EU and Royal Mail sale

EU and Royal Mail sale
SIR – At this week’s Prime Minister’s Questions, Ann Winterton asked whether “the real reason for part-privatising Royal Mail stems directly from European Union postal legislation”. The answer referred to the Hooper report, which explains that the real reasons for part-privatising [...]

Nailing Jelly and EU Laws

I must confess that I had lost touch with Martin Coles of Ironies Too, I used to read his original Blog Ironies. Here Mr Coles has a blinder, the President of the EU parliament Hans-Gert Poettering, reacting angrily to the perceived insult to the EU metered out by Czech President Vaclav Klaus during his speech [...]

Sea Ice Fact Fiction or Myth

On the 18th Feb George Monbiot wrote about Washington Post`s George Will and his supposed Howlers over Climate Change (I think he means Global Warming) Monbiot says George Will’s latest column in the Washington Post affords us a fascinating insight into how certain climate change myths pass through the media unchallenged.
I came to this [...]

Those who Fought for Freedom

England has for many years been lifting her voice against the abominable practice of negro slavery; numbers of her great men have talked, have laboured, have struggled, until at length emancipation has been granted to her black slaves in the West Indies . When will they dream of advocating the cause of England ’s white [...]

Saving British Farming or not!

Agriculture is being pushed onto the political agenda says Mark Price the Managing Director of Waitrose today in the Telegraph when he writes about farming and local communities:
Many once bustling villages are now empty during the day as their population heads to their jobs in town. Village schools and pubs are closing. So are the [...]

War on Terror or War on Public Freedoms

The Police who have already been harassing not only private photographers but media professionals will no doubt be delighted today to be handed a new tool by a government that does not recognise the concept of individual freedoms.
A new law goes into effect today in the United Kingdom which would make it illegal to [...]

Challenging God is not Atheism

I think atheists are in danger of falling into the trap of allowing theists to define their non belief in a god as being against god. I am an atheist and do not feel that this is a definition of my position. I am not against god, I just do not believe god exists, how [...]

Darwin’s Theory of life the universe and everything else

The comments are not kind to Mr C Booker this morning; I read the piece and found the argument interesting if a little disconcerting.  I found it disturbing for two reasons, although not having studied the intricacies of Darwin’s theory, I have nevertheless accepted the general consensus that life on earth reached its present state [...]

Libertas in more trouble

After a second Libertas politician withdrew his support for the organisation the EU Parliament is to conduct an investigation into the signatures used to try and establish Libertas group as a European political party.
They have already put on hold the payment of €200,000 of our money due to be given to the party.
Estonian MP Igor [...]

When you fool yourself

The snow is a notable event, well actually according to the met office it is ‘extreme snow event’
With the country grinding to a halt under a blanket of around 4 inches of snow it is tempting to ask why such an event as a moderate fall of snow can bring the country to a complete [...]

The Strange Retraction of Peter Jones

I do not often watch BBC News and it was only by accident that I did so on Monday  night when they showed an item about recycling. This item was based on comments made by Peter Jones and I suppose hit the headlines because Jones is a key adviser to environment ministers and the London [...]

Quote

Yesterday I was unable to cross examine the Secretary of State who announced the policy towards the motor industry, as he was in the Lords. More importantly, I was unable to cross examine the architects of the policy, as they were in Brussels.
John Redwood

Gravest of all threat to our National Security

By Anne Palmer 22.1.2009.
It is the EU’s Directive on the identification and designation of European Critical Infrastructure that is the gravest of all threat to our National Security.
An enquiry was held before the Home Affairs Select Committee (20,1,2009) into the arrest of a Conservative frontbencher in November last year.  Home Secretary Jacqui Smith told that [...]

An Exchange of Letters

From Anne Palmer an exchange of letters the constituion
received this reply 29.7.2005.
Dear Ms Palmer,
Thank you for your letter of 8 June regarding the Oath of Allegiance sworn by MP’s.
Members of Parliament are elected to represent their constituents. Having received this democratic mandate, they should not have to take an oath to an unelected institution [...]

Throw Away Lines

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 [...]

Euro-Regionalisation

Savings even less than the £20 million pa, or less than 1p per person per week, previously projected – now it’s only £4.2 million pa = 0.16p per person per week [ca 49 million population as this is for England only] and it may actually cost more. Plus the real prospect of “total project failure” [...]

