Democracy for England

Is austerity working?

2012-02-24T16:29:00.000Z

The concept of the then Common Market and subsequent European Union were, we are told supposed to bring the nations of Europe together in union of political stability that would free the continent from the destructive wars that had previously ravaged its peoples throughout history.

Europe is now enduring the wrath of austerity because of the financial mismanagement and spend it all attitude of many of its member states. Those EU countries who find themselves in economic difficulty are now implementing austerity plans that include enforced unemployment, cuts in employees’ terms and conditions that include wages and tax increases designed to bring government debt under control.

Far from falling, debt burdens are rising fastest in European countries that have enacted draconian austerity programs, according to The Associated Press’ Global Economy Tracker, which monitors the performance of 30 major economies. The numbers back up what many analysts say: Austerity isn’t just painful. It can be counterproductive and even make a country’s debt load grow.

Higher debt leads to further austerity measures, growing social instability, inequalities and deeper socio-economic problems. With Greece currently in the spotlight, the question being asked in many political circles is how will the Greek Government pay back the bailout monies let alone even pay their current bills? Lets not forget that part of their debt has already been written off.

Two countries that have already had financial assistance find themselves no better off than they were before their bailouts. Portugal’s unemployment hit a record 14 percent at the end of last year. Ireland’s economy contracted a worse than expected 1.9 percent in the July-September quarter of 2011. And Greece reported that its under fire economy shrank a further 7% in the last quarter of 2011.

Under a deal recently approved by the 17 countries that use the Euro Greece will get a 125 billion Euro bailout in exchange for accepting yet another round of austerity measures that includes laying off 15,000 civil servants and slashing the minimum wage by 22% along with the minimum retirement age going up from the current 55yrs.

Portugal have cut pensions, reduced public servants’ wages and raised taxes. Yet in the third quarter of 2011, government debt equalled 110 % of GDP. That was up from 91% a year earlier.

In Ireland, middle-class wages have been reduced 15% and the VAT boosted to 23% (the highest in the EU). But its debt amounted to 105% of economic output in the third quarter of last year; a year earlier, it was 88%.

In Greece, two years of austerity programs have devastated the economy and triggered riots. Still, the government’s debt equalled an alarming 155% of the country’s GDP in the July-September quarter of 2011. That was up from 139% a year earlier.

Here in the UK, Prime Minister David Cameron has staked his political future on the Coalition Governments’ austerity plan. Government debt ratios, reached 80% in third-quarter 2011, up from 74% a year earlier. And Moody’s cut its outlook on Britain’s prized AAA credit rating from “stable” to “negative.” Local authorities are implementing cuts to coincide with central government policies. Banks are still being reported as not being helpful to small businesses despite a somewhat brighter outlook for business opportunities, growth and expansion. New figures show that investment has dropped off overall by 5.6%. With a recent opportunity to boost British shipbuilding via a Royal Navy order for four ships going to Korea, you can’t help wondering if this sort of decision making is a contributing fact that saw the economy shrinking in the last quarter, by 0.5%

Cutting spending and imposing austerity measures has not seen any improvements for any of these economies. If anything it has made the economy worse off...without actually reducing any debt. If governments can produce money through QA in order to give their economies a boost, why can’t a default of debt also be engineered? In my opinion we have to start making things happen by thinking outside the box.

We were told and are still being told that these measures were supposed to start making things better. The evidence so far suggests otherwise.

Exporting work and jobs ... again.

2012-02-23T11:33:00.000Z

With the prospect of BAE Systems considering closing their facility in Portsmouth Naval Dockyard that would lead to the loss of jobs and an industrial building infrastructure, you have to question the wisdom of the MOD who has decided to purchase Korean vessels.

The Royal Navy has a requirement for four refuelling ships to replace the existing vessels built some fifty years ago. This extraordinary decision not to award the work to our own people at a time when spending cuts and job losses are still making the headlines is not only disgraceful but is also a smack in the face for UK ship builders when you consider that they are at this time, constructing two aircraft carriers for the fleet.

The MOD says that Korea can do the work at a lower cost. As a taxpayer, I for one would not mind paying more if the work was to be done in our country. We have seen our ship building industry decline without a hint of help from successive governments. We have also seen currency and employment sent overseas in the name of efficiency, savings and profit.

At a time when this Coalition government has earmarked billions for HS2 high speed rail link, committed billions to bailing out failed Eurozone countries with the likelihood of yet more to come, its clear that the country and its leaders have their priorities wrong.

Earlier this year, we complained that India wouldn’t buy the Typhoon fighter. Now we wont buy our own ships. What has happened to our country?

Scotland, what about England?

2012-02-22T14:39:00.000Z

With the question of an independent Scotland due for a referendum vote in the near future, many English people and indeed, people who live in England but who are not born within our borders, are asking, why is it, that we in England are being treated so unfairly compared to the Scots, Welsh and Northern Ireland?

The SNP claim that they are being denied a say in their destiny because all of the decisions that matter are being made in Westminster. It’s a bit of a cheek when you consider that it was under Prime Minister Tony Blair, born in Edinburgh, that they gained the Scottish Assembly and devolved powers.

With devolution came the power to spend the allocated budget how they wished. It was only after the budget was published, it came clear of what was to be. There were clear inequalities that were to emerge between the four home nations. It has to be said, that devolution for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland has given the respective populations a clear advantage over England in how they choose to spend their respective budgets. This is the shameful act that triggered the formation of The English Democrats.

Scotland 1 England 0

This government allocates more spending to the residents in Scotland compared to those in England. Last year, published government figures saw money spent on the average resident in England peak at £8,588 compared to £10,212 for every resident living in Scotland. This works out at a staggering 19% difference.

Furthermore, residents in England pay some £420 extra tax a year which is clearly unfair. This suggests that the English taxpayer is subsidising not only Scotland, but all of the home nations.

Figures sourced from The Commons library further go on to demonstrate the grossly unfair expenditure across what we all know to be called, The National Health Service. The NHS is not solely governed from a Whitehall Ministry. The devolved Scottish government administer the NHS within their borders. Since the division of the NHS, more inequalities come to light. Here are two years consecutive expenditure figures.

NHS expenditure per head of population for the four home nations.

Eng Wales Scot N. Ireland

2008/9 £1748 £ 1853 £1969 £ 1859

2009/10 £1875 £1975 £2044 £2213

In 2011, Scotland received a greater total of government public expenditure while majority of the UK population lives south of the border in England. When you also consider the further inequalities that see English residents disadvantaged such as England still charging for prescriptions, eye examinations, care for the elderly and tuition charges for students, whereas in Scotland, they are free services, its clear that the Barnett Formula used by the Treasury to calculate the amount of public money allocated to Scotland, is flawed.

The Barnett Formula was devised by Joel Barnett, a former Labour Treasury Chief Secretary that devised a way of allocating additional or reduced finance based on population (and not need). This Barnett Formula is not a legally binding formula and could easily be changed if Parliament had the will. Clearly they have not.

I have not come across one Englishman who believes that this state of affairs, is fair. It is wrong that the English taxpayer is subsidising the Scottish Government and it’s spend free ways at a time when in England, we see public services being cut, along with workers being thrown out of work.

So what is the answer? Public opinion polls recently published show that independence for Scotland has more support in England than in Scotland. The alternative to full independence that appears to be gaining favour with Scots, is Devo Max where they get full economic powers and remain part of the union.

If pundits predict that Devo Max will be the outcome, what is the future for England? Are the English not allowed to have their own devolved government like Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland?

Opponents of devolved English government complain that it would be another expensive layer of government and bureaucracy. These opponents also say that all that needs to happen is to have only English MP’s discus English matters without those from across the borders. Why should we put up with second best when the English taxpayer is footing most of the bill for the whole UK?

The way forward for this country to become a modern democracy is to have devolved governments for all of the home nations and to reform the House of Lords to become an elected upper house to sit and govern matters on the national interest of the whole of the UK.

This way, everyone gets what they want. But only if the Barnett Formula is scrapped in favour of a fairer system. If Scotland votes for independence, then so be it. Who are we to argue that it is wrong? After all, haven’t British Armed Forces been sent overseas to help install a democratic system of government in place of dictatorial regimes? While at home, we have to put up with a feudal system that allows for the unelected House of Lords where party political cronies get sent for all manner of reasons to sit and judge, debate, vote and legislate on laws that govern us. That is not democracy.

The English question is now on the political agenda. UKIP have now copied The English Democrats and adopted the policy of an English Parliament. Although I hear that this has become a devisive policy pitting English nationalists against die hard unionists. (Ex Tories?) The Conservatives are a unionist party with no plans for English devolution. The Lib Dems, who although wish to see a reformed house of Lords are pro Europe and do not support equality for England. Some MP’s from the LibLabCon party do support the concept of an English Parliament. Labour, also pro Europe, recently announced that they favour regionalisation of England that mirrors EU policy.

Perhaps they have forgotten that NE England had a referendum on regional government when they were in power. The people voted NO to a regional assembley.Perhaps they have forgotten that we also have a system of elected county councils in place along with unitary authorities. So who needs regional assemblies at additonal costs? Indeed it was under Labour that the infamous Arc Manche, a form of regionalisation that encompassed southern England and the NW France with the administrating power to be seated in France was first proposed. So who do you trust on this matter?

Only The English Democrats have been consistent over the devolution vagrancies and the need for an English parliament that will give England and her people their own voice once again. Join with us to fight for a future.

http://www.voteenglish.org/

Spying on citizens

2012-02-18T18:11:00.000Z

It was interesting to note the agreement between the UK and France this week over the development of the next generation of drones or UAV’s. We have all seen drones reported on TV news channels where they have had remarkable success in eliminating wanted terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

But what we have not seen splashed across the UK media is the fact that the EU is experimenting with the use of drones regarding farm subsidies. EU farm subsidies cost taxpayers billions of euros each year. For some years now, EU regulators have relied on satellite imagery to help them keep an eye on those claiming subsidies, photographing farmland from above and looking for the telltale signs of subsidy cheats or breaches of environmental rules. But satellite images can be unreliable. In some places, mountainous terrain makes for long shadows that obscure features on the ground. In places like Scotland, it can be overcast for long periods of time. Many things in the countryside are constantly changing and when a satellite passes over, animals may be in a field or in a barn meaning that you can’t count the numbers accurately.

Where planners looked at the aerial photo records of one particular farm they thought that an additional building had been erected which didn’t have planning permission, but it was actually a haystack.

There have been few prosecutions in the UK based on satellite evidence according to a senior law researcher at University College London (UCL) specialising in satellite monitoring. One case in the UK was dropped because a farmer proved that he had planted a linseed crop, even though the satellite image appeared to show bare earth. The sparse young plants had failed to show up against the bright reflection off chalk down land.

You have to ask the question, is the EU rushing into the use of drones without sufficient public discussion and consultation? These drones can be used for a whole host of other things such as law enforcement over borders, maritime surveillance and perhaps traffic surveillance at peak times. Its acceptable that there are lots of things they can be used for, but … the questions about what is acceptable and how people feel about drones hovering over their farmland, their homes or even their demonstration, are debates that are not taking place.

Iran turns the heat up

2012-02-15T16:24:00.000Z

The eight-minute video clip titled "Onward, Lions of Syria" that hit the Internet on Feb. 12, Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri expressed Al Qaeda's support for the popular unrest in Syria. In it, al-Zawahiri urged Muslims in Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan to aid the Syrian rebels battling Damascus. I wonder how that stacks up against the proposal from UK Foreign Minister William Hague to supply help to the Syrian rebels in the guise of radios and medical supplies?

The statement comes just days after reports quoting American intelligence officials as saying that the Iraqi node of the global jihadist network carried out two attacks against Syrian intelligence facilities in Damascus, while Iraqi Deputy Interior Minister Adnan al-Assadi said in a recent interview with AFP that Iraqi jihadists were moving fighters and weapons into neighbouring Syria. It’s interesting to note that the Syrian government have said along that they were fighting terrorists.

Today the 15^th February Sky News' intelligence sources have said Iran has been supplying Al Qaeda with training in the use of advanced explosives, "some funding and a safe haven" as part of a deal first worked out in 2009 which has now led to "operational capacity". With the London Olympics taking place later this year, you have to be concerned about the possibility of this being one of the European targets on the terrorists hit list using Iranian expertise and equipment. One can only guess just operating in Afghanistan and Iraq just isn't enough for Iran any longer.

Also Iran has started loading domestically made nuclear fuel at a major research reactor for the first time - a defiant move in response to toughening Western sanctions along with halting oil supplies to EU countries.

In Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, an Iranian man carrying grenades blew off his own legs and wounded four civilians Tuesday after an earlier blast shook his house in Bangkok, Thai authorities said. The explosions came a day after an Israeli diplomatic car was bombed in India – an attack Israel blamed on Iran.

You put these events together with others and you get the feeling that Iran is going to destabilise the whole world. Those who proclaim that the west has an agenda (which it may or may not) to take action against this solitary country clearly does not understand or see the far reaching consequences that Iran now clearly in league with Al Qaeda implies.

If Iran wanted to avoid confrontation, what’s the problem with letting in international inspectors into their nuclear facilities? Why are their agents operating on a global scale? Why have Iran and al Qaeda's core leadership under Ayman al Zawahiri established an "operational relationship" amid fears the terror group is planning a spectacular attack against the West.

It all points to dark clouds forming over the Middle East and indeed much of the world. With Russia and China taking a different view to that in the west most likely because of their economic and commercial ties and of course the different way they interpret events, how much longer will they tolerate Iran’s belligerency towards others?

Proposed new rail service

2012-02-13T14:48:00.001Z

It was refreshing to read about the disused Totton-Hythe railway link being resurrected.

