The Cross of St George

There are clear signs that our Dave is up for it! Yes, our new, self-appointed moral guardian is going to tell us what's what and if we don't conform to his whims, we're for it!

In common with his contemporary Brit party leaders and their associates, new, shiny boy Dave has had his snout in the public financial trough. Strange really, when one considers that he (and others) is extremely wealthy and does not need even to draw his MP's salary, never mind the variety of expenses that were available. "It is within the rules!" was the common plea of mitigation . . . yeah, but who was responsible for such loosely drawn up rules if not the corrupt Commons? I never heard anyone assert that their actions were seemly, quite simply because they were not.

Now, senior boy Cameron exploits his wealth by imposing a 5% reduction in ministerial salaries regardless of whether the relevant minister can afford such a cut! Now, Cameron exploits his wealth by throwing his weight behind other arbitrary reductions in MP's expenses. Why should he care? Until recently, his wife was in receipt of £400,000 per annum for trivial designs of luxury products with money to burn. He even tried to make a virtue out of using "the NHS" ~ the ENGLAND NHS, that is ~ for his seriously and sadly handicapped son, when he could well afford to use the private health sector he is shortly to drive many other poor mortals in England to use . . . all in the name of cutting the deficit y'know!

The most recent example of Cameron's bossy interference is the Tories' much vaunted 1922 Committee. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8693078.stm

Unsurprisingly, his 'blow-hard', backbench 'Honourable Friends' huffed and puffed a little, then promptly caved in. Who in their right minds truly believes that bunch of moral cowards is going to safeguard Britain's (ie England's) interests?

We'll know when the tide has started to turn and that there is the possibility of MPs growing backbones and becoming ~ as they should always be ~ independently minded, when the 2010 Committee or something equivalent is formed to boot out the ignominious creep and elect a really representative leader! 'Til then, watch with trepidation Boy David's antics.

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Two days into the job and look what happens. Scotch Dave heads straight back to his ancestral Scottish homeland to do yet another stitch-up against the English taxpayers.

With not even one word spoken about English cancer sufferers being able to receive the same up-to-the-minute cancer treatments awarded to Scottish cancer sufferers and paid for by English taxpayers.

His predecessor, Gordon Brown, the Scottish caretaker in No 10 Downing Street send billions of pounds to refurbish the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, whilst our road networks in England deteriorate. Whilst no Englishman or woman can sit in the Scottish Parliament or the Welsh and Irish assemblies*, the people of England are subject to these countries' politicians interfering in English affairs.

England is, effectively, ruled by British politicians in our every unequal so-called democracy.

In the best interest of the English people, perhaps Mr Cameron, who says he is a firm supporter of devolution, would consider giving equal democratic rights to the people of England, who comprise 85 per cent of the British population through our very own English Parliament.

L Harding, Pontefract

*Editorial Note: This is not accurate. It would be more accurate to change "can sit" to "sits".

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/letters/So-whats-new-in-politics.6307256.jp

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On 17th May, the Scottish Sun red top newspaper reported high indignation amongst the so called Tartan Army about the marketing of Mars Bars in Scotland during this year's World Cup Football Competition. Apparently, Mars mounted a similar campaign in 2006. It appears that our touchy neighbours in North Britain simply can't bear anything displaying English symbols such is their widespread hostility.

The Scottish Sun records Hamish Husband, spokesman for the Association of Tartan Army clubs, as having said: "It irritates the neutrals and people who don't like England.

"A lot of people would like to support England. What stops them are these daft adverts, the media and the commentators racing to mention 1966.

"Can you imagine what Mars would produce if England ever actually won the World Cup again?"

Four years ago Mars attempted to appease Scots fans by changing the wrapper to a Saltire with the word 'Believe' and the year 2010.

But while the England team cruised through to next month's finals in South Africa, Scotland flopped.

This is not the first demonstration by any means of Scottish churlishness and lack of grace about the England Football Team's participation in the 2010 World Cup. On 24th February last, the Scottish Sun reported a bit of a kerfuffle about the sale of ABE (Anyone But England) T-shirts for 'South Africa 2010'.

Surely it is only a matter of time before SNP T-shirts are marketed in England . . . that is "Scotland's Not Playing!"

Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/article2975189.ece#ixzz0oPwKHa1T

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During the last Parliament, the Electoral Commission has burgeoned and, like Topsy, it has jes' growed and growed! Worse, it has growed much more in England, although unlike Scotland and Wales, England itself does not have a national office, only 'regional offices'! Its current structure can be seen here: http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/contact/our-offices

Scotland (electorate 3.9 million) and Wales (electorate circa 2.2 million ) each have a regional office, whilst England (electorate 38 million) has five offices. So, either Scotland and (especially) Wales are over-resourced, or England is (as usual) under-resourced. Indeed, the evidence of the 2010 General Elections lends support to the latter . . . am I alone in noticing that electors who had difficulty in casting their votes on the 6th May last were only in England?

During the Electoral Commission's relatively short existence, there has been a history of mishaps, the like of which did not seem to have occurred in the decades prior to the Commission's activities. There were the concerns expressed about the insecure extension of the facility of Postal Voting which was previously available for those who were either too incapacitated to vote in person or who would be away on business from their home address during polling. These concerns culminated in the prosecution of those fraudulently using postal votes, something I had never heard of before.

Then there was the so called 'pilot exercise' in the 2004 Elections for the EU Parliament, in which voters in the north of England were singled out to have their long standing right to vote in person removed, whilst voters in all other parts of Britain retained that option. Those in authority seemed totally unconcerned that this arrangement weakened if not removed the ability of women in patriarchal asian communities to independently vote in person in the privacy of the polling booth. So much for equality of opportunity professed by the Labour Government!

Who can forget the fiasco of tens of thousands of 'spoilt' ballot papers in the last elections for the Scottish Assembly and local councils in 2007, which was subsequently hushed up?

The 2008 Glenrothes by-election with its unexpected result of the victory of a Labour Party candidate victory [which occurred in the wake of a SNP by-election triumph in Glasgow East shortly before] was followed by the mysterious disappearance, contrary to legal requirements, of the marked register of voters amidst rumours of phantom electors having been registered. SEE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenrothes_by-election,_2008 So much for the Electoral Commission's role in maintaining the integrity of elections. At best, this was incompetence. At worst, something sinister in the mode of conducting public affairs!

The Commssion has also taken upon itself the task of reporting on whether the franchise should be extended to those of16 years of age. Why should anyone accept that this is a matter solely for HM Government rather than one of its unelected quangos!

The Commission has also presided over changes in electoral registration which, prior to the present arrangement, restricted voting to those who had properly registered in the previous round ie usually the previousOctober. If you weren't on the Electoral Roll when the elections were called, whether they were general or local, you could not vote. more recently, the Commission was touting for individuals to register as voters until shortly before elections were called and, with the 2010 General Election, it reaped the whirlwind!

During the evening of Thursday, 6th May, reports started to be broadcast about voters having turned away in Sheffield, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and London sharp on 10.00 pm. SEE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8666537.stm Other reports may be seen here: http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/politics/General-Election-2010-Democracy-is.6279576.jp and
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/election-2010/7693240/General-Election-2010-people-denied-the-right-to-vote-could-get-750-compensation.html and here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/election/article-1274093/UK-GENERAL-ELECTION-RESULTS-2010-Voters-turned-away-polling-stations-shambles.html

The reasons [excuses?] for these fiascos range from (1.) Numerous voters arriving late in the evening minus their poll cards with students being blamed, (2.) Voters presenting themselves but not listed on the registers [did the late registration provisions play a part here?] and (3.) The daft regulations which made no provision for those arriving before the deadline [in some cases hours before] to be permitted to vote. THE ONE COMMON FACTOR WAS THE FACT THAT THESE SHORTCOMINGS WERE EXPERIENCED SOLELY IN ENGLAND!

The situation was compounded by Gordon Brown's deceitful tactics. Despite having run a general election campaign since December 2009/January 2010, Prime Minister Brown has contrived to give the shortest time possible between issuing the writs and the deadline of candidates to be nominated. Indeed, my Poll Card states in bold font: "Due to the short statutory timeframe for this election you may not receive this poll card until after the closing date for postal vote applications. Unfortunately this is outside of our control." Thus, the shortest possible time was allowed for all the various meddling to be accommodated by Election Returning Officers.

Were all these occurrences the consequences of incompetence or something more sinister? Surely the time is overdue for the people of England to take control of their own affairs and, thereby, their own destiny, instead of one imposed for their own narrow interests by blinkered minorities under the guise of being British.

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