Derek Bennett The Euro Sceptic

WE CAN LEAVE THE EU

2012-02-08T11:14:00.004Z

If you have a spare fiteen minutes or so, this video, put together by UKIP MEP Trevor Colman and his team is very informative.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE VETO?

2012-02-02T09:55:00.003Z

Nigel Farage, the active leader of UKIP and Member of the sham European Parliament, lets rip again. Well worth watching.

IN MY DREAMS

2012-02-01T11:46:00.003Z

Derek Bennett, dreaming of an end to road tolls.

Since October 2011, when the office I work in moved from Birmingham to Hampton in Arden, I changed from pounding up, or rather crawling up, the M6 every day to using the train.

The office move meant an extra 30 miles travelling a day, if I had driven my journey from home in Walsall to Hampton would have risen from a twenty mile round trip to fifty miles there and back. Now I get in the car, tootle three miles to the station where there is free parking, and when buying my single train ticket I flash my Senior Rail card, which all old farts over 60 such as myself can purchase, and travel to Hampton for the grand total of £2.45. I travel home for free with my senior bus pass which can be used on all local transport after 9.30 am.

I boast about this so much to those less fortunate who have to pay the full, over-priced, charge, that I have even had a dream about being on a train and telling all about the wonders of my Senior Rail card and bus pass – how sad is that!

What is even sadder is the cost of driving, which of course I still do as man cannot travel by public transport alone. For those who think the cost of petrol is a rip-off, then you should look at the price of diesel which many of us who drive diesel cars have to pay – it is eye wateringly expensive. The one good thing about driving in Britain was the fact we could use our roads for free as long as we had up to date car insurance, MOT and road fund licence – that was until a British Government decided to comply with the EU’s Ten-T project and make our much needed M6 Northern Relief road, which was planned to take a great deal of pressure of the heavily congested M6 around Walsall and Birmingham, especially between junction 9 to the M54, into a toll road.

Naturally, this means that drivers are being asked to pay again, now quite substantially, to use a road their taxes have already paid for. Also naturally, drivers decided they paid more than enough in fuel duty, which has the insult of VAT on top of it making it a tax upon a tax, so they refused to use it and the road operators failed to generate the revenue they need so they put their prices up, which meant that those that did use it decided enough was enough and a number moved over to the congested M6.

Because the M6 toll has been such a flop the Government then had to spend £millions upgrading the M6 around Walsall, and soon to spend £millions more on the congested stretch from the M42 to junction nine. If the M6 toll had been a proper relief road and not tolled, then our taxpayer’s money would not have been needed for these M6 improvements.

Now our West Midlands UK Independence Party MEP, Mike Nattrass, has called for the M6 Toll to be nationalised following an announcement that charges to use the road are to rise again from the 1st March.

Mike, who is a member of the EU’s Transport & Tourism Committee, has called on the Government to buy back the M6 Toll and put it back into public ownership following news that charges to use the under-utilised 27-mile long route are to be hiked despite new figures showing the number of vehicles using the road had fallen by more than 10 per cent.

Midland Expressway Ltd (MEL), the company that runs the Toll, has announced that car drivers will be charged £5.50 (up 20p) and lorry drivers be have to fork out £11 (a rise of 40p) to use the route from March 1.

These rises will be implemented despite new figures revealing that more and more motorists are avoiding the route and the escalating toll charges. Data produced by MEL reported average daily traffic was 34,286 between October and December 2011 compared with 38,405 during the same period in 2010.

Commenting on these traffic figures and the forthcoming toll increases, Mike Nattrass said it was time for the Government to take action and nationalise the road.

He said: “The M6 Toll, which was designed to be a relief road, has been an abject failure. Figures show fewer and fewer vehicles are using this road but despite this trend MEL, which posted £49 million losses last summer, will be hitting motorists with increased toll charges from March.

“More and more money is being put into expensive upgrades to the M6 as a consequence of M6 Toll’s failure.

“Despite this failure, the EU wants to repeat the mistake elsewhere in this country by extending the toll network under its European Electronic Toll Service (EETS) Directive.

“It is time for the Government to step in, buy back the road and put it back into public ownership. This costly white elephant should be put out of its misery for the good of motorists and the West Midlands region as a whole.

“Our roads should be free to use and remain in public ownership. It is time for the Government to act. What is the value of a road that makes a loss?”

Every evening when I step off the train, I look over to the congestion on the motorway nearby where the M5 and M6 join and think, I’m glad I’m not sitting in that lot – I wonder if I will dream about that to? I certainly dream about the M6 toll being free to use and our Walsall congestion reduced.

A BIG PLACARD FOR LORD HYPOCRITE

2012-01-30T11:45:00.007Z

Peers campaigning for the truth about the EU, Lords Stoddart and Pearson.

There are a handful of Peers in the House of Lords who have been relentless in their pursuit against the injustice of our EU membership. Lord Stoddart, who was at one time a Labour Member of Parliament and later a Labour Peer, until he lost the Labour Whip, is one such person, another who works with him is the one time Conservative, now UKIP Peer, Lord Pearson of Rannoch.

Lord Pearson has pressed relentlessly for a cost benefit annalist of our membership of the EU – no Government has ever dared go there as they know the costs of EU membership will be drastically be outweighed by any illusory benefits – they just repeat the brain dead mantra that we have to be in the EU for its benefits but never explain what they are.

Because of Lord Pearson’s relentless terrier type biting at the heels of Government, trying to get a glimmer of truth, he has become the target of that old hypercritical windbag, Lord Kinnock. I say hypercritical because this is the Lord who once stated he would not accept a Peerage or other such “trinkets”. This is also the man who once stated he was opposed the EU then finished up as highly paid EU Commissioner with the job of eradicating fraud in the EU, then told Marta Andreasen to keep quiet when she reported fraud to him because he thought it did not look good for the EU. This too is the man who’s wife, also now in the House of Lords, was a MEP along with other of his family members doing very nicely out of the EU thanks to their well paid EU jobs.

This then is also the man who recently stood up in the House of Lords and stated: "My Lords, in the interests of equipping members of this noble House, can the Government arrange for the provision to the noble Lord, Lord Pearson of Rannoch, of a sandwich board with, "The end of the world is nigh" written on one side and, "Stop the world, I want to get off" on the other? Is it not true and does the Minister agree that the United Kingdom's best interests are in remaining a strong member of a modernising European Union in order that we can effectively deal with what the noble Lord, Lord Pearson, calls "the countries of the future"-notably those in Latin America, China and India? They really respect and take us seriously because we are participants in the EU."

It is interesting that one of Lord Pearson’s other campaigns is for those Peers, such as Lord Kinnock, who are on quite sizeable EU pensions, to have to declare an interest in the EU when taking part in debates on our involvement of the European Union, as do other members of the Lords who have financial interests regarding matters being debated. The likes of Kinnock, his other half, Lord Brittan and others who will lose their big fat EU pensions if the UK did the right thing and left the constraints of EU membership, do not have to declare they have a financial interest in ensuring the UK remains trapped in the EU.

Maybe Lord Hypocrite should also have a placard with the words: 'Totally biased in favour of the EU' on one side with a total figure of who much money he has earned from the EU on the other – it would need to be a big placard!

NO2 EU TROJAN HORSE

2012-01-27T12:00:00.002Z

Although the problem of identity cards being inflicted upon the people of the UK has faded away to some degree, the organisation set up to campaign against this assult upon our liberty, No2ID, is still going strong and actively campaigning against other attacks against our freedom and the growth of the data-base state

It has recently reported in a press release that new data protection rules must not be Trojan Horse for yet more data sharing. No2ID has warned that the EU has announced proposals for sweeping changes to data protection law, with a common regulatory framework to apply to the whole continent. Campaign group NO2ID urged caution.

The plans (which may take three years to come into effect and will evolve before they do), make much of stiffer penalties for lost data. But NO2ID points out gains for individuals are limited, while the streamlined‟ regulations could readily lead to more use of personal information – by governments as well as corporations.

Guy Herbert, NO2ID‟s national coordinator, said:
“There‟s much that sounds good in these proposals, but we need to be careful. This is not a privacy law. Small improvements in individual rights are offset by an urge to „boost the digital economy‟ – that is, sell your life – and to make life easier for bureaucrats.

“In particular, the new huge penalties for commercial cock-ups are a distraction. They are the rarity. It is the routine, lawful, intentional, possibly even competent, trafficking in personal information that we have to worry about. More data protection won‟t protect your data from the prying eyes of the database state.”

OCH AYE OLD CHAP

2012-01-23T13:54:00.002Z

Alex Salmond, the SNP’s rather self important leader, has received a bit of a blow for his mission to create what he misleadingly calls an ‘Independent Scotland’, which as we all know, in reality, will be an EU subservient region, as previously reported on this blog. The blow for him has come from a surprising quarter, the Spanish.

It seems the Spanish government is extremely worried that if Scotland has its referendum and votes for complete independence, this may encourage those in the Spanish Basque and Catalonian regions call for the same thing. Because of this the Spanish government will block an independent Scotland becoming a member of the EU as a warning to its own independently minded regions. It is seriously worried about the breakup of Spain and thinks Scottish independence could set a precedence for Catalonia and the Basque region.

If Scotland does vote for independence, it really may mean independence as it will be free of the EU as well. Salmond and his pro-EU partners won’t see this as a good thing as it will be hankering after EU handouts to survive. Scotland currently gets a large subsidy from the British Government as well as EU structural funds, which is a large part of British contributions too.

This poses an interesting scenario, by wanting independence for Scotland, Alex Salmond may not only get the sort of independence free of the EU he did not expect, he may find a sudden large influx of English migrating north of the border to live in a fully EU free Scotland. To be free of being governed by the English they may find Scotland inundated with them.

This possible influx could also be the saving of Scotland as they will want to buy, update and build property, which would create jobs, many may close their businesses in an EU dominated England and move north to Scotland, which may realise what a good thing it has with real independence and scrap the mass of EU bureaucracy that blights businesses and manufacturers in the EU. Scotland could have a major resurgence if Spain sticks to its claim that it will block Scotland’s EU membership. It is a thought, but a large part of England’s wealth could move north. The Scottish could have a new saying: ‘Och aye old chap’.

THE EU'S MEANINGLESS SQUIGGLES

2012-01-20T14:35:00.004Z

My favourite London underground station, if anyone can have such a thing, is Westminster station. As you leave the station and climb the few steps to exit the station there facing you is the full majesty of our sovereign Houses of Parliament with St Stephens Tower reaching up before you. This is the tower which houses the clock and Big Ben.

To me it is a wonderful sight every time I leave that station, I don’t think I can ever tire of it, the Palace of Westminster is a wonderful building both inside and out. Tourist flock to it from all parts of the world and have their photos taken outside, nearly every photo album across to world probably has a photo of a family member grinning in front of Parliament with, what everyone calls Big Ben (St Stephens Tower), growing out of their head.

When it was deemed we needed a new design to replace the old Houses of Parliament, which had been damaged by fire, a competition was organised for the best design which was won by Charles Barry, with influence from Pugin. Each competitor in the design competition had an individual logo and Charles Barry’s logo was the Portcullis, which became the symbol of Parliament – that logo is an iconic symbol of our Houses of Parliament and used on all the headed paper of our Members of Parliament It is in green for the Commons and red for the Lords. Now a twit has decided the Portcullis symbol is not right as he thinks it is seen by the public as a gate to keep them out.

This twit is Dr Jonathan Drori, who is the chairman of the Speaker’s Advisory Council on Public Engagement. Obviously having John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons, who is a twit of great renown, obviously helped Dr Dori get his job – these two must have been made for each other.

Dr Drori considers the Portcullis logo to be “hardly welcoming” and decided Parliament “can be a very intimidating place”. He thinks the “iconography” of Parliament puts people off. He also thinks that a new visitor’s centre and welcoming signs would make the members of public more at home.

The only thing that can be deduced from all of this is the fact our Parliament is now so hamstrung and subservient to the EU it should turned into a play area where tourist and visitors can do the Parliament thing.

The Portcullis symbol has served Parliament well, we take one look at it and it means something, it is protective and stands firm. When an envelope with the portcullis symbol on it comes through a person’s letter box it has authority and importance. It should not be relegated to the history books and replaced by some meaningless modern squiggles, which is rather like the EU Commissions new logo which has cost us all a fortune to design.

This meaningless design, which the EU Commission squandered £112,000 of taxpayers’ money on, has a few squiggly lines on the top, a block of blue on the bottom and in a box with the EU’s noose of gold stars, the words ‘European Commission’ – I’m sure we are all thrilled to have spent so much money on this!

If we want our own Parliament in Westminster to mean something and for its Portcullis symbol to stand proud, then we have to leave the EU and its meaningless squiggles.

THE COALITION'S PROGRAM FOR GOVERNMENT, BY ANNE PALMER

2012-01-20T09:32:00.003Z

Anne Palmer, warns of the transfer of sovereignty to the EU.

These two paragraphs below are acknowledged as Crown Copyright from the Coalition’s program for Government. Chapter 13: Europe.

“The Government believes that Britain should play a leading role in an enlarged European Union, but that no further powers should be transferred to Brussels without a referendum. This approach strikes the right balance between constructive engagement with the EU to deal with the issues that affect us all, and protecting our national sovereignty”.

“We will ensure that there is no further transfer of sovereignty or powers over the course of the next Parliament. We will examine the balance of the EU’s existing competences and will, in particular, work to limit the application of the Working Time Directive in the United Kingdom”. End of quotes.

We have read recently of the Government’s acceptance of a full speed ahead with HS2. Yet, not one word from our Government or explanation that the HS2 is part of the EU’s Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) Policy. Although I have written about this before, I did not emphasize just how, in accepting this EU project, it is transferring ever more masses of UK Sovereignty to the European Union. In the acceptance of this EU Legislation our politicians are allowing the European Union to dictate what we must do on our land, sea, and air. All of which so many people fought so very hard to prevent in the 1939-1945 war, when the people of every age-yes even children- fought so hard for this once sovereign Country to remain forever FREE FROM FOREIGN RULE.

All that I write of today, is meant to be the permanent transfer of UK Sovereignty to the European Union if this legislation goes its full course, World Maps will be changed to show these permanent changes. There must be a referendum-yes, the promised referendum on this matter whether to remain in the EU or become a free country once again.

The proposed “Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) Policy.” High Speed 2 (HS2) is the first part of TEN-T this Government seems to be going ahead with. It gives to the EU, UK Sovereignty (The Authority) to decide what the United Kingdom must have on our British land, from the South Coast all the way eventually to Scotland. Whether we want it or not, or whether we can afford it or not.

Another part of this TEN-T is the transfer of Sovereignty over our sky (Air Traffic Control/Air Traffic Management). Basically each separate Country has its own Air Traffic Control and that is as it should be for they understand one another. They get to know each others ways and voices and they know their own Country well. However, part of the TEN-T is the permanent transfer of Sovereignty over national air space for the EU’s Single European Sky. (A direct transfer of Sovereignty). There is absolutely no need at all for this-just giving power, control and sovereignty permanently to the EU when there is absolutely no need at all. (Below is an interesting Address re American Traffic Controller)

A High Level Conference on the implementation of the Single European Sky and its extension beyond the European Union took place in Warsaw, 28 November 2011, so without doubt the “Single European Sky” is very much still on the agenda and also, if this Coalition Government believes that it is right to give Sovereignty over our airspace to the EU, then there MUST be the promised referendum on each and every part of TEN-T for each gives away UK Sovereignty to the EU forever. Not only is it a great loss of UK Sovereignty, but it is given by a very temporary Coalition Government. What price “No Government shall Bind” eh? Many more people now recognise the fact that all three major political Parties want to remain in the European Union. They want our votes and they want our taxes for their pay and for contributions to the EU for they want foreigners to govern this Country forever. The people cannot allow that to happen because this Country’s Constitution forbids it and our Governments sworn Oath of Allegiance is to the British Crown and through the Crown to all the people in this land.

I now pose a few questions, for there different ways of looking at this. Will there be one Central Traffic Control? Air Traffic Management? Or would traffic controllers be simply taken under the wings of the European Union directly? What if a war broke out between EU Countries? Think it can’t happen? There was never going to be a second World War, but it came, didn’t it? We have already witnessed the ‘treatment’ when some-one says, ‘No’. So! What is the next step? Fisticuffs? Noted that in 2012 the EU is to integrate Air Traffic into CO² EU ETS perhaps through the great extra expense, most will join the Single EU Sky?

Finally, the great PERMANENT transfer of our SEAS and PORTS to the European Union for their “Motorway in the Sea”. I say permanent because World Maps will have to be changed to reflect this, for the Law of the Sea covers the World. This would be a terrible and tragic permanent loss of national Sovereignty.

We, in this Country of ours, are now being asked to give up sovereignty of our seas and oceans to the European Union. No, that is not quite right is it because we are not being asked at all on any of this tremendous permanent loss of sovereignty that our temporary Government is so casually giving away, for we are paying financially very dearly to “give it away”. We will always be paying dearly for the loss of freedom to govern ourselves. Why are our own politicians so eagerly destroying our country? For the creation of one great State of European Union? To let them have all that is in the Sea, that sails on it and the resources, known and unknown above and below the Sea bed? Lost ships and submarines etc, to the EU and yes, all the way down to the Falkland Islands. The bounty that maybe off the shores of that Island. I emphasize here how important it is that we maintain total sovereignty over our seas and oceans. Remember what previous British Governments did in giving the EU our fishing grounds?

We were not allowed a referendum on that because we did not know about it at the time, plus remember we were told “there would be no loss of essential Sovereignty” by one once highly thought of elected Prime Minister. Sadly, it was many, many years after that the people found out just how many MP’s in those days lied about the European Economic Community. Yes! We foolishly trusted them.

The EU’s Motorway in the Sea means giving British Sovereignty over our Ports and Seas so that EU ships can “come and go” without asking permission. Question: Will our ships become EU ships too?

Perhaps we will all feel closer to the continent just as if the water between us was indeed a river and we are as one complete State? Is this what this is all about? Creating one beautiful (in EU eyes) State called the European Union?

None of this has happened yet, except a commitment by our present Prime Minister for the EU’s HS2, without his asking the people of this Country. He apparently dare not ask the people because he fears the answer would be a definite “NO”, so WHY has he decided to “go it alone”? It is indeed time to hold a referendum on an “In” or “Out” of the European Union? Is there anyone that has any confidence left in this Coalition Government?

To be tied into the European Union for ever or be free to have our own Government governing us by our own Common Law Constitution once again? For the first time in more than thirty years in the General election of May 2010 there was no single-party majority. After five days of negotiations between political parties, asking one Party and then going to the other political party, a national coalition government was formed for the first time since the Second World War.
There is no way can either Political Party fulfil their proposals or promises either Party made before the General election that people voted for them for. The people have every right to feel cheated. Would anyone that voted for the Conservatives wanted any policies of the LibDems? Yet to keep the LIBDEMS on board the Coalition, it seems to the people the LIBDEMS have more powers. This emphasizes that a coalition government's programme, drawn up after an election, cannot have the same mandate as a party manifesto which is available to the people before they vote.

It certainly does not escape me or many others I suspect, that the coalition lacks a popular mandate because it was created after the general election and therefore the electorate had absolutely no opportunity to vote on it. It is no wonder the people are feeling the anger at all the changes that are being introduced that seem to have just “come out of thin air” and never been heard of before. It does not escape me either that all legislation should be in keeping with our Common Law Constitution. The dividing of ENGLAND into EU Regions was certainly not.

Although there have been coalition Governments previously, the only time I remember different Political Parties working together successfully was during the last war but there was indeed a true and perhaps at times ruthless remarkable leader and most British Politicians then were fighting the same fight as were the people-fighting for freedom from foreign rule. More people now are realising that ALL three major Political Parties want to remain in the European Union. Could this lead to yet another Coalition Government? It will if UKIP does not get its message across that it wants freedom from foreign rule.

Just how much longer can the people, in these hard times, afford to continue paying for a Government that can no longer govern? That borrows more and more money putting us all in debt, just so that the European Union can continue to govern us all? Exactly how many Billions of British pounds have we given to the European Union? Has it not dawned on every Country in the EU that they simply cannot afford financially to keep giving an outside Organisation billions of pounds each and every year?

How many people are losing their jobs and some their homes yet continue to pay through their taxes for two very full Houses in our Parliament that can no longer govern this Country according to our long standing Common Law Constitution?

For any British Government to give British sovereignty over our land, sea and air to foreigners is the greatest betrayal of all when for their freedom, so many in a previous generation gave their lives for our freedom to govern ourselves- today. Anne Palmer. 19.1.2012.

Some useful links:
American Air traffic Controllers http://www.faa.gov/jobs/job_opportunities/airtraffic_controllers/ EUROCONTROL Medium-Term Forecast October 2011 Flight Movements2011 – 2017 Really up to date http://www.eurocontrol.int/statfor/gallery/content/public/forecasts/Doc442-MT-Flights-Sep11-v1.0.pdf

Chancellor Merkel urges implementation of Single European Sky http://presse.lufthansa.com/fileadmin/downloads/en/policy-brief/12_2011/LH-PolicyBrief-December-2011-News-1.pdf

High Level Conference on the Implementation of the Single European Sky and its extension beyond the European Union Warsaw, 28 November 2011.
http://www.eurocontrol.int/sites/default/files/content/documents/events/111128-ses-hlc-warsaw-declaration.pdf

Background on the Single European Sky http://www.sesarju.eu/about/background

Oceans and Law of the Sea
http://www.un.org/depts/los/index.htm
http://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/convention_overview_convention.htm

A WELCOME TO THE PRESIDENT

2012-01-18T09:45:00.004Z

Since the posting below, as expected the rabid EU fanatic, Martin Schultz, has been elected as the new President of the European Partiament. Watch Nigle Farage, the UKIP leader, welcome him to the post in his usual style.

MR PRESIDENT

2012-01-16T14:09:00.005Z

In the once democratic British Parliament, which was a democratic institution, until the day the UK joined the Common Market and granted this new unelected authority the power to override British law in the 1972 European Communities Act, we have a Speaker who presides over the Parliamentary debates. However, in the not really democratic EU version, the European Parliament, the roll of Mr Speaker is taken by the President of the Parliament who oversees the speaking time slots - they can't be called debates as each speaker has an allotted and limited speaking time.

The current and outgoing President is Jerzy Buzek, who is Polish, his replacement looks set to be the EU fanatical Socialist, Martin Schulz. He has contempt for democratic referendums and nation states. Although he makes many statements which oppose and undermine democracy yet he calls himself a democrat. He also has an unfortunate habit of inferring that anyone who opposes the EU is a Fascist, whilst at the same time gets very upset when he is called a Fascist due to his intolerance of the opinions of others.

UKIP leader, Nigel Farage, has said of him: "Martin Schulz started forming his cabinet six months ago. This shows the whole European Parliament election as the farce it is. It's a done deal, an agreed stitch-up already.

Only the European Parliament or a third world country would have someone of Martin Schulz's temperament or calibre as President.

I expect UKIP members to make political capital out of the snarling angry manner of Herr Schulz if he is elected President of the EP."

Below is a list of the rants of Martin Schultz who looks certain to be the Mr President of the European Parliament. If this is the sort of man the EU chooses then we should all live in fear of our freedoms and democracies.

Contempt for the Nation State

"My position is that I am a completely convinced European, in favour of European integration. We cannot continue to cling to the idea of the Nation State. We must develop a transnational level to be able to face the challenges of the 21st. century.
We need to add to what the Nation States do. There are challenges which the Nation States cannot meet............we have to stand together as a United Continent. The Nation State has reached its limit....the Nation State economy reached its limit thirty years ago. We must have strong institutions to protect our future..................

"If you look at the economic relationship and the political relationship between the EU and China, you can see clearly that only as a common Europe and only by surrendering a certain amount of Sovereignty to the European level can we stand and face countries such as China."

