eurealist.co.uk

Neil Herron:
“IN discussions about the regional assembly, one important fact is overlooked, namely that an assembly is part of the European Union plan for political integration, and the end of British independence and self-government.
There are three main planks of the EU plan: a single currency, one constitution, and regional assemblies dividing countries. A Committee of the Regions has existed in Brussels for over 40 years, and the regions’ map, carving up Britain, was drawn up in the early 1970s, when John Prescott was working in Brussels. The regions are the same as the European ‘Parliament’ constituencies.
The Committee of the Regions issued a document called ‘Major Steps Towards a Europe of the Regions and Cities in an Integrated Continent’, charting the progress of integration. The committee states: ‘The Europe of Regions is a cornerstone for the political integration of Europe.’
Mr Prescott pretends that having a regional assembly will bring democracy closer to the people. It will do nothing of the sort. It is vital that we in the North-East vote no in the referendum to help preserve our country’s independence. London may be some distance away, but Brussels is much further; we have no say in the election of those bureaucrats.
- Michael Rollings, Stamfordham”

form Neil Herron.
but enough about the Deputy Prime Minister…the No Campaign White Elephant is still going strong. In the analysis, and depending on the size of the No vote, full scrutiny of Prescott’s decision to go ahead with the referendum despite the lack of demand (evidence from the Soundings Exercise) will show that this whole charade, including the cancelling of the referendums in Yorkshire and the North West, has been a gross abuse and waste of more than £10m of public money. £10m of public money abused in an attempt to fulfil one man’s dream. A dream that is about to turn into a nightmare of Elm Street proportions.

Never wanted, nor asked for by the people of the region the dog’s breakfast of an idea of creating an institution containing more expensive politicians at a time when people are disengaged from party politics was a loser from the start.
Over the past few days we have witnessed a very subdued and demoralised Prescott. The desperate attempts to drag senior politicians to the region has failed. The desperate attempts to rally the union and Labour Party membership to vote has failed. The biggest turnout figures so far are in the sceptic areas and they will be an emphatic ‘No.’

Let us hope that in the analysis of the result there will be a full post mortem of the biggest political con trick ever foisted on the North East public…and complicit in this will be the BBC with their poll headline from 2002 which said that 72% of the people in the North East want an elected assembly, and the Electoral Commission with countless examples of their incompetence.

The BBC Poll was the most deceitful piece of journalism in this whole charade, and they have a lot to answer for. They have tried to distance themselves from it since. What they did not reveal was that 86% of those questioned had little or no idea what an elected regional assembly was. They were led by the pollster, “It will give your region a greater voice in Westminster and Brussels.” That is where the 72% figure came from, and this was even before the White Paper detailing any of the powers. To read the BBC headline at the time click here.

The Electoral Commission will be exposed as nothing more than toothless, inept Government puppets and their decision on designation the most bizarre of all.
Hopefully there will be more than us preparing an analysis of their catalogue of errors, and it is important that this is done because the integrity of our democratic process is at stake and the belief that the Electoral Commission are in any way effective needs to be shattered.

But the truth will come out, and it is important that it does so well in advance of the referendum on the European Constitution (if we ever have one).

It is often the throw away lines that say the most, in case you think I am nit picking, I suppose I am, but I do get annoyed at the simple acceptance of basically untrue assertions, which gain the veneer of truth just by the process of repeating them often enough.

What has got under my skin this morning is a report By Lisbeth Kirk for EUOBSERVER on a poll conducted by Catinét Research and published by Danish Radio.

The poll shows that over half of the Danish people (54 percent) back the European Constitution, while only 17.4 percent would vote ‘no’ if a referendum were held today. But that is not annoying me, it was the throw away line at the end of Lisbeth Kirk`s report.

“Denmark is set to vote on the Constitution in a referendum along with ten other EU countries, while other EU countries will leave the decision to their parliaments”.

So the people in the other 15 EU states are happy to “leave” the decision to their parliaments, I would like to know how Lisbeth arrived at this conclusion? Have there been polls conducted in those states, to ascertain the wishes of the people on this matter. Not that polling is any replacement for democracy; it is more accurately, a sop to a basically undemocratic process, where ever it is used by politicians to inform their decisions. Polling puts the control of the outcome in the hands of those asking the questions, but that is a different matter.

In fact, I do not believe that any polling has taken place in those 15 states to ask the people, who will have to live under the rules of this Constitution, if they are happy to leave the decision to their parliaments. So would it not be more honest to say; the others states parliaments have decided not to ask their citizens, and will therefore make the decision themselves, without allowing their people a voice, this is much nearer the truth of the matter.

Were we in Britain happy to let our parliaments take the decisions they have, without asking us? Not as I recall, we were simply not allowed to stand in the way of the executive decision to go ahead and sign our sovereignty away. We have not had a voice in these matters since 1975 when we had the chance to decide if we wanted to stay in the EEC a simple trading group.

For anyone to now say that the British people have been happy to see the increase in rule from Brussels is a travesty of the truth, for anyone to suggest that because the Maastricht Treaty gave us citizenship of the EU, we accept that state of affairs, is a travesty. Because they did not give us the chance to accept or reject any of this, they cannot turn round now and say but this was decided a long time ago, there is nothing new in the Constitution it is just a tidying up exercises. The British people have never been asked if we want the EU to become our government if we want to cease to be British and become instead “EUropians”.

Of course they are not asking this question now, they are only asking us if we are prepared to accept this particular Constitution, and only that because there was a massive citizen based movement against allowing our parliament to ratify the Constitution without first consulting the people.

Isn`t it interesting that the EU which is totaly undemocratic and could not give a damn about what the people think, should be concernerd about fair elections.

EUobserver.com

EU urges fair elections in Ukraine

02.11.2004 - 17:30 CET | By Andrew Beatty

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – Following the first round of Ukraine’s presidential elections on Sunday, the EU has urged improvements when the country goes back to the polls in three weeks time.

European observers pointed to flaws in the electoral process after Sunday’s vote which saw government-backed Viktor Yanukovych edge ahead of opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko.

Observers from the Council of Europe and the OSCE said that the conditions of the vote did not meet normal democratic standards, citing examples of media restrictions and fraud.