This is exactly the sought of desired project that should be undertaken on a nationwide basis in order to improve the country’s transport infrastructure and kick start the economy.

The railways were built not only to transport goods and passengers, but as a thriving business. Unfortunately, the nationalisation after WW2 by the Labour government of the day was the singularly act of bad management and political dogma that saw the railways begin to decay in favour of road transport.

The fact that experts have established a business case for this project speaks volumes where one has not been made for the High Speed link commonly known as HS2.

The increasing population and subsequent congestion of our roads here in Hampshire are crying out for an initative such as this. One only has to travel during peak times to see the amount of freight on our road travelling to and from the docks, the many individuals travelling alone in their cars during rush hour times that so often come to a frustrating halt. It’s at times in such a traffic jam that is a reminder of those cuts made by Dr Beeching were such a shocking idea.

It would be great to see a reconstructed railway works here in Eastleigh being able to play its part like it did in the heyday of the railways. Lets hope investors from our own shores are up for the challenge, just as our Victorian ancestors were.

Note: For the train enthusiasts amongst you, the photograph is of Merchant Navy 4-6-2 No 35009 Shaw Savill. Late of Southern Railways.

England football team - what next?

2012-02-09T10:06:00.000Z

I had a feeling Fabio Capello would resign after seeing his interview that Italian TV broadcast. There are those who didn’t like the man and his ways. But he did get England through to the Euro 2012 finals. From that point of view he had done extremely well. If there was one thing that many people noticed about him, he did not often show the passion on the touchline where others would do so freely.

So the hunt is on for his successor and all bets at this time appear to be on Harry Redknapp. Will the Spurs board allow him to take the job at a time when the team are doing remarkably well? How about a part time appointment that would keep everyone happy and get the England team through a difficult period of adjustment?

The nation wants an English manager that much is certain. An English manager should I believe be able to bring that that spark of national pride and patriotism that infects the team and indeed the whole country in times of international competition. Under Capello, that appeared at times to be missing.

You only have to look up and down the nation, in town and village, in city and business parks at the St Georges cross hanging from houses, pubs and clubs, offices and of course, fixed to cars and commercial vehicles of all shapes and sizes to realise that we as a nation desire that elusive victory and are long overdue for success on the field of play. There are of course opinions to why this has not happened, but that is a discussion for another time.

The immediate talk is about getting a new boss in place. If not Redknapp then maybe Roy Hodgson who knows the international scene. Alan Pardew has been mentioned at a time when his Newcastle has been burning up the field. You cant help thinking that on the day Harry Redknapp was found not guilty of evading tax, the position of England Manager became vacant. Could this be the start of a fairy tale for England?

Whatever happens, I’ll still be flying me St Georges Cross outside my home.

Under the thumb, EU style

2012-01-29T15:09:00.000Z

The old joke, what’s a Greek urn, took on a sinister development over the weekend with news that the German government have called for an EU bureaucrat to be given complete control over the Greek economy. Its clear that the Greek government have got themselves into a dire financial mess and lack either the political will or motivation to comply with the terms of their bailout package. Those of us who totally oppose the EU super state aspirations shouldn’t be too surprised as eventually, this action would be enabled across the whole of the EU notwithstanding the current economic crisis and recession. It makes one wonder what else the EU has been up to regarding the conditions set for countries that have spent money they have not earnt and consequently, find themselves pleading for financial assistance.

Some rather interesting information came my way over the past week regarding one country that has had financial restrictions placed on monetary transactions. I can confirm that the following has been verified by a source in Italy.

A new set of economic instruments were put in place in Italy, and it is being implemented by restricting the money supply of the average citizen, and also restricting their movement to go places with their own money. It could happen here also, if people don't stand up for our country’s financial independence and withdrawal from the EU.

Starting last December in Italy:

Cash transactions of more than 1,000 Euros were made illegal.
Credit card companies have to report all transactions made by Italians, both foreign and domestic.
Banks are not letting anyone withdraw 10,000 Euros cash.
Police now have cameras on the borders with Switzerland, and currency sniffing dogs. The ANPR cameras have the capability to register license plates and numbers of the cars, and the owners are subject to audits by the Italian tax service.

They are trying to track and trap any remaining cash and where it is located in Italy. When the crash comes, the people will be 'frozen in place.'

They, the EU are holding the entire country hostage. Now ask why you have not seen this in the fair and balanced reporting of the UK media?

At least one of our countrymen is standing up and being counted. Prince Andrew, usually reported for his accumalation of air miles, was reported to have told entrepreneurs at the Davos summit that foreign firms should invest in the UK and not other European nations, because unlike them were open for business with the huge advantage of having our own currency.

Don’t you wish our so called elected leaders would have the balls to say what so many people here are thinking? Its like we say, if you keep on voting for the same old parties, how can you expect change to come about!

Energy production - some quick thoughts

2012-01-28T16:10:00.000Z

You have to wonder why government minister Chris Huhne, the Energy and Climate Change Minister keeps trying to ram the notion of green and renewable energy down the throats of the country. Most of us can see that we do need to have alternative sources of energy if we as a nation are not to be held hostage and blackmailed by for instance, countries that produce oil and who do not agree with our way of life. The rise in Islamic militancy across many of the oil producing nations of the Middle East in the advent of the “Arab Spring” coupled with the ongoing Iran sanctions which include oil and finance gives cause for concern.

If the green and renewable energy market that receives government subsidies to make it work was seen as a profitable venture in the same way that regular business opportunities are, why aren’t the venture capitalists jumping all over it with the prospect of making large profits? Over in the US, millions of dollars have been lost where the government gave grants to green companies who have folded.

Earlier this year it was announced that a subsidy of some 25% or up to £8,000 was going to be made available for those who wanted to buy a light electric van. A French company for instance produce an electric van that retails at £16,990.00 plus VAT. Deduct the government incentive and hey presto, a reasonably cheap van. You will however need to lease the battery on a monthly basis in some cases up to £105 plus VAT. Is this fair competition?

Wind turbines also have their share of subsidies too, but not without controversy as some of you may recall. Within the last year it has come to light that some £523 million has been paid out by the UK government in subsidies to wind farms across the UK part owned / owned by foreign companies.

A breakdown - 16 German, 12 Spanish, 7 Norwegian, 2 Italian, 1 French, 2 Swedish and 1 jointly owned by Spain /Japan.

One of theses wind farms was paid £1.2 million not to produce electricity for eight-and-a-half hours amid fears the electricity network would become overloaded.

Renewable energy looks especially good when someone else is paying for it

There are also some safety issues that the Coalition Government is not coming clean about. For instance, the owners of more than 600 small wind turbines have been told to shut them down amid fears of catastrophic mechanical failure. Blades could fly off a particular generator, which are installed all over the north of Scotland.

The troubled manufacturer of the turbines late last year suspended all sales and warned its biggest investor – the London-based Low Carbon Accelerator (LCA) fund – that it will not be able to cope with its current losses unless it gets another cash injection.

In high winds, ironically, the turbines must be stopped because they are easily damaged. Build-up of dead bugs has been shown to halve the maximum power generated by a wind turbine, reducing the average power generated by 25% and more. Build-up of salt on offshore turbine blades similarly has been shown to reduce the power generated by 20%-30%. So apart from those facts and the variability of the wind perhaps wind turbines are not the most efficient means of generating electricity.

Notwithstanding the environmental arguments regarding waste disposal, nuclear power clearly offers a quick route to provide efficient power requirements for the future. Thorium based nuclear power plants arguably offer a quicker, cleaner and cheaper route to the nations power requirements as China is already finding out. Perhaps this is one reason why they have not come out in total opposition of the oil sanctions against Iran.

The holy grail of power generation is said to be Cold Fusion

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2011-10/06/e-cat-cold-fusion

If the promises of Cold Fusion hold true, then we wont have need of so much crude oil and the accompanying politics. The amount of currency oil generates for oil companies and governments is probably why the research on it does not attract the funding it deserves. Who wants to loose all of that money!! One of the current hotbeds of research at this time is in, surprise surprise, Italy where Andrea Rossi is said to have carried out two successful demonstrations of this type of power generation. Cheap, clean, plentiful energy that has no waste by product.

What more could the world want apart from no more wars and conflicts over….oil.

A political will to do the right thing would be a great starting point.

.

Economic warfare and The Gulf

2012-01-25T21:17:00.001Z

Some really big news that was not and still has not been reported in the UK media at the time of writing, is that Iran and India (and soon China) will settle oil trades in gold, not dollars or even Euros. Few understand the implications. Even fewer can recall the success of oil sanctions in previous disputes. For the UK one has to only recall the embargo that the Wilson government unsuccessfully tried to police against what was then Rhodesia. Below is a copy of the initial report that first told an unsuspecting world that something wasn’t exactly going to plan.

Profoundly significant news came out of the Middle East on Monday January 23, 2012. The headline via DEBKAfile* reads:

India to Pay Gold Instead of Dollars for Iranian Oil. Oil and Gold Markets Stunned

Within the body of the report were gleaned these crucial items:

1. India has become the first buyer of Iranian oil to agree to settle purchases in gold.

2. China is expected to follow India's move.

3. Approximately 40% of Iran's total oil exports are consumed by India and China.

4. Settling oil transactions in gold enables Tehran to circumvent the EU's upcoming freeze on Iran's Central Bank assets and the oil embargo announced Monday January 23rd.

5. Due to the magnitude of the transactions proposed, the price of gold is expected to rise and the Dollar's value depressed on world markets.

6. The EU currently accounts for approximately 20% of Iran's oil exports.

7. The transactions are to be facilitated via two Indian state-owned banks and a Turkish state-owned bank.

8. Financial mechanisms have also been implemented between Iran and Russia for the settlement of oil purchases in currencies other than the US Dollar.

By using gold to circumnavigate sanctions, its clear that sanctions will not work and will have detrimental effect on countries such as Greece who buy Iran’s oil at favourable prices. The EU told Greece that they would find alternative sources, but at the time of writing, still have not done this. Eventually, this will mean that Greece will pay higher prices for oil that will only make their recession last longer and maybe get that much tougher on their citizens. Another great plan from the EU!!

Presently, oil is valued and paid for in US Dollars. Russia is considering using another currency other than the Dollar to buy oil. This move away from the Dollar puts its reserve currency status at risk. You have to ask if this is one of the first or even the continuance of many broadsides to unsettle the markets and destabilise western economies.

The term Economic Warfare is being increasingly used as evidence is now coming to light that during the past decade where the west has been fighting the global terrorist threat, huge amounts of economic resources have been sucked up to bankroll military actions and operations across the world. It’s clear that continued military actions are unsustainable which has led to reductions in US and indeed UK forces due to recession. If you want to bring your enemy to his knees and you do not have a large highly technological military, why not use other means.

It has been found that a handful of traders made obscene amounts of profit at the time of 9/11 because they reacted quickly to events that were unfolding. It has also been found that some highly unusual dealings on the markets prior to 9/11 were carried out that netted huge profits. Such dealings are not that uncommon even in past times when they were a lot more peaceful. Remember that Barings bank was perhaps the first modern scandal that comes to mind.

Back to the sanctions of Iran’s oil and the freezing of their assets. I have said that sanctions can have a detrimental effect contrary to the desired outcome. It’s clear that the price of gold will rise. Unless friendly producers pump more oil, the price of oil will rise too. Economic recovery throughout the west will possibly not happen for some countries while others may see slow ponderous improvement. The debt that is strangling the west could at a stroke be written off in the very same way that 50% of Greece’s debt is written off if they adhere to the package of austerity measures laid upon them by the EU. Currencies have risen and fallen before. Economies have risen and fallen before. Why not engineer a solution to fit the problem?

If all fails then perhaps conflict will rage in The Gulf. What will the cost to us all be then?

Updated political chess.

2012-01-24T15:25:00.000Z

With operations in Afghanistan reported to be winding down to an agreed timetable to enable the Afghans to start policing themselves, attention is being drawn to the Iranian threat to close the Straits of Hormuz, thereby creating an unsettling and destabilising effect upon western economies, one the principle targets of the Iranian government.

Already there are those who are counting the body bags containing the returning bodies of US and UK military personnel slain in action against the mad mullahs who dare to carry out this unlawful action of stopping international shipping and free trade.

But would military action be taken against Iran? If you consider the following facts, then perhaps Armageddon will be delayed for another twenty-five years or so.

Iran’s biggest customers are Europe, India and China. Set aside the fact that the EU is banning Iranian oil imports and you still have two vibrant economies that would oppose any action that could threaten their growth and perceived stability. China alone is enough to make anyone think twice about action that could disrupt their oil supplies. Theoretically, there is only Afghanistan between them and Iran. So it would not take too much effort on their part to ‘secure their oil supplies’.

Iran could not match the west’s military power and technology and would be no match for any assets put up against them. We know Iran has a (inc anti ship) missile capability. We also know of their ambitions to create a nuclear weapon if they have not already done it, albeit a crude experimental one.

So why then should we be concerned over Iran. What they are doing well at this time is spreading their influence to other Muslim countries not only in the immediate area but also across North Africa and also over to the Far East.

The Arab Spring has seen the rise of The Muslim Brotherhood, a worldwide organisation into mainstream politics. Its interesting to note that historically, Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood don’t necessarily see eye to eye. So hold that thought. However, Iran’s links to Hamas are indisputable as are their links to Hezbolla who are active in the Middle East and more recently in Thailand.

Iran is also trying to gain more influence in Syria with the Assad regime. The fall of Assad will effectively block Iran’s expansionist aims at the Iraq border. It has also been noted by Middle East watchers and analysts that Hamas and The Muslim Brotherhood are one and the same organisation. You perhaps may start to realise that Iran could be working to become a unifying factor of the Islamic world.

