Category Archive: David’s Musings

2013
05/18

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Peering into the Westminster bubble

Paul Waugh, Politics Home, writes on the proposal by David Cameron to appoint more peers to the House of Lords. As the article reports Cameron has, since 2010, appointed 128 new peers at a cost of £131,000 each – a total of £16.7million. The additional sum of £16.7milion may be peanuts when looking at the total cost of running the country, but it is yet more public money that is being spent without any attempt to ask us whether we agree to provide it. Setting the matter of cost to one side, we then come to the standard of those appointed by party leaders to the House of Lords – and of late the public has every right to question said standard. I remain continually amazed that people will allow money to be forcibly extracted from them without complaint.

The Conservative Party appears to be embroiled in yet another internal spat about activists being considered “swivel-eyed loons” – but then, are not all political activists so called? And why should they be called “activists? Are they not the people? Why does party membership fall? Are not party membership, the people? Why should it be necessary for a political party to survive,for it to be dependent on its membership? Why should it be necessary for the membership of a political party to decline to dictate how a democracy functions? I would even question why there is a necessity for membership of a political party to affect which political party governs us. Why should we belong to a political party to have a voice in how we are governed? Why, even, should we be governed?

These last few points brings me back to a statement made by Ronald Reagan in his first inaugural speech:

“But if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else?”

Ergo, why should we accept “government by a few” for the benefit of the majority? Why should we not be able to govern ourselves? If, as Reagan said:

“We hear much of special interest groups. Our concern must be for a special interest group that has been too long neglected. It knows no sectional boundaries or ethnic and racial divisions, and it crosses political party lines. It is made up of men and women who raise our food, patrol our streets, man our mines and our factories, teach our children, keep our homes, and heal us when we are sick—professionals, industrialists, shopkeepers, clerks, cabbies, and truckdrivers. They are, in short, “We the people,”

So, are not “the people” a special interest group? If so, why is that that special interest group is ignored in favour of much smaller groups to whom the political class “listen” to the exclusion of the majority? When did these “smaller groups” elect, as a small group, our “representatives”? 

Those that keep a nation “functioning” must logically be the most important “special interest group”, yet it is their voice that is currently being ignored – not just nationally but locally. Just ask yourselves, where is your voice in that which affects your daily lives? You have no voice, yet that  is what we are informed, continually, is democracy. Really? Is it democracy wherein 650 can dictate to 60 million?

It is impossible not to refer to the 6 Demands - where is our voice on taxation? Where is our voice on what laws are passed? Where is our voice on what treaties are agreed? Where is our voice when military action is instigated against another country? Where is our voice in who is able to dictate our lives? More importantly, ask yourselves where is our voice where the election of any of the current political parties is concerned  and that includes Ukip who wish to restore us to being an independent, self-governing nation? Self-governing? How can Ukip, if elected, be granting self-government when they too believe in representational democracy?

Now adoption of  the 6 Demands would be democracy – so what the hell is everyone waiting for?

Just asking/complaining/saying/ranting…………

 

 

 

 

 

 

2013
05/17

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Many Thanks – for nothing!

As the BBC has noted, today is the anniversary of a daring World War II night time raid on three dams in the early hours of 17 May 1943, immortalised by the RAF’s 617 Squadron as the “Dambusters”. These are the men who took part in the perilous mission.

Bearing in mind that those who took part in this exploit were fighting for the independence of our nation; notwithstanding that we are members of the European Union; one question remains:

Why did they waste their time, effort and life?

Just asking……… 

2013
05/17

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Cridland – or should the first vowel be a ‘u’?

Richard North, EUReferendum, links to the words of the head of the CBI – whose vacuous verbosity knows no bounds – hence my querying whether Richard North had made a “typo” where this man’s name is concerned; but I digress.

It is hoped that I am not the only one who has noticed the increase in articles and speeches “rubbishing” the article 50 exit strategy and a seamless move to  EFTA and the EEA. And as Richard North noted in an earlier post, just why should the needs of the business community “control” the question of whether this country remains a member of the EU, or its relationship with the EU? And the voice of the people?

Much is made of those writing and speaking about membership of EFTA/EEA as our having no say over Directives issued by the EU – but that argument is comprehensively demolished by Richard North’s article.