Juries weighed in the balance and found wanting

Telegraph | Opinion | Juries weighed in the balance and found wanting:
“The collapse of the Jubilee Line corruption trial shows how disastrously wrong jury trials can go when they are badly handled. It should not, though, be used as a stick with which to beat all jury trials, when it comes to the inquiry into [...]

Human Rights Act Removes our Rights

I feel that many will not agree that an international agreement written with the express purpose of protecting human rights could possible be responsible for the removal of rights, how could it be that this is possible.
Well what exactly are basic human rights; traditionally they are controls on those who govern us on their ability [...]

Thank You Mr Scott

Telegraph
Mr Brown would like us to adopt the Second World War spirit, to see the nation through the current crisis. I suspect such a spirit was easier to achieve when the enemy was on the other side.
Peter Scott

One to watch valuable resource

Thanks DK jolly good idea: Good to see THE ROYAL SOCIETY listed early

A MODEST PROPOSAL
These fake fucking charities are springing up left, right and centre: see a pro-state charity quoted in the MSM and the odds are that the “charity” is, in fact, little more than a QUANGO. This fake charity will derive a large [...]

Political Realism

Column One: The ‘realist’ fantasy | Columnists | Jerusalem Post
The reason that the West remains ignorant of the views and goals of the likes of Hamas and Iran is not that the latter have hidden their views and goals. It is because the leading political leaders and foreign policy practitioners in the West refuse to [...]

Libertas

I have deleted the Libertas spam comments
If however you (you know who you are) have a real comment it will be published.

Anti – democratic EU Parliament

Once again I must commend PETER SAIN LEY BERRY for this
article in EUobserver in
which he questions the EU parliaments self chosen role of interfering in the Irish
Referendum, I do not agree with many things this EU supporter has to say, but I
do agree that democracy must be respected. Andrew Duff and friends please take
note! [...]

Banco Santander and the UK’s taxpayers £18 billion

Banco Santander and the UK’s taxpayers £18 billion
We were told by the government and the media that the deposits ofBradford and Bingley along with their branches had been sold to BancoSantander for a positive sum. This was never very likely, as depositsare liabilities. You have to pay someone to take them away.
Indeed, [...]

Wallström on secret visit to Britain

The Daily Mail is the only paper which mentions the secret visit of the EU Propaganda Minister to the working museum of British democracy yesterday. The flying visit was to the Commons European Scrutiny Committee where Mrs Wallström was supposed to answer questions.
All I have to go on is the Daily Mailesque version, which [...]

High Court put hold on Treaty

High Court asks Government to wait for its judgement on the Wheeler case before pressing ahead with ratification of Lisbon Treaty
PA reports that Stuart Wheeler has attacked the Government for proceeding with the final, technical stage of ratification before the outcome of his legal bid to force a referendum. He said it was “disgraceful” [...]

Even the Mad Hatter would know that ‘no’ means…’no’

Even the Mad Hatter would know that ‘no’ means…’no’
Gisela Stuart speaks to The Birmingham Post:

Some straight talking is needed: the treaty is dead and it’s no good trying to bully a country like Ireland.

The referendum result is not a problem for the Irish: it’s a problem for the whole of Europe, because it reflects a [...]

Light relief

Although I am an atheist and do not normally concern myself with religion, I was looking for another blog link to keep company with Cranmer when I found this quote for a post about Halloween on a Witness blog.
 Thank God! I finally woke up to see that Halloween is such a great opportunity for evangelism. [...]

Europe is dead

No only Joking!
Italy appeals to EU over merger and argues that Europe is dead
The French merger of Suez SA and Gaz de France is said to be causing consternation in Italy. An editorial in the WSJ argues that the French “head-on challenge to the single market calls into question the raison d’etre behind the [...]

Tongue in Cheek

Thanks to Dennis Cooper for these two funny letters.
This refers to an article by Bill Jamieson last week: “UK policy chasm: official numbers and the real world”: Link
“Few now believe that the CPI inflation measure bears much relation to the cost of living. Indeed, how could it when the CPI does not include [...]

Letters to the Times

Letters to the Editor
The Times February 23, 2006
Legislative reform Bill grants powers too great for government
Sir, Francis Bennion is right to draw attention in his letter to the failure — of successive governments — to bring forward legislation to implement sensible law reforms recommended by the Law Commission. What needs to be recognised, [...]