But Islamic unity will not exist unless Muslims pass the Ideological dispute known between Sunni and Shites, which the Muslim brotherhood has tried to achieve through a call for “bringing different sects together”. One thing that could smooth the way to Islamic unity and perhaps the creation of a Pan Arabic block / pact / union, Arab League aside, is the destruction of Israel.

Notably, Gulf States are now considering a union (which would be pro western) that would perhaps see them outside such an ‘extremist’ pact as described. An interesting fact discovered through released official documents is the brotherhood had close links with nazi Germany. The Brotherhood agitated against the Allied war effort and Jewish interests.

The more you dig deeper into the politics of Arabs and Muslim cultures, the more fragmented it appears to be. However, this does not stop Iran touting its wares across the globe. Things get even more complicated when you consider reports from the Arab media outlet Asharq Alawsat report that some 12,000 US troops have landed in Libya to police the oil fields (I cant find confirmation of this), Russia are reported to be about to sell jet fighters to their age old ally Syria and China are stalling on a deal to sell missiles to their ally Iran. (Its all reverting to type here isn’t it?) Couple that with Iran’s co-operation with North Korea and I think you’ll agree that we have the ingredients of a very volatile political cocktail.

But thankfully, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton is on record as saying that the US doesn’t want a conflict with Iran and Iran only wants to be able to have a free hand in the oil market without the presence of the US in the Gulf. Furthermore Clinton has also said that there is room for Iran to rejoin the international community. The barrier to such a move is clearly Iran’s refusal to let international inspectors into their nuclear facilities. If Iran truly has only peaceful aspirations for using nuclear power, then what is the problem that stops them letting in the inspectors? Perhaps the Wikileaks publication of communications from Saudi to the US urging military action against Iran and the fact that Saudi was reported to be in favour of the Israeli air force over flying their territory on their way to bomb Iran could be part of the, hmmm….problem?

But then if we take another look at the spreading influence of Iran beyond the Middle East and Asia, we need to go across the Atlantic Ocean to South America. Click on the link to see the extent of Iran’s operations as documented by the Israelis.

http://www.theisraelproject.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=ewJXKcOUJlIaG&b=7717051&ct=11292639

What ever your opinion is of the current situation regarding Iran and its spreading influence, you have to admit that there is a heck of a lot to be concerned about where this country has clearly stated its intentions for the obliteration of Israel and is actively supporting terrorists groups that have been operating on a worldwide scale. Please don't tell me that you support this.

Political Chess - Middle East style

2012-01-23T18:59:00.005Z

This blog has been updated. Go to my next blog- Updated Political Chess

Note. The photo is of The Valley of Armageddon where prophecy says it is where the final conflict on earth will take place.

Well oil be blowed

2012-01-19T17:23:00.001Z

The reported words from David Cameron at PMQ regarding The Falkland Islands appears to be reportedly down to the fact that the thirty year anniversary is due.

Argentina sources claim that planning a symbolic gesture of planting their flag on Falkland soil is a possibility. This has been countered by the island administration saying that the local police and not the army would deal with any incursion. Therefore forestalling Argentina’s probable claim that colonial troops are perpetuating a reign of terror on sovereign Malvinas territory………….. !!!

While all of this banter and sabre rattling goes on between London and Buenos Aires, lets not forget that it has been Conservative Prime ministers who have put the islands at risk with their reductions in respective MOD budgets. The recent defence cuts that will see our forces dwindle to levels not seen since the time of the Crimean War caused uproar from all quarters particularly where the two existing carriers and Sea Harrier squadrons were axed. Two of the main weapons used to great effect and success when the islands were liberated from the forces of the then military junta. How could we defend the islands now people are asking? The last task force consisted of 100 ships and 30,000 personnel. Would the threat of sea-launched cruise missiles and hunter killer submarines be enough to deter another invasion? Your guess is as good as mine.

There is one small point that appears to have been omitted from the recent Falklands oratory, the matter of the exploration for oil reserves. For whatever reason, it has not appeared in the general or popular media, but after the recent successful oil drilling tests it has been estimated that this country’s oil reserves has, overnight tripled.

Oil explorers are targeting 8.3 billion barrels in the waters around the islands this year; three times the U.K.’s reserves. Borders & Southern Petroleum Plc will drill one of three Falkland wells that Morgan Stanley ranks among the world’s top 15 offshore prospects this year. Meanwhile an additional $2 billion is being sought from a larger oil company to develop the Sea Lion field, the islands’ first economically viable oil find.

With deep sea oil exploration now being undertaken the world over, there’s no reason to believe that this country could not benefit from oil extraction in The Falklands and South Atlantic.

So it’s still all to play for in the South Atlantic.

The reported words from David Cameron at PMQ regarding The Falkland Islands appears to be reportedly down to the fact that the thirty year anniversary is due.

While all of this banter and sabre rattling goes on between London and Buenos Aires, lets not forget that it has been Conservative Prime Ministers who have put the islands at risk with their reductions in respective MOD budgets. The recent defence cuts that will see our forces dwindle to levels not seen since the time of the Crimean War caused uproar from all quarters particularly where the two then existing carriers and Sea Harrier squadrons were axed. Two of the main weapons that were used to great effect and success when the islands were liberated from the forces of the then military junta. How could we defend the islands now people are asking? The last task force consisted of 100 ships and 30,000 personnel. Would the threat of sea-launched cruise missiles and hunter killer submarines be enough to deter another invasion? Your guess is as good as mine.

With deep sea oil exploration now being undertaken the world over, there’s no reason to believe that this country could not benefit from oil extraction in The Falklands and South Atlantic.

So it’s still all to play for in the South Atlantic.

Footnote. The photo is of the statue of the Royal Marine who was photographed at the time when the Marines were Yomping across the Falkland terrain because all of the helicopters went down with The Atlantic Conveyor. You can see this statue at the entrance to the Royal Marines Mueseum in Southsea, Portsmouth. Its a terrific place to visit.

Senior Citizens targeted again

2012-01-12T19:56:00.000Z

You have to wonder about the way decisions are arrived at in Hampshire at times after reading headlines referring to the hike in care home fees by £730.00 and the slashing of £21 million pounds from the social care budget.

At a time when private care homes are also being squeezed by councils to reduce the already meagre fees for placements in the private sector homes and the reduction of staff across Hampshire including Southampton, it has been recently announced that up to £400,000 is going to be spent on Twyford viaduct so it can be included within the national cycle route.

I’m all for saving heritage architecture, but at this time, aren’t there higher priorities?

It is a well-known fact that many pensions no longer pay out what was the perceived final pension thereby undermining many pensioners in their retirement years whether they are in their own homes or in care.

Pensioners in Scotland no longer have these worries as the Scottish Assembly picks up their care costs. The three main parties conveniently forget to mention these facts as they strive to govern over their respective domains, papering over the cracks in the fabric of English society.

The English Democrats work tirelessly to get this message out into the public domain despite the betrayal of fair and balanced reporting by the national media in favour of the three main parties, LibLabCon. It’s ironic that it takes the Scottish Nationalists demand for a referendum for independence to help bring such inequalities to the fore. Isn't Scotland lucky to have the English taxpayer bankrolling such wonderful Scottish public services such as care.

Now you know why this blog is titled ‘Democracy for England’ because it is one thing that is lacking in one of the worlds oldest nation states. But at least another piece of the jigsaw that is the national cycle route is going to be put into place.

Now tell me you’re glad about that.

Is independance for Scotland a joke?

2012-01-09T20:07:00.000Z

What could happen if there was an independent Scotland?

Alex Salmond would possibly be a happy man until the reality of what had happened kicked in. Before I go through a scenario of what could happen, its important to take a very brief look at the current position of Scotland in relation to the UK and indeed, England.

Way back in history three hundred years ago, on 16th January 1707, the Scottish Parliament voted in favour of ratification of the Treaty of Union with England. On 28th April the Scottish Parliament, which actually was run upon feudal lines, was dissolved by proclamation. Three days later, with the opening of the first session of the new British Parliament, the state of Great Britain formally came into existence.

The Scottish economy was struggling, its navy consisted of three ships plus a few loaned to them by England. Scottish aspirations of empire building on the same scale as England were held back by its pitiful navy, lack of money as well as the intolerance of both Spain and France who were back then, what the Scots could call, the Auld Enemy. That sounds familiar!! One of the main protagonists of the act of union was the Scot, The Marquis of Queensbury who was heavily involved in negotiations. The act of union gave Scotland and its people greater access to the new world by joining forces with England who were at the time, the overwhelming superior political and military force in the known world. It is a fact that the two countries along with Wales and Ireland built an empire that has never been surpassed and even today has been responsible for the spread of English speaking countries that still, despite the recession, hold considerable economic, political and military clout throughout the world.

So back to today’s world where Scotland has just gained independence. As a newborn neighbouring nation, Scotland would have to have its own currency. Which currency would it have? Not the pound underwritten by the Bank of England, perhaps the Euro with all of its fragility's and uncertainties? Or how about its own currency? How would that work? The Royal bank of Scotland could be the equivalent of The Bank of England maybe. Well at this time, no it could not be because the taxpayer has an interest in the bank after Fred the Shred ran the bank into the ground with some ‘unusual’ banking practises that relied upon Westminster for a bailout in order to survive.

Would Scotland apply for Commonwealth membership or qualify for EU membership? The track records of the EU appears to allow in any country that is lacking, politically and economically, so perhaps they would be granted membership and qualify for billions of Euros worth of aid, just like Ireland did.

(How much did the UK taxpayer spend on their bailout?)

What of the status of Scots living in other parts of what was called the UK? It is not unlikely that all Scots would have to have some sort of identification. A Scottish passport, or a Scottish drivers licence for starters. Would Scots be entitled to social security benefits? People from a country outside the EU may not qualify. What about residency qualifications? Would all Scots have to return to their homeland? Would Scottish prisoners in jails be sent back home? What of Scots serving in the armed forces? Would they be employed as mercenaries? What of other Crown jobs such as the civil service, intelligence services, naval dockyard workers etc? Would Westminster repatriate jobs and employment back to England, Wales and N. Ireland? Near full employment at the expense of the Scots who wanted independence would perhaps be an unexpected by product. Plymouth must be chomping at the bit at the prospect of being the home for the Trident submarines!!

The instability that independence would cause to Scotland could be seen as a bar to investment in such an unstable country, where as over the border in England, growth and prosperity through a vibrant banking and financial systems, along with the money saved from being ploughed into the Scottish economy via the Barnet Formula could be seen as not only something to envy and wish for, but also be a trigger for economic migrants from Scotland. Would this be the tipping point that saw Hadrian's Wall rebuilt!!

One also has to ask, just how much would Westminster bill the Scottish government for their portion of the national debt? With north sea oil running low and probably divided up, there doesn’t seem to be too much that apart from whiskey, tourism and Billy Connolly DVD’s for Scotland to generate sufficient revenue. There is of course, an awful lot more to this question than I have covered.

There is one remaining question left that none of the main parties, (Conservative, Lib Dem and Labour) in England want to entertain and appear to continually avoid.

When will England have equal rights with their neighbours who have and are enjoying devolution? When will England get the same rights to have an English Parliament and English people determine, legislate and vote on matters pertaining to England alone?

A recent poll has shown that up to 50% of the English now want an English Parliament. Considering that as a short time ago such as 10 years, this topic was not on the political agenda. Devolved home nation parliaments / assemblies and an elected upper house to replace the feudal house lords are arguably the way forward into the rest of the millennium. History has shown that we are all stronger when united in a single entity. Long may that be the case. but first off, Democracy for England please!

Chandlers Ford and Democracy...

2012-01-06T16:18:00.001Z

The news that Chandlers Ford Parish Council is to take over responsibility for identifying sites for future housing is in my opinion and that of others who reside in the area, most welcome.

However, it remains to be seen if the views and wishes of local people are respected. One only has to refer to the current exercise under way concerning the borough wide consultation on the proposed housing developments that are being met by fierce and determined residents opposition groups to the derision of the Lib Dem council hierarchy.

You may recall the uprising in Chandlers Ford last year when the Co-Op submitted their application to takeover a disused unit in Hursley Road. Residents and politicians alike agreed that the store was not in the best interests of the area. Nonetheless, the wishes of the local people were ignored and the store opens later this Spring.

It is at this point that I would remind residents in Chandlers Ford to remain loyal to local businesses, some which are family run and perhaps boycott the new Co-Op. By doing this, we the people would have the final word and perhaps these national companies would take more notice of popular local opinion and take no for an answer.

For truly democratic local processes to succeed, particularly in matters like planning, the English Democrats support binding referendums that should be written into law. Switzerland employs local referendums to great effect; therefore, there are example cases to be looked at. Outside the borough, you may recall the Barton Farm development in Winchester that appeared to have been reprieved, but is again coming under focus for discussion with a view for another planning application from Cala Homes to be considered. Had the mechanism of local referendum been in place, I wouldn’t have to mention this site ever again.

So localism comes to Chandlers Ford. It remains to be seen if this concept of local democracy works. I sincerely hope it does.

The link below will take you to a potted history of Chandlers Ford where you can see some photos taken at a more sedate time.

http://www.chandlersfordonline.com/history/history.htm

Its another year.

2012-01-01T15:51:00.001Z

The end of another year brings hope and optimism for the New Year, 2012. If we all put aside the Mayan prophecy for the end of the world, we can all breath a sigh of relief that we have seen the demise of Osama Bin Laden, Colonel Khadafi and Kim Song Il.

But hang there; we still have the EU and Eurozone fiasco bubbling away as well as the sabre rattling from Argentina over our legitimate administration of The Falkland Islands. Can you really believe that a US administration would side with those cosy little South American countries that side with Argentina on this issue?

