Recommended Reading

Here is my latest recommended reading list.

Please note, I do not necessarily agree with these posts and articles, however I found them sufficiently interesting to warrant a recommendation:

The Quiet Man is angry at the French claim to be English so as to cash in on the Olympics.

John Redwood asks, where did all of the stimulus go?

Dr North wonders aloud why Dave Cameron has not changed his mind on climate change when it is clear that he is onto a loser.

Archbishop Cranmer on Conservatism, Unionism, Protestantism and Orangeism.

And finally, ever wondered what a 100ft tsunami might look like close up?  Brits at the Best reproduces a photo found after the Sumatra Island was hit by one.

Enjoy!

New - Wikio Labs

Dan the Man from Wikio has emailed me today with news of the launch of Wikio Labs and having just gone and had a play around with some of the tools I have to say I like it. It will not be for everybody, but will be of interest to a number of bloggers. It requires no log in so is a tool which is open to the blogosphere to do some analysis. I understand that some of these tools have been designed based on the feedback from bloggers.

Basically, Wikio Labs (still in the Experimental Edition) is designed to give those of us with blogs a bit of a look inside the Wikio aligned Blogosphere and it has to be played with to be appreciated properly. For example, ever wondered which backlinks were giving you such a good Wikio Ranking? Well, using the Backlink Factory now you can go see who has been linking to you. Likewise, you can see your outgoing links by volume to other blogs. The cool thing is, as an analysis tool, this works for any url that you pop into the tool, so if you want to know who is consistently linking to a particular blog, or how a particular blog has achieved a high ranking, Wikio Labs now give this tool to go and analyse these things. This tool might in itself prompt some lively discussions about blog affiliations already in place.

Speaking of Wikio Rankings, there is a tool which has tracked your rankings over time, so now there is the option to go view a particular blogs progress in the rankings over time in a tool called Wikio Sources. Enter the url and look through summaries and articles of that blog. There is also then the statistics which shows a graph for Overall Ranking, Sub Ranking (i.e. Politics, sport etc), Publication volume and Number of backlinks.

Buzz Clouds are included to show trending topics of discussion and link back to the main Wikio Page. Wikio Trends is a simple to help demonstrate how a particular trending topic has garnered attention over time, versus another trending topic. Here’s some I made earlier…

And

Conclusions. The tools are cool, I am just a big kid when it comes to things like this, and I think there is something for most bloggers here, even is some may not see value in it. Some of the big boy blogs and MSM blogs will definitely find some benefit in the trending tools, especially comparison by trending topics. MSM Blogs may wish to see if they are setting the agenda or following it. For those of us who do not necessarily need nor want the broader analysis tools, there is the Backlink Factory analysis tool which may (or may not) stir a few dramas about who is, or is not linking to whom. I have added to my favourites already for the occasional browse.

Britains New Deal In Europe

I came across an online recreation of the government leaflet issued by Wilson's Labour Government regarding the 1975 referendum on whether Britain should remain in the Common Market.  I had started a write up, but really, the key points make themselves; they are screaming off the screen as this is not a brochure that has stood the test of time for the authors. 


Sorry, I can't remember where I saw this so I can't give a Hat-tip (unless I remember later)

Right Wing Britain

The British Social Attitudes Survey from NatCen is published today and it is showing that the British Public are trending to the political right in the polls. Notably, for the first time in since 1989 more people described themselves as Conservative voters than as a Labour voter.

Here are three interesting write ups which make for interesting reading:

Tim Whitehead - Britain Has Grown More Conservative Under Labour

Janet Daley - Public Opinion Moves To The Right

Jerome Taylor - On The Right And Right-On: A Portrait Of Britain Today

And in case you haven't the time or motivation, here are a few of the talking points from the surveys results.