Admits he is difficult to live with

"I am difficult to live with. You must assume I will not be an easy partner. I will fight for my convictions wherever I am working. "

- and will not change, even as EP President

"I am as I am - you may rely on it - I will not change.

I have contempt for people who change identity and behaviour according to the position they occupy."

Will run EP with same rigidity as he runs Socialist Group.

"You must assume that I will, would run the European Parliament with the same rigidity that I run my political group."

No opposed to unfair over runs in EP speaking time.

Challenged about speaking time and the suggestion that the Left gets an easier run than the Right if a speaker overuns:

"I do not agree the Left gets more - I would be happy! - we are the majority though so you would understand that I won't be against the President being more generous with a larger group. The same would apply to the EPP."
(Alll spoken to Europe of Freedom and Democracy Group in European Parliament, Strasbourg 12th December 2011. Recorded.)

Calls Dutch MEP who asked Barroso to publish his expenses "fascist"

Schulz called Dutch MEP, Daniël van der Stoep, a 'fascist' for asking Barroso to publish details of his expenses accounts in 2010 . There was once a video on YouTube but is has since been removed. It's a shame, because it would make Martin Schulz's denial a lot less believable.

Could only find reference to incident http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HocWojKGS7A 24th Nov 2010
http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/wilders-party-attacking-euro-parliament-within

During a plenary session in Strasbourg on 9 March, Mr Schulz clashed bitterly with Freedom party MEP Daniël van der Stoep over European Commission President José Manuel Barroso’s expenses claims. “700,000 euros a year in expenses, that’s nearly 2000 euros a day,” Mr Van der Stoep calculated for his audience of MEPs.
Fascist
“Fascist,” came the furious response from Mr Schulz, directed at the Freedom Party MEPs. “Schulz has his eyes on better jobs in the future, so he’s standing up for Barroso,” says Mr Van der Stoep, “but it’s completely ridiculous to call me a fascist. And in a discussion about expenses claims too.”

Mr Schulz was quick to defend himself. “I didn’t call Van der Stoep a fascist, but the British politician who supported him. He called me ‘Führer’, and it was only then I called him a fascist.”

Schulz was called an "undemocractic fascist" by Godfrey Bloom MEP

Martin Schulz shot to fame in Britain last year when UKIP MEP Godfrey Bloom repeated a Nazi slogan at him, and then accused him of acting like a 'undemocratic fascist.' Bloom was then escorted from the chamber and evicted by a parliamentary vote.
( EP 24th November 2010).

On Democracy.

Likings those who call for referendums on Lisbon Treaty to Hitler

"During the the time of the Weimar Republic there was a strategy which is to shout against your political opponents. And it was Adolf Hitler who did that as well, and that is the way I felt today actually." (EP 12th December 2007)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_27959&v=QVeMBNB0cII&feature=iv&src_vid=m3Oy-ftFO5I (at 2.35)

Calls on opponents to resign

On Nigel Farage's Van Rompuy Remarks http://www.redicecreations.com/article.php?id=10011
Socialist leader Martin Schulz said
"I am very disappointed with you Mr Buzek. I expected you as president to call this person to order. It is not right that this man should be able to trample over the dignity of this House."
.....and Joseph Daul, (EPP President) it is not just a case of allowing the UK to leave the EU"it would be better for Mr Farage to resign if the European EU and the European Union are such bad things in his eyes. " (After Nigel Farage's speech to European Council President Hermann Van Rompuy).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViPm0GUxw-M&feature=related 3 min
Farage response: You may not like what I say, but just consider your behaviour - You after the Irish people in a referendum voted 'No' said that our Group had opened, by supporting the 'no' vote, that we opened the door to fascism. You said that we had behaved as a group in the Parliament like Hitler and the Nazis in the Reichstag. We have been called by Danny Cohn Bendit "mentally weak". It can't be one way.
EP 24th February 2010

Schulz was called a Kapo, (SS Corp Prison Camp officer ) by Italian Prime Minister Berlesconi in July 2004 after he made insulting personal remarks to the Italian Primeminister (on political immunity) who refused to withdraw his remarks unless he received an apology from Martin Schulz.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ib6mr_opng&feature=related
Berlesconi said: "Mr Schulz, I know that in Italy, there is a producer who is making a film about Nazi concentration camps, I will suggest you for role of Kapo. "
Berlesconi called the EP for its treatment of him as President of the European Council as "tourists of Democracy".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMxPvcMIhg0&feature=related (at 5.30 min)

Contempt for NO vote in Irish Lisbon referendum
Following Ireland’s referendum rejection of the Lisbon Treaty, Martin Schulz, German leader of the Socialists in the European Parliament, expressed his dismay.
‘We must recognise that there was once a time when the pro-European movement had a heart and soul … this was after the war, when Europe’s peacemaking mystique melded people together. Now, it is the anti-Europe movement which has the heart and soul’, he said in Strasbourg on 18 June 2008.

‘You can see that they are extremely active. They raced round Ireland, climbed staircases, rang doorbells, canvassed and distributed their campaign materials. They were in evidence everywhere’, he said.
This situation, the German warned darkly, could lead to the rise of fascism. ‘Where is the passion that we once had? The passion has migrated to the other side, the side which speaks ill of Europe, on the right wing of the political spectrum. It lies with those who speak ill of Europe, and who do so simply because they are afraid.
In Europe, however, this mixture of social decline and fear has always opened the door to fascism’ EP 18th June 2008
Referendums not a good idea.

Martin Schulz, PSE: “...But allow me if you will to say something about democracy. Farage belongs to a group that’s always going on about legitimacy via referendum, but he ignores the fact some countries have no tradition of such a vote where international treaties are concerned, and he maintains parliamentary ratification is less valid than a referendum. I don’t think that’s acceptable. There’s a nation that’s outside the EU, has no tradition of referendums, but is nonetheless very democratic. It’s called America.

Germany has no tradition of holding referendums, and I’ll tell you why. In Germany I have always been against them. Imagine if enlargement had been subject to… maybe you should listen first and laugh afterwards. Imagine if Germany had held referendums on Polish, Czech or other new memberships. I don’t think it would have been a good idea if Germany had held European enlargement hostage to referendums. The ratification in both houses of the German parliament was absolutely democratic. My last comment Mr. Farage is there were four referendums on the Constitution. one in the Netherlands, lost, one in France, lost, and two others. In Spain 72 percent voted ‘yes’, and in Luxembourg the ‘yes’ vote was 60 percent. In all the countries that held referendums the majority voted for the Constitution. Do you respect that democracy?”

Nigel Farage, IND/DEM: “What you’re saying Mr Shultz, the implications of what you are saying for the whole concept of democracy is truly terrifying. You’re saying we mustn’t ask the German people what they think, we must lead them, this is terrifying. I’ll never forget the day after the Irish voted ‘no’ you said in parliament that, ‘We must not bow to populism’, and I hope you will now apologise for that comment. It is absolutely… You are anti-democratic. You believe a ruling class knows what’s best for ordinary people. It’s monstrous.”
Martin Schulz, PSE: “It’s an honour to be called anti-democratic by you. Thank you!”
http://www.euronews.net/2009/04/01/europe-s-new-parliament-what-challenges-lie-ahead/ 1st April 2009
Video of debate http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZIR6qVejM0

" We must not bow to populism"

Schulz statement day after Irish No vote to Lisbon.

Calls Cameron to give up the British Rebate
(If) Cameron is prepared to give up the rebate on Agricultural Policy then we can for sure discuss a reduction in the (EU) budget.
Interview with EUXTV on 28 October 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWL1UzPTdaA (at 1.45 min)

Supports Financial Transaction Tax
on FTT Tobin Tax http://europeansforfinancialreform.org/en/stop-speculation/know-more
The European Parliament has given its overwhelming support to a tax on financial transactions which, it said, could lead to banks paying as much as €200 billion a year in reparations for damage they have caused to the European economy.

While the declaration of support for what is commonly known as the Tobin Tax is non-binding, it will put pressure on the European Commission to draft legislation hitting the banking sector hard.

The parliament backed the proposals by 529 votes to 127.
"We want to send out an institutional signal saying that the private sector bears its part of the responsibility for the crisis," said MEP Martin Schulz, who heads the parliament's socialist bloc said.
"""""""
"What President Barroso said about Financial Transaction Tax is right. Bankers, speculators and insurance companies which were saved by tax-payers money all around Europe a few years ago escape national taxation by transferring capital to tax havens so we need a transaction tax as he said. "

Socialist and Democrats Group Interview September, 28 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRPcYDPLQYE
http://www.athensnews.gr/portal/8/39630?action=print
With strong criticism against Europe's conservative governments, the head of the Socialists in the European Parliament Martin Schulz on Monday said that the Greek prime minister was being forced to adopt policy of fiscal austerity - as opposed to essential reforms - dictated to him by these conservative powers.

Schulz was speaking to reporters at the Hilton Hotel in Athens, where he will take part in a three-day meeting of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats of the European Parliament that begins here on Monday and ends on Wednesday. Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou will address the meeting on Tuesday.

Noting that austerity hampered growth and did not solve problems, the German MEP stressed that Europe is not moving in the right direction and criticised the policies being followed, noting that 21 of the 27 European governments were conservative. He also accused big banks and financial institutions of creating the crisis that they were now benefiting from, underlining that they have an obligation to support EU cohesion policies.

He was particularly critical of the system that allowed banks to borrow from the European Central Bank at an interest of one percent and then demand that countries with problems pay interest rates as high as ten percent. Stressing that ordinary people could not "withstand more cuts," he strongly supported Papandreou's call for a tax on financial transactions. (ANA) 28 Mar 2011

GOVERNED BY A REMOTE POWER

2012-01-13T15:43:00.002Z

Back in the early nineties, when my eyes began to open to just how much control the European Union had over our elected Government – and us the people, I made a simple car sticker on some coloured paper and using some Pritt Stick glued it to the back window of my old estate car. It read: “I am proud to be British, not European”.

As well as being proud of my country, I was also quite proud of my handy work but was constantly puzzled by the attitude of many who used to comment and say: “Shouldn’t you say English rather than British?” My attitude was no, I am British, I live in Great Britain which is not just England but Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, we are a United Kingdom with a united history, so why shouldn’t I be proud to be British?

I was proud of our united achievements, our industrial heritage in all parts of our United Kingdom, our car plants in the Midlands where I live, our shipbuilding history in Scotland and the North East, our steelworks and coal production in Wales, plus other mining in Wales which at one time produced top quality slate and shipped to places around the world. Even my own Midlands town of Walsall was world famous for its saddle making and other leather goods. Everywhere you looked around the British Isles there was something to be proud of – then Tony Blair and his New Labour demolition outfit were elected and the process of dismantling the UK in earnest began.

He promised, and gave, referendums on devolution to Scotland and Wales. People such as myself wrote to complain that as these referendums were about to dismantle Great Britain, how come only a minority of the British people, i.e. those living in Scotland and Wales, were allowed a vote while the English majority were not. Surely, was my reasoning, we should all have a say.

One thing you have to remember with British referendums, they are usually biased and seldom fair, and if the Government of the day can’t find a way to fix them to give the outcome it wants, then all sorts of excuses are made why we don’t need them. For proof of this all we have to do is look at the 1975 referendum on continued membership of the Common Market, which was the most corrupt and biased vote ever in the UK. Years later we were denied a vote on joining the single currency, the Lisbon Treaty and not very long ago our membership of the EU. The Government knew it stood more than a good chance of losing those referendums, they were the referendums we wanted but never got, hence the English being refused a vote on devolution despite the fact it affected them too.

So now we have the news that the SNP administration in Scotland wants complete independence to become a nation in its own right once again. The slippery David Cameron is doing his best to outflank the slippery Alex Salmond, so much so it is almost like watching a political Turkish oil wrestling contest. Cameron wants the referendum early because he thinks he can win it, while Salmond wants it later for the same reason.

For me personally I have a great difficulty regarding the complete break away of Scotland. On one hand it can be compared with what anti-EU campaigners such as I myself are working for as we want Britain to break away from the union we have with the EU, so to say I oppose this for Scotland would be hypocritical. However, there are differences.

The treaty that joined the Kingdoms of Scotland and England go back over three hundred years to 1707, Wales was already governed by laws made in Westminster by then and all of Ireland had been taken over by Cambro-Normans long before, this gives us a lot of history together. The people of the United Kingdom have stood on battlefields together, worked together and done great things together to make the United Kingdom a democracy to be proud of – this has not happened in the EU.

Great Britain is a large contributor to EU coffers, we give far too much of our wealth to it which is money that would be much better spent on things needed here. Scotland is a net benefactor and receives money from the exchequer, as well as EU structural funds which is made up by a large amount of British taxpayer’s money. So these are some differences to the situation. Added to this, Britain as a whole has very little say in the EU, we have less than ten per cent representation in the European Parliament, which matters little anyway as the EU Parliament is only there as a democratic façade for the EU. We are also constantly outvoted through the use of QMV at the Council of Ministers meetings, we have little say and little influence in the EU. Yet when it comes to representation in our Westminster Parliament, each Scottish Parliamentary constituency is smaller than the English constituencies meaning the people of Scotland individually are better represented than the English. Added to this, Scottish politicians have become British Prime Ministers such as Gordon Brown – although that is nothing to be proud of.

When you consider these facts, in reality the people of Scotland would be better advised to spend their time and efforts campaigning for Britain to leave the EU rather than for full independence for Scotland – which will not be independence as the EU will class Scotland as an EU region than a country.

What happens in Scotland if it does achieve the wishes of the SNP and its leader Alex Salmond? This is a question being asked seriously. If it breaks away to become a nation in its own right will it be classed as a member of the EU? If not will it then have to apply to join the EU if it wanted to sacrifice its new found independence? What would its currency be, if it sticks with Sterling it will still be under the control of the English economy and if it created its own Scottish currency how would it cope on global markets? If it broke away and was still classed as an EU member would it convert to using euros from the day it becomes independent? That of course if any nation which is a member of the EU can be classed as independent which now makes most of ours, and everyone else’s laws.

I hope the Scottish decide to stay part of our British Union but fear it has gone too far to stop the break up. I fear for the Scottish under the dominance of the EU, the only good thing that I can visualise from such a break up would be a sharp reduction in Labour Party Members of Parliament as a large proportion are Scottish MPs, even Charles Kennedy the frothing at the mouth EU fanatic ex Liberal Democratic Party leader would be out, along with their five minute leader, Menzies Campbell. Now that can’t be bad at all.

When the time does come for the people of Scotland to vote on this issue we all must hope they give great consideration to all the possible outcomes of their decision. I personally look forward to the day when we as a United Kingdom leave the EU rather than England, Wales and Nothern Ireland without Scotland, which will be left to the mercy of the EU – that will be the moment the Scottish realise the full meaning of being governed by a remote power.

IS THE EU AT IT AGAIN?

2012-01-13T09:57:00.002Z

The EU, which talks a lot about democracy but acts against it, ensured last year that the leaders of two European countries were ousted and replaced with the EU's own placemen. Both Greece and Italy now have pro-EU lackeys as Prime Ministers, in Italy their EU obedient Prime Minister and cabinet have not even been voted into office by anyone.

The question is, looking at this NEWS ITEM, is the EU at it again?

FAST TRACK TO EU DOMINATION

2012-01-10T14:47:00.005Z

Waiting for the Eurostar outside St Pancras.

During October 2011, along with my wife, brother and sister in law, we did a train journey from our part of Walsall in the Midlands to Strasbourg, which is close to the French border with Germany.

We were picked up in the morning by a family member who kindly gave us a lift to the station where we caught our Virgin train to London. As the weather was good we decided to walk from Euston station where the Virgin trains terminate to Paddington, where the Eurostar trains operate from.

From there we caught the train to Paris and again, as the weather was good, we decided to find our way on foot from the Gare du Nord railway station to Gare du L’est, with a bit of intricate map reading in between, where we were due to catch the French TGV to Strasbourg.

So what, by now you may be asking, has this tedious tale of a family trip across the Continent got to do with anything? There is a point, so please bear with me. The reason for this tedious tale of travel is to highlight what it will be like for those using the new HS2 rail line as the EU intends.

That is correct, as the unelected EU, not our elected Government intends. When the announcment came that HS2 has the go-ahead there was no mention this project has the sticky little fingers of the EU all over it despite the BBC and our Government not passing the dreaded words EU across their lips. Like so much of what is inflicted upon us these days this project to build the high speed rail line from London to Birmingham, then at a later date on to Manchester and Leeds, is an EU project as it is part of the EU’s TEN T plans but made to look as if it is a British Government initiative. This is the deceit of EU membership we live under these days.

Our Transport Minister, Justine Greening referred to the line as "the most significant transport infrastructure project since the building of the motorways". She also said, believe it or not: "By following in the footsteps of the 19th Century railway pioneers, the government is signalling its commitment to providing 21st Century infrastructure and connections - laying the groundwork for long-term, sustainable economic growth,"

Let’s have a look at those statements. The building of the motorway system was a major step forward which this country needed. Before the motorways journeys of long distances we now do in a relatively short time-span were epic trips, those of us of a certain age can remember journeys of thirteen plus hours from the Midlands to Cornwall for our holidays. A similar journey I recently undertook from my home in Walsall to St Austell took around four hours without all the old problems of bottlenecks in Oakhampton and being stuck for miles on end in a long line of traffic all stuck behind a dawdling tripper. So the motorway system was a major transport improvement.

So too, as our Transport Minister says, were the building of the railways. When the first rail lines were laid it was a massive step forward as the only other transport options at the time were horse drawn carts and coaches over some pretty rough tracks. Being able to shift a relatively large number of people and goods in one go at speeds of up to 20 MPH was something completely revolutionary at the time.

Now let’s compare HS2 with those two major transport leaps and my family outing to Strasbourg. As stated the original train services and motorways have noticeably speeded up travel over the years, as too has air travel. Without doubt flying over long journeys is the fastest way to travel of all – but strangely no one is mentioning flying which was probably the most significant global transport improvement of the last century and all time so far.

So how much time will the spending of £32billionto construct the HS2 track, the building of new stations and other infrastructure and new trains and carriages save? According to HS2 supporters about twenty minutes – which is not quite the revolution in speeding up travel the original trains and motorways gave us, which brings us to the point – is it really worth spending £32billion (that is if the project comes in on budget as adventures like this seldom do) to save twenty minutes between London and Birmingham? The answer has to be no.

There is of course the fact the proposed time savings are negated by the fact most people will spend longer than the twenty minutes saved to actually connect to the HS2 train services. For a start the major train route in to Birmingham is to New Street station, the other stations are Snow Hill and Moor Street. The new HS2 train will not connect to them as a brand new station will be constructed on the site of Birmingham’s original station, in Curzon Street which was opened in 1838, but surpassed by New Street a few years later in 1854, ironically, in a much better located site in the city centre. Using Curzon Street as the main HS2 terminal is like taking step back in time as its location is out of the way and inconvenient. Those travelling to Birmingham to connect with HS2, who do not know the city, are going to have a confusing time trying to find their way from one station to the other, which is about a twenty minute walk if you know your way. Other than that the potential high speed commuters will have to add to their journey costs using taxis.

HS2 will not link to Coventry leaving regular London travellers from that city in the lurch as their current fast links to London, it is predicted, will be reduced. By the time they have used a shuttle service to the nearest HS2 link any time saving will be long gone.

Then of course there is the cost, not just of building the track and all the rest, which is bound to go way over budget as all these projects do, and ignoring the cost to the damaging of our countryside, the wrecking of homes and villages, there is going to be the cost of the tickets. Even at today’s prices long distance train travel is not cheap, in some cases flying is cheaper as well as faster – so what will be the cost of using these trains? This could be a train line for the wealthy and privileged, not for the ordinary working man.

Birmingham airport will cease to be a local airport for the benefit of the people of the Midlands, it will be classed as a London Hub to relieve the pressure on Heathrow and Gatwick. Investment will not flow out of London to the Midlands and the North in the years to come when HS2 is finally completed in full, it will draw investment the other way as the line becomes a commuter route and turns the Midlands into a London suburb.

The EU wants this as it sees Europe as one nation with links to all its outlying parts, it visualises people getting a train in a city in one part of Europe and travelling far and wide over what the EU wants as the United States of Europe – but flying will still be the best option. How do I know? Let’s go back to where we started with that family outing to Strasbourg and the need for speed.

When we travelled time was a consideration, but not essential. Although we used high speed trains for most of the journeys, the week points to the plans for fast train travel across Europe are the links which slow things down considerably. When HS2 is completed there will be no option of getting on a train in the Curzon Street backwater in Birmingham and some hours later stepping off the same train in Strasbourg, travellers will still have to repeat our route, even less so.

We caught our Virgin train from Sandwell and Dudley straight to London which took around ninety minutes. When HS2 is open there will have to be a change in Birmingham and around a one hour time span between trains to allow the commute from one station to the other. The time span for the changeover in London has to be longer as this is an international station, around ninety minutes needed. There are the options of changing to the Strasbourg TGV either in Paris or Lille, but it all depends on the time of travel. Lille is better as people can connect using the same station but the times, as in our case, were not convenient. Connecting at Lille needs an hour time span while connecting at Paris, where you have to go from one station to the other, needs over an hour connecting time span to be on the safe side. This means to do the journey between three and a half to four hours are spent connecting from one train to another and messing about getting from one station to another – not so high speed after all.

This is yet another example of an EU dream that is in reality an EU nightmare, as most of the EU’s plans turn out to be. It is also yet another example of the disgrace of how subservient to the EU our Government is by committing the British taxpayers to this high speed white elephant, which in realty shows it is a fast track to EU domination.

CAMERON'S VETO, NOT WORTH A ROW OF BEANS

2012-01-06T15:31:00.003Z

Before Christmas David Cameron was the hero of the hour, he was the great British savour by standing up to the EU and using the veto to stop the EU wrecking the City of London as a leading trading centre. Er, not quite so. Many began to warn that Cameron, the so-called hero of the hour, had actually not done anything as there was no summit, no EU directive and no veto - now the truth is beginning to come out and David Cameron is beginning to look as silly as his Deputy Leader. Just watch the UKIP video below.

IN FOR A PASTING

2012-01-05T14:12:00.003Z

Every now and then there are some sweet moments in life, and one of them came in the news that support for Calamity Clegg’s Lib Dim party is falling away. It seems that two thirds of those who made the huge error of voting for this pointless anti-British political party in the last General Election have said: ‘Not again’. Sadly, most of them never learn as they intend to vote instead for that other insane pro-EU political party, Ed Millibland’s dire Labour.

In an article in the Daily Mail it reports a You Gov poll which shows that only one third who voted Lib Dim in 2010 will be daft enough to repeat the same mistake. Speaking on the Radio Four ‘Today’ programme, Nick Clegg the struggling leader of the Lib Dim’s said: 'We must constantly explain to people what we are doing in this Government,' which to most people is not a lot of anything that is of use.

During the interview he went on to repeat the age old and now completely discredited chestnut that 3 million jobs rely on Britain being in the EU – which of course is completely untrue and proven wrong. In fact it is never mentioned how many jobs could be created if we were not in the EU once we are shot of all the EU’s job losing bureaucracy such as the REACH directive.

At least it looks like the shine has gone from the Lib Dims, their EU regulation rose tinted glasses have steamed up and when the time comes, at the next General Election Cleggies pointless party is in for a real electoral pasting – I can’t wait.

FROM WINTER GLOOM TO A FISCAL SPRING

2012-01-04T13:20:00.004Z

Lord Tebbit, views the euro as a sacred cow.