Who could have missed the Iranians testing yet another missile in the Persian Gulf as did the North Koreans. Perhaps that is the North Koreans way of mourning the death of their leader?

The deficit in the USA worryingly, still appears to be running away out of control. The free spending Obama administration is clearly a carbon copy of the left wing spend now pay later EU type member governments that are threatened with economic collapse. Is Mitt Romney the answer that the USA needs? It remains to be seen.

Perhaps one of the biggest questions in home politics is, will the coalition government survive through 2012? Personally, I can foresee a situation arising where the Conservative Party will increase their lead over Labour leaving the Liberal Democrats trailing way behind. Would Cameron risk a snap general election in order to be the biggest party in Parliament? Therefore ditching the Lib Dem turkey carcase. It is becoming more apparent that this marriage of convenience that Nick Clegg signed his party up to in an effort to grab some power within government is becoming more strained as time goes by. David Cameron’s stance on Europe has been a fillip to his party that must also have repercussions on those aspirations and electoral hopes of UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party).

Here in my hometown of Eastleigh in Hampshire I can see a viscous political contest where the unpopular Liberal Democrat controlled council will come under great pressure because of the proposed development of thousands of houses, the Rose Bowl bailout, and the relocation of the council offices, are but a few things that come to mind. Public opinion is running high over these issues and the way that the Lib Dems have been running this council in a high handed way. If the last parish council by election in Chandlers Ford is anything to go by where there was a two way contest between the Lib Dems and Conservatives, I can envisage a lot of money being spent by these two parties with some strong interesting language being used to put their respective cases over to the electorate. I cant wait for it. For it promises to be a cracker. Anyone who is considering putting themselves up for election may want to consider joining us in The English Democrats.

I cant finish this years first blog without commenting upon the new years honours list where four Conservative Party donors, that include a millionaire property developer who was convicted of theft, conspiracy and accounting fraud following the Guinness scandal in 1990, along with another fellow who profited from the collapse of Northern Rock are each in line for an honour (gong). Also in line for a gong is the cousin of Damilola Taylor murdered in 2000 who is a known to have been involved with drugs and gangs. I’m not totally against the honours system but I think that governments tend to hand these ‘gongs’ out for the wrong reasons in many cases. The very same way that peerages / knighthoods are too.

Isn't it wrong to elevate a person to the House of Lords where the electorate are excluded from determining its make up? If you recall that this and the previous government have sent our armed forces overseas to fight regimes so the people of that country can choose their democratically elected leaders. Yet we are still burdened with an archaic system of government.

An elected upper house is clearly the answer along with an English Parliament that will put England on a level democratic footing with the other home nations.

Happy new year to you all.

Life outside the EU... ?

2011-12-20T19:11:00.000Z

Defenders of the EU are asking how we can survive being outside the EU. That’s quite easy but no mainstream politician will publicly tell you as the three main parties, LibLabCon all receive EU cash to promote the EU in a “positive way”. They cant afford to tell you the truth, because they need the money.

It’s clear that Europe needs the UK more than we need them. The likes of Clegg, Milliband and Cameron tell us that we need the continued trade (which is at a deficit) with the EU. No one would argue against that. A population of some 60 million consumers is not going to be ignored. They also neglect to mention the European Free Trade association that non-EU members belong to and who are still able to access the EU single market. Norway and Switzerland are prospering rather well as non-EU members.

We are not the only country that has opposition organised against the EU. Hungary and The Chez Republic have also come out against proposals for a modified treaty. In Sweden, mounting opposition is gathering pace exponentially. Even in Italy, the replacement of Silvio Berlussconi with former EU commissioner Mario Monte has raised questions of the democratic credentials of the EU. Lets not forget that EU commissioners are appointed and not elected to office and create legislation without democratic involvement. The appointment of Monti and subsequent control of Italy’s economic policy is surely illegal if not immoral; an act not a hundred years ago would have led to outright war.

The UK has the largest banking and financial sector within Europe which accounts for the German and French proposals of a transaction tax which if implemented, would net the EU a few billion pounds in annual revenue and also most likely see banks relocate to somewhere where they wont get taxed in this manner. This is a big reason why the EU needs us and that revenue stream. It’s interesting to note that earlier this year, HSBC threatened to move their operation from London to elsewhere because of the talked about new regulations that are designed to stop another banking crisis. The subsequent calculations that the loss of such a bank from the city would cause have obviously been taken into account by Chancellor George Osborne.

Over the past week, it has been reported that British banks have moved billions of pounds from the French banking system before the anticipated collapse of the French economy happens. Is this what prompted an envious Sarkozy to pass public comment on the UK’s credit rating? He would be better off keeping his nose out of our business and concentrating on his nations credit rating and subsequent debt.

An interesting development was reported last weekend where Volkswagen (a German company) has appointed a British based bank to look after their worldwide affairs. For a country that is on the outside of the EU, we are not doing to badly. Despite the scare mongering talk from Clegg and Milliband etc of the doomsday scenario of being sidelined and not being at the top table of the EU, why is Mrs Merkel making coo-ing overtures to the UK? Why are UK bonds more sought after than the French bonds? The answer is that the UK banking system is more robust and secure than most European counterparts. For all of the furore over the recession, we need to encourage the banks to do what they are good at. Making profits on a worldwide scale that will ultimately benefit this country.

Can we survive outside the EU? Yes, because now a majority of people want to and because as a country, we have the means to do so unlike other countries. It may be tough for a while, but this country has been through darker times in its history, which has made us a resilient people.

But first off, we need the referendum that was promised by all three main parties. These promises have been broken by LibLabCon and the country has been misled and lied to over creeping political and fiscal integration with Europe.

The English Democrats support the Vote UK Out of EU, formerly called the EU Referendum Campaign. We do not want to renegotiate, we want our democratic right to vote in a straight “in or out” referendum on whether the UK should stay in the EU.
Our position is clear in our name – we want the UK Out of the EU.

Link http://voteukoutofeu.co.uk/eu-referendum

Bailing out The Rosebowl isnt cricket

2011-12-16T21:06:00.001Z

Once again, the Lib Dems in Eastleigh are splashing taxpayers’ cash. The Rosebowl where Hampshire CC play, made a loss of £900,000 last year, is to get yet another £6.5 million of taxpayers money for what may unfortunately be, a lost cause.

On top of the £32 million the Lib Dems have earmarked for a four star hotel on the same site, you have to ask, is this the right kind of expenditure for Eastleigh borough Council to commit to?

Many of us wish the Rosebowl success, but in these times of economic restraint and austerity, this expenditure by this local authority cannot be warranted. This is the sort of expenditure that normally attracts the attention of local government auditors.

If Cllr House and his colleagues are so sure of the 500 jobs and revenue that will come from this bailout, why hasn’t the private sector stepped in with a bid?

Public questions such as,

Has a private venture been sought to get involved with the Rosebowl rather than gamble taxpayers money?
How have the council’s figures of 500 new jobs been calculated?
What amount of expected revenue has been projected?
Have any of the members who voted in favour of this bailout, got any interests or have family who have interests in the Rosebowl?
Have any council members and/or officials received hospitality from the Rosebowl prior to this decision being passed?

If a private venture has not come forward to get involved with the Rosebowl, it must be that it is because the Rosebowl is not a viable commercial profit-making venture.
So the good old taxpayer is picking up the tab. You can be sure that this will be a big issue in next Mays council elections where I hope the public will take Cllr House and his Lib Dem party to task over this and other issues that the people of Eastleigh are angry about.

Home Care for elderly in Hampshire

2011-12-10T16:07:00.002Z

Preamble.
I decided that a piece on care at home for our senior citizens was due. The recent publicity locally and nationally should make us all sit up and take notice. I would be interested to hear of any experiences from you or someone you know who has had an issue with this subject.
Thanks.

While Europe is the centre of attention in the news media, lets not forget that the issue of getting old is going to affect us all sooner or later.

Over the past few weeks, it has been reported nationally, that up to 80% of councils are cutting provision of home care for the elderly. At the moment nearly 500,000 elderly people receive care in their own homes. A recently published report from the Equality & Human Rights Commission into home based care published problems regarding home care.

Home care is where a relative wants to stay in thier own home instead of going into a care home. It can be arranged for someone to come in and care for them. If you’ve limited funds, Social Services (SS) will help pay, or you can go private. Your relative will have an assessment of their needs and requirements and in some instances they will be awarded care for 15mins. Can anyone do any type of care in 15 minutes? Some care agencies do not offer 15 min ‘drop ins’ and therefore they don’t get any work referred to them by SS.

If your relative has two carers visiting because there is a movement issue, such as bathing where it requires more than one carer to move the relative, Hampshire will now only pay for one carer, leaving the resident to either pick up the extra cost or go without. This has implications on health and safety. The extra costs could also force someone into residential care therefore defeating the purpose of care at home.

If you are not on the SS Preferred Providers List you don’t get any referrals so business suffers. Also to be on the preferred providers list you will have to agree a certain fee and many providers will argue you cannot offer a good level of care for what Social Services will pay. This was a big debating topic in Hampshire over the last year.

The carer arrives up at a client’s home and uses the client’s phone to login on to say they are on site. This electronic monitoring is linked into Hampshire County Council (HCC) Billing where HCC pay agencies by the minute. Now, carers do not get paid travelling time but do get a low mileage rate under that recommended by the taxman.

If you have invested good money to comply with HCC only to be told that you have the wrong equipment that is not compatible with HCC’s, something is wrong! One local company fell into this trap, and consequently has ceased trading.

The report from the EHRC doesn’t solve the current problems. If the Care Quality Commission (CQC) had not been cut back and the numbers of inspectors increased, some of problems that make the headlines could be avoided. Its interesting to note that the head of CQC takes home over £400,000 a year.

For all the negative publicity, lets not forget that there are thousands of good dedicated carers. But we won’t see those stories because they don’t sell papers unlike eurozone bailouts.

Flaming mad

2011-12-02T16:10:00.001Z

Celebrate 10 years of the euro!! You have got to be joking.

You really have to wonder what planet these people are on at a time when the one size fits all euro is about to implode and take out great chunks of economies in Europe and perhaps the world.

Its a shame that the Hague court cannot instigate a trial for crimes against humanity where the EU has become an unelected, undemocratic wannabe super state that has led countries to the edge of the economic and political abyss.

If someone or somebody could organise a 24hr stoppage and demonstration against the EU I think that the proposal would get millions on to the streets.

A resounding majority of people are fed up to the back teeth of being ignored by the coalition government over the referendum issue and over the colossal amounts of taxpayers’ money used for bailouts that has been wasted.

Aren't you all sooo happy that the EU has released a video to mark this historical...or is it, hysterical landmark!

Yes, lets celebrate the 10 years of the euro by burning that blue rag in the streets. You can count me in!!!

Care or wont care

2011-11-27T18:29:00.007Z

Care, What’s going on? Including in Hampshire

Recently, it has been nationally reported that up to 80% of local authorities are cutting their budgets previously agreed for the provision of home care for our senior citizens. You don’t need me to tell you we are all living longer and that the estimated number of elderly people needing care is rising at an alarming rate.

Now, the much anticipated report from the Equality & human Rights Commission into home based care has been published that goes to great lengths to highlight the problems regarding care now being experienced.

We have all seen the ‘dreadful stories’ in the Daily Mail and the Campaign for Dignity that they run. Yes our elderly deserve dignity, Yes they deserve the right to remain independent for as long as possible and Yes they deserve to be able to keep their home that they have probably worked long and hard for, envisaging “this will all be yours one day pet”

Having talked to people working in the care sector I can see different sides to this question, what’s going on. So I thought it was about time that comment was passed from outside the industry by someone who has an interest as I have an aged mother who may at sometime in the near future, need to call on care services. The following is taken from my observations and also from people who work in or on the peripheries of this much-maligned private / public sector that services all, from the rich and powerful to the disadvantaged in our society.

Care Homes

Private care homes - They charge an extortionate amount of money

In some cases the fees are huge and it is difficult to comprehend how they justify them. But do you know that there are many rules that they have to abide to? The following are but a handful and indeed factual.

Rooms have to be a certain size and take into account an en-suite bathroom or how much space is needed. Did you know that to open the door (inwards) reduces the amount of ‘available’ space? I was made aware of a home in SW Hants that had built extra bedrooms and was then told to demolish them because they were just a little too small to comply with the regulations. Not by feet but by inches! The people due to move into those rooms would not have known the difference but this was a case of ‘making sure the elderly are properly looked after and that their dignity is upheld’ You and I would probably call this political correctness gone mad and where we would expect common sense to have been applied.

Staff have to be continually trained to achieve certain standards and that is only right and proper, but many a time statements such as, ‘I came into care to care not do paperwork’ or ‘I am too old to start doing NVQ’s now’ are frequently heard by overworked staff and managers.

The staff have to be paid whilst undergoing training courses, therefore they are not spending time caring! Training can consist of an Induction course, Health and Safety, Nutrition, Moving and Handling – all carers have to be trained in this but the agency / employer is paying for their training time.

Although there is funding for some courses this is not the case for all of them, so the home (employer) has to pay. Very often a staff member will achieve their qualifications and then be offered a better job at another home at an improved rate, the new home not having to spend time or money ‘training’ so the original home is back to square one, recruiting, training. To be fair, this movement of labour happens across industry.

There are standards to say how much activity a person must have – do you know of an elderly relative who lives at home that does not have an activity arranged for everyday?

Care homes have activity organisers to ensure that residents are engaged with things like talks, exercise class, hobbies etc. But what if you don’t want to join in and what if they want to spend the afternoon sleeping, surely that is their choice?