What idiots like Cridland seem to forget, leaving to one side that we would have the ability to have a voice in the framing of legislation long before it reaches the EU to implement, is that we would then have the ability – through our membership of EFTA/EEA – to refuse to implement any Directive that we did not like.

Where any cessation of this country’s membership of the EU is concerned it has to be recognised that we who would wish to leave are in a war and what we are now hearing and seeing from those who wish to maintain the status quo is the “fog of war”. Witness the article by Mats Persson and that from Mandelson, plus this Guardian editorial – and acknowledging the article from WhiteWedneseday who shows Open Europe’s true colours – and it is apparent that already the “In” side are getting their plan of campaign and strategy together. Would that the “No” side engaged brain a tad!

What those asking for a different relationship with the EU tend to forget is that we cannot simply “walk away” – ie, repeal ECA1972 and job done – because, forgetting the Vienna Convention and the fact that the EU has already informed us that under the Lisbon Treaty, EU law is supreme not only to national law but national constitutional law, there are heaven knows how many treaties to which we are a party, but only as a member of the EU. Each of those treaties would need to be renegotiated by us as a separate country. Bearing in mind the enormity of that task, this could not be done in the space of two years, hence the obviousness of “parking” ourselves in EFTA and the EEA while we negotiate bilateral agreements with the EU, as has Switzerland – and negotiating  new individual treaties to replace those negotiated by the EU on our behalf.

 This entire subject – membership or not of the EU – is being highjacked by the Europhiles; and we on the outside are sitting on our hands and letting them set the argument.

Just saying…………..

2013
05/16

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Oh, For Heaven’s Sake!

From PoliticsHome we read that James Wharton has won a ballot for a Private Members Bill and plans to use the opportunity to present the Draft EU Referendum Bill. Just to what the hell is James Wharton up? This is the man who, the Speccie in their “Evenig Blend” round-up of the days events, reports, told  Radio 4:

“And the problem is that if we’re seen to talk about Europe to the exclusion of other things – then we’re not talking about the cost of living, about education, about tax reform, about immigration – which is a Bill being brought forward in the Queen’s speech to allow us to properly tackle immigration for the first time in a political generation. These are the things people care about, they want to see us talking about them and we’re at risk of not being seen to talk about the things that matter because we’re just talking about Europe.”

And how does this MP  idiot not imagine that in taking about “Europe” one is not talking about the matters he highlights?

And what of Cameron? This is the man who intends imposing a three-line whip on a motion which he has no intention of allowing to come to fruition.

Not to be outdone, Vince Cable has an article in the Guardian, one that repeats the meme about 3million jobs dependent on our membership of the EU. This is another MP idiot whose head is buried so far up his rear orifice that he can no longer see the light of day.

Not only are we being led up the garden path but those leading us have no sense of direction – although, by God, do they have a sense of purpose! Which means the burning question is: do we shoot them now – or later?

2013
05/15

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To get to the “nitty gritty”….

Autonomous Mind suggests that it has long been argued that Labour, and to a lesser extent the Lib Dems, have been waging a class war in this country. But hang on AM, is that not true of all political parties under this warped system of democracy under which we live? Even Ukip has not been exactly “up front” with us. His article continues:

“The British people have never been asked for their permission to consign the independence of the United Kingdom to the dustbin.  They have never been asked if they consent to more than 75% of the laws and regulations by which they are bound to be created by alien bodies overseas.  They have never been asked to approve the wholesale export of billions of tax pounds to Brussels to be spent in the way special interests and other nations see fit.  They have never been asked if they want our borders torn down to enable millions of foreign nationals to set up home here and take advantage of benefits and infrastructure to which they have never contributed a penny of funding.”

As Richard North, EUReferendum, notes, quoting Paul Goodman:

“…The matters that most move the British people at the ballot box”, he claims, “are the meat, potatoes and two veg of British politics: the economy, hospitals, schools and crime – plus, of course, immigration”. Notwithstanding that these issues are all, to a greater or lesser extent affected by our membership of the EU…”

If the meat and two veg of British politics are those mentioned then when has the effect of the EU been spelt out to us? It has not!