January is here, a new year has begun and people return to their normal daily routines after the Christmas festivities as they trudge their way to work on these dark, dull winter mornings. Or those who still have jobs to go to do. Sadly, because of the economic recession many have lost their jobs, many with the high cost of fuel and travel cannot afford to drive or get to work either, gloom and doom is everywhere – especially across the nations of the Eurozone.

Now think back ten years to January 2002, there was great fanfares and smiling faces (or there was in the BBC, the EU Commission and EU fanatical organisations) as the EU’s shiny new currency was launched.

Oh what wonderful things it was going to do, it was going to do, it was going to be a currency to challenge the mighty US dollar, the foolish British were heading for major problems as the pound sterling was going to be squeezed between these two great currencies, and of course, this was going to bring great wealth, stability, jobs and prosperity for one and all across the Eurozone – whoopee!

Ten years on gloom and doom abounds, the euro, as predicted by all Euro-sceptics and anyone with two brain cells to rub together, was a disaster. There are no jobs, there is no prosperity or wealth and considering the riotous situation in Greece stability is looking a bit thin on the ground too – all because a minority of over powerful people wanted to create a nation called Europe and this currency was a rung on the ladder towards their abominable creation.

In fact on the very day of the launch of the new notes and coins (the euro itself had been a currency in existence in banking circles only for two years by 2002) problems and grumbles began. The first thing people noticed was all prices had been rounded up from their old currencies – at the stroke of midnight as the EU’s leaders were making a great display of drawing euros from cash machines all prices had gone up – the new currency set off inflation.

It didn’t take long before the shine went off the euro, everywhere you go across the eurozone there are moans about the high cost of things since the euro came in. On my last trip to Italy I heard moans that they wanted a return to the lira. However, the big problem, as we all know too well, was that you can’t have a currency without a country – especially a currency that covers so many disparate economies with one interest rate.

However, the doom and gloom of the euros winter may soon turn into a fiscal spring – this is the year many serious pundits are predicting the inevitable collapse of the euro. The pressure on Greece to withdraw grows daily, if the Greek economy is not fully bailed out soon then Greece will have little option but to pull out – from then on others will follow and as the euro collapses the whole shaky edifice that is the EU will begin to topple too – or it will with luck and good fortune.

There have been some interesting comments about the demise of the euro, Bruce Anderson writing in the Daily Telegraph has compared those ‘Eurofanatics’ who support the euro to Marxists and other tin-pot dictators, while good old Lord Tebbit has compared the EU’s euro to a sacred cow that needs putting down. Richard North, who generally has an opinion on everything, has been somewhat critical of the Bruce Anderson article, but although he has a point, I fear Richard is being a bit unfair, at least Bruce Anderson is singing from a hymn sheet we EU sceptics approve of and he is tune with our theme. Click on the links, read for yourself and decide.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2012-01-01T23:47:00.002Z

Well, Christmas is now just a pleasant memory, the New Year celebrations are over, and on Tuesday every thing returns to normal when large numbers of people return to work. This blogger has been exceptionally lazy over the festive period, hardly taking a peep at the internet or the growing number of e-mails - hence the lack of blogging.

This post is just to wish one and all a very happy 2012, which could prove to be a very pleasant year indeed if the useless euro comes to its unnatural and long expected demise. To think ten years ago the EU fanatics were praising the launch of euro notes and coins predicting what a strong, prosperous and successful currency it was going to be - I think they are now trying to forget that.

On that note I wish all who stumble on the blog a very happy New Year.

THE SHOCKING TRUTH

2011-12-20T15:28:00.003Z

This video has been posted on You Tube, it's an eye opener and well worth watching.

WHEN THE EU HAS LOST ITS SHINE

2011-12-20T11:42:00.003Z

There’s an old saying, repeat a lie often enough and people will begin to believe it. In the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday 20th December twenty so-called businessmen put their name to a blatant lie on the letters page of that confused publication – the lie being the age old chestnut that the jobs of 3 million people rely on Britain being in the EU.

Richard North, in his usual no-nonsense style, put paid to the lie on his EU Referendum blog and points out the many ways employment would improve if we made the logical decision to leave the EU. I would add, preferably before it collapses in total chaos, as it inevitably will.

The one good thing about such letters, with their lists of names, we will know who the traitors are and who to look for when the time comes for retribution.

None of these people bother to look at what their monstrous EU is actually doing and the harm it does, or they don’t want to look at reality. Sadly, for many, what harm the EU is doing is all too real and their jobs placed in jeopardy because of it. Look at the threat to the City of London the EU’s proposed Tobin Tax would do, jobs would be lost and trade that helps create 10 per cent of our national wealth eradicated – but these ignorant people can’t be bothered about that.

Then there is the REACH Directive, this vile and most dangerous EU creation is already reaching into every aspect of our lives. The REACH directive is the EU controlling the Chemical industry and even though those sitting on various EU committees deciding what chemicals should be banned in the EU don’t have a clue about the chemistry, they create utter havoc by banning essential chemicals on the say-so they are dangerous.

Because of this Rolls Royce have to ship their aero engine blade abroad to a non-EU nation to be painted in the specialised high temperature paints needed, then ship them all the way back for assembly into the aero engines they produce – all at great cost and inconvenience. Until the EU banned the chemicals used in this paint they were all done on site her in the UK. How long will it be before Rolls Royce comes to the conclusion it would be more cost effective doing the whole production and assembly out of the EU giving jobs to non-EU countries at the expense of UK jobs?

Currently the EU is in the process of banning the chemicals used in the production of Chromium plating, as there are no alternative products this will mean no country based anywhere in the EU will be able to produce chromium plated items – all production, and the jobs that go with it, will have to move out of the EU – how many jobs will that cost?

If, in about eighteen months to two years you suddenly notice a sharp increase in bracken taking over parks and other places, think of the EU’s REACH directive – it has banned the only effective products that have been used safely for many years to control bracken. The ban comes into force on the 1st January 2012 and all existing stocks have to be used within twelve months, anyone caught using these safe products after January 2013 can be prosecuted.

There are endless chemicals being used in all sorts of products, and the EU’s reach directive is banning hundreds of them. If some foods don’t taste as nice it will be because the EU as banned some of the ingredients, if certain products vanish, it will be because they can’t be made anymore because the vital ingredients are no longer available due to an EU ban – and if your job goes because you can’t make the products your company made due to a ban on the ingredients, think of those twenty names, all of which have a vested interest one way or another to keep the EU propped up, such as Lord Brittan’s big fat EU pension – your time will come when the EU has lost its chromium plated shine.

GRAHAM BOOTH

2011-12-15T13:14:00.004Z

UKIP founder member, Graham Booth who passed away December 14th 2011.

News has come in of the death of Graham Booth who was one of the UK Independence Party founder members. This has come as quite a shock as many of us knew Graham had been in hospital recently, but had not realised just how serous his condition was.

I first met Graham either in late 1998 or early 199, when I was serving as the Secretary of the UKIP West Midlands Regional Committee. He was a UKIP National Executive Committee (NEC) member at the time and attended one of our Regional meetings to discuss the first UKIP conference to be held outside London and first UKIP two day conference, which the Regional Committee had been given the task of organising. He struck me a decent, loyal and committed member of UKIP.

I got to know Graham better when I too was elected onto the UKIP NEC in January 2000, it was a great pleasure and honour to sit alongside him at the monthly NEC meetings. If there were matters we had differing views on he would always discuss them reasonably and after the meetings there was never any rancour, we would shake hands and have a pint and get on with the task of saving Britain from EU domination.

Graham went on to be one of our UKIP South West MEP’s and served for seven years in the European Parliament, he was one of the first to point out the discrepancy of the EU Parliament voting by a show of hands, which nearly always were passed by the President of the parliament yet when a re-vote was called nearly always gave a different result.

Graham was also a successful hotelier in his home town of Paignton, he ran a friendly and well liked hotel. In later years he stood down from the parliament and spent more time with his wife Pam in Madera, where they both always enjoyed being.

Nigel Farage, the UKIP leader, made the following statement regarding Graham, who will be much missed by all long serving UKIP members who knew him well.

"I am deeply saddened to hear overnight of the death of one of UKIP's greatest ever servants - former MEP Graham Booth.

Graham served for seven years in the European Parliament and was a tireless party worker throughout the mid 90s where he brought the qualities of honesty, loyalty, hard work and a tremendous sense of humour.

I will miss him and even his Jethro jokes.

On behalf of UKIP, I offer my deepest condolences to his wife Pam, his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.”

BIG PUSH FOR UKIP IN FELTHAM & HESTON

2011-12-13T12:23:00.004Z

Andrew Charalambous, UKIP's man in Feltham & Heston.

As you know, there is a Parliamentary by-election taking place in Feltham and Heston, which is just south of London near to Heathrow airport, election day is this coming Thursday 15th December, can you come and help the UKIP campaigners there?

UKIP has shot up the polls in this election which are now placing the EU realist party in front of the EU fundamentalist Lib Dems - this is a great place for UKIP to be. Can you help to make sure UKIP gets the best result possible and comes out in front of the coalition Government (I'm having a sulk) Clegg Party, we have to get all hands on deck for a last big push, can you get there and help - this is vital - even on election day there will be things to do.

A big vote for UKIP will really keep the pressure on David Cameron and his Tory Party, they have made a small start in the right direction and the big EU debate is begining, but a sizable vote for UKIP will give the campaign for democracy and freedom from EU enslavement a major push in the right direction.

The UKIP campaign office address is: 107 Rochester Parade (High Street), Feltham, TW13 4HG. It is easy to get to, if you are driving it is not too far from junction 13 of the M25, or if you are going by train there is a station in Feltham which is on the High Street, it is just a short walk from there (turn right when leaving the station car park). There is a regular train service from Waterloo, what a good omen, lets make this Nick Bonaparte's Waterloo.

TIME FOR THE GREAT ESCAPE

2011-12-13T11:11:00.003Z

Once again Nigel Farage MEP, the leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), has come to the fore in the European Parliament and was given a 'blue card' for his trouble. Watch this video and note the sheer hypocrisy of the Scottish MEP - when will the Scots learn they have no power or influence whatsoever in the EU, unlike our Westminster Parliament where every Scottish voter has more representation than every English voter. Just watch Nigel in action.

ARRESTED IN CASE OF CRIME

2011-12-13T10:17:00.002Z

Gerard Batten, who is the UK Independence Party MEP for London, and who has been tirelessly campaigning agains the injustice of the EU Arrest Warrant (EAW), has recently pointed out in the European Parliament just how powerless British courts are to defend innocent British people against the EAW. This appalling situation has arrisen because of the capitulation of successive British Governments to the EU - they have placed us all at the mercy of forign courts and removed our rights, we can even be hauled off to face trial in other lands on the basis that we may commit a crime - this is truly frightening. Remember this before you get too carried away with Dave's minor skirmish with the EU - his Tory Party are mainly responsible for placing us all in this peril. Watch the video.

THE GREAT UNRAVELLING BEGINS

2011-12-13T09:41:00.002Z

As the EU’s pompous and not so good curse, fume and swear over the situation they find themselves in, and Dave’s suddenly finding a very nice opportunity, as explained by Richard North on his EU Referendum blog, the euro itself continues to get deeper and deeper into the mire of the Eurocrats own making.

The EU Observer explains the EU’s problems as the IMF rescue for the eurozone. It is well worth a read. Eurosceptics across the land are beginning to smile as a chink of light begins to shine through the door marked EU exit. Many of the letters in the Daily Telegraph (Tuesday 13th December 2011) see this as a great opportunity for Britain to improve its economy; we will not be “marginalised” or “isolated” as the Euro-zealots try to make out, as one of those Telegraph letters explains, you would not think that of one lemming that breaks away from the others jumping over a cliff, you would think it sensible to be looking after its own survival – which is exactly what we in Britain have to do.

The great EU unravelling has begun, but there is still a long way to go and enemies who have their backs to the wall can be the most vicious and dangerous, the EU and its acolytes are being pushed closer to that wall – we have to be ready for some really nasty and desperate fighting from them.

STANDING FREE

2011-12-12T15:08:00.003Z

My previous posting on this blog was entitled: “See what tomorrow brings”, since then I haven’t had time to do any follow-up postings until now, due to finding time to help in the Feltham & Heston by-election and Christmas shopping (can’t forget the missus).

Well, that tomorrow when David Cameron attended the Council of Ministers meeting showed he may have a bit of a ball (I won’t go as far as giving him a full set of balls). He has come back to a mixture of rejoicing in the Tory ranks, growls, snarling, hand wringing and wails of doom and gloom from the handful of EU fundamentalist and Lib Dems. The general public are in a state of confusion as they think Cameron has achieved more than he really has.

Don’t forget this was neither a summit nor a treaty, it was a Council of Ministers meeting to debate the possible draft of a treaty – Cameron has not yet vetoed a treaty and may still find himself side-stepped by Merkel and Sarkozy. At least the lad should still have a pat on the back for doing what he did as this may encourage him to go further.

So what of the doom monger who are all talking about the UK being “isolated”, jobs being lost and Britain not being able to survive without being tied to the EU’s apron strings? When I hear these people, who are being given an inordinate amount of air time on the BBC, they all try to sound moderate and sensible and that somehow or other try to make out it is those of us who are EU-sceptics who are the fanatics, I think of two things. First I think of Grima Wormtongue in that great classic of a story, the Lord of the Rings by Tolkein, he is the character whose devious words poisons the mind of the King of the Rohan, thus making the King think resistance to the Dark Lord and Souron futile. Just like the people of Britain who have listened to the poisonous words of the Europhiles for too long, the King was woken to the dangers that surrounded him and stirred – Wormtongue was cast out, just as we have woken now and casting out the treachery of those minority of Euro zealots.

The other thing I think of is Lord Haw-Haw, the ludicrous Irishman who spread enemy propaganda in the hope the people would listen. He was hung for treason after the war. I do not wish such a fate on those who spread the poison and propaganda of the EU, I would not relish the thought of Lord Haw-Heseltiine being dealt with by a successor to Albert Pierrepoint, but the man should be shamed by the utter betrayal of his nation and his Peerage stripped from him, as all those other EU fundamentalists who too have been rewarded for their treason.

If Britain was to pull out of the EU it would not be a disaster, as these dangerous people try to mislead, in fact it would be the saving of Britain. This country could once again take its place on the world stage, our exports to the EU only amount to around ten per cent of our total trade, whilst the proposed EU Tobin Tax, which is the issue that Cameron has stood up to, would cost thousands in the City of London their jobs and wiped out ten percent of our GDP.

On top of this the UK is currently handing over to the EU each year around £17 billion, which is money needed here to sort our fiscal crisis. We would be able to make a bonfire of the thousands upon thousands of nit-picking EU laws and legislation than now blights our businesses and daily lives and we could get the country moving again. Most importantly of all, our democracy which has been systematically undermined by the folly of membership of the EU could be restored.

It is time to break the EU’s spell, cast out the false words of its supporters and make Britain a great and proud nation again standing free in the world.

SEE WHAT TOMORROW BRINGS

2011-12-08T12:03:00.001Z

A poll recently published in the French newspaper, Le Monde, revealed the EU’s euro currency is getting somewhat tarnished in France,

It seems a third of French voters want to drop the euro and return to the franc, such is its growing unpopularity. The euro has really been struggling of late as the common sense warnings from economists and EU sceptics that a single currency across the differing nations of Europe could not work.

The survey shows that 36 per cent of voters in France want to quit the single currency, 45 per cent thought the euro is a problem and “handicaps” the French economy and 62 per cent considered the EU’s euro limited their spending power and made them feel worse off.

Naturally, the French finance ministry said that pulling out of the euro would be “disastrous” for France, although, as usual, no reason was given why it would be so.

As the euro disaster unfolds soon all the eurozone nations will have no option but to return to their tradition currencies. It will be interesting to see what tomorrow brings – other than another predictable EU cave-in by David Cameron.

ENSLAVED TO THE EU

2011-12-06T15:13:00.006Z

The tale of why I became involved in the anti-EU campaign is one I have most probably told on this blog more than once, but here’s another dose anyway. For me it all began in 1991 after the toppling of Margaret Thatcher and the instalment of the grey man, John Major.

Up until that time, like most the Common Market, EEC, EU and whatever else we heard reference to was of little concern to me, I had voted to stay in the Common Market during the 1975 referendum because we were told it was for trade only and there would no laws made in Europe and no loss of sovereignty. However, in those dark and worrying recessionary days of the early nineties, while I was struggling to keep our small family business afloat, I was horrified when the Chancellor raised VAT from 15% to 17.5%. I promptly wrote to request VAT be dropped, rather than raised, and the new level should be around 8% to 10%.

When the reply came a week or two later I was aghast, his office informed me that because we were in the EU 15% was the lowest VAT rate the EU would allow. Now considering vast numbers of people, myself included, had placed our referendum votes to stay in the Common Market based on the assertion that such control over us would not happen, I was mortified and could not get over the fact my elected Government was under the orders of a foreign organisation which the British electorate had no democratic control over. The rest as they say is history and one of the far too many reasons for this blog.

This now brings me to the point, in my last posting on this blog a comment was made by Harry L that we need evidence that around 75% of all British laws were made by the EU, he also gave a link to a Parliament web-site which links to a PDF document for Members of Parliament to refer to help them dispute how much EU law there is.

The first thing you notice when looking at this document, right at its start there is more or less a disclaimer stating: “This information is provided to Members of Parliament in support of their parliamentary duties and is not intended to address the specific circumstances of any particular individual. It should not be relied upon as being up to date; the law or policies may have changed since it was last updated; and it should not be relied upon as legal or professional advice or as a substitute for it. A suitably qualified professional should be consulted if specific advice or information is required.”

However, as Edward Spalton, who is a long serving campaigner with the Campaign for an Independent Britain and other pro-democracy anti-EU organisations points out, there is a great deal of EU legislation which is never specific and remains unidentified.

Currently there is a great deal of debate about the introduction of high speed rail with HS2, in all the debates and TV programmes covering this you never see any mention that this has anything to do with it. As far as the press, media and many others are concerned this is an initiative set up by our own Government – but in reality it is our Government obey the wishes of the EU – all you have to do is look at the EU’s Ten T project covering transport. Indecently, Ten T also wants the introduction of road tolls, that too has been in the news of late with talk of motorway widening with fast moving toll lanes – and no reference to the EU.

This then is how 75% of EU laws impact upon us without many people even realising the EU is behind them. As Edward further explains: “This happens when the EU issues a DIRECTIVE which requires parliaments in member states to put certain laws onto their national statute books.

The government never, or hardly ever, identifies such Bills, or clauses in Bills, as having their origin from an EU Directive. Supposedly eurosceptic newspapers rarely take the trouble to find out. I have lost count of the times I have seen reports of " new government initiatives"which were, in fact, Brussels initiatives.

Peter Lilley made a telling remark that governments go to Brussels determined to oppose some measure, then find they are in a minority(often of one). They come back home and introduce a Bill to enforce the directive as enthusiastically as if it were their own idea. They don't say "We have to do this because of such-and-such Directive" and most MPs will not know either. Peter Lilley likened this to a cuckolded husband accepting the fruit of his wife's infidelity rather than facing the real
situation publicly.

In the last parliament, a Tory MP, Mark Harper, brought in a ten minute rule Bill which would have required the government to state on the face of a Bill (and presumably of clauses introduced into larger Bills, or of statutory instruments) a statement to the effect "This Bill/Clause/Instrument is made to comply with EU Directive XYZ."

Mr. Harper's Bill received a fair amount of support, even from some europhiles, but the Labour government bought out the payroll vote and squashed it (probably to the relief of Conservative & Lib-Dem leaderships).

Some of us who tried to contact Mr. Harper to congratulate him on his attempt found he was unavailable - gone to ground. This was at the time when Mr. Cameron was discouraging MPs from "banging on about Europe". Anyway, he has the reward of his quietness now - as a government
minister.

I don't know how you would identify the huge number of Bills and clauses to Bills made in this way, as originating from the EU. I suspect that a lengthy process of Freedom of Information requests might be necessary. If you could go back 38 years, the number would be colossal.”

So, there we have it, the EU is now in every part of our lives, if you suddenly find a good useful chemical product vanishes from sale – the chances are it has been banned by the EU’s REACH directive, when you pass a pub and see a few cold people huddled in a doorway puffing on their fags, that is because the EU wanted to ban smoking in public places. When you look at the empty premises where your handy Post Office used to be, it was closed down because of the effects of the EU Postal Directives. Even if you try to get away from it all and fly away to some foreign destination, you will be flying through EU controlled air space (we don’t have any British air space anymore), it’s no use using ferries our boats either as these now sail on EU seas which has fish that can only be caught under EU quotas. We are not just well and truly governed by the EU – we are as good as enslaved to it.

PUTTING PHIL RIGHT

2011-12-05T14:32:00.004Z

Oh dear, the BBC have been at it again feeding misinformation about the EU, this time on BBC West Midlands this morning, Monday 5th December 2011.

Pauline, who is one of our Walsall UKIP members called me as she was really upset after listening to one of the local presenters, a chap named Phil Upton. It seems this chap is a bit of a know all, despite the fact he doesn't know his nether regions from his elbow when it comes to talking about the EU, he spouts off as if he is the font of all EU knowledge.

What had got our Pauline in a lather was one of the callers to Phil Upton's programme, which at the time was discussing debt and the hard economic times we all now face, correctly stated that we were giving large sums of our money to the EU and questioned why we were doing that when we could not afford it. Phil Upton rounded on this chap and stated we get more from the EU than we put in and that membership was a good thing for us for our trade - oh dear.

The poor caller who obviously hadn't got the confidence to defend his statement backed down, which was sad because he was right and Phil upton totally out of his depth spouting nonesense on a matter he obviously knows nothing about, other than the usual BBC pro-EU brainwashing speel.

Because of this, and Pauline's insistence, I have sent Mr Upton an e-mail, via BBC WM, which I now copy below:

This morning one of your callers stated that we currently give the EU large sums of our money, to which you stated we benefit from EU membership and we currently receive more than we put in. Sadly, this was an incorrect statement.

The records from the latest Government Pink Book, which shows our payments to the EU, show that our current payments stand at a rate of the taxpayers of Britain, paying to the EU, £50 million a day, seven days a week. Britain is a net contributor to EU funds, what we receive in grants and structural payments from the EU equates to far less than we contribute.

Britain has a deficit regarding trade with the EU, other EU countries sell more of their goods to us than we to them, this trade would not cease if we left the EU.

You will find that when a total of all trade is taken, which includes you buying your groceries at your local store, 80 per cent of all trade in the UK is internal. Of the remaining 20 per cent that is exported, it is claimed that 50 per cent of that is to the EU, despite the fact a certain amount of these exports are sent in containers to the Dutch ports of Amsterdam and Rotterdam where they are re-sorted and then shipped out to none EU countries. In reality about 10 per cent of our total export trade is to the EU yet Britain is being asked to surrender around 70 per cent of our national sovereignty for the sake of this 10 per cent of trade - this does not represent a good deal.

May I suggest you give some balance to your comments of this morning and correct the statement we get more out of the EU than we put in, unless of course you mean EU laws and legislation which now accounts for around 75 per cent of our laws.

THE GREAT DATA-BASE ROBBERY

2011-12-05T11:54:00.003Z

No2ID, the group campaigning against the data-base state iand any possible introduction of identity cards, has reported a Cabinet Office paper released at the same time as George Osborne’s Pre Budget Report details sweeping plans to exploit the mountains of data held by government departments. They include ideas for selling personal information from citizens’ medical, educational and benefit records in bulk to commercial interests.

No2ID warn that such plans do not fit well with coalition promises to protect privacy, give people control of their personal data and “scale back Labour's database state.” On the contrary, they bear a very close resemblance to the Blair administration’s ideas for ‘Transformational Government: enabled by technology’ and the broad data-sharing that New Labour attempted to implement but was forced to drop in 2009.