Parking Bill of Rights, Magna Carta and the Human Rights Act

This from Neil Herron
Burnley Council … formal letter incorporating the Bill of Rights, Magna Carta and the Human Rights Act
As we now begin to introduce the Human Rights perspective NPAS and DPE is looking very vulnerable indeed.
Legal Department
Burnley Borough Council
Town Hall
Burnley
BB11 1JA
Dear Sir/Madam
I am writing with regard concerning a Final Demand from Drakes Bailiffs, dated [...]

Abolition of Parliament Bill

Who wants the Abolition of Parliament Bill?
David Howarth
Hardly anyone has noticed, but British democracy is sleepwalking into a sinister world of ministerial power.
LAST WEEK all eyes were on the House of Commons as it debated identity cards, smoking and terrorism. The media reported both what MPs said and how they voted. For one week [...]

Blog Repair and a British Constitution

On Saturday I checked into Eurealist and found that the blog had become corrupted, no problem I hear you both cry, just reload your back up copy of the template and you will up and running in no time, A wat! Oh yes, I did back up the template some months ago whoops! [...]

Devolution and EU Regionalisation

A Comment on my deconstruction of Professor Hazels report on The English Question suggests that there is no linkage between the devolution and EU Regionalisation.
I must agree that this is a much argued contention by those who oddly are recipients of EU largess, who œincidentally also support and promote the devolution process, including the [...]

Blair`s Nightmare Government

How I woke up to a nightmare plot to steal centuries of law and liberty
From the Times
By
Daniel Finkelstein
THE POINT IS, I don’t want to seem like a nutter. It’s a very common human emotion, that — not wanting to stand out for thinking something hardly anyone else thinks. Best keep your head down [...]

ID Cards

From the letters page in the Times some voices of concern.
This ID card infringes fundamental freedoms
Sir, Most unusually, you have allowed yourself to be misled by the Government’s spin and misrepresentations concerning the ID Card Bill — principally by swallowing its contention that the privacy concerns of many people in the UK are “in [...]

The English Question

The English Question
Thanks to the Blog Great Britian not Little England for the link to this report from Publius: The Journal of Federalism by Robert Hazell.
Devolution to Scotland and Wales throws up related questions about the government of
England. Does England need to find its own separate political voice? Does England too need devolution? There [...]

A defence of Trial by Jury

Simon Jenkins is again having a go at Trial by jury in the Times today he says;
Jury trial has outlived its usefulness. To pretend that it delivers justice is absurd. This archaic theme park democracy is expensive, a waste of time and adds nothing to fair trial. Abolish it.
He cites as evidence for this [...]

Oath of Allegiance

David Lidington, the Conservative Northern Ireland spokesman, has suggested that The Oath of Allegiance to the Queen sworn by MPs should be reviewed to encourage Sinn Fein to take up their seats in the House of Commons.
This might encourage them to do so but it is doubtful because they do not want Westminster as the [...]

The British Bobby

I wish to make my objection about the the double standards the police are operating.
Thanks EURFERENDUM

The Police attack the Hunting Demo

The Police attack the Hunting Demo

But this man told them to go softly writh this demo

The only people to be arrested at this demo were two men found carrying cartoons of Mohammed. Police said [...]

Isolation or Treason

Quote!
The British problem with our membership of the EU may derive from the curious and tortured circumstances of its birth. But long since, it has taken on a unique life of its own. The dilemma of a British Prime Minister over Europe is acute to the point of the ridiculous. Basically you [...]

Blair Spins on the EU

This from Open Europe
Blair: “the argument in favour of an open Europe is winning”
Tony Blair will give a speech in Oxford this evening which will attempt to defend his EU policies as Prime Minister. It is reported that he will insist that he has achieved his ambition of enhancing Britain’s clout in the EU [...]

That Exit Clause Again

The Europhile spin put on the EU Constitution Exit Clause, would have us all belive that we can not leave the EU at the moment because there is no EU recognised legal apparatus for doing so. The implication being; if we wish to leave the EU then first we must ratify the EU Constitution, [...]

EU Can Not Do Propaganda

Margot Wallstrom the EU propaganda commissioner says that the major goal of the communication activities by the commission is to try to “sell our message.” But then goes on to say “we can not do propaganda.. we shouldn’t be accused of it,”
This is obviously a new EU definition of “Propaganda” they shouldn’t be [...]