If one is “honourable” then logic surely dictates that that prefix, when used as a form of address, means that one tells the truth, unpalatable as it may be. So why do we, the people, continue to fund a group – to the tune of £10million plus per annum – for which the title “honourable” is but a misnomer?

If as AM suggests it is necessary to increase participation in politics, then the political class have two options – either they tell the truth and level with us or they stand in front of a brick wall and face the consequences.

Simples!

 

2013
05/15

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The Conservative Party “doesn’t do pacts”

So Politics Home reports David Cameron  stating, in response to Nadine Dorries’ statement that she would be prepared to stand on a Tory/Ukip ticket.

Just what the hell then did David Cameron and his party do when they entered into a pact with the Devil Liberal Democrats? 

Just asking………..

2013
05/14

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Where is “democracy”?

Apropos the preceding post one has to ask where is democracy, not just in the United Kingdom, but in the world in general? When considering that democracy is: Demos- the people, Kratos – power – ie people power; other than in Switzerland, just where else does democracy per se, exist?

Where democracy is concerned one immediately tends to look at our democracy, forgetting the effects of that of the European Union and more importantly the “guiding influence” of the United Nations through such bodies of the UNECE, WTO. IMF and the WHO – to name but four.

Bearing in mind the “root” of the word “democracy”, one could be forgiven for believing that somewhere, during the development of civilization, the word has been corrupted somewhat by an “elite”, for their own ends.

One can but continually ask of those that have permitted themselves  to be “led” by an elite – do you not deserve all that against which you complain?

Just asking…………..

2013
05/14

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Not another Cameron promise?

So the Cameroon party has published a Referendum Bill – and what, pray, makes this latest production of political crap any different to what has gone before?

As our current “Dictator in situ”, let us remember that Cameron said, in an interview with El Pais as reported by The Boiling Frog, that he would not honour any referendum that called for the UK to leave the EU. So just what is this latest PR stunt and why the hell should we believe what it purports?

As an aside, just what the hell business is it of Obama to tell us what is in our best interests? Who the hell is Obama where the governance of this country is concerned? One can but think that Obama has designs above his station. FOB – as in Foxtrot Oscar Barack!

Reverting to this EU Referendum Bill, it is worth noting that Clause 3 (1), (2) and (3) are basically meaningless – true to form, where Cameron is concerned – in that the the original “promise” can be changed at the whim of the Secretary of State at the time, whose strings can be pulled by the Dictator-in-situ. And that is democracy?

In the Grauniad we read an article headlined: “Conservatives should cherish their EU rebels. Parliament needs troublemakers” – no Parliament doesn’t, what Parliament needs is MPs that do the bidding of the electorate! This comes back to just what is the function of Parliament. Needless to say, we have Daniel Hannan jumping on the bandwagon of this Referndum Bill – unfortunately he has obviously not read Clause 3, (1), (2) or (3).

Isabel Hardman, Speccie – Coffee House Blog, has written on this latest Cameron “fudge”, citing the opinion of Douglas Carswell (surprise not in that support), but when has Carswell – or Hannan, come to that – written about what happens when a referendum vote is for us to leave the EU? The exit plan is?

This latest idea is no more than another form of brainwashing by the political class on those who have not the slightest idea of what is involved – and on that ignorance will the unknowing  be once again led up the garden path by the knowing.

 

2013
05/14

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An apology

WfW has, since Friday last, been extremely non-productive on the bogging front – for which one can only apologise……..

Having entered a world where one starts on the Famous Grouse or Grants at circa 6pm and by the time dinner has been consumed a hour or so later, progression has been made to single malts such as Bowmore and Laphroig, understandably a problem arises twixt eye, hand and brain co-ordination – a situation, which as one said, one can only offer one’s apologies.

Ce soir, I am slightly not the worse……

 

2013
05/10

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If one country can solve the problem of rail travel?

An article in The Foreigner, Norwegian news in English, bemoans the “delights” of train travel in both Norway and the United Kingdom.

Norway, unlike the United Kingdom, could be said to suffer from adverse weather conditions among other “problems” – but if one country can overcome similar weather conditions and other “problems”, why can’t Norway and the United Kingdom?

Just asking……….

 

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