Campaigners such as NO2ID have previously noted how official enthusiasm for data-collection and -sharing have carried on regardless of political change.

The Cabinet Office document claims:
‘Online access to one’s own personal data enhances personal control and participation in public services. It also fuels innovation and growth in the supporting technology and data markets.’

Guy Herbert, General Secretary of NO2ID said: ‘The government is deliberately confusing “access” and “control”. It wants to control your data - and give it out to others as it sees fit - but will kindly let you visit it occasionally. That is the wrong way round. We should control access to our personal information; the government should get to use it only when genuinely necessary.
‘Dear Whitehall, Our personal information is not yours to sell.’
He added:
“Ministers are muddled about “anonymisation”. Anonymised data is like sterilised milk – it stops being that way the moment you open it up.

THE WRONG PRIORITIES

2011-12-01T11:55:00.003Z

An e-mail came my way from a UKIP member I know which puts everything into perspective regarding the entirely wrong priorities of this, and every past Government since Britain became embroiled in the European Union madness that now dominates our lives.

He wrote: “Something interesting happened yesterday at the supermarket where my wife works. An 86 year old man who struggled to walk, was caught shoplifting. The Police were not called as the Manager of the store took a sympathetic view of the situation.

“The items lifted were value bacon and value sausages, which could beg the question as to why he took the items of a lower value. He may have possibly believed it would not be such a crime.

“I am not aware, as yet, as to why he took the items but it does possibly indicate the parlous state of our pensioners that they have to steal to eat. He could have taken finest quality goods but did not.

“We are giving the EU some £50million a day and we are most probably in such a poor state that our poorest, and least protected of our society, are paying the price.

“I would like to think that this could become an issue that will help people to wake up to the need for withdrawing from the European Union, it is the most corrupt organisation that I have ever known. It appears that last week a 71 year old was also caught at the same store shoplifting food too.”

A message to Dave, is it not time you stopped funding the EU and pandering to the wishes of its leaders and look to the needs of your own people? Like all Governments it has the wrong priorities.

SOMETHING TO STRIKE FOR

2011-11-30T13:23:00.004Z

There was a time about twelve years ago when I thought I would have to start looking for a new job, the reason being was down to the sale of our small family business which my father started in 1946 where I had worked for twenty nine years of my life. In fact this business had been my life, as most major things had happened to me throughout those twenty nine years I gave to that business.

When I left school I did a couple of years at the old Walsall Technical College where I got a City & Guilds in gents hairdressing, following which I worked in the gentlemen’s hairdressing department in a large and prestigious Birmingham store until 1970. After a summer of dossing around and hitchhiking across Europe, I took on a small barbers shop in the suburbs and for twelve months became my own boss. As this did not pay, after a very lean year when the rental contract came to an end – I got out and the old man roped me into the family business where I spent such a large part of my life finishing up running (and constantly worrying) about the business and making ends meet through the recessionary years of those times.

During that year out in the sticks, struggling to make ends meet many of my customers worked in industry or at, what was then Austin Rover, and many a day I would be cutting the hair of someone on strike, and gritting my teeth, as they would inform me they were on strike because they considered a pay rise, which amounted to more than I earned in a week, was not enough.

If I wanted a pension I had to organise and fund one myself, which I did and still have. This coming December I will hit the grand old age of 64 – one year away from retirement age. As my own funded pension is what is technically termed as crap, and no doubt my state pension not much different, I am not sure retirement will be a luxury I can afford despite the fact I have worked continuously since the age of 17. In fact that due to working for myself in our family business, to make ends meet and pay the bills I had no option but to cut my private pension contributions in order to survive.

So, when all the news is dominated with ‘poor me’ public sector workers going out on strike because they are going to have to contribute more and work longer to get the same pension, I can’t say I have a great deal of empathy. Yes, I know there are dinner ladies feeding the kids school meals for low wages, but there are a lot of public sector workers, in some well protected jobs, on very cushy numbers who are doing ok – they will be considerably wealthier than me when retirement comes. This is not a complaint – it is simply a fact of life that nothing is ever equal or fair.

Over the years those who have worked in industry and the private sector have been hit hard, if a company goes bust due to global competition, badly made Government or EU rules, then the workers are out and on the dole – no protection for them or the people who run the businesses who have mortgage up to the hilt and lost their homes and life savings trying to keep their companies afloat – no one cares for them and no Government, despite the rhetoric, ever gives a shit too.

Yet in the public sector there are constant wails that their jobs should be for life and their pension’s gold plated. Well now is the time for a dose of reality and a taste of the world those who generate money and pay the taxes, which in turn pay the wages of the public sector, inhabit. Like the rest of us they can’t take it for granted all their jobs are safe, we are living in very tough times indeed, mostly created because of the folly of the EU and our membership of it.

Those public sector workers with their cushy none jobs are going to have to go. We don’t need ‘Diversity officers’ ‘Positive activities officers’ and all the other silly things our taxes are spent on, in tough times such as these they will have to go. The state is no different to any other employer, if cutting jobs and wages is the way to save the company and the remaining essential jobs – then there is no other option. Tough but necessary.

Like businesses that get into trouble, the same reasons for problems which beset the state often apply. Sometimes it is due to global trends out of the control of anyone, also sometimes it is due to bad management decisions. One of the reasons Britain UK is in the dire straits it currently finds itself in is down to year upon years of bad decisions – starting with our membership of the Common Market (EU) back in 1973. Every Government since has kept this nation shackled to that historic calamitous blunder and because of it we now find ourselves deep in debt whilst at the same time we have given away the power to resolve many of our problems.

Recent figures show for 2009/2010 show that the UK's gross EU contributions have increased by 5.7%. The UKIP web-site states: “Gross receipts (payments from Brussels to the UK) shrank between 2009 and 2010. Part of the reason for this was Tony Blair's surrender of the UK's rebate from the EU.

Our net contribution to the EU has rocketed from £6.6billion in 2009 to £10.3billion in 2010.

Last year the Office for Budget Responsibility envisaged £10.3billion as the annual cost of EU membership for 2014. These new figures show that they have grossly underestimated the cost to the UK of EU membership.

The Pink Book 2011 is a summary of balance of payments accounts, which contain detailed statistics for the current account including; trade in goods and services, income, current and capital transfers, transactions in UK external assets and liabilities, and levels of identified assets and liabilities.

Numbers contained in The Pink Book are higher than those from HM Treasury because not all UK payments to and from Brussels transit via HM Treasury. For example, the Department for International Development channels part of its 'overseas aid' direct to institutions by-passing HM Treasury.”

If the country is in such an economic mess how can we afford EU membership, it is the greatest folly of any time.

Sadly, those we elect to Parliament do nothing to support us, like the strikers they will al, be protesting about the wrong things, if we hadn’t wasted so many years in the EU we would be in a much stronger position now during lean times. Our MPs even had a chance to correct this situation a few weeks ago by granting us a referendum EU membership, so determined were all three political parties that we should not correct the error of the past by allowing the people a say, they enforced a three line whip on their MPs to vote against the Bill.

This included my own Member of Parliament for Walsall South, Valerie Vaz MP. I sent her an e-mail explaining why we needed a say and all that is wrong with membership of the EU, which anyone with eyes in their head and a functioning brain can plainly see, the e-mail reply stated:

“Dear Mr Bennett,

Thank you for your email regarding the debate and vote on a EU referendum. I was sorry to miss you on Monday and hope you are well. I did not vote for a referendum as in my view the case for a referendum at this time has not been made. Britain should currently be focused on providing jobs and growth. I would consider supporting a referendum if and when a Government seeks to make a major change to Britain's relationship with the European Union.

Regards, Valerie Vaz.”

So, despite the fact we have given massive tranches of power and national sovereignty to the EU over our long and sorry membership, despite the fact the EU is on the verge of destroying the biggest remaining UK wealth creator, the City of London, despite the fact no British subject is safe from arrest by foreign courts on the most circumstantial evidence, despite the fact British industry, businesses and wealth creators are been systematically destroyed by EU bureaucracy and legislation, and despite the fact £billions upon £billions of our wealth floods out of the UK to be lost in the mire of EU accounting year on year, we can’t have a referendum.

Soon those whinging strikers who may have to work a year or two longer, to get the same pension will have something to really worry about – not only do they face a future of possibly no job and no pension because our wealth has been squandered on the EU – they may find they have no country either. How about striking for Britain instead – that would be something to strike for.

INSULTING THE ELECTORATE

2011-11-29T11:37:00.006Z

Anne Palmer, letter to David Cameron ignored.

Below you will see a letter written by long serving and highly repected anti-EU campaigner, Anne Palmer, to the Prime Minister, David Cameron. Within that letter she asks a number of important, relevant and extremely probing questions, the reply, which follows Anne's letter, is stunning in its banality and an outright insult from the office of the Prime Minister.

This is how democracy and the very valid concerns of the British people are now treated with utter contempt. Cameron's correpondance office could not even be bothered to make any kind of attempt to answer one single question. This is the alledged Eurosceptic so many Conservative voters placed their trust and faith in at the last general election - the man himself is an insult to democracy and the high office he now desicrates.

To: The Rt Hon David Cameron
The Prime Minister,
10 Downing Street,
London,
SW1A 2AA

Dear Prime Minister.

I read with interest that you want to “Bring powers back from the EU”. However, as many people in this Country do not believe that will ever happen unless we come out of the EU altogether, may I respectfully suggest that you abandon immediately the EU’s Localism Bill you are putting through Parliament at this time.

This Localism Bill is on the Council of Europe’s website and is recorded in the UN, although from the dates it seems to have “gone upwards” from the EU to the UN and not from the United Nations.

It is a Bill designed to divide the Nation and Country of ENGLAND permanently into Regions of the European Union - to be eventually governed directly, through the EU, by the Committee of the Regions. It is perhaps, the most destructive Bill that has ever come from the European Union and something that even Hitler never managed to do through all the bombing of this Country in the last war. In fact his bombing brought the people of ENGLAND together.

By accepting the EU’s Localism Bill you are allowing the European Union to have “sovereignty” (and ever increasing authority) over our Country by telling our elected Government what it must do, and how it must govern our own once proud nation of ENGLAND.

This Bill divides the people: for they may be in competition with each other for funds from the EU etc. You are allowing a foreign organisation to dictate what our once sovereign Government does to our own Country. Scotland is already classed as an EU Region, as is Wales and London.

I understand you are to reduce the House of Commons by 50 people, yet in reality it is doubtful we would even need fifty people left in Parliament once the Regions took hold, plus the people cannot afford to contribute towards this extra layer of Governance. There are 825 people in the House of Lords, yet those that should really be in the Lords, the Hereditary Peers, are no longer in attendance! All get daily expenses and some 'Cranborne money' - money we simply cannot afford for much longer. Will any of the Peers be required once the EU Regions are set up? The people simply cannot pay for yet another layer of unelected EU Governance - the EU contributions alone, and forced upon us, are far too much and that money should have gone on this Country’s Defence.

Rather than try to take back powers already given, and taken, by the EU you could also reject the EU’s proposed HS2, all part of the EU’s Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) Policy, and along with TEN-T is the permanent transfer of Sovereignty over our air space for the EU’s Single European Sky. I say permanently for whether in or out of the EU, I doubt it would ever be given back whether we remain in the EU or not. Giving up sovereignty permanently over our Ports and 12 mile limit so that EU ships can “come and go” as they please is an abominable thought. All that is in the sea and underneath the sea bed and what has not been discovered yet is not “ours” nor will it be if all is transferred to the EU. Maps of course would be changed to show this and all this under your watch Sir. HS2 is only one part of the EU’s TEN-T. Never more will Britannia, “Rule the Waves”.

You Sir, could stop this EU legislation right away and then you could try to repossess powers that should never have been given away, back from the EU. These actions would prove to the people that you mean what you say, particularly for not destroying our Nation and ENGLAND through the EU’s Localism Bill would be a start.

You could of course repeal the European Communities Act 1972 right away and thus prevent any more EU legislation going through our Parliament; then set about repudiating the EU Treaties that are strangling us.

More and more of the electorate now, at last, recognise that all three major Political Parties want to remain in the European Union. The electorate feel betrayed, which of course they have been; there is absolutely no doubt about that as poll after poll prove.

I hope that the present events taking place, with the suggestion of the many changes required, and some Countries talking about advocating, “fiscal union and economic governance for the Eurozone,” I pray, never comes about, because that may eventually lead to war, perhaps even the third World War and, as in 1939 we are little prepared to defend ourselves, a repeat of the last war is staring us in the face, except we have no Churchill or a friend in the USA that would come to our aid.

The people you represent, your Monarch, and the future of our Country lies in your hands. I beg you to put the British Crown and all it stands for and your Country before all else.

Yours faithfully,

Anne Palmer.

The insulting reply:

Dear Ms Palmer.

I am writing on behalf of the Prime Minister to thank you for your letter of 17 November. It is good of you to get in touch. Mr Cameron very much appreciates your taking the time and trouble to inform him of your views. With best wishes.

Yours sincerely

Christina, Correspondence Officer.

GARLIC CREATES A BIT OF A STINK

2011-11-29T11:01:00.003Z

West Midlands MEP Mike Nattrass says meddling EU bureaucrats are again giving British taxpayers indigestion – this time thanks to a £20 million garlic tax bill.

The UKIP MEP says the EU is once more creating a stink following revelations that the EU Commission is threatening the UK Government with legal action if it fails to pay millions of pounds in alleged unpaid duty on imports of fresh garlic.

If the Government fails to pay the bill within two months the Commission has said it may refer the case to the Court of Justice.

The Commission stated: “Between 2005 and 2006, the UK customs authorities allowed imports of fresh garlic from the People’s Republic of China under wrong authorising documents.

“They have erroneously stated that the goods imported were frozen garlic for which significantly lower import duties apply.

“The Commission considers that the UK authorities did not act with all due care when issuing the authorising documents and failed to collect the correct amount of duties.

“They are therefore held financially responsible for the loss of own resources (approximately £20 million) to the EU budget.

“The Commission is determined to protect the common EU interest. Fair treatment of all Member States must be ensured. If a Member State fails to make available all the money it owes the EU budget, the other Member States need to pay more as a result.”

Commenting on the Commission’s stance, Mr Nattrass said: “These constant dictatorial displays by the EU are really giving British taxpayers chronic indigestion.

“Just this month we have seen numerous examples of EU interference which will hit British businesses..... I suggest we just breathe on them and ask them to go away.

“For example, earlier this month the European Court of Justice ruled that all jars of honey might have to be relabeled to say they contain pollen despite the fact pollen is a natural product and is not added to honey in any man-made production process.

“The EU has the cheek to mention the need to ensure the fair treatment of Member States when it says it will continue to allow some countries like Spain to continue producing eggs from battery hens despite an EU ban on their sale which is due to come into effect from January 1 next year.

“In Britain, as always, our businesses have complied with the EU regulations at huge cost. As a result our egg producers risk being undercut and pushed out of business by other competitors in Europe who have not complied with the standards. Where is the fair treatment in that?”

ALL LIT UP

2011-11-23T11:02:00.006Z

At a UKIP meeting the other evening during a debate about alternative energy and wind farms, which was inspired by the Duke of Edinburgh's wind farm comment that to think they could provide enough energy for our needs as a "fairy tale". One person there made a comment that I could not resist posting on this blog.

In reply to their effectiveness - or not, the UKIP members comment was: "If you connect all the windmills in the country together, you still won't generate enough energy to illuminate a glow worm's arsehole!"

This is a comment that has a certain ring about it.

LONG LIVE INEVITABILITY

2011-11-21T13:14:00.003Z

Nothing cheers me up more than when I hear people, especially euro fanatics, declaring that the pound sterling is doomed and Britain will have no option but to join the euro. Such news really makes my day and hearing the news that Lord (Hezza) Hesseltine has declared the euro will survive and Britain will have to join has perked me up no end on this dull Monday.

At this point you may be looking at the top of this blog which has a picture of me holding a camera and the blog title declaring: “Derek Bennett the Euro Sceptic”. You may also be wondering why such statements predicting the doom of the British currency to be usurped by the EU’s euro would make me happy – there is a reason.

There was a time when hearing predictions of the pounds demise would worry me and make me frown, rather than smile, that was until I was involved in a conversation in my regular Walsall watering hole, the Lyndon House Hotel. As a regular there quite a few people know my stance on the EU and that I stand in elections and campaign for UKIP, one of those people some years ago came up to me and stated: “You know it is inevitable we will join the euro, don’t you”.

“Why’s that?” I asked. This was in the early days of the EU’s euro and all the news and opinion at the time was the pound would not be able to stand up against the mighty dollar and a strong euro, talk of ‘inevitability was rife. The person who asked the question could not give any real positive reason other than quote the BBC and what all the press and media were predicting at the time – in other words he had been brainwashed into thinking the end of the pound was inevitable.

However, when I asked him the next question the reaction was revealing. I asked: “Does the fact that you think it is inevitable we will join the euro mean you will vote ‘Yes’ to join it when we are given the referendum on it?” A look of horror came across his face: “Of course not, I’m going to vote no”. So there you had it, as long as we had a referendum the choice belonged to the people and they were all repeating the mantra that joining the euro was inevitable, but the vast majority were saying they were going to vote ‘No’.

This is the reason why I always smile and am cheered greatly when such brainless eurofanatics as Lord Hesseltine begin harping on that joining the euro is inevitable – the more they say it the less inevitable it seems to become. It pleases me greatly too when people such as him, those who rely solely on deceit, treachery and outright lies, state the euro will survive as this means the euro is well and truly doomed – it can’t have much longer before it is consigned to the history books as yet another failed attempt, in a long line of long gone currency unions, to have failed too. This will be a major blow to the EU – so much so it will begin to lose what credibility it had but never deserved. Long live inevitability.

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

2011-11-18T14:58:00.002Z

It seems the quote by Europides; “Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad” and made so famous by Enoch Powell, is now appropriate to the European Union.

As most people with an ounce of common sense know, the European Union project is based on madness, it is mad to think that one nation can be created out of so many diverse nations with differing languages and cultures, it is mad to think that 17 nations with differing economies can all come together under one currency and one set of interest rates, and it is mad to think that the EU has a future – its demise is inevitable.

As the madness of the EU project turns into blind panic now it is all going wrong, as all Eurosceptics have constantly warned, the EU has really decided to show it really is mad by a group of officials spending three years debating, then declaring that drinking water does not prevent dehydration and making it illegal for bottled water suppliers to state that it does, which is obvious to anyone with even a miniscule of common sense.

This last week we have seen the EU begin to undermine democracy in the nation states, the Greek and Italian prime ministers were ousted literally by the EU, to be replaced by the EU’s placemen. For a prime example of the EU’s mindset Mario Monti, the new Italian prime minister, who was an EU Commissioner and is the EU’s man, is not elected by the people and he also thinks it quite acceptable that not one single member of his cabinet is elected either. This then is how the EU operates, democracy is an inconvenience.

If democracy in Europe is inconvenient, then democracy in the UK is a major threat, and it has been revealed that the German’s have decided that should Cameron actually honour his promise of holding a referendum to the British electorate on giving the EU more powers, which would be a first as Cameron has broken every promise made so far, then the Germans would set out to scupper such a venture.

It is Friday, the end of another unfortunate week as members of the EU and another week of EU membership too long. On the bright side, the total collapse of the EU’s euro and the EU is another week closer.

ALL WE DIDN'T WANT FOR CHRISTMAS

2011-11-16T14:37:00.004Z

Pity the poor electorate in the Walsall Metropolitan Council ward of Birchills Leamore, while everyone else is out and about making last minute preparations for Christmas, they will be traipsing to the polls to vote in a by-election that two unknown persons have demanded, as is their right.

The last thing anyone really wanted three days before Christmas day, on the 22 December, was a by-election. It seems all the political groups in Walsall have all been suspiciously looking at each other and asking: ‘Was it you?' Naturally they are all denying it, the Labour group have accused the Tories, who in turn have blamed Labour, whilst the Lib Dems, who couldn’t even bother to find a candidate in the last by-election recently in Bloxwich, are saying: ‘It aint me guv’. So, who was daft enough to go and call a by-election now? Whoever they are have got some answering to do.

The by-election was called due to the sad death of Joan Barton who had been a well liked and long serving Councillor. As she was due for re-election next May there was no real need to call a by-election. Whoever is elected for Labour, as they will be as this is one of Labour’s safest wards in Walsall, will have re-stand again in May. By the time they start serving on the Council after the Christmas break, they won’t have had much chance to do anything before they are up for election again.

Although I am a strong advocate for democracy, which was the reason I got involved in politics in the first place, I still sadly think this election is a waste of time and money, the two remaining Ward Councillors could have coped for four months, but now the Council Taxpayers have to pay for a by-election.

We in UKIP have already started the process of selecting who we want as our candidate, but it is something we could have done without. All we didn’t want for Christmas was a by-election.

WE "EUROSCEPTICS"

2011-11-16T13:01:00.004Z

You may have read my posting, or rant more like, regarding David Cameron's daft assertion that somehow or other his pro-EU actions and leaning qualify him to be called a "Eurosceptic", well here is a response from Nigel Farage - a real Eurosceptic.

NIGEL ASKS, WHAT RIGHT TO DICTATE?

2011-11-16T12:57:00.003Z

Here he is, the lad himself giving it to the EU President and the Commission President together. Nigel making himself popular in the Parliament - all good stuff.

AN INSULT TO ALL EU-SCEPTICS

2011-11-15T14:17:00.006Z

Vladimir Lenin, a leading anti-Communist.

Here’s a novel list of historical figures. Vladimir Lenin was a leading anti-Communist. Ronald Regan was an active American left wing socialist. Mae West was a devout puritan. Members of Led Zeplin support the Noise Abatement Society. Now here’s a new one to bring the list fully up to date; David Cameron is a Euro sceptic!

There are things you see on the telly that make you want to throw things at it as you sit watching in utter disbelief, your language takes on an Anglo Saxon bias as you turn the air blue with screems of frustration – last night watching the clips of David Cameron all dolled up in his finery when he had the gall to declare he was a ‘sceptic’ when speaking at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet in London. He is a funny sort of sceptic, instead of saying, as all real sceptics say, we should leave the EU, he declared we have to remain as members.

This is like a prisoner saying he desperately wants to escape, being given the key to his cell, then saying he can’t leave as his incarceration is good for him. Well Britain should get out, and get out fast as EU membership is doing immense harm to this nation.

As the EU begins to flex its muscles EU membership become increasingly dangerous for the freedom, democracy and sovereignty of its member nations. In recent days we have seen the EU override the democracies of Greece and Italy, out have gone their democratically elected prime ministers, in have come the EU’s placemen.

The new Greek prime minister, Lucas Papademos, is the man responsible for fixing the Greek accounts to make it possible they could scrap the drachma, the world’s oldest currency, to make it possible for Greece to adopt the EU’s euro. There must have been some very creative accounting to make that one work! Now the EU, knowing what a loyal little lap dog he is, have ensured he is in place to help sort the mess out he, and the EU, helped to create. Of course the only possible way, as far as the EU is concerned, is more EU rather than less. How very convenient this is when creating a single nation called the United States of Europe.

The same too has happened in Italy, out has gone the sex mad Italian prime minister, Silvio (bunga, bunga) Berlesconi, and in comes the EU grey hit man, Mario Monti. He really is one of theirs and comes from the shadows of the EU’s truly dark crevices as a past EU Commissioner.

All this convenient placing of the EU’s men has made Lord Tebbit, (good old Norman) wonder if Cameron’s nemesis will be Nick (I worship the EU) Clegg . In his Telegraph blog he ponders the thought that Clegg could be the EU’s placeman here in the UK. Of course, if Cameron had the common sense to get Britain out of the EU as any real ‘sceptic’ would do, then he would also be eradicating that possibility.