The common perception of going into a residential home and seeing people asleep makes everyone shudder, but if you have had a sleepless night or perhaps stayed awake reading a good book, aren’t you entitled to a nap in the afternoon?

The staff are all foreign – many of them are, mainly because Brits wont do ‘personal care’ for the minimum wage! Yes a lot of the foreign workers have now been told they have to be able to speak and understand English. You will however find that with a generation suffering from dementia you are going to get the odd racial comment – either they don’t want to be touched by someone of a darker hue or in some cases it may be a fantasy come true!! There was one incident where a live in carer was told after the first day, to leave simply because the carer was black.

For all the horror stories we see in the paper and on TV lets not forget that there are thousands of good homes and carers out there. But we won’t see those stories because they don’t sell news.

Here’s a fact that has been reported in the media on Care Homes, - if you were a celebrity and not short of a bob or two, what would you do if your relative was in a home that smelt of urine or you thought they weren’t being cared for? You would likely move them, not go to the papers! Well yes, go to the papers BUT after you have moved them to a better home!

Home Care

Ok, so a relative gets to stay in his or her own home instead of living in a care home. You have arranged for someone to come in and care for them. If you don’t have a bottomless bank account, Social Services (SS) will help pay, or you can engage a private provider. Your relative will have an assessment of their needs and requirements and in some instances they will be awarded (SS) care for 15mins. You now have to ask, how can anyone do any type of care in 15minutes? Many home care agencies now will not offer 15 min ‘drop ins’ and so therefore they don’t get any work referred to them by Social Services.

If you are not on the Social Services Preferred Providers List you don’t get any referrals and business consequently suffers. But if you want to look for care, where is the first place to look? Social Services. Also to be on the preferred providers list you will have to agree a certain fee and many providers will argue you cannot offer a good level of care for what Social Services will pay. This was a big topic for debate in Hampshire over the last year. Now throw into the arena, do you pay your carers travelling time? I understand that they do get up to 21p mileage allowance. Some may get more. This figure is someway below that recommended by the Inland Revenue. In a big city they may be able to go from one call to another in quite a short time, in the rural areas for instance it can take a longer to travel between clients.

Electronic monitoring – this is where a carer turns up at a client’s home and uses the client’s phone to log on to say they have arrived on site. The carer does the same when they leave. This Electronic Monitoring is linked into Hampshire County Council (HCC) Billing and HCC will now pay agencies by the minute!! But not the carers travelling Time.

What if the client is on the phone or refuses to let the carer use it? One interesting fact to come to light is the type of system used to make electronic billing work. If you have paid out a large sum of money in attempt to comply with HCC only to be told that you have the wrong equipment that is not compatible with that of HCC’s something is sadly wrong! I have heard of one company that fell into this trap, didn’t get any referred county council work and has now ceased trading.

Overseas Carers. One man was known to go home twice a year to see his wife and children. He has now brought them here. They have been housed; the kids are in school, all in all, a better life for all of them. But who is paying for them? The husband is the solitary wage earner, earning just above minimum wage, and the wife and children have to be taught English to enable them to integrate into everyday society.

Another lady who was a live- in carer went home once a year to see her 8 year old son, and in between sent all her wages home to her family. And this is a common practice for live in overseas carers.

As pointed out earlier, the anticipated report from the Equality & human Rights Commission does nothing to solve the problems now being experienced in England. Like national newspapers, they have graphically retold stories about elderly people being systematically abused, used and robbed by so-called carers in their own home. Perhaps if the Care Quality Commission had not been cut back to a point where their inspectors now work from home instead of regional centres and the numbers of inspectors were increased in line with the growth of the elderly population, maybe some of problems that make such tragic headlines could be avoided.

We also have to look at ourselves, as nation to just how we treat our senior citizens who have lived through some of the most tumultuous times in our history that saw many give the best years of their lives and saw sacrifices made by their own family members and friends so that today’s generation could live in relative freedom and peace. Attention also needs to be drawn to Scotland where the Scottish Assembly pays for care; therefore they are excluded from this ‘debate’ by default. For a country that is named, The United Kingdom, all Englishmen should be asking why has this happened? Nonetheless, Scotland for all of its greater expenditure per head of population that includes care, compared to England has the very same problems that have been previously highlighted by a report from the Equality & human Rights Commission.

This particular point shows that just throwing more money at the subject is not going to get the desired results. It may help, but so would encouraging vocational training for school leavers / young people. Over the preceding years, the usual course for school leavers was to go to college then on to university, then on to a well paid job.

In England, how many unemployed do we have? Record numbers of school leavers / young people who can’ t get a job- BUT is this the sort of career that they want? For instance, part time care jobs for 16 hours a week, minimum wage, 9a.m. – 3 p.m.

Another interesting fact to come to light is the first care home for the exclusive use of Asian residents in the London area. The common perception is that Asian families have a greater family orientated culture then western families when it comes to looking after elderly relatives. A symptom of western culture?

The NHS is struggling to cope with increased hospital demand in the face of dwindling public spending and there is now much debate around the viability of home-based care in today’s economic climate. With that in mind, why don’t you contact and ask your MP why this country is spending a larger proportion of national income on overseas aid than any other G8 nation?

The English Democrats are for putting the needs of England first rather than have this nation spend (waste) £50 million a day on EU membership, apart from having already contributed to bailouts for faultering eurozone countries with more cash going to the IMF to indirectly, support further eurozone bailouts.

Failure to deal with this issue properly will have serious economic and social consequences.

C'mon in .....

2011-11-24T16:07:00.000Z

Who amongst you last week read that the USA olympic team want up to a thousand U.S. security officers to attend the olympics because they fear that the UK's handling of border security is worrying and is unable to meet the current threat of denying potential terrorists entry into the country?

With the debacle that is the border agency and the ongoing scandal of wether or not Home Secretary Teresa May was respsonsible for ordering a relaxation of the controls and checks for those coming into the country in order to aliviate the queing time, you have to admit, on those grounds alone, perhaps there is substance in the US view and opinion.

The public sector strike next week will see border and immigration staff walk out on strike. They will be replaced by civil servants. Some of these civil servants are being recalled from overseas locations to fill in while striking officers are outside protesting thier case. These civil servants will only be able to check only those people with a British passport. Doh!!!

The governments cost cutting of immgration and border control staff is a deriliction of duty to the people of the nation as is the strike by officers who are supposed to be protecting us. If other nations can see that we are unable to protect our own borders whereas the coalition government cant, doesnt that indicate that something is tragically wrong? Is this what you voted for?

Unter dem neuen Management?

2011-11-18T18:24:00.001Z

The past few days has seen democracy here and in Europe at the top of the agenda. Democracy, as briefly described in the Oxford English dictionary is a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives: a system of parliamentary democracy. With this in mind, read on.

The ongoing euro zone crisis now has EU inspectors going into Italy and Greece to ‘inspect the books’ to ensure that the respective countries are enabling austerity packages in efforts to tackle their huge debts and receive economic lifelines in the guise of bailouts consisting of billions of euros.

The unelected EU commissioners to whom the inspectors are responsible to, have in effect taken over the budgetary responsibility that will affect how these governments make decisions for these two countries through the demands that will be made upon them.

This is all very well if you support the concept of unelected officials running the EU. This is a timely reminder for us all that the MEP’s you may have voted for do not have any powers to legislate where as Westminster still has the ability to do so, albeit in a reduced capacity. Now ask, what’s the point of electing MEP’s if they cannot legislate where as the unelected commissioners can?

The cost of running the EU is carefully monitored…erm well, actually it isn’t. Once again, this week the EU’s own auditors have refused to sign off the annual accounts. It’s quite frightening to think that no one really has an idea of where all of the money has gone. If you were running a business and you could not get your accountant to sign off the annual accounts, its quite certain that the inland revenue would want to prosecute you and have you imprisoned for fraud at the very least.

This brings me to the expenses scandal where numerous MPs and Lords were caught fiddling or defrauding the taxpayer and claiming thousands of pounds on flat screen TV’s, flipping second homes and repairing duck houses and moats etc. The past week saw Baroness Uddin a member of the unelected House of Lords resumed sitting in the chamber after she was caught fiddling £125,000 and suspended from the lords for 18 months. How come this woman is still in place when the likes of some MP’s who were caught and prosecuted at least resigned? The whole system is a mockery when you consider that Lib Dem David Laws got suspended for a week after he was caught.

So the Localism bill received Royal Ascent. Anything that we the people want our local councils to do or enact will happen…. Or will it?

In Winchester, Barton Farm has again raised its head into the public profile with Cala Homes now in the process of tackling how they should resubmit their plans for housing that was refused after residents persuaded the council that this really wasn’t a good idea. Eric Pickles effectively backed the council and that was that… or so we all thought.

This all smacks of the Irish EU referendums where the Irish electorate got so bored with saying no to the EU that they finally said yes in the hope that it would go away!!!! Unfortunately it doesn’t work like that so now we in England are that much better clued up. We are all signing the online petitions for the commons to debate the EU referendum again. And again and again until we get what we want and not what the politicians of the majority Conservatives, Lib Dems and Labour want. (LibLabCon Party).

Even England, a nation for over a thousand years, is now enduring substandard and an unequal standard of democracy compared to the other three home nations. Devolution gave our immediate neighbours their own assemblies or parliament that legislates on matters such as education, health for instance that sees the English taxpayer being charged for prescriptions, tuition fees and care home fees.

So democracy is in action as practiced by those you elected to power. Only it does not resemble the concept that the public want or believe that it should be. I have always said that democracy is where you are free as you are allowed to be. If Angela Merkel has her way we may all be living in The Forth Reich.

Oh, the title to this blog translated says...

under new management?

Planning does matter... who will you trust?

2011-11-12T17:19:00.000Z

The philosphy of George Osborne & Co of building our country out of recession continues to be riddled with flaws on an ongoing monthly basis as home loan approvals fell for the second month in a row in October, as mortgage lenders favoured richer borrowers.

Nationally, the number of house purchases approved fell from 50,967 in September to 50,382 in October, with tighter lending criteria blamed for the decline. This unfortunatley confirms my earlier blog in the summer where I quote the RIC’s July report that has had its findings not only mirrored, but also unfortunatley confirmed.

The planners of the Liberal Democrat controlled Eastleigh Council who have deemed that extra thousands of additional housing has to be provided would do well to sit up and take notice of this trend.

It is my opinion that although we will need additional housing at sometime in the near fuutre, we need to begin addressing what will be termed the difficult and awkward questions of where to build.

Public opinion has surfaced to the fact that voters do not want to see our green gaps, strategic spaces and rural parts of the borough sacrifaced for what I can only term to be, a flawed startegy of planning and the execution of the charade that the consultation period will most likely turn out to be. By this I mean that there is likely to be little or no variation in the planners proposals that are now under srucitny in the public domain.

Minister Eric Pickles has said that it is up to local councils to decide what is needed to be included within their local plans. This is where you the voter comes into the frame by deciding who to vote for at the next round of council elections in a concerted effort to have your views truly represented and not ignored that is now happening with the current Liberal Democrat council in Eastleigh.

If you have also been following the battle in Winchester that is Barton Farm, after a stunning victory spearheaded by local residents over the councils proposed plans for a massive housing development, they now face the prospect of reforming their battle lines after the council is to consider a report from ‘an expert’ who has said that perhaps there ought to be development in this area afterall. If you consider that Winchester is a small city, designed and built over the past millennia, has the time now come to say that the city is full and can take no more excessive development?

My point is, that trust in local politicians and their respective parties is at a low ebb simply because the wishes of the people are being completely ignored with exception of a curoius lip service to placate those who protest publicly. If we recall those two Lib Dem councillors in the Botley area who appear to have dipped their toes in the pool of democracy by going against the party line, you have to ask if this public show is trust worthy of future public support.

The English Democrats are pledged to initiate greater local control of planning and other environmental issues unlike the Coalition conspirators and their supporters.

We told you so

2011-11-10T08:51:00.000Z

They say that we learn lessons from the annals of history. With that in mind, you have to ask yourself questions about what is going on in the eurozone and how the attempts to ‘fix’ it are going to work / not work.

If we cast our minds back to the events that are said to have triggered this current economic crisis, you have to bring to mind, sub prime mortgages. That’s where people on low incomes in the US were allowed mortgages at a higher than normal rate because they were deemed, “risky”.

With Italy now confirmed to be the country with a debt the size of Greece, Portugal and Ireland combined, you have to ask how they will be able to pay back the billions of euros that are needed to keep the country afloat. At an interest rate of 7.3% (quoted on Thursday a.m.) again you have to ask the question about the economic sense of loaning a country that is already in debt, who are unable to pay of the current debt, and who in all possibility will not be able to afford the massive repayments on any bailout funds negotiated.

Doesn’t this all ring of the sub prime scandal where profit was or is being made out of people or in this case, countries in debt that will in my opinion, have to default. Would your own bank manager support a similar application from a business in dire circumstances?

Now Germany and France are reported to be talking about dropping countries out of the eurozone. (Not before time). This should be the moment that our government sizes the moment to exit the EU before more of our countries reserves are drained away into the financial black hole that is the EU.

The one size that fits all EU concept has been laid open, bare for all to see, that this corrupt union has predictably failed. If the likes of leading europhiles such as Clegg, Huhne, Milliband, Balls etc are not able to grasp the futility of the situation of being in the EU. You have to wonder about their concept of the reality that they live in.

Its time for urgent change that is not to late if we learn from the past mistakes documented in history.

Greece - down the pan?

2011-11-01T21:19:00.000Z

At the risk of this being overtaken by current events....

Greece. Where can you go and smash plates in a bar without getting arrested?

Where can you go and find a leader of a country who knows he’s screwed, the country is screwed and there is no way out or no way back? Why, Greece of course.

