classmates on leaving Primary School, as he is continually demonstrating in his statements, hiis understanding of British history and global matters. Yet he wants the school responsible for this failed level of education to set up a new primary school, because of failing standards.

I'm not saying there aren't failing standards in some current primary schools, just that as demonstrated Eton is not necesarily my first choice for example setting. I prefer the school where

Cleaners, gardeners, receptionists and even accountants... the primary school where every pupil doubles up class work with a job

Eurostar banned the use of British pounds on its Channel Tunnel trains.

2011-09-05T12:53:00.000+01:00

UKIP’s Gerard Batten MEP - Daily Express

“It would mean we couldn’t use our own currency on a train in our own country to buy a British cuppa and a Kit-Kat”, he said.

Eurostar backed down after just hours of operating the ban, having been inundated by complaints. Gerard Batten also thanked the Express for taking up the cause. For more information see:

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/268878/Fury-as-the-pound-is-banned

An Obituary printed in the London Times

2011-09-04T12:48:00.002+01:00

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

EU demands that Britain admit immigrants intending to go straight on to benefits

2011-09-01T13:11:00.001+01:00

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danielhannan/100089292/eu-demands-that-britain-admit-immigrants-intending-to-go-straight-on-to-benefits/

As the law stands, people wishing to settle in Britain must demonstrate that they have the means to support themselves, either through work or through an alternative source of income such as a pension. The European Commission claims that this amounts to discrimination against EU citizens, who are supposed to enjoy the same rights as British nationals.

In fact, as so often happens, Eurocrats are disregarding the plain text of their own rules. Article 7(1) of the Free Movement Directive gives EU citizens the right to reside in another member state only if they have “sufficient resources for themselves and their family members not to become a burden on the social assistance system of the host Member State”.@

Time for David Cameron to do another U-turn!

2011-08-15T15:21:00.001+01:00

Steve Baker, the Tory MP for Wycombe and a member of the fiercely eurosceptic 2010 Conservative intake, said: "It is very clear that the EU is heading at full speed towards being one country. As that is the case there is absolutely no doubt that the British people should be offered a vote on whether to be a part of that."

Let them as did it, make it right!

2011-08-13T15:50:00.000+01:00

Police 'should not have to pay for riot damage'

Police authorities have renewed calls for the repeal of the 1886 Riot Damages Act following four nights of disorder and mass theft across towns and cities across England...

The True Born Englishman

2011-08-12T16:33:00.000+01:00

From hence I only infer that an Englishman, of all men, ought not to despise foreigners as such, and I think the inference is just, since what they are today, we were yesterday, and tomorrow they will be like us. Daniel Defoe

http://www.luminarium.org/editions/trueborn.htm

Jo Nesbo - Sydney novel.

2011-08-11T19:09:00.000+01:00

The publication date for THE BAT MAN, Harry Hole's first outing, is July 2012.

No one loots us - we do care!

2011-08-11T15:31:00.000+01:00

For once the Millwall contingent were happy to ditch their famous chant of "No one likes us, and we don't care" - singing instead, "No one loots us . . ."

Millwall and Charlton Athletic fans walking the length of Eltham High St.

With the exception of a handful of sporadic confrontations, there were no reports of serious disturbance.

"We are here to help the police. My mum is terrified after what she saw on the television in the last three days and we decided that it's not going to happen here."

Grateful local residents then flooded social media sites.

"Thanks to each and every one of you (especially the Millwall boys) for looking after our streets and our homes", one woman wrote on the Facebook page, Support Our Eltham Men.

"From what I saw, there was a mixture of race/religions in Eltham protecting their home town. It didn't matter what colour/religious back ground/football team they supported, they just didn't want the riots to break out where their families have to buy the food for their children," wrote another.

Wish I could afford a Blackberry! What makes them think they're owed a living? BUT SOME GOOD NEWS!

2011-08-10T19:46:00.003+01:00

Amongst the anger and chaos there have been some genuinely heartening responses by Londoners to the alarming mayhem. Here’s a run-down of some of the more heart-warming moments from the last few grim days.

#riotcleanup takes Twitter by storm. Three nights of consecutive violence have left the worst affected areas of London like Hackney and Tottenham looking like war zones. With this in mind, Twitter users keen to mend the hurt have launched a hugely popular #riotcleanup voluntary campaign. Sainsburys in Clapham has been handing out free pastries to the clean-up volunteers. There is also a post-riot clean-up page on Facebook, gathering together and helping organise those who want to help the battered and bruised city.

Ledbury kitchen staff to the rescue. When rioters ransacked The Ledbury restaurant in Notting Hill on Monday night, diners were understandably terrified. Food blogger NakedSushi, who was eating in the restaurant and had her wedding and engagement rings stolen, wrote of how brave the kitchen staff were in defending the establishment and its guests: “The kitchen staff at the Ledbury went beyond their call of duty by rushing up from the kitchen with rolling pins, fry baskets, and other dangerous kitchen tools and scared off the looters. Then they provided well-needed glasses of alcohol including champagne and whisky.”