To finish up last night’s telly tantrum and throwing things at it, BBC 2 Newsnight had the ex-sinister minister of spin, and pro-EU acolyte, Peter, now Lord, Mandelson pontificating about the EU and even suggesting we may still, at some time, scrap our pound sterling for the EU’s vile euro – ooh, I do want to swear. I think I will and say: “David Cameron”, now you can’t get much worse than that can you than to say the name of the man whose use of the term sceptic is an insult to all EU-sceptics.

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY

2011-11-13T17:23:00.003Z

Old shipmates, Fred & Arthur relaxing after parade.

It was a glorious day in Walsall on Sunday 13th November, a better November day for Remembrance Sunday could not have been asked for. The Sun shone and once again people thronged to the Cenotaph to remember all those who have faced conflicts around the world in defence of this nation - not all of them elderly from long ago wars, there are many, too many, younger people who have been sent into danger on our behalf. Sadly, many of them have either not survived or returned home or returned badly mutilated.

There are many things I gripe about that Walsall Council and our Councillors get up to, but the one thing I always admire and praise is the organisation of the Remembrance Sunday parade and service. I have attended other services in other towns, and the only one I found better was the London service at the Cenotaph in Whitehall.

For several years a few of us from the UK Independence Party in Walsall join the parade, along with other local politicians, councillors, servicemen and women and the many others who take part, for me it always a privilege. My father in law, Fred, who served on HMS Euryalus in the Pacific during World War Two always joins us too. This year I was worried about him, unfortunately, due to his age he cannot walk as well as he used to and when I asked him if he really felt up to it he gave me a determined look and said: "Yes" - and he did it too.

Proudly wearing his, and his fathers medals from the Great War, he walked from the town hall to the Cenotaph, stood for the whole of the service, then walked all the way back. This may not be too far for those younger, healthier members of the parade, but considering he has been through a hip replacement and other operations in recent times it was not so easy for him. But he was determined to do it as a mark of respect, he was one of the lucky ones who was sent into conflict and came home to tell all about it, unlike others who we all remembered with great pride.

The service this year was taken by the Reverend Mark Kinder, who did an excellent job. This added more poignancy for me personally as Mark conducted the funeral service of my late mother who died last December. We have many to remember, my late parents, like so many, went through the Second World war and served, my father in the army and my mother doing her war work on the Birmingham trams.

THE EU COLONISATION OF EUROPE

2011-11-09T11:51:00.003Z

There has been one hell of a lot going in over the last weekend regarding the situations in both Greece and Italy, sadly, there has been little time for this blogger to write anything about it to post here. What we are seeing with the toppling of the Greek and Italian prime ministers is akin to the EU storm trooping those nations.

Simon Heffer explains it all in the Daily Mail, you should really find the time to read what he has to say. What is going on now is the final proof that EU-sceptics everywhere have been proven our warnings about the EU, rather than rants from xenophobic little Englanders, have been right and well considered all along.

LETTING HARRY KNOW

2011-11-04T14:59:00.002Z

Derek Bennett, writing to Harry to put him right about the EU.

Being a long time campaigner against the imposition of EU membership I have not only learned about all the EU's devious litte ways, but from time to time I also get called upon to explain just why the EU is so bad, sadly a large number of people get taken in that it can be reformed and that we can take powers from it as and when we like, which is far from the truth but our devious political leaders don't want the plebs knowing such things.

One of the letters I have sent out to a chap namjed Harry, who sadly has fallen into this trap, explains a lot which I thought I would put on here for others to read too.

Dear Harry,

Please excuse my lack of response to your last e-mail to me, I fear I was distracted by other matters and I apologise if this seemed rude.

I have looked through your follow-up e-mail and to answer your questions I will be repeating myself. quite a bit.

To deal with your first paragraph regarding taking back powers from the EU, the only response I can use to reply to this is to refer to the old joke: ‘How do you know a politician is lying? It is when he is talking!’ Any politician or Government which say they will repatriate powers from the EU are telling some pretty large whoppers, all powers the EU have been given are under the terms of the acquis communautaire, this means any powers given to the EU it will never relinquish. Sadly those who have little knowledge of how the EU works do not realise that fact and are mislead into thinking it is possible – it is not.

The EU works on the ratchet principle, it winds the ratchet and takes over powers in one or two areas, then a little time later the ratchet gets wound again and a bit more power moves from the nation states to the EU – and so it goes on in one direction with the EU gaining more and more power.

Look at the current crisis with the euro and the Greek bail-out. Everyone with an ounce of common sense told the EU’s leaders many years ago the euro would be a disaster, you simply cannot tie the economies of all those different nations together – the EU leaders did not listen as their project had to go ahead and a little matter such as common sense was not going to be allowed to get in the way. What is happening now was predicted – it was inevitable and what’s more – those who are driving the EU forward knew it too.

This euro crisis, which they were warned about, is exactly what they want as it is the perfect opportunity to take yet more power and have more control. Look at what is being said, we are being told that rather than Greece leave the eurozone and take back control of its currency and interest rates, which is what it should do, the EU is now talking about grabbing even more power by creating a full fiscal union where the EU will be in full charge of taxation and the budgets of all member nations – this crisis is just what the EU ordered and gleefully got. Sadly, the Greeks, who for the briefest of moments were given a tantalising glimpse of a democratic say on this with the offer of a referendum, soon had that prospect mangled by the EU which was horrified that democracy could get in the way of their project. Once again freedom and democracy have become the EU’s victims.

Regarding your comparison to the MPs in our Houses of Parliament to majority rule in the EU, has baffled me, I can’t see how either can be compared. Our Parliament is made up of elected representatives from the same nation, i.e. the United Kingdom, the EU Parliament is made up of representatives from different nations of which the British people can only vote for a small minority. Whereas our UK Parliament is made up 100% of British representatives who make, or should make, British law. Sadly, all they seem to do is nod through EU law – masses of it.

If the British people living in their constituencies don’t like what a British Government has done it can vote them out of office, if the British people don’t like what the unelected EU Commission or the Council of Ministers have done they have no means of removing them – this to me is the democratic deficit of EU membership.

The threat of the Tobin tax over the City of London is of major concern to this nation, the trading centre of the City of London is a major wealth creator for the UK, it is vital our nation’s well being is not undermined. If the EU destroys it with this proposed tax there will be no benefit from trade in the EU to compensate. The sort of trading that is done in the City will move to parts of the world where there is no EU and no Tobin tax, we will all badly lose out.

Back in the sixties the USA introduced a ‘withholding tax’ (a similar thing) which wiped out their Eurobond market within a week. Realising the huge error they had made they scrapped the withholding tax but once the Eurobond market had gone (to London), it never went back – which is what will happen to us if the EU decides to go ahead with this tax – hence another reason why EU membership is far from good for the UK – it can destroy us and our Government is obliged to help in the process, as you state: “help in the process”.

The EU Commission. You are correct when you state the Commissioners, one for each member nation, are chosen by the member states. However, considering how much power and influence these appointed people have, again there is a massive democratic deficit. They have almost as much power in the EU as the President of the USA has in America; he is elected by the people the EU Commission is not. The only body of people with the power to stop the Commission are the MEPs, but they seldom do as all their voting is done on mass and by block voting – they can get through several hundred pieces of legislation and amendments by nothing more than a show of hands, they do this so fast it only takes about an hour or so. It is truly frightening to witness – as I have done.

There is no real comparison between the setting up of a single nation of the United States of America and the ongoing creation of a new nation called the United States of Europe, our histories are vastly different.

The North American land mass was colonised and taken over by the Europeans, we fought each other for chunks of it. Once established as a British colony they then began to rebel against rule from Britain which was remote and costing them in taxes, without any real democratic representation (sounds similar to how we are now with the EU). As we know they rebelled, there was a war and American independence came about. It then took a very savage and bloody civil war before the USA became truly united.

The USA also has one language which makes for easy movement of labour. It has one Government, one constitution, one set of laws that apply to all – it is one nation and the people there think of themselves as American.

Europe has a history going back much further in time, the nations have had centuries to become established, each nation has its own languages, laws, customs and, of course, currencies (until the EU screwed that one up!) Our histories are linked with a mixture of wars, alliances and trade. However, at the end of the day we are all well established differing nations but the EU is working to destroy those historical differences and mould Europe into one nation yet the people still think of themselves as citizens and subjects of their nations not Europeans – in fact I object to being called European, my nation is the United Kingdom – it is where I was born and hope to die.

Regarding putting pressure on the EU Commission to resign, that pressure can only come from the European Parliament, and it did happen a few years ago. The MEPs were not happy with the Commission as some of them had been up to all sorts of antics; one even employed her dentist as an assistant who was then paid a large sum of money. The Commissioner, seeing what was coming, resigned en-masse. Many of them returned, including Neil Kinnock who was given the job of stamping out corruption but then proceeded to turn a blind eye to it – hence the problems between him and the now UKIP MEP, Marta Andreasen, who as an EU accountant reported corruption to him. He told her to keep quiet as it made the EU look bad! The whole concept and the way the EU operates is wrong – it can never be amended it undermines all the democracies of Europe.

On your last point, why we are not being given a say, the reason is due to the fact the electorates of Europe often vote the wrong way as far as the EU is concerned, hence the repeat referendums in nations that have voted to block the EU’s plans – they were made to do it again and were more or less threatened with dire consequences if they didn’t vote the way the EU wanted. If we return to Greece just look at the howls of horror when George Papandreou announced he was to hold a referendum on the Greek bail-out – he was soon put in his place by the EU and the people of Greece have to tow the EU line.

Rather than constantly getting the same replies from both Mike and myself, I suggest you do a little digging around the internet to see what others are saying. There are a lot of blogs on the EU, comments in the press.

Other places to look at are:
Campaign for an Independent Britain: http://www.freebritain.org.uk/
The Unit: http://www.th-eu-nit.com/index.php/home
The Democracy Movement: http://www.democracymovement.org.uk/
The Freedom Association: http://www.tfa.net/
And of course, UKIP: www.ukip.org

I hope this helps,

Regards, Derek.

TIM EXPLAINS IT ALL

2011-11-02T14:41:00.002Z

Renown economist, Tim Congdon explains the collapse of the euro is not a disaster.

We have all had those moments when someone has been given news they don’t want to hear and we have watched their face drop and the following reaction – I am sure that two of those moments must have happened when Angela Merkel and her sidekick, Nicholas Sarkozy, were given the news that the Greek Prime Minister, without consulting them, had promised the Greek people a referendum on their wonderful bail-out – I wish I could have been there.

Could you imagine their response, what audacity that the elected Prime Minister of a supposedly sovereign nation – albeit a bankrupt nation – offers his electorate a democratic say on their wonderful deal thrashed out behind closed doors in the EU – the nerve of the man considering his voters! Everyone know that when the electorate are consulted on EU matters they always vote the wrong way and everyone has to go through the inconvenience of doing it all over again until they give the result the EU want.

So would the total demise of the euro actually be such a bad thing? Would the world come to an end economies collapse, governments fail and wars break out? Of course not, but to listen to the anguished wailing from within the EU as they see their precious project flushing down the pan of history before their very eyes – you would come to that wrong impression.

What is happening now reminds me of the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM). All the same warnings and predictions were made; we were going to be left behind if we did not join, Britain would marginalised, our business would collapse and trade move abroad. So we joined and what happened, we were lumbered with an interest rate that was wrong for us, our pound sterling was set at the wrong rate and as a result businesses collapsed, trade moved away, people lost their jobs and homes and unemployment rocketed. All that changed drastically when the inevitable happened and we crashed out – instead of gloom and doom we prospered and our economy shot up and recovered – ERM had been the disaster – not our leaving it.

Now we are witnessing all the same things being said about the euro, all the same warnings of gloom, doom and total disaster – yet in our heart of hearts we all know the sooner the whole lot fails and we can all get back to normality with different nations once again in control of their own economies and their own currencies, then the good times will return – it is the euro that is the disaster not the leaving of it or its total failure which is not far off.

Professor Tim Congdon, the renown economist, has written this below which says it all, only he explains the situation in a far better way than I could. Read on and learn:

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, is reputed to be a sensible, level-headed lady. So, when she claimed in the Eurozone bail-out negotiations that their failure could threaten continued peace between Europe’s nations, the media latched on to her words. Could it really be true that, 66 years after a world war that had been calamitous for her country and its people, the leader of Germany could be warning of a similar horror? Would that be the price for Europe’s citizens if their single currency area were to disintegrate?

A fair comment is that Merkel’s remarks caused bemusement to many not directly involved in the negotiations and able to maintain a degree of objectivity. The United Nations today has 193 members, while the European Union has 27 and the Eurozone 17. 176 countries do not have the euro as their currency and 166 which do not even belong to the EU. According to Mrs Merkel, the adoption and retention of the euro are a basic condition of peace between nations. We might then expect discord and tension – indeed discord and tension verging on military hostility – among the unfortunate 166 countries that have not participated in “the European construction” engineered by France and Germany since 1957.

But that is not what we find. According to Wikipedia, the world at present has five on-going “wars”, three of which are actually large-scale outbreaks of civil disturbance in the Arab world. Only one of the five, Kenya’s military engagement in Somalia, resembles a war-like conflict between sovereign states. But arguably even that does not count, since the Kenyan incursion is in fact a policing operation. The world at large – the world of 166 countries outside the EU – is at peace; it is at peace even though the 166 countries do not belong to the EU or enjoy the benefits of the single European currency. Sorry, Mrs. Merkel, no relationship whatever holds between the euro currency and the avoidance of war.

Indeed, no relationship holds between EU membership and the avoidance of war. Countries can have no direct association with the EU or the euro, and yet still be at peace with every other country in the world. True, the riots in Athens in the last few months have some similarities to the disturbances in the Arab world. However, they can be blamed not on Greece’s abstention from the euro. Instead they arise from its foolish decision in 2003 to introduce the currency of foreign countries with utterly different traditions of budgetary management from its own.

As the bail-out negotiations were reaching their finale, George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, said he was concerned that Britain might become “a second-tier state”. His worry was that the 17 Eurozone members might meet by themselves, without the ten EU members which have kept national currencies, and reach conclusions which would adversely affect the “outside” ten. According to Osborne, the Eurozone inner core might in this way “bounce” Britain and the others into courses of action against their national interests.

But what does that mean for the rest of the world, those 166 lonely, neglected and presumably desperate countries which do not belong to the EU at all? The poor things not only do not have the euro as their currency, but also – so sadly for them – are not subject to the tens of thousands of directives, regulations and rules that emanate from the European Commission and the Council of Ministers. If forlorn and unhappy Britain is relegated to “the second-tier”, in what league should the United States, China and Japan be placed? And are our Commonwealth friends, like Canada and Australia, in some remote outer darkness?

May we now leave Mrs. Merkel and Mr. Osborne in their crazy EU hothouse, and return to common sense? The fact is that no country anywhere in the world – and that no means no country in Europe – has to participate in the structures of the EU or the Eurozone. There is nothing compulsory about membership. Some obvious facts cannot be overlooked. For many years the growth of output and trade has been appreciably faster in the world as a whole than in the EU (see the table below), while the vast majority of non-EU states have enjoyed an international peace that is premised on overwhelming American military might, not on the existence of the EU.

George Osborne and his Cabinet colleagues should remember how de Gaulle dealt with upstarts from European institutions in 1966. Say “no” (or “non”, as the case may be), walk out of the room and leave an empty chair. That is the right way to respond to attempts by our neighbours to “bounce” us.

Talking of de Gaulle, shortly before the D-Day landings he and Churchill had one of their many sharp exchanges. The question was whether Britain’s most profound geopolitical commitment was to Europe or to the rest of the world, including of course the Commonwealth and the USA. Churchill was forthright, “If Britain must choose between Europe and the open sea, she must always choose the open sea.”
Yes, the “open sea” – the world other than Europe – with its 166 countries and its 83% of global output must always matter most to Britain; it must certainly matter more to us than Europe, even in its present allegedly “united” form, which – without us – has 26 countries and only 17% of world output.

Tim Congdon.

VOTING FOR OBLIVION

2011-10-29T23:01:00.006+01:00

Enjoying a beer in the Strasbourg sunshine.

The week commencing the 24th October 2011 has been a funny old week. As readers of this blog will note I was in London on Monday for the mass lobby of Parliament campaigning for a referendum on EU membership, then the following morning it was back on the train to London, only this time to catch the Eurostar train on to Paris then the French TGV to Strasbourg - one of the homes of the evil empire known as the EU.

I travelled with Mrs B and my bother Bruce and his wife Chris, we arrived in the evening and the following day, which was bright and sunny, we had a day free to explore Strasbourg, which despite being blighted with one of the two EU Parliaments, is a beautiful city and well worth a visit.

The reason for our few days away, and of course no blogging here, was for a visit to the Parliament, and what a time to visit. Literally in the early hours of Thursday morning the EU leader finally agreed a pact to try to save their euro, which may have a reprieve due to their actions but will, in fact, never be saved as it was always doomed to fail.

As we and the group of other invited visitors sat in the balcony above, Herman Van Rompuy and Comrade Barroso made their historic speeches below where we sat - all tosh of course.

In their mind their euro, which I referred to as “urines” during my visit, is saved, but at what cost? It is costing the Greeks, and any other eurozone nation that lands in the same economic trouble, their democracy, freedom and sovereignty as the whole package has been designed to give the EU ever more control. All member nations, including us here in the UK, are now obliged to present our budgets to the EU for inspection - this is unprecedented. At a time when Cameron is talking utter drivel about repatriating powers from the EU - it is doing the very opposite and grabbing even more for itself.

Cameron and we Willy Hague can talk about taking back powers from the EU until EU approved cows come home, but unless they are intent on taking Britain out of the EU - which s the only real way power can be returned from the EU, they are doing nothing else but confirm what deceitful and dangerous people they are.

While in Strasbourg on that Thursday evening, I was actually a UKIP candidate in a local Walsall Council by-election in Bloxwich East - the result was not good - only 98 votes. The Labour candidate took the ward from the Conservatives, who in turn may take it back next May when the local elections take place. Sadly, the voters have chosen to continually vote for the two main political parties that have landed this nation in the mess it is in and which those very voters moaned to me about on their doorsteps in the run up to the vote. If they keep voting for these parties it is no wonder Cameron, Clegg and Milliband can get away with all the meaningless tosh they spout and continually get away with it. They are talking us into oblivion and sadly, the electorate keep voting for it.

WAVING TWO FINGERS

2011-10-25T00:19:00.002+01:00

Campaigners outside Parliament calling for a referendum on the EU.

When is the right time to leave a sinking ship? Surely the answer should be - before it sinks below the waves and takes you with it. So when David Cameron states that it is not the right time to hold a referendum on the EU it can only be presumed he wants to be like the captains of old who went down with their ships. The trouble is captain Cameron will take all of us with him when the EU goes down, as it is certain to do.

Not content with wanting to see our nation sink and drown just because Cameron wants to help bail out the EU version of the Titanic, a large number of campaigners gathered outside the Houses of Parliament to lobby their Members of Parliament to ask them to vote in favour of the long overdue referendum on our sad involvement with the EU. On the night of the 24th October 2011 the not so Honourable Members came back with their response - in effect they gave a Parliamentary two fingers to the people they are allegedly there to represent.

The voters of Britain should remember the 24th October when it comes to the next general election - then it will be their turn to demonstrate their prowess with two fingers!

CORRUPT TACTICS

2011-10-19T13:01:00.006+01:00

There has always been something about David Cameron that has reminded me of Ted Heath. Cameron may be a bit more stylish than Heath was in his day, Cameron may be married with a young family, unlike Heath who remained a bachelor, also Cameron may come across as less curmudgeonly than Heath, but Cameron is without doubt proving my theory correct.

On the issue of surrendering this nation to full control by the EU, both men have shown the same deceit and devious tactics – both were, and are, blatant liars.

Heath lied through his teeth when he said there would be no loss of sovereignty, he hid the true facts of what was intended, finally admitting years later on TV that he lied. Heath was a traitor who by signing the Treaty of Rome gave this nation away.

Cameron deceived his own members in the Conservative Party by pretending to be a Eurosceptic. He deceived the electorate by promising a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, then going back on that very promise using feeble excuses that it was already signed. If he is the Prime Minister of this land his Government can repeal anything that is bad for Britain – he didn’t despite the devastating attack upon the British constitution the Lisbon Treaty represents. Heath and Cameron are men of the same unpleasant and devious, treasonous, lying cloth.

He has now been forced, due to growing pressure, to allow a debate on the matter of holding a referendum on the EU in Parliament. To show his utter contempt for democracy and the voice of the people he is going to impose a three-line whip to force his Tory MPs to vote against the option of holding a referendum – this is the man who in the run up to the 2010 general election Conservative activists all over the country said a vote for Dave was a vote against the EU – those poor souls who were deluded into thinking they were voting for an EU-sceptic Prime Minister and Government were duped, conned and well and truly stitched up – they voted for a rabidly pro-EU Prime Minister and Government. If only the Trades Description Act applied to these treacherous people.

If you want a referendum on this issue then you will need to pressurise your Member of Parliament, this can be done by clicking this link: http://www.writetothem.com/ and writing to your Member of Parliament and demand they represent you.

My own MP is Valerie Vaz, sister of the EU fanatical Keith, despite there being little chance of madam Vaz taking note and voting in favour of a referendum, this below is what I have written to her.

“Soon you will be given a vote in Parliament on holding a referendum on Britain's continued membership of the European Union.

The British people have only ever been given one say on this most important of issues in 1975, this means that not one person under the age of 54 has ever had an opportunity to have a say on this, added to which the 1975 referendum was based on some very suspect facts, many even consider that referendum to be the most corrupt and fraudulent plebiscite this nation has ever held.

In 1975 I personally voted in favour of remaining in what was then the Common Market based on the information provided by the Government at that time. We were specifically informed that there would be no single currency, no laws would be made and imposed upon us and that membership was nothing more than a trade agreement to benefit industry and jobs.

As we all know, that was a pack of lies, that 1975 referendum was based on deceit. It is way past time the British people were given a say on membership of the European Union which is costing us vast sums of money, forcing businesses to move abroad and the loss of jobs – we need the mechanism for a controlled withdrawal from the EU and this referendum will give us the opportunity to begin that most needed of processes.

Please vote in favour of calling a referendum and give your constituents their chance to have a say.”

Sadly, there is a great danger that if we do get the chance of a referendum, it is taking a great risk. You only have to look at the 1975 referendum for a perfect example of what we will be in for should a future referendum on EU membership come about. That 1975 referendum was the most dishonest, corrupt and biased vote this nation has ever held. Foreign money poured into the ‘Yes’ side while the ‘No’ side had few funds. Scare tactics were used such as the threat of war again in Europe, jobs lost and Britain being too small to be on its own – all those dishonest arguments will return and the public will be scared into voting to stay in the EU despite their growing dislike for it.

Yes, we want a referendum, but we want an equally funded and honest referendum. The chances are neither of these options will be available to us, which is almost fitting that corrupt tactics will be the only way any Government will be able to keep us enslaved to the corrupt EU.

THE EURO IS ON ITS WAY OUT

2011-10-18T12:31:00.002+01:00

Hot off the internet is news of the inevitable demise of the EU's distasterous euro. Whatever you do ensure you read Ambrose Evans-Pritchard who is the Daily Telegraph's highly informed economics expert.

OH NO, NOT ANOTHER ONE

2011-10-17T13:01:00.002+01:00

Wallsall Council, you may as well bang your head up the Council House Wall for all the good it would do to get the Council to listen to sense on car parking charges.

Regular readers of this blog may remember the item I posted last week which covered my by-election campaign in Bloxwich East and the constituent who, like many others, was wrongly fined at the Crown Wharf shopping complex on the edge of Walsall town centre.

