eurealist.co.uk

A letter to the Telegraph; Sir Jeremy Beecham, Leader, Labour Group, Local Government Association, London, SW1″
Telegraph | Opinion | Daily Telegraph letters:

“Sir - Your leading article on the regional assembly referendum (Opinion, Nov 6) reflects upon the irony of the outcome. However, the assertion that the ‘yes’ campaign was supported by local councillors because they would obtain assembly seats and high salaries is somewhat undermined by the fact that only between 25 and 35 assembly places would have been available, and local government re-organisation would have significantly reduced the number of local councillors.

The suggestion that the proposed assembly was a ‘bureaucratic solution’ is also wide of the mark. We have, and now will continue for some time to have, regional government conducted in piecemeal fashion by civil servants, quangos and next-steps agencies appointed by and responsible to ministers, with minimal accountability to the regions they serve. In voting against what they (and you) perceive as bureaucracy, the people of the North East have in fact entrenched it.

Not the case at all Sir Jeremy, the people of the North East have not voted for the present system of EU designated Regional Assemblies, they have massively voted against them, therefore they must be disbanded and the powers they have must be given back to the local councillors who are elected by the people. These Assemblies do not have a democratic right to even exist as another tier of government, or to interfere with elected local councils.

Helen Szamuely
“We seem to have a problem with the Dutch police” read the full post at EU Referendum

As the moves towards integrating security and judicial as well as policing activity across the EU, we should cast a worried look at the activities of the Dutch police. This is rather surprising, as the Dutch authorities are normally seen among the most liberal of the European ones. But liberal is as liberal does. The new “liberal” ideas in Europe resemble what the Americans call “liberal”. In other words, far from the old-fashioned John Stuart Mill type liberalism that emphasises tolerance and individual liberty, it defines what is allowed and what is forbidden in a “liberal” political structure.

Thus, it is “liberal”, “radical” and daring to criticize certain religions, churches and their members but not others. Judaism and, above all, Christianity fall into the first category. Islam into the second. Of course, the fact that those who are deemed to criticize Islam are often murdered by certain illiberal members of that religion, may have something to do with this attitude.

The story concerns the Dutch police, however. On November 2 the Dutch film maker Theo van Gogh was murdered and a Moroccan young man, who lives in the Netherlands has been charged with the murder.

Mandelson to press for EU reforms

Twice sacked Peter Mandelson and now soon to be Britain’s only Commissioner to the EU, Mr Mandelson will tell the CBI conference in Birmingham that the new Commission’s “compelling cause” must be economic reform. Some of the reforms that Mandy might be personally interested in are listed by Martin Cole at Ironies, with a link to the Daily Mail article.

One thing in the article which stood out for me was the comment that;

“Aware that his every word as a Commissioner is bound to be closely studied by pro-and anti-EU factions alike, Mr Mandelson will insist that the UK should not make the mistake of confusing criticism of some European policies with rejection of Europe: “We must never allow the case for reform in Europe to be presented as the case against Europe itself”

I don’t think there is much chance of that, just as is there is not much chance of real reform of the EU, if there were then perhaps we would not be so keen to leave. But the fact remains that even if Mandelson managed to get all the reforms he is advocating, through the labyrinthine policy making system of the EU, it would still be a totally undemocratic, fanatical, prejudiced institution, run by, and for the benefit of a self-selected autocratic elite, who have no understanding or inclination to allow any democratic debate to stand in the way of their own plans for a united Europe under the control of an unelected and unaccountable Eurocracy that has more in common to the old USSR than any democratic nation on earth.

The BBC iCAN

Guide: How to get involved in your regional assembly
So far no one is prepared to say the do want Regional assemblies. This site does have links to the assembly in your own area perhaps we should all write to them as well as the BBC.

Comments on the iCAN site…..

The big con about this is that we have already been foisted with the infrastructure and bureaucracy of regional assemblies. They are already up and running but staffed by placemen and civil servants. The real debate should be about whether or not these assemblies have a point, not whether or not the people should be represented in them.
I doubt we shall see the BBC delivering any programming discussing this issue though.
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The people of England do not want regional assemblies so why do you insist on force feeding us this dead duck? You, the BBC, already mug us annually with your license fee - enough of your New Labour fuelled propaganda!
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Are the BBC’s eyes and ears closed? The NE was chosen as the most likely place to want an elected regional assembly. They overwhelmingly voted against a regional assembly. They speak for the rest of the country WE DO NOT WANT REGIONAL ASSEMBLIES - GET IT!
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What is the BBC doing now except promoting the Government’s agenda against the clearly expressed wishes of the people of England.
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Nobody should be surprised at the depths being plumbed by the BBC in their sycophantic sucking up to their “Fellow Travellers” both in the government and over in Brussels.

The sooner the licence fee is abolished the better.
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I don’t WANT to “get involved” in “my” regional assembly. and neither do the vast majority of the population!
Will you STOP flogging this dead horse.. Its for the knackers yard!
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For goodness sake BBC,despite weeks of bias in favour of a yes vote in the North East;on Look North;National News and any other output which I saw or heard,there has been a decisive NO vote.The only thing left to do with RAs is(to plagiarise Kilroy Silk)Kill them and their
expense.The sooner the better.
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I agree 100% with NNE, Ken & Margaret’s posts.

Wake up & smell the coffee, BBC and Government.
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Shame on you, BBC, for being the mouthpiece of the Government - you used to pride yourselves on your independance.

As for the Government - they have no shame…
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We of the People’s republic of the North East have voted the regional assemlies out. So why have this page?

To inform us of how wonderful 26 people claiming untold expenses and having no powers what so ever. So for those people in doubt about how wonderful regional assemblies are… nearly 700,000 voted against them
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Well, surprise surprise, the BBC now seems to be embarking on a campaign to get us all excited about regional assemblies.

On the day after the landslide rejection of the elected version, up pops a special section on the BBC Online website telling us how the voters can get involved in “your” regional assembly.

As far as the North East is concerned the unelected North East Assembly have already been exposed for misusing public money to campaign for an elected version.

The public in the north east has by a margin of 4 to 1 rejected the idea of an elected assembly and therefore the unelected one has no legitimacy. It is a voluntary body funded by ‘voluntary’ subscriptions from local authorities…and therefore ratepayers.

One would have thought that in a democratic society the voice of the people would be final, obviously, the BBC can not believe in the voice of the people or democracy, as it is now embarking on an exercise to help promote something that the people of England as a whole, have no wish for, do not wish to pay for, and the only region where it was thought these assemblies would be welcome, has voted comprehensively against the proposals.

In 2002 the BBC published a poll which showed that 75% of the people wished for these assemblies, that poll has now been shown to have been exactly the opposite of the people wishes, so the questions needs to be raised why is the BBC now promoting something that is proven to be totally against the wishes of the population of this country?
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The people of the North East have spoken. They do NOT want a Regional Assembly.

It is a dead duck.

Wake up at the BBC.

There are not going to be any Regional Assemblies. The NO group have packed up and gone home, why do you not do the same.