Kurds and Turks front up to rioters. In Hackney, the location of some of the worst looting on Monday night, Kurds and Turks bravely defended their shops and restaurants with bricks and bats. George Eaton of The New Statesman referred to it as “a true English Defence League.”

Catch a Looter blog. The police have urged communities to help identify the looters and the appeal has not fallen on deaf ears. A tumblr blog called Catch A Looter has been set up which features pictures of looters in action. “This site does not support vigilante action; merely using social media to collate all images in one place,” informs the info section.

Hackney woman slams rioters to their face. In a clip that has already gone viral, a West Indian matriarch from Hackney confronted the rioters and ordered them to stop. The fearless lady branded the rioters “dirty tiefs” and urged them to “get it real.
Leona Lewis Condemns London RiotsKate Nash Helps Spread Word to London Clean Up Volunteers After ...
Kate Nash Helps Spread Word to London Clean Up Volunteers After ...
‎‎
‎

he Prime Minister has no intention of granting the British people a referendum on continued membership of the European Union.

2011-08-08T15:38:00.002+01:00

An Oxfordshire Conservative Party activist wrote to David Cameron requesting a referendum. The response, written by the Prime Minster's Private Secretary, rules out giving the UK the opportunity to have their say by claiming a "very clear result" was delivered on the issue 36 years ago. He then went on to write that the British people did not want another in or out vote on the EU because it would be "artificial and simplistic".

"The argument that the 1975 referendum delivered a clear mandate for membership is incredibly poor. Firstly, that was when the British people were asked about the European Economic Community. Over the last 36 years the EEC has morphed into the EU with its tentacles now reaching far and wide. Secondly, anyone under the age of 53 was not able to vote in 1975. By refusing a referendum it shows utter contempt for a massive chunk of the population."

What is more, and many people are not aware of this, and you can bet your bottom dollar, David Cameron isn't, it was not a fair referendum at the time. It was June, many people were on holiday, and even those holidaying in the UK were not allowed to vote. So much for a democratic decision!

Plan overboard! Goodbye, Europe, goodbye!

2011-08-06T17:13:00.000+01:00

"Support for the EU is collapsing among the European public, and populist Eurosceptic parties are being elected en masse in countries from Denmark to Austria, from the Netherlands to Finland. The euro crisis has transformed European politics to the extent that even mainstream MPs, who normally lay themselves down in the cause of ever closer union, are discovering the joys of saying non, nein and nee. Whereas being Eurosceptic would until recently kill off an MP’s career in most European parliaments, it is now the maing of them. It may sound perverse, but the Eurosceptics can now claim to be the modernisers."
http://www.spectator.co.uk/essays/all/7112788/plan-overboard.thtml

KEY TORY FIGURE JUMPS SHIP TO UKIP

2011-08-05T19:08:00.000+01:00

On joining UKIP, Michael Corby said: "To me the point of being involved in politics is that you do it to make the country a better place in which to live and work. It has become increasingly obvious that while we remain in the European Union, the government we vote for in Westminster is unable to do that because its hands are tied by Brussels. It is also obvious that no party other than UKIP seems to realise this."

NEW CHANCE TO FORCE EU VOTE - Take it! Vote, vote, vote

2011-07-30T22:54:00.001+01:00

Sir George Young , leader of the House of commons has launched a new Government e-petitions website with the guarantee that any petition which gets 100000 signatures will be debated in the Commons.

The last time under Blair that this was tried a problem was that various people introduced petitions with slightly different wording which diffused support for each of them. The Daily Express hopes to overcome this problem by introducing a petition which people can comcentrate on. Go to :-

http://www.express.co.uk/web/referendum

and sign , also please circulate to any other interested parties.

NEW CHANCE TO FORCE EU VOTE

And why not? Jesus and Mohammad taught the same message

2011-07-27T14:48:00.001+01:00

Churchgoing teenagers biggest backers of Muslim identity in Britain
New research released today from the University of Warwicks Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit demonstrates that churchgoing young Christians give much more support to their Muslim peers, in comparison with young people who have no religious faith.

The EU is a major hindrance

2011-07-27T11:46:00.000+01:00

http://astore.amazon.co.uk/civitas-21/detail/1906837295

High energy costs are the most important barrier to growth. Membership of the EU has also compounded the manufacturing decline, in part because of the energy costs it imposes on UK businesses but also via its crippling red tape.

If they are against us, who can be for us? Coalition neglect blamed for slow economic growth

2011-07-26T15:43:00.001+01:00

A new report from independent think tank Civitas argues that the Government should demonstrate its loyalty to its own people instead of standing helpless on the sidelines. The Bombardier trains contract would have been secured for British workers by a competent government. Instead, ministers claimed to be powerless, insisting 'the EU made us do it'.

Good News!

2011-07-10T16:04:00.001+01:00

Gawain Towler interviews Michael Corby – the latest Conservative to jump ship to UKIP

A long-standing Tory member, supporter and donor, Michael admitted: "I must have given the Conservatives a six figure sum over the years in donations and other resources." Gawain Towler took the opportunity to interview him...

Q: The obvious question first, why did you join?