The car parking at this place has become notorious due to its system of automated car registration recognition and people having to punch in their car numbers when they pay to park – loads of people have fallen victim, including this lady who, after seeing my election address, got in touch with me about this.

I am pleased to say that she took my advice, thanks too to the insistence of her very sensible husband, and posted a recorded delivery letter to Parking Eye pointing out the fact that she had paid and not overstayed her time. She called me this morning (17th October 2011) to let me know the good news that they have rescinded the fine. They claimed she had punched in the wrong registration number when paying at their machine, but as someone who has used the system before she knows she did everything correctly.

What has come out of this is the fact that company, and the shops that pay rent at the Crown Wharf, have a serious problem due to the notoriety this shopping complex’s car park is picking up. There have been a number of press items of motorists being fined despite the fact they have paid, which must now be putting many shoppers off using this place – including this lady who vows never to go there again.

She said that once she started telling people about what happened to her she found it had happened to no end of others too – some had just paid up to avoid any hassle but no longer shop there. Once bitten twice shy, as they say. Even at the post office when paying for the recorded delivery for her letter to Parking Eye, the lady behind the counter said: “Oh no, not another one”, which makes you wonder just how many people have become victims of Parking Eye. As I said before, if we had free parking there would be no problem and businesses and Walsall would profit from it – but try telling that logical fact to Walsall Council – you may as well as bang your head up the wall of the Council House for all the good it would do.

A TRIAL RUN IN BLOXWICH EAST

2011-10-13T15:33:00.005+01:00

The other day I wrote on this blog about my campaign in the Bloxwich East by-election and my help for the lady who had unfairly received a parking fine, even though she had fully paid up and had not contravened any parking restrictions. Thanks to help I am getting from UKIP activists in the Midlands who are delivering my election addresses to the homes in the ward, campaigning is going great guns.

One thing with this by-election is the fact it is the perfect opportunity for the people to give UKIP in Walsall a trial run. Sadly, many voters are reluctant to move away from their habits of a lifetime and continue voting for either the Labour or Conservative parties, even though those parties have consistently failed them. One party many have stopped voting for are the Liberal Democrats, which is why UKIP often polls higher than them in many local elections.

However, as Bill Tweddle, who was the Councillor who sadly passed away was due to be re-elected next May, whoever is elected in this by-election in Bloxwich East will have to re-stand during the local elections next year. This then is the perfect opportunity for the people in the ward to give UKIP a test run, as it were, just to see how well we do as a new political face on Walsall Council. I have confidence that if they decide to give me a test run up until the local elections next May they will be pleased with what UKIP can do for them – they have nothing to lose and this is the perfect opportunity to test out a different political way of doing things.

As I go around the ward people I speak to are very disillusioned with the old political parties that are responsible for running this country into the ground over the decades, the Way Walsall Council is run is no better. Parking fees and fines are killing trade in Walsall and Bloxwich as shoppers move away to places that provide free parking – I have been campaigning against this madness and if elected will really stand up against parking charges and call for free parking periods. There’s a lot more that needs doing and if elected I will make a start during my trial run.

By electing someone such as myself who will have a lot to prove in a short time means the people of Bloxwich North will have a lot to gain and nothing to lose, other than the incompetence that has shadowed Walsall Council for years.

BARROSO IN THE BUNKER

2011-10-13T09:57:00.002+01:00

Here he goes again, Nigel Farage the UKIP leader giving some well deserved stick to the EU Commission President, Jose Barroso. Watch and enjoy.

A SIMPLE ANSWER - FREE PARKING

2011-10-12T12:55:00.006+01:00

Standing in elections brings all sorts of differing experiences, over the years since I first joined the Referendum Party in 1996 I have stood in four general elections and, to be honest, I have lost track of the number of local elections I have stood in. And now I am at it again as the UKIP candidate in a by-election in the Bloxwich East Ward in Walsall.

Most local elections tend to be fairly low-key events, as the old political quote goes, why go around stirring up apathy? Sadly, that’s all that seems to happen in most local elections. As we plod the streets delivering our election addresses we get to meet people cleaning cars and tidying up gardens and say hello. Before you even speak to them the look on their faces says: ‘Oh lord, what’s he going to try to sell me now’. When you tell them who you are you get one of four responses. They either say: ‘Nah, never heard of you mate, I don’t do politics’, or: ‘You’re all the same – I don’t trust any of you’, then there are the depressives: ‘I know what you’re saying and stand for, but it’s all too late, you can’t change anything and you can’t win’, then finally, God bless ‘em, you get the supporters who are always pleased to meet you. These wonderful souls wish you good luck, tell you they will definitely vote for you and best of all, slag-off your political opponents by telling you how useless they all are.

After all this, come election day after the polls close at 10 pm, you head off to the town hall and never get the size of vote you had hoped for, although these days it’s not quite so bad as more often than not we in UKIP are gaining more votes in local elections than the Liberal Democrats – who incidentally, are nowhere to be seen in Bloxwich East as they are not even putting a candidate up.

Generally this by-election, which is due to be held on Thursday 27th October, is following the same pattern. However, yesterday I took a call off a lady who, like so many in recent times, has fallen victim to the parking regime employed at a shopping complex close to Walsall Town centre. In recent times car parking in Walsall has become a battleground. On one side you have a beleaguered army of shoppers and traders who are under constant attack from Walsall Council and their army of parking wardens – or ‘enforcement officers’, as we are supposed to call them. These blighters spring up from nowhere and slap tickets on vehicles around the town for the slightest parking infringements, whilst on the other hand shoppers are giving up the one sided struggle and taking their money and business elsewhere leaving the towns traders, and the jobs they give, in the lurch.

The lady in question, who lives in the Bloxwich East Ward, saw my election address in which I had commented on 'Walsall Council’s excessive car-parking charges’, and called me – she had just become another victim of the Crown Wharf’s parking enforcement system which is fining people even though she had fully complied with all the parking charges, times, and other rules. This place is creating quite uproar in the town as all sorts of people become victims.

Like many she had driven in, paid at one of the nearby machines for two hours parking, which had to be the second machine she came across as the first was faulty, put in her car registration number, as she had done many times before, and after 37 minutes she drove away and forgot about this very mundane experience – that was until yesterday (11th October 2011).

Yesterday a parking fine of £85 landed on her doormat and made her one very upset lady, which was when she called me after seeing my election address – she even thought I was already a Councillor even though, despite the plethora of elections I have stood in over the years, I have never been elected – sadly.

My advice to this lady was to write to the parking enforcement company, Parking Eye, and inform them that she had paid and not overstayed her time and post it by recorded delivery to ensure they got it. The poor lady, who like the vast majority pay their bills on time, never infringe any laws and make sure they always park their cars correctly and pay in full, live in fear of the might of the law when they themselves become its victims. Her response was that she was going to pay the fine, which was reduced if paid within a fortnight, to avoid any further trouble and complain after.

As stated this parking system at the Crown Wharf in Walsall as become quite a talking point in the town due to so many innocent drivers incurring parking penalties. When speaking to others it seems this lady had discovered a number of her friends and acquaintances had also fallen victim and just meekly paid up vowing never to return –as this lady was planning to do. This is where I did a bit of digging.

I looked up the details of the people who own and run the Crown Wharf and in a telephone call to them asked about the parking system. I was put in touch with a chap named John who denied there was any problem there but, according to him, occasional glitches do occur – hmm. He was actually quite a nice chap and explained that anyone, such as the ward constituent I was calling on behalf, finds they get a fine that was incorrectly issued, just write to the enforcement company, Parking Eye, and it will be sorted as their system keeps accurate records. He said a lot of people enter the wrong car registration which then creates a problem with the automated registration plate system they have there. However, as the lady in the ward, who by now was a jabbering wreck, assured me that she had done everything correctly, including entering her car registration.

I am pleased to say that even though I am not elected, by getting in touch with this company I was able to help her and she and her husband intended to pen a few words which, hopefully by the time you are reading this, will be in the post to Parking eye, and the outcome will be an apology from the company for the aggravation they have created.

Sadly, in towns and cities all around the country these minor disasters are all to often a common occurrence. Councils and the companies they employ are making substantial amounts of money in parking charges and the fines they collect. For those who read Richard North’s highly acclaimed EU Referendum blog will have seen his expose in several postings of how councils around the country are raking it in from fines, and not all of what they are doing is legal either.

As misery is created for businesses and shoppers by councils everywhere, including Walsall Council, and none of them giving a care in the world for what they are doing, there is a simple answer – free parking. No fines, no problems and busy town centres – or is that too hard a concept for our councils and councillors?

If you are a Parking Eye victim you may find the below contact details of use.
info@parkingeye.co.uk
appeals@parkingeye.co.uk

ParkingEye Limited
PO Box 565
Chorley
PR6 6HT

LORD HESKETH JOINS UKIP

2011-10-11T13:06:00.004+01:00

The big new for those of us in UKIP today is that of Lord Hesketh, doing what a sizable number of us did many years ago, and has given up all hope of the Tory Party and joined UKIP. Welcome to our ranks your lordship.

Simon Heffer, the Daily Mail colulmnist who is also a big UKIP supporter, interviews Lord Hesketh, it's worth a read.

WHOSE HE TRYING TO SCREW NOW?

2011-10-10T15:03:00.003+01:00

What on earth is he up to? This question is aimed at our ex-PM, John Major, the man responsible for signing one of the worst EU treaties possible and ensuring the demise of his own political party.

He signed the Maastricht Treaty which paved the way for the launch of the EU’s euro which is now wreaking havoc across the economies of Europe, which ensured that each and everyone of us became European citizens even though no one asked for the dubious and suspect citizenship (I have renounced mine). It is thanks to John Major we now have to travel abroad with our flimsy, nasty little EU passports, we have EU driving licences and all sorts of other EU symbols of nationhood which now blight our daily lives.

No doubt, after news of his statement this morning (10th October 2011) that the EU crisis was an opportunity to grab back powers from the EU must have had people all over the nation chocking on their toast. The man who gave away as much, if not more than the treacherous Ted Heath is now declaring that we should “negotiate for a looser form of Europe”, which he also stated he wanted to see in the 1980’s. If that was the case why on earth did the dim-wit sign the Maastricht Treaty which gave exactly the opposite?

It is no wonder many people fled the Conservative Party in droves during his disastrous Premiership, including this one time rock solid Tory voter. Sadly, he has set the standard for all Tory leaders who have followed him whose message is, talk tough on the EU then do the opposite. David Cameron is keeping the tradition alive which Major started and people, including those still happy to be duped in the Tory ranks, are being deceived into thinking the Conservative Party will actually do something to stop us being dominated by the EU – what fools if they believe that. Major may have screwed Currie, but he’s got another thing coming if he thinks he can screw the rest of us.

THE GERMANS ARE REVOLTING

2011-10-07T12:23:00.005+01:00

As the EU continues to deepen the hole it is digging for itself trying desperately to save its pointless vanity currency, the euro, which will inevitably collapse, German opinion, which once could always be relied upon, is now changing. Although in German with subtitles, this short video is well worth watching. Are the Germans revolting against the EU at last?

NORMAL EU PETTIFOGGING LIFE GOES ON

2011-10-06T15:31:00.003+01:00

Nigel Farage speaking at the UKIP conference in Eastbourne, the only party leader to speak of leaving the European Union.

The conference season is over, all the political parties have held their annual autumn shindigs at venues around the country, a lot of hot air and meaningless rhetoric expounded and, using the terminology of David Steel, they have returned to their constituencies and prepared to be governed by the EU.

Out of all the conference, the one I attended, naturally, was the UKIP conference in Eastbourne. This was the only conference where the issue of really governing ourselves was dealt with honestly; UKIP after all is the only serious political party which wants Britain out.

The Liberal Democrat conference was a fest of Tory bashing, which must have placed Clegg and some others in a difficult position as they have to work in the Coalition Government with the Tories. As expected with a Liberal Democrat get together little common sense was on display and nothing of use came out of it.

The Labour conference had lots of waffle, its leader, Ed Milliband proved just how useless he really is and took a lurch to the left, which will cost them votes and support – what a silly Milly he is. No doubt that is all you can expect from someone who grew up in a far left and Communist leaning background.

Finally, the Tories marched on Manchester and, as is the way with Tory conferences, had a very PR and slick event especially designed to prevent anyone with real Tory values from having a presence. Mind you, there can’t be many real Conservative’s left in that party as most of them gave up in utter despair.

They talk tough about the EU – then do as it instructs. Cameron and Hague have really shown their pro-EU colours and flatly refused a referendum on it, despite the growing pressure for one and increasing hostility in the nation to EU membership. All Hague could offer was the vague twaddle that they will stand firm against the EU when the time is right. What utter nonsense.

There was a lovely moment when Theresa May spoke about new guidance to British judges on the Convention on Human Rights, this was because one judge refused to deport an illegal immigrant due to him owning a cat. The press instantly had headlines shouting ‘Cat flap’ when that useless lump of pro-EU lard, Ken Clarke, denied such a thing. This gave a nice touch of embarrassment and red faces in the blue ranks.

Of course, as with all their rhetoric, none of it means anything anyway as they cannot do a thing about the Convention on Human Rights as it is now enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty, which Gordon Brown signed while he thought no one was looking. The only way possible to deal with this and amend it is to leave the EU, which of course is not an option for Cameron and Hague – so normal EU pettifogging life goes on with the Tories doing as it instructs.

Next Spring, before the local elections, it will all start again as the parties hold their spring conferences, and once again only UKIP will mean what they say.

REMEMBERING THEM

2011-10-03T23:52:00.006+01:00

Fred English and HMS Formidable plaque.

What do you remembers of the Blair years in Government? For most, other than the most ardent and blinkered Labour Party supporter, not much good came out of his time in office.

Under the Blair Government he and his Ministers did a great deal of harm to this nation, he surrendered great chunks of sovereignty to the EU, gave up a massive chunk of our national rebate costing British taxpayers heavily, and he also ensure that all British subjects were vulnerable to the EU’s snatch squads under the EU Arrest Warrant, over 1000 British people have become its victims.

However, every dark cloud has a little chink where the light can shine through, one glimmer of which, along with Mrs B and my old father-in-law Fred, we visited last Saturday (1st October 2011). This was the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, which is not that far from my home in Walsall.

This, of course, is a place where we can all go to remember all those who fought and died in conflicts for this country, which is ironic that the Blair Government, which so enthusiastically set about destroying Britain, were the ones to ensure we had a place of remembrance for those who defended the nation, our democracy and freedom which Blair seriously undermined.

We had been promising Fred for quite some time we would take him, but never seemed to have the opportunity. He served in the Royal Navy in the Pacific during the latter part of the war on HMS Euryalus, which was the sister ship to HMS Belfast which is now a popular visitor attraction in London.

As we had not visited the National Arboretum before we were unsure as to what to expect. I imagined it would be busy with visitors all peacefully wandering around quietly showing their respects and the place would be a haven of quiet contemplation. The last thing I thought we would see was hoards of hairy motor bikers and great convoys of bikes of all types. It seems out of all the days we had chosen to visit was the same day the Royal British Legion Bikers club hold their annual fundraising event.

There were hundreds of bikes and their large hairy riders in all the usual motorcycling gear, some wearing berets and medals to show their military background. Instead of quiet contemplation there were mobile burger bars, and a rock band blasting out the place with Status Quo, which was not quite what we had expected.

It seems the bikers organise and raise sum very substantial sums of money from this and other events in support of the Royal British Legion, so it was worth forgoing the contemplation and just enjoy the atmosphere – which we did. The quiet contemplation can come on our next visit.

The first area we headed for was the Naval area, which was on one corner of the arboretum’s large grounds. Each young oak tree had a plaque, all in remembrance of ships and those who served on them. Others areas had plaques for the different military groups and operations – even with Status Quo blasting away in the distance it was still quite moving to see.

We looked around for a plaque for Fred’s old ship, but none was to be found, although there was a plaque for those who served in the Pacific and East India fleet. We did, however, find a stone with a plaque on top in remembrance of the aircraft carrier HMS Formidable, which was the ship Fred’s brother Harry served on, also in the Pacific fleet at the same time.

The minute Fred saw it he became quite emotional. A couple standing nearby asked if the Formidable had been his old ship and I related how the two brothers were both in the Pacific on the two ships. The Formidable had sustained heavy damage and loss of life after a Japanese kamikaze attack, naturally Fred feared the worse for his older brother, who fortunately was unscathed. He was notified by his ships telegraph officer as they knew the two brothers would be worried about each other.

Harry took his demob in Australia and married his Aussie girl and spent the rest of his days in Sydney working, until retirement, for the Sydney Herald newspaper. He passed away a few years ago. Fred and Harry only met once after the war when Harry made a visit to his old country. However, they always telephoned each other and wrote on a regular basis and Fred keeps in touch with Harry’s daughter and other family down under.

Without doubt we will return to the National Memorial Arboretum, with Armistice day coming we will remember them.

The National Memorial Arboretum.

A PICNIC IN THE ACROPOLIS

2011-09-29T14:38:00.003+01:00

As the Greek economy rapidly vanished down the plughole of EU madness, there has been all sort of speculation as to what would happen, as a main driving force towards a fully integrated and single nation of Europe, all eyes turned to Angela Merkel and Germany to see what she and her government would do.

As hostility rises in Germany to any further bail-outs of nations that have been reckless with their finances, thus imposing the debt on other eurozone nations, there were predictions the German parliament would rebel and block Merkel’s plans to pump in a massive amount of German money into the Greek economy in order to save the EU’s euro.

The long suffering taxpayers of Germany, thanks to a vote taken in their parliament, will see their money vanish in order to save the EU’s vanity currency, their contributions to prop up Greece will rise from 123bn euros to 211bn - which in real money is a lot of dosh.

Despite warnings that Angela Merkel could lose the vote and warnings the German MPs could become stroppy, in fact the MPs behaved like good little sheep and did as told, thus abandoning their own electorate for the illusory benefits of saving the terminal euro. Sadly , at the end of the day the German taxpayers will have pumped vast sums of their wealth into a project that always had ‘failure’ embedded in its structure.

Due to the scant regard for their electorate, and their great euro spending spree which has now left their nation, and just about everyone else in the lurch, the Greek government have witness riots and public disobedience on their streets as the arrogance of the Euro fanatics in the EU and its subservient parliaments rule. With this vote in the German parliament, which shows nothing but contempt for the people of Germany, the German government have just lit a fuse that could see the German people rise – there must come a point when the folly of this failed EU project has gone far enough and the people show their discontent. When the German’s rise the Greek riots will look like a picnic in the Acropolis.

WHAT A STATE

2011-09-28T15:17:00.003+01:00

UKIP leader, Nigel Farage doing what he does best, giving the failed EU the facts.

READ THIS

2011-09-28T14:32:00.003+01:00

Whatever you do today, just have a look at this Telegraph blog article by Ed West, it is brilliant and drives home some real truths. As one who has been called all sorts of things I know what he is saying. When it comes to the EU it is no utopia.

NOT TOO BAD AN OUTCOME

2011-09-28T13:54:00.005+01:00

Students debates are a bit like the number 39 bus, you wait ages for one then two turn up together.

Last week I attended a student debate in the far north of Staffordshire at a very nice college, which had a high quality of students. This was an all party debate and I was there to represent UKIP – which is the only political party to declare that student loans and tuition fees should be scrapped. Despite some good questions from the students there was little feed-back from them as to what they thought of the answers, and the political parties we represented.

However, yesterday (27th September 2011) was an interesting afternoon when I took part in a debate on the EU which had been organised by Civitas. From time to time they contact me and ask if I can give talks on the EU or take part in schools and college debates.

I arrived early as this event in Halesowen was not too far for me to travel to, where I was met by the lecturer who had organised the debate with Civitas and was chairing the event. While waiting for my pro-EU opponent to turn up as the lecture theatre filled with students, we were joined by two other lecturers, one of which made it quite clear she was extremely pro-EU, as was the other lecturer who joined us.

Considering this I thought the debate was going to be a bit tough as the students had obviously been taught the EU was a force for good, which was the wording of the motion we were to debate.

When we got started in front of a very well attended young audience, my opponent kicked off first and waffled on all with the usual claptrap about the EU preventing wars in Europe, Britain is too small to stand on its own against the growing industrial might of China and India and, in a roundabout way, he said we need the EU to bring in laws to protect us from our own elected Government! So as far as these pro-EU personages go it is fine and dandy a non-elected foreign organisation can overrule our elected Parliament and Government. To me tht is an occupation by the EU of Britain and the other EU nations, just as most of Europe was occupied by the German's in World War Two.

I hit back with the loss of democracy and that it is wrong that people on foreign shores can override our own elected Government, also if the EU has prevented wars in Europe, how come since 1945 we haven’t had a war with Japan that does not interfere in our business or make laws for us. That, after all, is the obvious conclusion when the pro-EU brigade make such ludicrous statements.

The students returned to the brainwashing that we were too small a nation globally to stand up for ourselves, although the state of the euro was a weakness which I played on. I did not say it during the debate, but this constant drivel that Britain, which despite our current deficit and pretty useless coalition Government, is still a major player in the world, I compare this drip, drip, drip message that we are too week and too small to stand up for ourselves to the chapter in the Lord of the Rings where the leader of Rohan’s mind has been poisoned by Grima Wormtongue, who was portrayed as an agent of the enemy.

If they keep repeating this dispiriting mantra long enough, like the King of the Rohan, I think the EU hope it will be believed and resistance removed. Also, like the King of Rohan, we need a sharp jolt to wake us up and realise it is the EU that needs us, not the other way round and in its parasitical way it is bleeding us dry.

Finally, after much debate and some pretty good questions, we came to the bit I was dreading – the vote. The lecturer asked all those who were in favour of the motion to show their hands and it was a sizeable vote. My thought was I have lost, then came the show of hands against the motion which looked about the same number. At this point the vote was redone so a count could be taken and a draw was declared.

For an event such as this to result in a draw, in a college where there is obliviously a pro-EU factor amongst the lecturers, I thought a draw was not too bad an outcome – it’s a pity I didn’t do better though.

YOU CHOOSE

2011-09-26T15:51:00.007+01:00

A little news story was posted on the Daily Mail web-site about Liam Fox’s birthday party, it also appeared in the Daily Telegraph and, no doubt, a few other publications.

Other than showing Dr Fox in a pretty naff blue shirt, what was so interesting about his 50th birthday that news of this non-event was splashed all across the media? The press frenzy was due to the person holding on to his arm and was none other than Baroness Thatcher, or ‘Maggie’ as she was known in her prime.

Looking through the comments following the article there is some real bile when it comes to Mrs T, who is now looking frail and showing her years. The hatred and resentment for her, even after all the years since she left office, still has many frothing at the mouth from her days as Prime Minister. These vengful comments are most probably from the same people who voted for Tony Blair and his cabal, such as the Prince of Darkness, Peter Mandelson, the old PC dragon, Harriet Harperson, and many others who helped to place us in the mire we now find ourselves in. So, here is a very brief observation about the two leaders.

Margaret Thatcher, elected PM in 1979. The state of the country at the time was chaos after the ‘Winter of Discontent’, Britain was in hock to the IMF who were effectively running the UK due to Prime Minister Callaghan’s calamitous leadership.

Tony Blair, elected PM in 1997. The state of the country was healthy after escaping from the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM). Britain’s financial situation was good and debt low while trade flourished.

Margaret Thatcher never tried to be popular, she did what she considered to be right, despite how people regarded her.

Tony Blair, tried to be popular and did very little right.

On the European Union, Margaret Thatcher stood firm and demanded – and got, a large rebate saving British taxpayers a very large amount of money from our EU contributions without giving anything away in return.

On the European Union, Tony Blair tried to renegotiate the Common Agricultural Policy based on a vague promise the French would agree at a later date. In order to get that vague promise he surrendered a massive chunk of the British rebate adding to the burden on the British taxpayer. The CAP was never reformed.