You’re the leader of a country that spends more money than it takes in tax revenues on things like pensions, benefits, the Olympics and generally having a good time with a false sense of security and a false sense of living financed on the never never with other peoples money. One day the tallyman comes round and wants to see some sort of repayment.

Now lets remember that you have been elected the leader of Greece. That usually means that you speak for and take the big decisions on behalf of your fellow countryman.

So last weekend, George tells the EU that he is going to get tough at home with another round of austerity cuts which goes down really well with the EU guys. In fact they are so pleased, that they have arranged for 50% discount of the country’s debt to be written off. If you were George, you’d be over the moon with such a result. In fact, he is sooooo happy, that he is going to ask his fellow Greeks to vote on the big decision about how to really make the country even poorer than it is now.

Back in EU land, the gruesome twosome (common you know who they are!!!) are shocked and outraged, but…. I suspect secretly relieved that they do not have to giveaway more of their own country’s money.

The Trillion Euro fund that isn’t really a trillion euros because there isn’t enough money to be put into the rescue fund. So Nicholas from France has this great idea about asking China for a handout. Great idea says Angela from Germany. Afterall, much of European manufacturing has gone to China because the industrialists were able to make greater profits. No problem then.

China isn’t happy because they want to see a European solution to the dreadful mess they got themselves into. Well, many of us over the years have been warning of times such as these where the idea of a single European union was not going to work.

What more proof does anyone want!!!!!

Meanwhile back in London, Nick Clegg (Liberal Democrat Party) says that there must be greater integration with the EU. Ed Milliband (The Labour party) says that going into the euro at sometime is a good idea. David Cameron (The Conservative Party) says that it’s a good idea to repatriate powers back to London from Brussels but doesn’t want to be seen as anti Europe by the ‘others’. It’s interesting to note that these three main parties are in receipt of European taxpayers money to be used in the promotion of the EU within their respective parties. The last I heard a week or so ago was that UKIP was also considering taking European taxpayers money for the very same reason and were going to ballot their members on this matter.

I’m pleased to say that The English Democrats refuse to consider taking European taxpayers money because, we at least do have some honour and some principles that appear to be lacking in today’s world of politics. At a time after when the three main parties combined to deny the people of our nation a referendum, you now have to ask yourself…. Who do you trust?

As for George in Greece, I think we can all agree that they have well and truly screwed themselves into the trashcan of euro politics’ on a grand scale of economic collapse that may be compared to the old German Weimar Republic that went bust and spawned the rise of Hitler.

There, don’t you feel so much better and pious for reading that!

Renewable energy - misleading the user?

2011-10-30T20:16:00.002Z

The boom in the installation of roof-mounted solar panels has obviously been helped with promised revenue generated through selling unwanted generated electricity to the national grid which in effect has subsidised this industry from day one.

There has over the past couple of years been a proliferation of for instance, electrical contractors who have invested heavily in training their staff to enable them to be able to undertake the design, selling and installation of solar panels on not only domestic, but also business premises. This long overdue revolution of having solar panels fitted to help reduce home owners energy bills is now threatened by this coalition government who intends to halve the rate payable from 43.3p to 21p per kilowatt hour.

Many people who were attracted to this scheme to invest their money in the first instance as a way of achieving energy savings and also to enable them to cope within their retirement years on fixed incomes must now feel cheated. Typical schemes offer figures as much £900 - £1000 annual additional income to householders who can spend on average, £12,000 on an installation. A quick calculation clearly shows that you could get the value of your investment back within 10 - 12 years.

The planned tariff reduction will now make this non-polluting source of energy production out of reach of the average person. Furthermore, with the country still in the grip of recession, this government inspired move can only be bad news for installers who will most likely see a reduction in the size of order books. Consequently, additional unemployment will only add to the ongoing recession figures making recovery an even difficult longer-term goal.

It is rather ironic that Chris Huhne the Eastleigh MP and Minister for Energy and Climate Change, recently hailed renewable energy as heralding the third industrial revolution across Britain. Indeed, Mr Huhne even attended an event at a local Chandlers Ford company, designed to raise awareness of the renewable heating market, including businesses specialising in air and ground source heat pumps, solar thermal, biomass and solar PV.

It remains to be seen just how much value for money Eastleigh Borough Council get for the recently approved scheme to have solar panels fitted on council owned property’s. The scheme fitted to Fleming Park leisure centre was estimated to net the council some £23-25,000 per annum.

I’m not sure about Mr Huhnes’s prediction of the next industrial revolution. Sadly, at this time I can only foresee another Dark Age. Lets not also forget the government incentive for the promotion and purchasing of electric cars will see an estimated shortfall in the future of some £10 billion in duty for the treasury. It all smacks of poor accountancy and mathematics skills that is a prerequisite for any wannabe government minister.

Meanwhile lets not forget those homeowners who will be hurt by the insensitivity of this coalition government and its handling of the feed in tariff that encouraged homeowners to fork out hard earned savings only to be robbed of the financial rewards of going green.

EU must be joking

2011-10-25T20:00:00.001+01:00

During the Commons debate for a motion calling for a referendum on EU membership, contempt by MP’s towards the people of this nation was shown through the empty seats in the chamber and the refusal to vote in favour of the motion for a referendum. This despite promises from all three main parties.

Those MP’s who followed their party line instead of the wishes of the electorate, need to be served notice, that at the next general election, they stand to loose their seats. How on earth can the electorate now choose between any of the three main parties of Conservative, Liberal and Labour now that they have effectively shown that there is no difference between them? The answer is, they cannot.

This effectively proves The English Democrats are correct. These parties have no practical differences on the European issue anymore. Voters at one time really had some choice some years ago before the advent of the traitor Tony Blair and his government.

Indeed, the current Labour leader continues to berate the public through his derisory remarks that anyone who wants a referendum on the EU is “barking mad”. Hardly the words of a true statesman.

William Hague too, does not give the public credit either through his weak arguments that the timing is not right and that a referendum is a distraction from the main issue of Europe. At this time it is the financial meltdown that is currently in progress because some countries are spending more than they earn. I believe that the main issue at all times is the well being of the four home nations.

So while David Cameron and William Hague continue to baffle us all, on the repatriation of powers to Westminster, which by the way need all EU members agreement, and which out of interest, the German finance minister was on record over the weekend as saying “nien”, we shall continue to trade at a deficit with the EU. We shall continue to contribute millions every day to this unstable conglomerate of free spending countries. All at a time when our fishing fleet diminishes, while European boats plunder our waters, at a time when cheap labour from east European countries continue to depress the employment market for our citizens.

All this and more is happening even though the EU accounts do not add up and have not been signed off for some fifteen years; by the EU ‘s own auditors. If you were angry over the MP’s expenses scandal where ten of thousands of pounds were deliberately claimed by dishonest people that you possibly helped put into Parliament, then you will be shocked and angry at the level of financial abuse and likely corruption that is going on within the EU.

To find out how this scandal first surfaced, read the book, Brussels laid Bare by Marta Andreasen, MEP who used to be the chief accountant for the EU, until she tried to combat the fraud and waste. You will be appalled at what you read.

Lets all applaud those MP’s who defied their party’s three-line whip and voted with their conscience on this vitally important matter that affects us all. Hats off to my local Tory MP for Winchester and Chandlers Ford, Steven Brine MP who did the decent thing and stood up for the people. Unfortunately, Eastleigh MP, Chris Huhne endorsed his own credentials once again by voting against the motion for a referendum. This man really has no shame!

This is an issue that will need all of us to work together, regardless of politics in order to reclaim our country back from the shackles of the EU. It is therefore that I recommend that you all investigate The Peoples Pledge, http://www.peoplespledge.org a cross party and indeed also a non party movement who welcomes all to their banner, to work for a referendum that has been denied to us all. The fight continues…..

I am informed, that 5th November has been declared as EU Flag burning day.

Labour to attack senior citizens

2011-10-20T20:30:00.000+01:00

So a report backed by The Labour Party says that the elderly should be taxed out of their homes in order to free up accommodation for younger people.

This Stalinist attitude represents a sinister development of Labour that flies in the face of common decency that this nation is renowned for. At a time when local authorities and indeed many private care home companies are struggling to cope with the care of our elderly population, it beggars belief that Labour are putting forward such a policy that is comparable to the Victorian workhouse ethic.

The past year or so has seen concerted attempts to utilise “assistive” technology that will enable our senior citizens, note the word senior, to be able to stay in their home that they have worked hard for in order to raise their family.

It bad enough that our senior citizens endure the lowest pensions in Europe having lived through some of the most turbulent times in this nations history.

This is not the way that a grateful nation says, thank you.

Trick or Treat

2011-10-18T21:31:00.000+01:00

On the very same day, our local BBC Radio Solent had their roving reporter being told by people that they will have to ration both fuel for the car and gas / electric for heating their homes because they are unable to afford it as in previous years, you know that this country is in dire straights.

So today, it was officially confirmed. Inflation has gone up much to the surprise of Chancellor George Osborne and his coalition partners. While he needed The Office of National Statistics (ONS) to gather and correlate the required information on the state of the economy, the regular person in the street was miles ahead of this incompetent coalition government because they have been coping with the situation for quite sometime.

Today also saw a report published that some 120 companies are going bust on a regular daily basis.

But not to worry. The Bank of England is printing yet more money to pump into the economy. We still pay the EU £48 million per day. George has told the EU that yes we can give a couple of billion £’s more to help bail out Greece etc.

Call me Dave has told the world that we give more overseas aid away than anyone else. Green taxes are now a burden on each and every one of us in an effort to reduce the output of carbon (do they mean pollution?) while China and the USA who account for 40% of the total output are more concerned with developments on the home front. Now the government have been told in no uncertain terms that an Indian company who wishes to invest £1.2 billion here is put off by “the over the top green taxes” and may well go else where.

Another part of the government’s master plan is to build our way out of recession with more houses. As the banks are not giving out mortgages in numbers comparable to the amount of enquiries, one has to ask searching questions into this strategy when taken into account with the overall performance of the country and economy.

With banks about to be hit for another six with yet another Eurozone bailout and possible default, funds are obviously being withheld from companies seeking loans that are doing there very best to maximise and increase business in an effort to produce wealth.

Past governments of this country have repeatedly neglected business and commerce to the detriment of the nation. The lifeblood of any country is profit or wealth, investment, training and its people put to work in pursuit of creating wealth. History will tell you of the Victorians and their ancestors who blazed a trail of business across the globe. History has lessons for us all to learn from. Unless we have a dramatic change of direction and policy, we can expect more of the same doom and gloom and chaotic politics that have no positive outcome.

Shovelling money into debt ridden countries while neglecting our own people, saddling people and business with constrictive green taxes are just a couple of ‘follies’ that remind me of what Queen Marie Antoinette said when her people had no bread to eat….”let them eat cake”.

Personally, I’m hoping the Black Adder’s, Baldrick will be standing in the next election. At least he has a cunning plan!

No honour in government

2011-10-14T16:55:00.000+01:00

So Liam Fox has resigned from his post as Minister for Defence after his disgraceful behaviour and disregard of ministerial protocol where he took his "friend" on government business at the taxpayers expense.

You really have to wonder at the calibre and capability of some of these people who end up being a government minister, or indeed an MP.

After all of the public outrage that the MP's expenses scandal elicited, we still have these people, elected to public office taking not only there over inflated wage, but also milking the public purse and taking advantage of their position of power.

Its not enough that Liam Fox has resigned his position, his letter of resignation to the prime minister makes no mention of the reason why he resigned, let alone apologises for the embarrassment he has caused to this country. In any other country, he would have been hounded out of office (rightly so) and most likely forced to quit his seat.

Isn't it about time that politicians were made accountable for their actions... oh, they are, aren't they. But the trouble is, when MP's get caught fiddling the system and imprisoned, they are let out.... very quietly after serving only a fraction of their sentence. A clear code of conduct with sanctions that meets the publics approval has to be put in place if the public are to have any faith in this country's political system.

For all of the fine words that came from the coalition government after the general election about cleaning the image of politics up, nothing appears to have changed for the better.

Healthcare - changes afoot...again!

2011-10-09T17:27:00.001+01:00

I have over the previous years, lost count how many times the NHS has been streamlined, modernised, and made more efficient, all in the cause of saving money.

There’s nothing wrong with saving money in the current economic climate. But if the combining of specialist emergncy care in Winchester & Eastleigh with Basingstoke is going to rely on a model of care that suits Northumbria, perhaps we should have less of Chandlers Ford & Winchester’s MP, Steve Brine’s, blue sky thinking and consider what is over the horizon in the guise of specialist emergency care when it comes to those who live some way from Basingstoke.

Indeed, if one considers travel times and effects on such times, either man made or natural such as the onset of winter weather. Remember when Basingstoke was effectively cut off and isolated. (I know took it me six hours to get home)

The proposed new unit at Basingstoke, while on paper may be welcomed, lets not forget that other areas of the NHS within Hampshire have suffered over the years, i.e. the closure of much loved cottage hospitals and ‘centralisation’ of maternity services suggests that at a time when the population of Hampshire is expanding, local devolved services are disappearing into central hubs more likened to factory health care where central budgets and staff numbers are correlated with a balance book mentality that is prone to the whim of government policy.

Our crowded county needs to be served equally across the parishes, and not have health care funnelled into so called convenient centres to serve the Coalition government bean counters instead of the hard pressed taxpayers.

At last, Parliament get to debate having an EU vote

2011-10-03T08:55:00.000+01:00

With the euro zone looking to descend into chaotic farce with yet more money poured into failing European nations who spend more than they earn, just take a look at this little gem.

Fishing subsidies have been paid to landlocked countries who do not have a fishing fleet.