A: The matter of overwhelming importance to the UK is our membership of the EU.

Q: How involved have you been in politics?

A : I have been involved in politics for many years, first, actively, as a student then I became active again when I founded my business the early 80s.
To me the point of being involved in politics is that you do it to make the world and the country, a better place in which to work and live. It has become increasingly obvious that while we remain in the European Union the government we vote for in Westminster is unable to do that, as its hands are tied by Brussels. It is also obvious that no party, other than UKIP, seems to realise this. So it was an easy decision. I had to join UKIP.

What a good idea - I think.....

2011-07-09T22:08:00.002+01:00

but then how come Murdoch has newspapers and television stations. Perhaps it is something in the phrase " in the same market" - open to quite wide interpretation. So why bother?

Court restores ban on newspaper, TV ownership
(AP) -- A federal appeals court has restored a longstanding ban that prevents media companies from owning both a newspaper and a television station in the same market.

The answer appears obvious - leave the EU. Maybe the Government is afraid it isn't capable of governing without the EU?

2011-07-07T16:58:00.001+01:00

The FT reports that the European Commission has warned against bending EU rules on public procurement, following the controversy over the award to Germany’s Siemens of a contract to build 1,200 railway carriages for the ‘Thameslink’ route between Bedford and Brighton. The UK division of Canadian train-maker Bombardier has announced plans to cut more than 1,400 jobs at its Derby plant after losing the tender.
FT Conservative Home

The Mail reports that the EU has imposed £500,000 worth of fines on various UK public bodies for not flying the EU flags and symbols in return for grant money. PA reports that a museum telling the history of the Labour Party has been fined £7,233 for failing to display the logo of the European Regional Development Fund, through which the project was financed.
Mail

2011-07-04T20:05:00.000+01:00

You have until the 20th July to tell the EU about how you feel about a NEW EU Citizenship

Here is the consultation document
http://admin5.geniebuilder.com/udata/ccre/docs/Consultation_on_citizenship_en.pdf

This is the page telling you about it.
http://www.ccre.org/news_detail_en.htm?ID=2094

Soon, PLEASE

2011-07-02T18:57:00.001+01:00

Writing in the Spectator, Political Editor James Forsyth notes that two of David Cameron’s key advisors, Oliver Letwin and Steve Hilton, have been known to end meetings by saying “Well, the only solution is to leave the EU.” The article notes that at least two Cabinet ministers share their view.

Polish Commonsense

2011-06-26T11:56:00.000+01:00

Following Poland’s refusal to agree to plans to increase EU carbon emission targets, EU Budget Commissioner Janusz Lewandowski said yesterday, “More and more, there is a question mark put over the whole 'global warming' as such.”

Talking sense about the Eurozone - it's the French!

2011-06-25T12:52:00.000+01:00

In an op-ed in Le Figaro, Gérard Lafay, Jacques Sapir and Philippe Villin argue: “The time has come for European politicians to face reality: the euro is dying; it needs to be finished off quickly in order to save the Europeans. But it seems appropriate to do it all together in order to avoid a deadly ‘every man for himself’ scenario…For France, the benefits of [eurozone] exit will be immense.”

Democracy? And what's it got to do with the US anyway?

2011-06-24T17:58:00.000+01:00

Ta Nea reports that in 2007 the EU and US sought to suspend Cyprus’ voting rights in the European Council, as punishment following a referendum in which Greek Cypriots rejected the Annan plan for re-unification of the island, according to a Wikileaks cable.
Ta Nea Vima

Reclaiming sovereignty - stop talking and do it!

2011-06-24T17:50:00.000+01:00

Anthony Browne argues: “If Greece wants to renegotiate its treaty obligations to return interest rate setting powers to Athens, why shouldn’t other countries such as Britain throw in their demands?” An editorial in the Spectator notes: “The eurozone experiment is ending. The nation state is back. Britain has much work to do in reclaiming parts of our sovereignty that should never have been surrendered in the first place.”

Betrayed NOT by hereditary peers!!

2011-06-21T18:50:00.000+01:00

The Government has suffered a series of defeats, by a handful of votes, which have significantly weakened the Bill that is designed to prevent the future transfer of significant powers to Brussels without the consent of voters in a referendum.

The group includes former Commissioners Lord Brittan, Lord Mandelson and Lord Kinnock who are all entitled to an annual EU pension of up to £100,000 a year. Open Europe was quoted saying, “It is no surprise that many of the Lords most opposed to giving the British people a say on the future of the EU have close links to the EU institutions and in some cases get EU pensions. It is the EU elite, not the people, who got it wrong on the euro.”
Open Europe blog Mail on Sunday

I do hope so!

2011-06-21T16:07:00.000+01:00

EU Budget Commissioner: EU budget freeze is a threat to European integration
In an interview with Handelsblatt, EU Budget Commissioner Janusz Lewandowski has criticised the UK, Germany and France over their demands to freeze the next long-term EU budget, due to run from 2014 to 2020. “To develop Europe further is impossible on the basis of a frozen budget", he argued, suggesting that this would endanger European integration.
Handelsblatt: Lewandowski