EU treaties, Margaret Thatcher signed the Single European Act, which was a bad move, she later claimed she had been misinformed as to what it was.

EU treaties, Tony Blair signed the Amsterdam Treaty within days of taking office; this was also when he surrendered several British EU opt-outs thus handing more power to the EU. He also signed the Nice Treaty surrendering many legal powers to the EU and agreeing to the EU arrest warrant which, with the protection of the British Government gone, has seen many British subjects become victims and arrested for crimes based on circumstantial or none existing evidence.

Wars, Margaret Thatcher took Britain to war against Argentina to take back British sovereign territory and defend the people of the Falklands. This was seen as a triumph and a great achievement considering the distance. She also prepared Britain for war in late 1990 with the Americans against Iraq after its invasion of Kuwait. This was during the period just before she left office.

Wars, Tony Blair joined forces with the USA to take Britain to war against Iraq based on dodgy dossiers and none existent threats of ‘weapons of mass destruction’. He also sent British troops into Afghanistan with our armed forces still there today.

First days in office, Margaret Thatcher immediately took on the power of the trade unions, also the nationalised industries that were unprofitable and were costing the British taxpayer £billions. She also sent in the SAS to deal with the Iranian Embassy siege which placed Britain in a new light on the world stage.

First days in office, Tony Blair set about, very quietly, repealing British treason laws this was not revealed until a few years later. He handled the death of Princess Diana with great tact and helped the Royal Family out of the problems they had found themselves in due to not dealing with this effectively.

Leaving office, Margaret Thatcher was increasingly worried about the power and influence of the EU, hence her famous: “No, no, no” speech in Parliament. This sealed her fate as there were more pro-EU Conservative’s than anti-EU – they turned against her and many, professing to be loyal and her friend, voted against her – she had to go.

Leaving office, Tony Blair was becoming less popular and there was much talk behind his back. Added to this, Gordon Brown who had been promised his turn in number ten was making plans. Although speculation, Tony Blair may have seen the banking and financial crisis coming and got out before the shit hit the fan, leaving the mess to Gordon.

Since leaving office, Margaret Thatcher was elevated to the Lords where she took part in debates. She has mostly lived quietly and has not only been bereaved with the loss of her husband Denis, but suffered strokes and poor health.

Since leaving office, Tony Blair has become a special Middle East envoy, taken on the ownership of several properties helping to amass his wealth and regularly speaks at high profile events which enable him to earn some very substantial amounts of money.

Successor, Margaret Thatcher’s successor was John Major who was generally rated as useless and helped to lose the loyalty of large number of Conservative voters and members. He signed the Maastricht Treaty which made all British subjects EU citizens.

Successor, Tony Blair’s successor was Gordon Brown who was generally rated as useless and helped to lose the loyalty of large numbers of Labour voters and members. He signed the Lisbon Treaty which effectively makes the EU a state and places all British subjects under its remit.

Now who should all that bile be directed at – you choose.

WHY PFI?

2011-09-23T12:21:00.003+01:00

People are wondering why we have PFI when it is proving to be so costly. The reason goes back to the days when the EU was preparing to introduce its now failing euro and the joining nations would become responsible for each other’s debts. The German’s, whose economy and currency was strong, were worried that nations such as Greece would borrow and spend too much, so the Growth and Stability Pact was introduced. All EU nations, including the UK, were forced to comply even though we were not joining the euro.

This pact set, allegedly, strict limits on what all EU nations could borrow and spend which meant money the Government needed to borrow to be spent on hospitals and other projects, broke the limits set in the pact.

The only way around this was to introduce PFI which meant private companies, rather than the state, borrowed and spent to complete many projects, then the state, living within the limits of the pact, leased back the hospitals, schools and other PFI funded projects.

We now have a situation where the British taxpayer is paying a lot more than need be for these PFI projects to comply with the rules laid down to stop the Greeks and others from getting into the mess we now find them in. Another reason why we should quit the EU.

UKIP SUPPORTS BRITISH PUB WEEK

2011-09-21T15:41:00.005+01:00

Inez Ward, campaigning to save British pubs, speaking at the UKIP conference in Eastbourne.

There is something very special about the great British pub, the reason our pubs are great is because they are unique. The continentals have their cafe bars where they sit outside on busy pavements sipping glasses of wine or chilled, gassy, tasteless beer, while we in Britain quaff pints of real ale bursting in all sorts of different flavours and strengths.

There is nothing to beat a good traditional pub which is cool inside in the summer (on the odd days the sun shines!) and warm in the winter with roaring fires -just writing this makes me want to go and have a beer.

Sadly, our pubs have been struggling for various reasons with many, far too many, closing their doors for ever and being either demolished or converted into yucky fast food outlets, which is very sad and depressing.

One of the reasons for the demise of many of our pubs is down to the smoking ban, which came courtesy of the wishes of the EU which our meek and feeble Lib, Lab, Con politicians are always far to happy to obey. Sadly, this means that rather than in a traditional corner pub where working blokes could gather for a beer, a fag and a chat about football or what nag to bet on, many have to hover around a heater shivering in the freezing cold watching their beer turn to ice just so they can have a gasper, which prior to the smoking ban they could do with no complaint from anyone in the warmth of the bar. Many have given up and purchase cheap supermarket beer which they drink on their own in front of the telly - much to the angst of publicans whose living, along with their bar staff, has gone down the pan.

UKIP has announced it is giving its full support to the pub trade and is the only political party to support British pub week. The short video in the posting below is presented by Inez Ward of Justice for Licensees, who gives the key reasons why pubs matter and why the industry must be saved.

Why not go out tonight and have a beer or two and do your bit to save a great British way of life and tradition - you will enjoy it too.

INNEZ WARD, WHY PUBS NEED SAVING

2011-09-21T15:37:00.003+01:00

Inez Ward of Justice for Licencees gives the reason why pubs need to be saved and protected.

CONFERENCE CLOT OF THEM ALL

2011-09-20T15:23:00.003+01:00

How can so many people be so wrong about everything, so regularly and so out of touch with reality, that they can reach middle age and yet remain clueless about the realities of the world around them? I ask this after reading the reports of the Liberal Democrat shindig currently blighting my part of the world in Birmingham, literally a stones throw from the office where I work.

They quite happily skipped into a coalition Government with their new found Tory chums, Dave and Nick are so close politically you would have a job to shove a stained euro between them, yet there they are in Brum, this motley collection of the clueless, in a venue next to the cut (the canal), slagging off their Tory pals like there is no tomorrow. Mind you, the way they are going there will be no tomorrow for them, politically speaking.

We have witnessed the cringe making moment when the “Ginger Rodent” (Danny Alexander), who lost all sense of reality and declared that EU-sceptics are the enemies of growth. He should have gone to Specsavers and changed his faulty EU rose tinted specs for some which give a true reflection of reality. Possibly then he would actually see it is the EU that is the enemy of growth and the real problem – all the idiot has to do is look at the chaos the EU’s euro has wreaked across the European continent.

Talking of the European continent, another person who does not know his blue arse from his ring of gold star elbows is Chris Huhne. That fool, trying to slag off all Euro realists, criticises them by stating we are part of the continent of Europe from which we can’t break away – which seems to be his main argument for staying in the EU – or Europe as he so misleadingly calls it. Yes little Christopher, calm down dear, now listen very carefully to make sure you fully understand this important fact penetrates the mass of bone that protects your brain from rational thoughts - we all know Britain is geographically part of the European continent , and this is the technical bit so concentrate as hard as your limited intelligence will allow – the continent of Europe is not the European Union – which we can and should break away from.

Yes, we all know this is a lot to take in one go Chrissy boy, but there was a time when the whole continent had lots of different countries all making their own laws, with their own economies, their own currencies and sovereign parliaments, including us here in the UK. Sadly, because of the madness of joining the EU, many of those nations have sacrificed those long standing principles and have ceased to govern themselves and now live under the rule of the EU which undermines their democracies and overrules their law making abilities. Now Chris, I want you to concentrate as hard as you can – I know it hurts, the EU is not a continent but a rash man made concept that is years past its sell by date and failing miserably.

If we are, like the EU going to hand out gold stars for the star performer, the award for conference clot of them all goes to – wait for it – the winner of this year’s gold star is Nick (conference clot) Clegg for his statement that Britain can still join the euro. Are you going to tell him, or shall I – there won’t be a euro to join – just keep your eyes on Greece – will there be a referendum on leaving the euro and a return to the drachma soon? It’s very possible.

TIME YOU JOINED UKIP

2011-09-19T13:32:00.005+01:00

When it comes to observing the antics of the Conservative Party, its leadership and its Members of Parliament, there are times when you get the urge to bang your head against something hard in sheer frustration.

This is the political party that signed Britain up to what is now the EU when Ted Heath signed the Treaty of Rome, it signed the Single European Act which paved the way for a single currency when Margaret Thatcher agreed to it, although she later claimed she was not fully informed of its full implications. This too whose Prime Minister, in-between bonking Edwina Curry, destroyed our freedom by making us all European citizens when John Major signed the dire Maastricht Treaty, and now David Cameron continues in that long tradition by refusing to consider giving the people a referendum on the EU and stating we have to remain as a member, i.e. a slave to it.

Some of its MPs rebelled a few years ago, but that was a blip. Only one of those brave Conservative MPs who had the whip withdrawn, Richard Shepherd, is still in Parliament. Some of the others are retired, Nick Budgen sadly passed away and Christopher Gill, like many who despair of that party, is now a valued member of UKIP.

Other than that short moment of rebellion, where exactly have the Conservative Party MPs and its rank and file members been over the years our sovereignty, democracy and freedom has been steadily eroded to the EU – we hardly heard a squeak out of them and when it did come to speaking of matters EU, we would hear in hushed tones such phrases as: ‘We can’t rock the boat, but just wait until David gets in’. Well now Dave is in and at last, after twenty or more years, some of these Tory souls are just about waking up to the realisation that many of use real EU-sceptics have known, we live in an EU occupied Britain.

Finally some Conservative MPs are calling on Dave, their great leader, to call a referendum on membership of the EU, which is a bit late now as they really need to be urging Dave (not that it will happen or he would even consider it) that it was time to begin the process of leaving the EU as this would be in Britain’s best interest.

Mark Pritchard MP has written an article in the Daily Telegraph he has finally woken to the fact that, as stated by many EU-sceptics for more years than most care to remember, that the EU has become an “occupying force” which is eroding British sovereignty. Better late than never Mr Pritchard.

He goes on to warn that the Government will see constituents “kick back” if they as taxpayers have to foot the bill to the continued bailouts of the eurozone countries who have failed to reform their economies and make severe cut backs in spending. Which is something else the Conservative Party needs bringing up to speed about, many Conservative members are already quitting their party for UKIP as they realise there is little hope of their old party tackling this serious problem.

The reaction on the doorstep is also turning angry, as I am experiencing when knocking on doors in my part of the World in the Wallsall Bloxwich East Ward where I plan to be the UKIP by-election candidate. There are a lot of not very happy Conservative voters who are very displeased with Cameron, one said he will never vote again and has given up on politics altogether

And what of the Conservative Party coalition partners saying? Danny Alexander, more aptly known as the ‘Ginger Rodent’, has stated that Eurosceptics are “the enemies of growth”. It is sad to say that this poor deluded soul actually believes the failing EU, which has destroyed growth, industry and jobs through it mind boggling, nit picking and endless regulation somehow creates growth. This is a prime example of the mad people the Conservative Party is now linked to. If you really want to do something about the EU Mr Pritchard then its time you joined UKIP.

A LOT TO CONSIDER

2011-09-16T15:19:00.006+01:00

What a busy week it has been in the Bennett camp, little time again with blogging, sadly. Since returning home from the UKIP conference, where I took a mass of photographs, I have spent a large part of my free time sorting, grading and mailing on many of the conference photos to those who wanted them, as well as the other things I do.

One of the things I did this week was to Join UKIP branch chairman for Hereford, John Rawles, and my old UKIP pal, Richard Lamerton, at the Hereford College freshers fair, or as they call it: ‘Stuff for Students’. I go along there every year at the invite of the local UKIP branch who organise a UKIP table at the fair. The reactions we get from the students varies every year, it is quite remarkable how it changes.

The first one I did a few years ago we received a rather lacklustre reaction from the students, who were polite but had no real knowledge or opinions regarding the EU and its takeover of this and the other nations of Europe. However, as each year went on the kids seemed to show an interest and gave us more support.

Last year we had a great reaction from the students, they were interested and a number of them told us their parents had voted UKIP in the general election, we shifted a lot of our UKIP literature. This year I drove down to Hereford expecting a lively and interesting morning ahead with growing numbers of students showing an interest in UKIP and the EU, however, the change in the students reactions and attitudes came as quite a shock – apathy ruled supreme.

The students made long queues for slices of free pizza and to play on some interactive computer game, but they had no knowledge of politics or the EU and when approached they showed their complete indifference.

Usually as well as UKIP being present, the local Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Green parties are present, but this year it was just UKIP and the Greenies. I had a wander around and spoke to the Greenie lady who was of the same mind as me, the students had no interest and had no clue about politics. Not only that, those we did speak to seemed to have little grasp of history too.

One young lady I spoke to was pro-EU but when asked could not tell me why, and despite being told about the horrors of the European Arrest Warrant and the unfolding fiscal disaster because of the EU’s euro, commented that she still thought we had to be in the EU even though she knew nothing about it or why. Added to that, another young man declared his parents were Labour supporters so he was opposed to UKIP, again when asked what he knew about UKIP or the EU he hadn’t a clue but his mom and dad were Labour so he was against UKIP – I think that was about the time I had an Arrgh moment. The best bit came with a young man who marched up to our UKIP table, grabbed a leaflet and declared: “We need to get out of the EU” and in a flash before I could speak to him marched off again – at least that was positive.

When it was all over I sat in my car and rang the Walsall Elections office to have a chat about the proposed Parliamentary boundary changes, which are going to be quite drastic. I was also told there was a good chance that a Walsall Council by-election was going to be called for the Bloxwich East Ward. About three quarter of an hour later, as I was driving home, I got the call it was definitely on, so I diverted to the Elections office to pick up the nomination papers. That was where I really got to see just what a shake-up the boundary changes are going to make.

Walsall is going to retain three Parliamentary constituencies, but just like Star Treck, not as we know them. Aldridge Brownhills, the constituency of Richard Shepherd who is the last Tory whipless Euro rebel left in Parliament, vanishes totally. Walsall South and Walsall North remain, but Walsall North is nothing like we knew it. There is also a new name of Walsall West, which takes in a large part of what was Walsall North as well as one of the Wolverhampton Council Wards.

Where I normally stand in Walsall South, a chunk of it has gone, with new chunks added. Streetly Ward is now in Walsall South as well as a Ward from Sandwell and Dudley and the Oscott Ward from Birmingham. All this is quite a bit to take in, and if these boundary changes do go ahead as proposed, then Walsall could see Labour reduced to one MP and the Tories promoted to two, although politics is a strange and unreliable sport – so that can’t be taken for granted.

In the weeks to come up to December, when I believe the final decision is to be made, there is going be much angst and gnashing of molars over this. I am not sure how I will do, should I stand again as the UKIP Parliamentary candidate in Walsall South, my vote under the old boundary had been steadily growing over the years. In 2001 it was under 3% and last year in 2010 it was 8.4%. Sadly, a number of people who voted for me, as I repeat, if I stand again, will not be able to and it is not known how other who do not know who I am will vote.

Interesting times indeed, there certainly is a lot to consider, which starts later this evening in the Lyndon over a pint – or two.

http://derekbennetteu-sceptic.blogspot.com/2010/09/at-end-of-week.html
http://derekbennetteu-sceptic.blogspot.com/2010/03/interesting-morning.html
http://derekbennetteu-sceptic.blogspot.com/2009/09/morning-in-hereford.html

THE UKIP CONFERENCE

2011-09-12T15:51:00.008+01:00

Sanya-Jeet Thandi who wowed the UKIP conference.

Once again I have been absent from this blog, the reason being was down to the UKIP conference in Eastbourne, which you may have glimpsed fleetingly on the BBC last Friday.

As someone who has been updating this ‘umble blog for a while now, it came as a great pleasure to meet two people at the UKIP conference who read this blog – that was quite a privilege.

One of those who introduced himself to me at the end of the evening on Friday, after the conference dinner, was born in Portugal and had lived there in the days when it was an oppressive dictatorship, there was no freedom and everyone had to take care of what they said and did. One of the reasons for him joining UKIP is in the fact he sees things the EU doing which are maybe not as bad as those distant times in Portugal, but there are worrying similarities.

The conference was opened by Councillor Carolyn Heaps, the Mayor of Eastbourne, and then we were in for two days of brilliant speeches, fringe events and much socialising. It was great to see members of Young Independence being so active at the conference. One young lady, Sanya-Jeet Thandi, who had not long joined UKIP, wowed the delegates with her enthusiasm and gave a speech of great competence, so much so the comment was made: “Are we looking at a future leader of UKIP?”

There were also speakers from other EU countries, such as Timo Soini, the leader of the True Finns Party as well as speakers from France and the Netherlands. There were debates and other speakers included journalists Patrick O’Flynn and Alex Singleton.

This conference was a truly professional event, which was well run and organised. As well as that it was also the best attended conference ever, UKIP is really becoming a force to be recognised.

On the second day of conference there were speeches about the way forward for UKIP, also about HS2 which is part of the EU’s Ten T’s transport system. Inez Ward spoke about the damage being done to the pub trade and said we have to “use them or lose them” – so we all piled in the pub next door for lunch when the time came.

One of my UKIP Black Country pals, Bill Etheridge who hails from Dudley, gave a cracking talk on the madness of political correctness which as well as making people laugh with much of the stupidity of the PC brigade, he also made people aware of just how sinister PC is as it makes people begin to worry not only about what they say – but also what they think.

Then, of course, there was Nigel Farage himself who gave his usual barnstorming and rousing keynote speech. He took a dig at all those who constantly said: “Just wait for David to get in”, well now he is in what better reason is there for the Conservative members to join UKIP – he has betrayed them.

All in all it’s been a spiffing couple of days, however, since then I have been busy sorting and grading the photographs I took of the event – over 700 of them which I always give to UKIP and many who want them free of charge – despite what certain unreliable sources report. Next stop Skegness for the UKIP spring conference.

SARKOZY NOUS VIOLA!

2011-09-07T23:43:00.001+01:00

Edward Spalton sent this to me and said: "The Vichy anthem ("Marechal, nous viola!"), adapted pour nos jours and sending up Sarkozy something rotten." This may appeal to those who sing in French.

DO THEY HAVE THE COURAGE

2011-09-07T14:00:00.003+01:00

Over recent weeks and months, as a UKIP activist, it has been quite noticeable how many disenfranchised, grass roots Conservative activists have come and joined us. It has taken them a long time to realise what many of us discovered ten to twenty years ago – the Conservative Party is both a pro-EU anti-British political party and a lost cause.

In the last days of Margaret Thatcher’s leadership, when she began to belatedly wake up to the dangers of EU membership, there may have been a glimmer of hope for that party. However, the dark pro-EU forces within the Tory ranks turned on her and ensured she was finished and that no British Government would stand up to the EU and represent the best interests of the British people.

The rank and file of the Tory Party seemed to let this treachery wash over their heads as if they did not know what was going on. Those of us who had been staunch Conservative voters and supporters decided it was time to walk when John Major betrayed the nation by signing the treasonous Maastricht Treaty – it has taken up to now for other long serving Conservative’s to realise there is no Conservative Party anymore, they now have a soft, left leaning pro-EU party a few thousands of an inch to the right of the Liberal Democrats who they are now so chummy with.

This then brings us to the leadership of David Cameron. I personally saw him as a politician in the Ted Heath mould, better looking than Heath, more trendy than Heath and married, unlike Heath, but take a peak under the Cameron political bonnet and their lurks a Ted Heath Mk II.

Ted Heath’s traits were the same, left leaning, deceitful, broken promises, and a proven liar. Cameron’s Premiership is also littered with deceit and broken promises. He has most definitely lied when he stated he was a Eurosceptic and over the promised Lisbon Treaty referendum which then failed to be given. This is the man now leading that once great party towards eventual oblivion along with our nation which will be destroyed through our EU membership – all with Cameron’s blessing.

Now Cameron and his faithful partner in treason, George Osborne, have really shown their true colours by giving his full consent to closer EU integration in order to save the failing and unwanted euro.

This now places Tory Eurosceptics in an impossible position, if they remain in that party then they have two choices, shut up and willingly accept the fact they now belong to a political party that is a Euro federalist party, or begin moves to oust Cameron as their leader in the hope he can be replaced by a real EU sceptic, which will make them look disloyal. There is a third option open to them, which others have already taken, and that is to walk away from this now completely out of touch party and join UKIP – a mass exodus of Tory members, activists and voters to UKIP is in reality the only option – do they have the courage to take it or will they continue to live in denial that their party is lost?

WELL DONE LAWRENCE

2011-09-06T12:09:00.003+01:00

Lawrence Webb, chosen as UKIP's next London Mayoral candidate.

During my time in UKIP I have been privileged to meet and get to know some really good people, one of those is Lawrence Webb who has just been chosen as UKIP’s next London Mayoral candidate.

Although my party had some other really good candidates standing, not least the ex-boxer Winston McKenzie who is a great character with a larger than life personality, I personally think for a good, hard working and serious candidate the choice of Lawrence to be a good one. The choice itself was made, unusually, by the people of London and those who work and visit the City, and they chose Lawrence Webb as their man.

He knows London like the back of his hand, he knows all the local UKIP branches so will be in a good position to organise a good campaigning team around him and is a hard worker. The big thing now is to get a stuck-in-a-rut electorate to wake up to the fact that constantly voting Labour, Tory and Lib-Dem is getting them somewhere, but sadly that somewhere is all downhill in the wrong direction. If they want real change they are going to have to do what many of us have done over the years, which is wake up to this reality and start voting UKIP – it’s the only sensible option.

What exactly are the other choices? Well, just take a look at them – do people really want Boris the buffoon back running London? The other option are no better, the Lib-Dems are offering Brian Paddick and the thought of Labour’s Red Ken Livingstone in charge again sends a cold shiver down the spine.

When it comes to policies UKIP will be the only party to offer the scrapping of the tax on motorists, the discriminatory ‘Congestion charge’ which forces London’s poorer drivers off the road.

UKIP’s full candidate list for the Mayoral elections were: David Coburn, UKIP London Chairman and an arts and antiques consultant based in Notting Hill, Michael Corby, a former Conservative Party member and donor who lives in Kings Cross, Michael McGough, a businessman from Essex, Winston McKenzie, a community campaigner from Croydon, Paul Oakley, a barrister and former Chairman of the London Young Conservatives who is based Lewisham, and finally, the man himself, Lawrence Webb, a former UKIP London Chairman from Romford. Well done Lawrence, his selection must be due to the flattering photograph I took of him and used in his campaign!

ITALIAN AS SHE IS MANGLED

2011-09-05T15:40:00.007+01:00

Derek Bennett enjoying a cool beer on a hot Italian day.

There is always one major problem with holidays - returning back to normality at home in Walsall after. A holiday to Italy is the reason there has been no blogging on this site for over a week, and with Mrs B breathing fire about taking my mobile with me or even a peek at the internet or e-mails I opted for the quiet life and just forgot about everything for the whole time away while in Lido Di Jeselo on the Venetian Riviera.

Going off to Italy at a time when their economy was under threat of collapse due to the dire effects of joining the EU’s euro made me wonder what to expect. The first mention of problems came on the transfer coach from Venice airport to our hotel, the Monaco Qusisana. The tour rep pointed out that since Italy scrapped itgs own currency, the lira, for the uncertain and illusory benefits of joining the euro, prices had been rocketing – Italy was no longer a cheap holiday destination.