A Police State

I noticed this report about the new Animal Welfare Bill, which apparently has cross party support and is expected to return to the floor of the Commons in March in the Times.
It is to be agreed that every domesticated animal will have a code of conduct tailored to their species, each of which is expected [...]

The West Lothian Question

Jeremy Black has a good post about the West Lothian Question on the Social affairs Unit Blog
The West Lothian Question – the fact that, post-devolution, Scottish Westminster MPs can still vote on legislation, on for example health and education, where Westminster legislation does not affect Scotland – could become the key issue at the [...]

EU: Subsidiarity and all that

Lord Vinson asked Her Majesty’s Government:
How many times since its inclusion in the Maastricht Treaty the subsidiarity principle has been used successfully to ensure that powers remain with the United Kingdom and are not transferred to the institutions of the European Union. [HL3469]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman):
Article 5 [...]

A Certain Somthing in the Air

There seems to be a certain theme running through the “middle ground” of political debate in this country, something to do with making us all appreciate being British, or something that something is needed to bring us all together, or as Davis Cameron says “something we all did together” what with Gordon Brown’s flag waving [...]

Gay Marrage Abortion and Euthanasia in the EU

The EU parliament is continuing to push its secular “religion” and for the destruction of the right to object because of religious conviction.
Last weeks report in The Christian Post says that clergymen across the United Kingdom have been left highly concerned by a European Union report which has recommended that clergy not be allowed [...]

And on the Third Day

EU constitution is dead, says Dutch minister,
Federalist hopes of reviving the draft European Union constitution were snuffed out yesterday when the Dutch foreign minister, Bernard Bot, said the treaty was “dead”.
He swept away months of euphemisms and half-truths, as European leaders struggled to avoid being the first to declare an end to the [...]

Freedom of Speech under Threat

Police are targeting Sir Iqbal for his religious beliefs
Sir – I wholeheartedly disagree with Sir Iqbal Sacranie’s views on homosexuality (News, January 12), but I wholeheartedly support his right to express these views on Radio 4 – in a manner that was certainly not “threatening, abusing or insulting”.
Surely the police pursuing him under section 5 [...]

Uniting the People

“We are not making a coalition of States,
but are uniting people.”
[ Jean Monnet, 30 April 1952 ]

What Part of No Do You Not Understand?

From the Open Europe Press summary
Chirac and Merkel at odds over strategy for bringing back EU Constitution
In a speech to French Ambassadors yesterday Jacques Chirac called for parts of the EU Constitution to be cherry-picked and implemented separately. He suggested this could be done on areas such as “internal security and justice, external [...]

Towards a Political Union

Arguing for the return of the EU Constitution has become the objective of the past week or so, ever since the presidency past from Britian to Austria in fact.
Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel told a news conference in Vienna Monday “The constitution is not dead,” “The constitution is in the middle of a ratification process.” Well [...]

The Exit Clause and British Sovereignty

This from appeared in the Scotsman this morning and was sent by e-mail from Dr Cooper with a note above the letter.
Mrs Rolls writes very anti-EU good letters, but I have to disagree with her on this. The editor has deleted “Irrespective of the pretensions of the European Court of Justice” which I had put [...]

Wake up America !

Thanks to Dr Cooper who sent this to me by email and said;
Many people in Washington still haven’t woken up, apparently. Like Mr Pantucci, with his letter in the Independent yesterday.
Business Platform
Washington still blind to true nature of the EU
By : John Blundell
January 08, 2006
HISTORY is little but an inventory of errors. Even the [...]

Row over rigging of BBC poll

The Guardian reports that UKIP have said that they encouraged people to vote for Jose Barroso in the Today programme poll to find the most powerful person in Britain. Ben Jones, of the European Movement is quoted saying, “They’re using neo-con-style tactics – fairly ruthless, almost propagandist means. Politics should be done through rational [...]

Curtailing Religious Rights

EUSURF has just written a post about the pre-Christmas report from The EU Network of Independent Experts on Fundamental Rights, an advisory panel to the EU. In the 40 page document they challenge the right to religious freedom if it conflicts with the European Charta of Fundamental Rights;
Their opinion considered the right to conscientious objection [...]

Regional Police

Again thanks from Dr Cooper the Western Morning News
PRESSURISE YOUR MP OVER REGIONAL POLICE
The purpose of Lindsay Jenkins’ article (December 13) on the shameless bulldozing through of regional police forces by the Government was to explain the real reason for it. Britain is long committed to the EU by treaty to set up full regional [...]

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