A total of £20 million have been paid to countries such as Austria, Hungry, Slovakia and Czech Republic.

Parliament we are told will be debating the issue of EU membership and the likelyhood of a referendum for the people to decide the issue. I urge you all to write to your local MP and urge him/her to give the people a referendum.

Isnt it time to take our country back?

Result - Barton Farm 1. Developers 0.

2011-09-29T08:42:00.002+01:00

The decision to block the 2000 homes being developed at Barton Farm is a great result for the campaigners who have worked hard for the City of Winchester’s, voice of the people to be heard and taken notice of.

The refusal of this planning application gives great hope to other residents throughout Hampshire who are fighting to save their area from being the next piece of the countryside to be lost under concrete.

During my travels throughout the Winchester and district area, it has been made clear that people are not going to lie down and be walked over. The argument of nimbyism is no longer valid as people are beginning to realise that we cannot allow what green spaces and farmland adjoining conurbations, to be over developed or even developed.

The Save Barton Farm group have shown that if people band together and speak loudly as one, the politicians have to take note or risk that their party and candidates will not being voted for.

Residents in the borough of Eastleigh who are faced with development proposals can take heart from their neighbours in Winchester as they too organise their campaigns.

The EU is dead

2011-09-28T19:40:00.000+01:00

New Forest MP, Desmond Swayne is quite right when he says that this government will not get us out of the EU.

I can only imagine that David Cameron has had an on the road to Damascus moment where a blinding light has erased his memory of the moment he was recorded saying that he would give this country a referendum on EU membership. So how Mr Swayne can say that Cameron’s broken promise is a figment of an imagination, can only be the damaging result of all the blank rounds he’s fired while serving with the TA.

The financial crisis within the Eurozone can only be described as a black hole, that sucks up resources to prop up failed countries and their casino type economies. It beggars belief that the Tories, bankrolled by business can support such catastrophic economic polices that in the real world of business, would not be given the time of day. The policy of giving money away to insolvent nations to the likes of Greece etc, is not working and has experts predicting a melt down time of six weeks that will impact around the world.

Now is the time to get out of the EU and save £48 million a day and any future bailouts. Now is the time to stop sending obscene amounts of foreign aid around the world. Instead we have Conservative, Liberal and Labour publicly saying that we must support the Eurozone and indeed, send more taxpayers cash overseas, in aid. On this they all agree and show no overall difference in objective policy. The only illusion here is that these three parties believe that the public agree with them.

With the breaking news (28.09.11) that the EU want to put a tax on all financial dealings that will affect the UK more than any other country, its clear that the EU is bereft of credible ideas that do not contain proposals for additional tax burden.

Clearly, the EU is dead and should be buried without ceremony.

30 m.p.h Motor bike protests

2011-09-26T08:56:00.000+01:00

Who could not have been dismayed to read about more EU interference in our affairs?

The latest some of you may have heard about is the one affecting motor cycles. Not being able to service your own bike and not being allowed to modify it seems to be extreme and nonsensical. So you could not really blame people who own and drive motor cylces for demonstrating.

Those of us who were out last Sunday afternoon may have come across these rolling 30mph demos on the motorways. Unfortunately, it really did interfere with many peoples outing.

I was going to the New Forest to support an Alzheimer's Walk. I noticed that there was also the New forest craft show on the go. That and the New Forest caravan show made for a busy time for many who needed to get from A to B. These people probably included those picking up a ferry, going to visit a loved one in hospital, going home after being on holiday, perhaps going to catch a plane.

My point is, that if you are going to demonstrate, you wont get sympathy for your cause if you mess up peoples precious free time.

Can I suggest that next time, you plan your demo to hit parliament square or even a party political conference? You can also sign an online petition against the EU by going to
www.haveyoursay.eu and even join an anti EU political party such as ours.

Out of touch with English students, but there is hope.

2011-09-25T13:00:00.000+01:00

The Labour leader, Ed Milliband's promise to reduce the ceiling of £9000 payable for annual tution fees clearly shows how out of touch he is with public opinion in England.

Why should English students be so unfairly treated in comparison to Scottish students who get thier fees paid by the Scottish government, while the Welsh Assembley has frozen thier fees?

Its ironic that so many Scottish, Welsh and N. Ireland MP's still have the right to determine and vote upon issues that affect only England, while English MP's do not have the same rights to vote upon devolved issues 'over the border'.

Devolution was supposed to have placeted the nationalists by giving them a talking shop of thier own. This plan to 'keep them quite' cleary has backfired on the main parties who really dont want to talk about the issue and clearly are ignoring it. With the current primeminister boasting of his Scottish ancestory, ex PM Brown being obviously Scottish and the former traitor Blair being born in Edinburgh of Scottish parents, you have to ask was this the perfect masterplan from those canny Scots?

Whatever your opinion, SNP leader Alex Salmond has done a brilliant job for his party and his country. This indicates that it is time for England to have its own parliament to determine English affairs as do the other three home nations. for those who say we dont need another layer of politicians, the English Democrats would get rid of the unelected house of lords and replace it with an elected upper house to look after the affairs of the whole of the UK.

The spirit of Churchill lives on...

2011-09-23T09:04:00.001+01:00

The meeting called by The Aviary Residents Association at St Francis Hall in Nightingale Avenue last night (23/9) really showed the publics strength of feeling towards Eastleigh council’s proposals for additional housing off Chestnut Avenue.

A packed hall with standing room only, local residents demonstrated a grim determination to put over their point of view to the local councillors and attending council officers.

Some of the main points raised by concerned residents were over the inability of the existing infrastructure to be able to cope with an additional burden. Roads are already choked and at times, grid locked during peak times.

Concerns over provision for schooling for any future children were also raised. Some residents spoke of times where standing ground water / flooding have occurred where new developments have been incorporated into the existing neighbourhood clearly show that someone hasn’t done their homework properly. Residents also vented their feelings against the concreting over of much loved and needed green spaces.

The councillors’ stock replies to questions were, that they would take the comments away to the council for consideration. This begs a question, will they toe the party line at the end of the day and accuse residents of nimby-ism like Cllr House did earlier in the week at Hedge End town Council full meeting in his reply to Cllr Day’s motion.

When residents asked their local representatives if they would be voting in accordance with the wishes of the electorate no straight answer was given. Instead, replies such as, I don’t know what the final proposals will be, or nothing final has been decided did not go down well.

The English Democrats believe in true local democracy and that any elected representative should follow the wishes of the electorate, for they are the voice of the people. Furthermore, on such contentious issues such as planning and development, the English Democrats believe that local referendums should be employed to engage legislators with true public opinion and feelings.

After watching the Lib Dems raise the white flag over Hedge End Town council on behalf of their electorate, it was refreshing to see that in a little part of England in the heart of Eastleigh, Aviary Residents flies the flag of defiance.

White flag flying over Hedge End

2011-09-22T09:08:00.000+01:00

Last night (21^st Sept), Hedge End Town Council effectively ran up the white flag with regard to published proposals for more housing in the area.

Independent councillor Keith Day submitted a motion (summarised) calling for equal distribution of development across the borough that would enable existing infrastructures to cope. Furthermore in the interests of localism and democratic engagement believes that local residents should be allowed to express an opinion on identified local green sites.

The overwhelming numbers of Lib Dem voted down the motion in favour of an amendment (summarised) from Cllr House that was to purely note that Eastleigh council will be publishing a draft plan and encourages residents to attend consultation events, read up on the proposals and make comments and agrees that Hedge End Town Council will make a full response through its highways and planning committee.

You have to ask why the full council, well part of it due to absentees, refused to not only share concerns of local residents but also refuse to effectively offer them a reliable voice and representation. It was disappointing to see the debate descend into what can only be described as farce as stinging personal remarks from Cllr’s House and Bloom were made against the proposer Cllr House rather than undertake a full debate with a mature content.

That aside the new motion as passed offers Hedge End residents little comfort for the future if they think that they can rely upon their Lib Dem town councillors to speak up for them in this matter. The Conservative coalition government Lib Dem partners are effectively doing the Tories dirty work by steam rolling opposition to the promised development bonanza.

Now ask yourself, who can you trust on this matter?

Concrete proposals ....

2011-09-18T18:51:00.002+01:00

Battle lines have now been firmed up with the Eastleigh Council cabinet opting for Boorley Green to be the recipient of the the developers and Lib Dems concrete proposals. (No pun intended)

It is ironic that council leader Keith House says that "views of local people are really important to us and we were pleased to get so many comments and responses". Out of the 1786 responses, the breakdown of 864 in favour of Allington Lane against 922 in favour of Boorley Green, are for all intents and purposes have got to be incorrect.

The submission that I myself took into the town hall on behalf of Eastleigh English Democrats, did not favour either options A or B. Instead, it was suggested that an option C be considered.

Briefly, A third option C should include the smaller identified sites to be developed first of all. This would enable a sensible timetable to review the options A & B at length. Furthermore, redevelopment of brown field areas should also be reviewed as to how existing land usage can be maximised rather than destroying green spaces to accommodate human expansion.

Within the framework of the consultation, it is suggested that a local referendum is held to give the people of the borough a say in the future developments that will have long term ramifications such as the permanent erosion of much prized green spaces.

The fact that the stated figures of 1786 responses and subsequent breakdown clearly indicates that the council have made an error calculating the responses or the council have lied about the number and nature of the responses. Perhaps it was not convenient to mention that other people outside the cabinet have alternative ideas.

It will be interesting to see how Hedge End Town Council vote on a motion against this development proposal.

At a time when the housing market within Eastleigh is overflowing with houses for sale, indicates that its time for an alternative view point that includes a third development option.

Monopoly money and banking

2011-09-16T16:14:00.001+01:00

Adam Posen of the Bank of England believes that further quantative easing, the printing of money to pump into the economy, is required. He is quoted as saying that this will stimulate the economy. Quite by how much or at all is questionable. £200 billion was injected into the UK economy between 2009 and 2010 and the results of that are all plain to see. Forecasts for economic growth – not what was hoped for!! Where did that £200 billion go?

This bright spark from within the treasury has also called for the government to set up a state bank to help small businesses. How many more banks do we need!! I thought we taxpayers already had some interests within a few banks after we bailed their sorry arses out! Lets get the blighters backing the business entrepreneurs.

Some of us may remember that banks once backed up their cash reserves with gold bullion. Using what was called the Gold Standard, which effectively ensured that debt, as now accrued by western countries, was none existent. The Gold Standard was made redundant after Richard Nixon cut the ties between the dollar and gold some forty years ago. The price of gold per ounce has since shot up by $1700 from $40.

Since then, debt on a worldwide basis has grown out of all proportion and threatens to overwhelm western economies.

The news this Thursday (15/09) reports that a trader in The City of London was arrested for casino trading, sorry, I meant fraud. The running up of £1.3 billion debt at the USB bank, incidentally bailed out by the Swiss government, comes at a time where the Eurozone and those participating countries that include the ones that had UK taxpayers cash to bail out and prop up spendaholic economies.

So what does this tell us about banks? Apart from, “don’t trust them”.

My mind takes me to some of the prophetic quotations of Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of the USA who later became president.

If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property - until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."

Now it is judged that two presidents were assassinated because they sought to control the issue of currency. They were Lincoln and Kennedy.

"It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world."

Eurozone countries should take note of this.

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.

Banks control the lives of people and the countries they live in. Ask those who have lost their homes, their business, and their employment.

The seven year plan to get banks in the UK to separate their banking operations, appears to have cross party support. That aside, grumblings from some banks to move their operations overseas to less restrictive countries and government regulation has to be a concern. Earlier this year, HSBC threatened to move overseas from London. That move would have cost thousands of jobs, hit countless service industries and literally damaged the economy and knocked confidence about doing business here. With the third anniversary of the fall of Leahman Brothers still fresh in everyone’s minds, you have to ask just who is calling the shots? Why havent the banks changed thier ways?

The words of Thomas Jefferson should take on significance for us all if lessons are to be learnt.

Is it time to phone a friend?

2011-09-07T14:06:00.000+01:00

Who amongst us all noticed the glaring inadequacies and failings of the coalition government’s strategy for getting the economy to grow, particularly when it involves encouraging new house building and the relaxation of planning regulations.

George Osborne says that we are going to build our way out of recession. Unfortunately he is not referring to building up our engineering or manufacturing base, what’s left of it. Neither is he referring to building up the financial services industry, which is put off by the high taxes from either relocating from overseas or in some cases, having companies remain within our borders. No young Osborne believes that by forging ahead with new housing, we can create jobs and wealth.

It’s a pity that he hasn’t read any of the likely briefing notes that would have come across his desk, in particular the July RICS UK housing market survey that highlighted three key trends. (Quoted below)

Firstly, prices continue to fall on balance, with more surveyors reporting declines rather than increases. Secondly, activity levels remain pretty flat (and depressed), with new buyer enquiries and new vendor instructions not recording much movement.

Lastly, July reinforced the divergence between London and the rest of the country, with house prices continuing to rise in the capital. (No big surprise there then!)

It is reported that mortgage applications are on the up but far exceed those approved which is worrying house builders. Another trend that is worrying, is the lack of social housing that has demand outstripping supply. This imbalance within the housing market is not likely to be addressed unless there is a change of policy.

The obsession of governments to get people to own their own home, compared to other western nations where there are larger rented sectors, while commendable, needs to take account the growing social housing waiting lists, the inability of banks to approve mortgage applications, the increasing numbers of people classed as first time buyers in their thirty’s, all which are indicative of the current economic state of this country.

Perhaps Chancellor George Osborn should phone a friend on this one.

Hampshire County Council....oh dear!!

2011-09-06T19:28:00.000+01:00

Hampshire County Council is in desperate need of a reality check.