This was quickly noticeable when ordering drinks in the bar and especially when buying bus and boat tickets in advance from the local tobacconist, which is where most tickets are sold. In the past I have always considered the cost of local transport in Italy to be extremely good value – but going by the cost of getting to Venice on the local transport has certainly put paid to that one.

While there life for all the locals, whose only trade for the majority is serving the throngs of tourists, looked as if life was going on as normal, no one mentioned the great euro crisis. No doubt my attempt to speak to them in Italian took their mind off everything else.

Ever since my second visit to Italy in 1990 I have been trying to teach myself Italian, and had been especially brushing up on it in the weeks leading up to our holiday. Proudly, I marched into the tobacconist to buy our tickets to Venice and asked for two return tickets in my best practised Italian, and was told to speak English as I was confusing the lady serving me – that was rather deflating after all the time I had been practising. Other times when ordering drinks or paying for things, which I seemed to do a lot of, if they did manage to understand my much mangled Italian they more often than not replied in German – which really did confuse matters. The realisation that I must have been speaking Italian with a German accent came as a bit of a shock and another blow to my ego and language skills.

So, it’s now back to Blighty, blogging and normality, the Italian warmth and sunshine is far away, but one good thing – the beer is definitely better. Now how do you pronounce Italian as she is mangled?

MORE IMPORTANT THAN SAFETY

2011-08-24T12:30:00.004+01:00

The press this morning are picking up on the news that rather than reducing accidents and saving lives, the plethora of revenue raising speed cameras we see littered all along our roads are in fact having a reverse effect. Research has shown that accidents increase rather than decrease after these things are erected, as reported in the press.

Coincidently this news follows a posting I put on this blog on the 17th August in which I was somewhat critical of my own Walsall Council for reducing the speed limits around the town on roads that had been 40 mph for as long as I had been driving, which was since 1965. I criticised the fact that in their misguided efforts to make our roads safer they had tackled the problem in the wrong way and had blindly followed the mantra that speed kills.

Ironically, within days of the speed limit coming down from its long standing 40 mph to its now slow 30 mph, an accident occurred because the Council had tackled the wrong problem.

Along this stretch of road there are two busy junctions where people have to pull out across the flow of traffic, what was needed in these two locations were traffic lights, not a speed reduction which has probably made the problem worse. We all know what it is like when you are on a side road wanting to turn right onto a busy main road, no one ever gives way and the moment you see a gap you have to put your foot to the floor and take your chance – traffic lights would have solved this very problem on this road but the speed reduction has probably made things worse.

By reducing the speed limit on the Sutton Road, which is the road in question, the traffic now is less well spaced due to people driving slower which makes them bunch up more. I predict Walsall Council will see an increase in accidents along that road due to the lower speed limit.

This then is the same as what is happening nationally with speed cameras. Drivers these days have no end of distractions which affects their concentration, the last thing anyone wants is another distraction, especially if they are driving in an area they do not know, trying to find their way to their destination, looking at the multitude of road signs, trying to make sure they are in the right lane at busy junctions – so the last thing they should be doing is watching their speedo. However, that is the first thing all drivers do the minute they see the marker lines on the road and the yellow peril on the side of the road, as well as instinctively touching their brakes even though they may be driving within the speed limit. All it then needs is for the driver behind to look down at their speedo too as the first driver brakes and – crunch!

Any driver could have told the people responsible for these things this was always going to be the outcome from the moment speed cameras began to blight our roads – but of course, there was revenue to be earned which was far more important than safety.

WHAT THE ARAB SPRING MIGHT BE ABOUT BY ANNE PALMER

2011-08-24T10:06:00.002+01:00

Anne Palmer, considers what the Arab Spring may be about.

Although a long posting sent by Anne Palmer, it is well worth finding the time to study this well considered article, and looking at the links.

As part of a European Union of 27 nation States, I would have thought there might have been great excitement about the creation of a Union for the Mediterranean Countries, but no, not a whisper in spite of the fact that various titles have been given to the project, matters have not been easy to find out anything about, and then, Wow! Suddenly, we are treated to Arab Spring-what on earth is THAT? Nothing from our Government though. Quite a number of titles for a start. Apparently, and I have gone to Wikipedia for this, the “Union is a multilateral partnership that encompasses 43 countries from Europe and the Mediterranean Basin: the 27 member states of the European Union and 16 Mediterranean partner countries from North Africa, the Middle East and the Balkans. It was created in July 2008 as a relaunched Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (the Barcelona Process) in 2008, when a plan to create an autonomous Mediterranean Union was dropped”.

However, recently there has been the title, “The Arab Spring” in various Newspapers, just a wee mention here and there, so I will go along with that one for now, unless, as Mr Micawber might have said-“until some-thing else turns up.” So, the first programme on this matter as you can see is known as the Arab Spring, “SPRING”, (“Support for Partnership, Reform, and Inclusive Growth.”) Although there are further titles to this project-it seems to depend on which article you happen to catch hold of.

I think I should set the scene as stated in a speech by made in Cairo 14th July 2011, in which he made clear, and just so you know, that the “European Union has no wish to interfere in Egypt’s internal decisions.”

“We recognise there are many risks still to be faced. We recognise that the revolution is not finished. The expectations are high and the potential for frustration is considerable. Deep change takes time. The road to democracy is not a peaceful stream of water but rather an unpredictable river very much like the Nile used to be before the Aswan Dam. But we fundamentally affirm the spirit that has ignited the revolution thus far. And throughout we remain acutely aware that democracy must come from within. While external assistance may help the flowers of democracy bloom, it is only you who have planted the seeds that can ensure democracy takes root.”
“Our financial commitments will rise to €7 billion in the coming three years for our neighbourhood, with another €6 billion in loans available. Much of this will come from the European Investment Bank, whose President Philippe Maystadt is joining me on this trip. The bank is the biggest development lender in North Africa. Already there are nine Egyptian projects in the pipeline for the coming 12 month, worth well over €1 billion”.

“This sits within the overall package of €20bn agreed at the G8 in May. Egypt is in a good position to access these amounts, as it is a leading country in the path to democracy”. A little intervention here because when the EU pays out money to some-one some-where some of that money comes from YOUR pocket too. Money that could have been spent on the Defence of our Country, or provided jobs for some-one, and our Government-yet as I write this- not one MP has breathed one word about this project to any of us here in the UK.

I will end this section with President Barroso, “As the turmoil continues, the European Union flag flies proudly in Freedom Square, Benghazi. This flag and the office beneath it is a tangible and symbolic sign that the European Union is ready to support the people of this region.” Aw! Ain’t that nice!

It is noted that the Barcelona Process (a.k.a.. the Euro-Med Process) was launched during the 1995 Spanish Presidency between the EU and its Mediterranean Partners-Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey (Libya has observer status since 1999)- with the aim of building “a space of dialogue, peace, security and shared prosperity”. It was President Sarkozy’s idea of a “Union of the Mediterranean” and what became “The UMed Process was eventually launched in November 2008. Now, a couple of years later the second Umed Summit which was due to take place 21 November 2010 was postponed because of the lack of progress on a resumption of Direct talks in the Middle East Peace process, no new date set.

The European Neighbourhood Policy was first proposed by the Commission in 2003-2004 as a framework policy through which an enlarged EU could strengthen and deepen relations with its 16 closest neighbours. (Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria, Tunisia and Ukraine) with a view to counteracting risks of marginalisation for the neighbouring countries which had not participated in the historic 2004 enlargement and therefore ensuring the strengthening of a shared area of prosperity, stability and security. (From Commission Communication: A new response to a changing Neighbourhood . Foreign and Commonwealth Office 20, June 2011 European Council).

But what has our Government got to say about this New Treaty/Agreement we are all being involved in and upon which we have not had a referendum? Haven’t our MP’s had any knowledge of this great extension which includes all these Countries? Well let us see. “The European Union concluded seven Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreements between 1998 and 2005 with the Arab Republic of Egypt, the State of Israel, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Republic of Lebanon, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Republic of Tunisia and the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria. These agreements provide a suitable framework for North-South political dialogue. They also serve as a basis for the gradual liberalisation of trade in the Mediterranean area, and set out the conditions for economic, social and cultural cooperation between the EU and each partner country”.

“The Euro-Mediterranean partnership between the European Union and the countries of the Southern Mediterranean began in 1995 (The Barcelona Process) The partnership, which implies reciprocity, solidarity and codevelopment, is intended to establish political, economic and social cooperation.”

Quoting from a Debate in our Parliament that “on 14 March 2001, the European council held an extraordinary session to discuss developments in Libya and the Southern neighbourhood region and set the political direction and priorities for future EU policy and action. The council noted that progress and democracy go hand in hand, and all countries in the region needed to undertake or accelerate political and economic reforms, and said the EU would support all steps towards democratic transformation, political systems that allow peaceful change, growth and prosperity, and a more proportionate distribution of the benefits of economic performance”. Etc
At point 9.25, In particular, the Council was asked:
• To agree urgently pending proposals on pan-Euro-Mediterranean rules of origin (and the Commission was invited to present proposals on further means to enhance trade and foreign direct investment in the region in the short, medium and long term);
• To consider rapidly the Commission’s proposals on European Investment bank reflows and look at further possibilities to increase the EIB’s overall financial support capacity; and
• To review the missions of the Union for the Mediterranean, with the objective of promoting democracy and fostering stability in the region and giving “a new push” to concrete measures and projects so as to strengthen democratic institutions, freedom of expression, including unhindered access to internet, reinforce civil societies, support the economy, reduce poverty and address social injustice.

On 8th June 2011 The UK Parliament debated EU Document, number 2 Partnership with the EU's Neighbourhood, which read, “On 4 February 2011, the European Council met to discuss developments in Tunisia and Egypt. In its subsequent declaration, the EU said that it was determined to lend its full support to the transition processes towards democratic governance, pluralism, improved opportunities for economic prosperity and social inclusion, and strengthened regional stability; and committed to a new partnership involving more effective support in the future to those countries pursuing political and economic reforms including through the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Union for the Mediterranean. The Commission set out three elements on which the Partnership would be based.
— democratic transformation and institution-building, with a particular focus on fundamental freedoms, constitutional reforms, reform of the judiciary and the fight against corruption;
— a strong partnership with the people, with specific emphasis on support to civil society and on enhanced opportunities for exchanges and people-to-people contacts with a particular focus on the young; and
— sustainable and inclusive growth and economic development, especially support to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), vocational and educational training, improving health and education systems and development of the poorer regions.

On 6th July 2011 it was noted in Document 4 that at 4.3 The Commission notes that the conflict in Libya has so far displaced around 800,000 individuals, mainly to neighbouring countries. Since January, some 35,000 migrants have sought shelter on the Italian island of Lampedusa and in Malta. The Commission says that the EU's response has been swift, comprehensive and effective and includes:
• the allocation of €40 million (€102 million if Member State contributions are included) for emergency humanitarian assistance;
• the launch of a FRONTEX operation (Joint Operation Hermes Extension 2011) to help Italy control sea vessels carrying migrants and refugees;
• the deployment of Europol experts to Italy to help identify possible criminals;
• the allocation of an additional €25 million from the External Borders and European Refugee Funds to assist Member States most exposed to the influx of migrants and refugees; and
• concrete proposals to develop a dialogue on migration, mobility and security with southern Mediterranean countries.

The Governments response-although I do suggest you read it is one paragraph at 4.17 The Minister says that the UK is willing to assist the European Asylum Support Office through the deployment of asylum experts and case workers (and has already done so in Greece) but adds:
"[W]e are opposed to the transfer of migrants to the EU from North Africa and to the relocation to other Member States of those migrants who reach the EU. We believe that building capacity in the region, and in adversely affected EU countries, to deal more effectively with migrants will create a more sustainable solution to this problem. We support the establishment of a Regional Protection Programme to create sustainable solutions for those in genuine need, as close to their region of origin as possible. In the long term, resettlement may form part of the strategic element of such a programme, but should not be used as a reflex reaction to an unfolding situation”.

On 12, December 2010 at 16.3 “During that particular debate, there was some, perforce limited, discussion of President Sarkozy's idea of a "Union of the Mediterranean", which would apparently have been restricted to Mediterranean EU Member States and the Mediterranean partners. However, Chancellor Merkel opposed the notion that EU funds should be used in this way for the benefit of only some Member States — hence the compromise embodied in the European Council Conclusions, which includes all 27 Member States and all 700 million people on both sides of the Mediterranean (now including Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Monaco)”.

Under the title “Funding,” "You raised several points on funding, asking "how more money is likely to be the answer, when €6 billion has been spent or committed thus far on the existing Process; where it would come from; and what would ensure that it is spent effectively". UMed is made up of several different elements: the Secretariat which will oversee a variety of projects (yet to be implemented) and sectoral processes continuing from the Barcelona Process, e.g. on migration and water, including at Ministerial level. This means that funding for the whole process comes from a variety of sources.

"So far, UMed's costs have been limited as there is no Secretariat and few activities: only the circulation of documents and support to some countries to attend meetings. Once a permanent Secretariat is established, most of its core activities, such as local staff and administration, will be funded from the European Neighbourhood & Partnership Instrument's (ENPI) regional funding streams administered by the European Commission (EC). EC funding should be kept within existing resources, respecting the Financial Framework, consistent with what the UK secured in the Paris and Marseille declarations. The actual building will be provided free of charge by the Spanish authorities. The core budget and local staffing costs will be supplemented by those Member States who wish to provide additional voluntary contributions. At this stage we do not envisage additional UK funding.

"The Barcelona Process (EuroMed) has been funded by the Commission since it was founded in 1995. This funding, which has gone on largely successful programmes such as migration, should not be confused with UMed funding. The ENPI budget for the Southern Partners is about 1 billion Euros per year and is kept under constant review. Only a very small percentage of this goes to UMed. EC funding will be monitored and agreed in the same way as all ENPI funding and the normal rules will apply. The draft Statutes of the Secretariat require the Secretary General to submit annual accounts and work plans to the Senior Officials to ensure oversight of spending and impact.” I can give a good guess that funds will go up!

I do point you in the direction of COM (2011) 200 final below which makes fairly clear where this Mediterranean project is heading, although in March when this was printed matters were obviously not as far ahead as they are at present (23.8.2011) although the beginning makes clear that it is all, “A PARTNERSHIP FOR DEMOCRACY AND SHARED PROSPERITY WITH THE SOUTHERN MEDITERRANEAN”. When reading Numbers 5 and 9 Chapters, it should also be remembered that any money written about here WE have also contributed to, and then ask, when did anyone here vote for this Mediterranean extension?

On May 25th 2011 the EU outlined a new Policy in response to Arab Spring, This is what it said. “The European Union launched today a new policy proposal for its relations with neighboring countries in Eastern Europe and the countries of the southern Mediterranean. The new policy, known as the European Neighborhood Policy, is a concrete response to the Arab Spring and the aspirations of the countries to the east of the European Union.

It increases funding by 1.24 billion euros over the next two years, on top of the 5.7 billion euros already allocated for the period.

The proposal, presented today by Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy hand European Commission Vice-President, and Stefan Fule, EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy, sets out the main priorities and directions of a revitalized ENP strategy which seeks to strengthen individual and regional relationships between the EU and countries in its neighborhood through a 'more funds for more reform' approach -- making more additional funds available, but with more mutual accountability.

Below is a paper title, Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean” Readjusting the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership which puts the French-German paper and Council together again. Also noted, if German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy get their way, the 17 nations that use the euro will more closely coordinate their economic policies, and in particular their budgets. Why incidentally were the rest of the euro-zone members not at that recent meeting?

I have placed quite a number of e-mail addresses below and that quite long list below is not all I have gone through to try and make sense of exactly WHY the EU has gone down this road-with our money- and without asking and perhaps more to the point why did we not have a referendum on this extension especially as it is our money our Government is paying the EU with. Perhaps now we know or realize why the EU wants to increase our EU contributions. But WHY didn’t our own Government or any one of the three major political Parties that all wish to remain in the EU, just tell the people about this extension to the EU? When it comes to the next election remember only vote for any one of the three major political Parties IF YOU WANT TO REMAIN IN THE EU.

Not content with this first extension of the EU our own country is to be split up into EU Regions. The Country and Nation of ENGLAND is being divided (destroyed) by our very own Government because it has to put EU orders before their own Country, this they are doing THROUGH THE EU’s Localism Bill-and we are PAYING THEM TO DO THIS! Just how much longer do you think the people will continue to pay their own Government to destroy their own Country? There has not been one Government since 1975 that has had the guts to give the people a say, the question is though, would we be able to trust any British Government to hold a true and fair referendum on THIS particular subject of an in or out referendum? Yes, and it grieves me to question that. There will be any kind of referendum anyone cares to name under the Localism Bill, perhaps the first one for elected MAYORS for the EU’s REGIONS FOR ENGLAND. What kind of Government have we elected-and pay- that could do this to their own Country?

We went through two World Wars without these two extra layers of Governance-neither of which are compatible with our own Constitution. Firstly the most expensive extra layer of Governance is the European Union itself. The second completely extra layer of false Governance are the EU Regions. As far as the EU is concerned, Scotland is already an EU Region, as is London with its elected Mayor and as is Wales and Northern Ireland but ENGLAND has to be divided up into EU Regions, eventually with elected Mayors yet our own Prime Minister has not so far had the guts to tell the people, the Localism Bill started its Journey in the European Union.

Governments make the people that elected them poorer quite deliberately, even when there is absolutely no benefit for them at all. Has a war been created in Libya because Gaddafi would not go along with the EU? For the EU’s kind of “Democracy”? If we want our Freedom to Govern ourselves by coming out of the European Union, will a “No fly Zone” be put over the UK? Endorsed by the peace keeping United Nations?

What will be the next step? All the way towards World Government?

As I come to the end of this, the new beginning for the people of Libya seems to be on the way. Their troubles may just be about to begin, but if the people are wise, they will govern themselves. Anne Palmer.

Union for the Mediterranean. Worth reading. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_for_the_Mediterranean
José Manuel Durão Barroso Speech 14/07/2011
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/11/523

1 Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean 8th May 2009
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmeuleg/19-xv/19xv03.htm

2 Partnership with the EU's Neighbourhood 8th June 2011
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmeuleg/428-xxix/42804.htm

4 Migration from the Southern Mediterranean 6th July 2011.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmeuleg/428-xxx/42806.htm
9 Partnership with the Southern Mediterranean 5 April 2011 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmselect/cmeuleg/428-xxiii/42811.htm

16 Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean 2.12 2010.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmselect/cmeuleg/428-x/42818.htm

UN Resolution 1973
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2011/sc10200.doc.htm#Resolution

COM/2000/0497 final
"REINVIGORATING THE BARCELONA PROCESS"
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!DocNumber&lg=en&type_doc=COMfinal&an_doc=2000&nu_doc=497

Statement by High Representative Catherine Ashton on developments in Libya 22.8.2011.
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/124420.pdf

Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2009_2014/documents/afet/dv/201/201002/20100223emparecommendationadopted_en.pdf
ANNEX 11: MEDITERRANEAN BARCELONA DECLARATION ADOPTED AT THE EURO-MEDITERRANEAN CONFERENCE (27 and 28 November 1995) http://www.europarl.europa.eu/summits/mad4_en.htm
And
EU Commission launches ambitious Partnership for Democracy and Shared Prosperity with the Southern Mediterranean http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/11/268
Brussels, 8.3.2011 COM(2011) 200 final A PARTNERSHIP FOR DEMOCRACY AND SHARED PROSPERITY WITH THE SOUTHERN MEDITERRANEAN http://eeas.europa.eu/euromed/docs/com2011_200_en.pdf An informative article well worth reading.
EU Outlines New Policy in Response to Arab Spring http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eu-outlines-new-policy-in-response-to-arab-spring-122600658.html
“Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean” Readjusting the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/bruessel/05364.pdf

Further reading: Secret History of the “Arab Spring” “Chapter 7 Bilderberg Group dated April 7, 2011.
Europe’s Flawed Arab Spring FIIA Comment
Egypt, Europe, and the seeds of a crisis, by Daniel Korski and Mark Leonard.
2 Preparation of the 2012 EU Budget for those that did not see this.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmeuleg/428-xxx/42804.htm

HE SPEAKS WITH FORKED TONGUE

2011-08-23T09:37:00.002+01:00

Anyone who thinks that David Cameron, the Tory leader, is remotely EU-sceptic needs to take a look at this LINK to a posting by Marc Glendening of the Democracy Movement on the People’s Pledge. As the Red Indians used to say: ‘He speaks with forked tongue’. Cameron’s tongue is so forked you could pitch hay with it!

A PLACE LESS SAFE

2011-08-22T13:40:00.003+01:00

All cars to have fewer MOT's

If you are not inclined to go out and purchase an overpriced, impractical and range limited glorified golf buggy preferring to stick with vehicles that use overpriced and over taxed petrol and diesel, the way to the cheapest form of motoring is to never buy a brand new car but opt for used.

Cars drop a great deal of value in their first few years and you can pick up some really well equipped cars at a fraction of their original cost too. The secret of buying such a vehicle and getting a good deal is to ensure your second hand motor has been well maintained – then keep it that way for as long as you own it – it pays dividends.

I always buy used cars and usually run them for as long as possible with regular oil changes and servicing by good old Norman who has been looking after an assortment of cars for me for the last forty years. One of the best I had was a ten month old Montego estate car which I ran from 7,500 miles to 188,000 miles with no major problems – all because I had it serviced every 6000 miles. When it did come to the end of its time it was still on its original clutch.

Such motoring is the greenest and cheapest motoring you can do. Make a car last and there is less need for new vehicles – what can be greener than that? Certainly not messing around with some battery driven thing that needs hours of recharging every eighty to ninety miles using electricity from gas, coal and oil fired power stations.

Not all motorists are too bothered about looking after their cars other than keeping them polished, which is where problems of safety begin – hence the need for a twelve monthly check up. The idea of the MOT is to ensure a car can brake safely, tyres are in good condition and legal, there are no dangerous bits of bodywork sticking out and that the lights work to ensure the driver can see and be seen by others. All very simple, logical and basic.

Doing this once a year is not only for the safety of the vehicle owner, but also for the rest of us who use the roads too – we may ensure our cars are safe but what about others who may not be so fussed?

However, news has been released that the Government is to ease the time span of MOT testing from once every year to every two years. So, when safety is such a major issue why are they taking this retrograde step?

The thing to remember is in the use of the term ‘Government’. We have a thing in the Houses of Parliament and Ten Downing Street that calls itself a Government, however, the real Government resides in Brussels and the EU Commission offices who relay instructions to the administrative centres such as that which resides in Westminster and meekly and obediently complies with all it is told by our unelected masters in the EU. Hence the reduction in road safety to bring Britain in line with the rest of the EU such as the Commission directive below.

COMMISSION DIRECTIVE 2010/48/EU
of 5 July 2010
adapting to technical progress Directive 2009/40/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers.

Article 2
1. Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive by 31 December 2011 at the latest, with the exception of the provisions of paragraph 3 of Annex II, which shall apply as of 31 December 2013. They shall forthwith inform the Commission thereof.

In other words do as you are told – even if it makes your roads a place less safe.

THE CIB FILM FESTIVAL

2011-08-19T13:02:00.004+01:00

Any budding anti-EU film directors out there? The Campaign for an Independent Britain (CIB) are looking for people, not just here in the UK, but anywhere to contribute videos to the FILM FESTIVAL it is organising.

So if you are a Steven Spielberg and want to make a film about EU encounters of the strange kind, or if you are a Alfred Hitchcock and fancy doing a suspense mystery thriller with a mad EU knife wielder, then here’s your chance.

You can find out more about the event HERE, along with examples of what you can do – the Jamie Oliveoil one is worth watching and great fun.

Good luck, see you on the red carpet outside the Odeon Leicester Square!