Why is it that local authorities have the mad urge to play casino economics with taxpayers’ money, particularly where council leader Ken Thornber approves one off payments without the knowledge of other elected members?

This is where the notion of accountability of elected officials only through the ballot box falls down, unless there are unlawful procedures being undertaken which would then attract police involvement. If an elected official is to wield power such as this, then the position should be subject to the same criteria as an elected mayor. Only then would true accountability be apparent and subject to the popular vote. I would go further to also include the right of recourse for the electorate.

For the leader of a council to act as if he is a ‘city type executive’ with all of the perks and power is a blatant misuse of power. To quote the matter as a correct procedure at such times when public finances and expenditure is under public scrutiny in these testing times, proves that this man is out of touch with what the public and the likes of The Taxpayers Alliance see as an abuse of power and or incompetent judgement.

The extravagant pay structure for the chief executive and his seven executives coupled with proposed cuts of 1200 jobs to save money leave little to the imagination and thoughts of those in the firing line later this financial year.

With many councils struggling to cope with deficit reductions, budget reductions and reduced grants and from central government, its odds on that we can see more of the same through out the county and the country. People did not vote for obscene lottery type wage deals alongside more job losses. David Cameron hit the nail on the head when he said, “we are all in this together” Perhaps he meant that only a select few will have their snout in the trough.

We the people .....must not be ignored.

2011-09-02T20:26:00.000+01:00

Since becoming elected chairman of The English Democrats in Hampshire, it is apparent that many Hampshire communities are coming under increased pressure to bow to the demands of the developers and local authority planners, to pour ever increasing amounts of concrete that will bury rural and green parts of Hampshire forever.

At the time of writing I am aware of ongoing and developing campaigns by local residents and groups of local residents across the county, in attempts to have their communities voice heard and taken notice of. From Lymington to Southampton, from Eastleigh to Four Marks, from Andover to Waterlooville. Developers have already or are applying to grab more land.

It’s not just the green and rural parts of the county that are under constant pressure. Within our cities, towns and villages, local residents are finding that their voices are being increasingly ignored in their efforts to preserve the character and heritage of the locality along with suitable developments that are in some cases needed to replace decaying and dying structures that demand regeneration and replacement.

With the government having announced the relaxation of planning regulations in an effort to speed up developing, it has to be asked if the groups fighting their corner of Hampshire have had their legitimate cause already consigned to the (recycling) bin.

Another issue that directly impacts upon the demand for housing that this present coalition government promised to deal, and hasn’t, is the continuing influx of immigration. Lets not be afraid to talk openly about this subject. It's not racist, its about being concerned about the effects of immigration. This has recently been proved to have a direct influence and impact on the demand for housing in this country. (Migration Watch 09/2011 http://www.migrationwatchuk.org/)

If the overwhelming political control of this issue within Hampshire is in the hands of mainstream party’s such as the Conservatives and their Liberal coalition partners, it begs a question, is resistance futile in the face of what could be deemed overwhelming odds? For all of the supposed good that our democracy offers, why aren’t the views of the people listened to more on a regular basis? The Big Society, David Cameron’s idea for involving people in their communities where they take responsibility hasn’t lived up to the concept. And it never will. It never ever will because of the system of party political donations and patronage that undermines the honesty and integrity of the decent hard working family members.

Planning decisions taken behind closed doors or delegated to officers is not open local government. Neither is the presentation of limited options for public consultation, true open local government. The railroading of planning that brushes aside popular local opinion also is not open local government. These actions undermine and devalue the vote freely cast at the ballot box.

Only The English Democrats offer people the opportunity of true democracy. When it comes to planning for example, The English Democrats propose a political framework that includes local referendums. This is where the people will set the agenda, where the people will have the final say on what goes on in their neighbourhood. Their local council will not be able to ignore the will of the people. Referendums will put an end to the bullying tactics of the high street giants. As a consequence, protection from national retailers will encourage smaller retailers such as family run businesses that have suffered and disappeared from many high streets, to thrive. The characters of high streets will be retained and not appear to be a clone of somewhere else. Referendums can be used to protect our green and rural areas from disappearing. At a time when the population is increasing, it is important that we plan properly for the future generations inheritance of our country. Difficult choices and decisions will come along as and when they’re may be no alternative choices.

Right now, the first decision that you as a voter have, is who to vote for in the next election. That election may be a parish council election, a town council or borough election or unitary authority election. It may even be a parliamentary bye-election. Which ever it may be, an English Democrat candidate is coming to a ballot box near you soon.

Economic madness

2011-09-01T13:37:00.000+01:00

So once again the Con Dem government wield the axe in the name of economics through the armed forces that have served our nation with valour and distinction in recent troubled times.

150 Gurkha's are set to go out of a total of up to 1000 soldiers

1600 naval personal are also getting their redundancy papers.

Last month the RAF announced that it was shedding 2700 personal.

At a time when David Cameron and Nick Clegg have committed this nation to give more money for overseas aid, one has to question their reasoning.

Each day this nation spend some £48 million a day to be a member of the EU. Lets not forget that we as taxpayers have also stumped up millions more in the euro zone bailouts to prop up failing economies in Ireland and Greece with the promise of yet more cash assistance if required. Despite David Cameron's pre election promise for this nation to have a referendum on EU membership, he and Nick Clegg continue to tug their forelock in blind obedience to this black hole of a money pit.

It's interesting to note that every government builds a white elephant. Labour had the millennium dome and the NHS data base. The Conservative and Liberal coalition government have HS2, the high speed rail link from London to Birmingham and eventually up to Scotland. Costs published indicate that the section up to Birmingham will need £17 billion pounds to be spent. The section up to Scotland will take the spend up to £30 billion. Debt interest will accrue to an estimated £700 million a year. As the HS2 will not serve or benefit local communities directly, what is the point? The costs when equally divided by the number of councils in the nation equate to a loss of potential spend of some £51 million.
Can you say that you knew these facts?

Economic incompetence through policies of mismanagement and political dogma are putting our country at risk on many levels. Both Cameron and Clegg promised change for the better in their election manifestos. They and their parties made promises that have been broken. Their vanity for overseas acceptance through the use of taxpayers money is something that we cannot afford. If I was one of those serviceman receiving a notice of redundancy, wouldn't you ask yourself, why did I bother? What was it all for? Where is the loyalty from those who govern us who sent us into harms way? Likewise, many voters will have similar feelings of being lied to and let down.

At the end of the day, the government is not putting the interests of the nation first. This has to stop. It will only stop when you stop voting for the same party's who recycle the same old policies and give them new names. Labour, Conservative and the Liberals between them are perpetuating the decline.

The good news is, that there is an alternative.
http://www.voteenglish.org/
Click on the link to an alternative.

Allegedly there may be something afoot...!

2011-08-31T14:28:00.001+01:00

So Essex police have handed 'the file' over to the CPS on Chris Huhne MP over the alledged speeding violation and the alledged cover up that included his not so allegedly estranged wife.

This story doesnt want to go away. In the world of the newspapers, they say if a story runs for more than twelve weeks, then there is something to it.

Fact, the police took away a mobile phone belonging to Mr Huhne's son because of the alledged content of the text messages sent and recieved.

Fact, that the timings of Mr Huhnes plane landing and his wife's travelling time from London that may indicate that she could not have driven at the time in question may be the key to this.

Ah ha I hear you say, but what about the secret recording by a national newspaper that by all accounts, has him...allegedly saying to his his ex, Vicky Price not to discuss taking the points in public.

It is widely reported that her book she is writing, Thirty Minutes to Kill the Story, based on something Mr Huhne once said to his wife about salvaging his career, is sure to be a best seller. The question now, is it fact or fiction? Will Mr Huhne be portrayed as someone with honour who, has to fall on his own sword rather than bring disgrace onto himself, his party and family?

It makes you wonder what that TV icon of Yes Minister, Sir Humphry Appleton would say at this time.
A bold stance minister.....or...to deny it all is a very couragous move minister...

Hooray for teachers

2011-08-26T15:02:00.000+01:00

Who could'nt fail to be moved by some of the stories surrounding some of the great exam results this week.

I was particulary impressed by tales from two schools. One in Peckham, south London where there were riots and the other school, up in Barnsley where the role of pupils and moral was at a rock bottom level. The success of the level of exam results was down to the head teachers who turned thier respective schools around through a combination of leadership and discipline. From where there was dispair to where there is now a sense of pride and achievement, is indeed a great story for these troubled times that offers hope to all.

Good role models for young people within the schooling system are remembered for the rest of your life. Thanks Mr Carr for introducing me to hiking. Teachers often get the short end of the stick from the public with things said like...too many holidays, too many days of for training, rowdy kids, overpaid etc etc... So lets hear it for all the teachers and hope that the success stories from the schools as mentioned, can be used to inspire even more success for the kids.

Lets also hope that the kids who are leaving school are able to get jobs and careers underway, even though the Con Dem government still hasnt stemmed the economy from bleeding jobs and investment. With youth unemployment set to rise again once the school leavers without jobs have been added, the number of university places has also been reported to have dropped, while foriegn student numbers continue to rise. Tution fees for English students are set to rise in 2012 which may put further education out of the reach for some English families and thier children who aspire for a better life.

Despite all the doom and gloom, we must soildier on and not give up and work for a better future. For me that includes an English Parliament that will put England and her people first.

University fees challenged

2011-08-22T12:58:00.000+01:00

An interesting development occurred over the weekend. Human rights lawyer, Phil Shiner is going to make a challenge over the Scottish governments policy of charging university fees to English students who wish to study in Scotland.

Now let me remind you, that in England, English students are charged tutition fees. If a Scottish student was to study in England, the Scots government would pick up the tab. If a student from an EU country was to study in Scotland, they would be treated as a Scottish student.

Now I'm no fan of the European Convention for Human Rights, but on this occasion, it appears that it is being used in a sensible case, not unlike those cases that keep foriegn criminals from being deported and given social housing and beneifts £ thousands.

The power wielded by the Scottish Government that enables thier students to be given free university education is in stark contrast to the position of English students. Its at this time of year, that prospective students and thier families are chasing around the UCAS system and indeed the country, in an effort to secure a place to study.

Ask yourself why doesnt the English student have the same right as a Scottish student? We could scream this is a racialist policy.... or even educational aparthied. Hang on, is there not some sort of equal rights bill somewhere? Maybe its all part of the price of devolution given to those home nations that exclude England!

Maybe this is one reason why the clamour for an English Parliament is growing. The case for England to have its own parliament is overwhelming, particulary when we English do not have a say in how to run our own affairs. The MP's in parliament that include the Scots, Welsh and Irish propose and vote on matters within England. English MP's do not have the previlage to vote on matters over the border.

The English Democrats has an English Parliament as one of the mainstays of our manifesto. None of the main parties has the wellbeing of England at the heart of thier policies. If your son or daughter is going to uni, I wish them all the success in the world. Unfortunatley, from 2012 tution fees go up to £9,000 per year. Ask your local MP why there is such a difference between England and Scotland on this matter and ask them what are they doing to support the English student.

The English Democrats -putting England first

Barton Farm, Winchester

2011-08-19T11:39:00.000+01:00

So Eric Pickles the Community Secretary has failed to say yea or nae on releasing the land at Barton Farm to be available to Carla Homes to develop for housing.

Its good to know that this government is able to make those big decesions ....ahem well, not this time.
Local Tory MP Steve Brine must be losing sleep as he sees his majority dwindle away and worry lines increase daily as this sorry saga goes on.

One of the differences between The English Democrats and the main parties over local democracy, is that we actually want people to be able to decide what is best for thier local communities. Only through the use of local referendums will this type of desired freedom within our democracy come about. Switzerland and the USA for instance use local referendums to great effect.

Its ironic that this country has sent our forces to war in Iraq and Afghanistan, our airforce to bomb Libya in the name of democracy being allowed to take root in these and other countries. Did I not hear Syria being lambasted for shooting pro democracy protesters? All the good people of Winchester want to do is not allow a green space to dissapear forever let alone storm the Houses of Parliament.

I guess at this time, we are only as free as we are allowed to be. Isnt it time for a real change of politics!

My first blog

2011-08-18T10:31:00.000+01:00

Well, it looks like I made it. After navigating my way through this thing, I'm all set to go and lay my opinion and that of The English Democrats on an unsuspecting world.

Recent news is that there is now a branch of The English Democrats in Eastleigh. It will also take in nieghbouring districts in order to involve members where we havent got around to setting up a local branch. The interest our party is quite remarkable in light of the fact that the media does not (yet) give us the attention that other party's get. Also, people are really fed up with the three main partys where you really cannot distinguish them unlike where you could some years ago.

Its interesting that in the aftermath of the riots, the public are blaming the government, present and past. Remember when David Cameron publicly stated on TV that we should "hug a hoodie"? He has taken a quick and easy route to blame single parents for some of the blame. I know plenty of single parents who have and are still doing a fantastic job bringing thier children up.

Remember ... was it Charlie Gilmour, son of the famous guitarist who got caught and prosecuted for swinging on the Union flag on The Cenetaph? He has two rich parents..point made. Ken Clarke... is he still trying to empty the prisons or has he now changed his mind? Theresa May still wants to make cuts to the police....just what planet is this woman and the coalition government on?

Nick Clegg is worried about the rioters human rights over having thier benefits removed along with thier social housing. Perhaps he should take holy orders and join a monastry. No slur on monks intended as they are truely committed and honourable men.. unlike the turncoats in the government.

Then we have had Mr Bean.. sorry Ed Milliband standing up in the commons saying sorry, it was his partys politically correct policies that have contributed to this situation. Its a bit late pal!!! The damage has been done.

So there you go, my first rant...sorry blog. Look forward to hearing from you as and when you find me.