• An increasing number of people are abandoning the idea that The Government is the right place and tool for targeting inequality in society.
• People are dropping traditional party lines and looking for the adoption of individualistic approaches to politics and the economy.
• 32% Say they are Conservative voters, 27% say they are Labour voters.
• People want a more inclusive and tolerant society, but favour a reduction in the state and tax cuts as the way to achieve this.
• Only 40% questioned now support higher taxes. Was 62% in in 1997. Just over 50% think taxes should remain static.
• Only 40% favour the use of tax as a method of wealth redistribution. Was 53% in 1994.
• Only 55% now say the taxpayer and the Government should provide those without a job a good standard of living. Was 85% 20 years ago. Only 21% think unemployment benefits are too low.
• People believe lone parents with children of school age should have work conditions attached to benefit.
• 70% of people think "we should respect all religions", including 60% who class themselves as non-believers.
• Only 56% consider it a civic duty to vote in General Elections.

Initial conclusions.
1. David Cameron's Conservatives are locating themselves on the centre ground of 10 years ago, with the suggestion rather than the promise of tax cuts, Modern Britain is ready to be wooed by a more right-wing Conservative approach.
2. It comes as no surprise to those of us not based in Westminster to know that Labour is discredited and disliked through most of the land. Yes they will maintain pockets of support in traditional areas, and yes London is probably still more attached to Labour than the rest of Southern England. But, the survey confirms peoples attitudes are shifting away from the Socialist mindset the country is believed to have had at heart. It is a reduction in the State that is sought, with compassion for those who need help in mind, people want a different approach to society's problems. The Left will need to come up with a new model for Government would it wish to return to power in Westminster.
3. 41% of people do not consider themselves as a Conservative or Labour voter.

Granny Airbag

Much better with the sound on...

Sombrero Sales Set To Soar In UK

I am a bit late on this, but seeing as I did not spot it mentioned in any of my weekend catch up blogosphere reading I thought it merited a mention today.

According to the Guardian a consortium of Government agencies are in negotiations with BAE systems to purchase and implement a national strategy for the use of wartime drones for deployment at home in the UK. The plans seen by the Guardian, released under a FoI request are being planned for the “routine monitoring” of motorists, protests, agricultural thieves and fly-tippers.

The Guardian also reveals that the plan is to have the drones in place for surveillance activities by the 2012 London Olympics. The costs of the scheme being spread across several agencies and the police, but will be offset from with the drones being rented from time to time by private contractors and with the Police exploring the potential for selling on collected data.

The prototype will be ready for testing this year. Drones are designed to take off and land on their own and can stay airborne all day and are virtually invisible because of their small size from the ground. It represents a new phase in the intrusion of the state in the lives of citizens that from such a great height such a wide area can be surveyed by a single drone. The surveillance equipment includes high definition cameras, radar, and cross spectrum sensors. The cameras feed back in real time to control rooms where the drones can be redirected if agents feel they wish to check something out that has appeared in the data.

The drones have been used in Afghanistan since the invasion in 2001, and have been a key tool in tracking down suspected Taliban and Al Qaeda from the sky in the exceptionally rough terrain. They have also been linked to high numbers of civilian deaths. The drones will inevitably be viewed as a cheaper alternative to police surveillance helicopters and the socialist mantra of if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear will surely be dusted off to be rammed down our throats all over again.

And yet in the past 12 months thanks to section 76 of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 the police can basically confiscate cameras at their will - if you are believed to have photographed a current or former member of the police or security services your actions are deemed as potentially beneficial to terrorists and as such the state deems it necessary to stop you and fine you. They take away our rights one at a time and in doing so ramp up the control of the state yet further. Yet again I say to you, did you vote to give consent to the use of potentially deadly drones to watch over us? Were we consulted? Do we think the Government cares for our concerns? No, No, No. We were taught in school that should anyone be in a position to visit one of the then Soviet Bloc countries, we would probably have any cameras and video equipment confiscated on entry on the grounds that these were deeply controlling places that did not like to be monitored themselves. Now I look at where we are today and it is such a shame that we can’t even heed our own lessons form just ten or fifteen years ago.  In the same way that teenagers with too much time on their hands have turned to the hoodie, will Britain more broadly feel the need to turn the the sombraro to avoid being constantly monitored from the sky?

Drone surveillance from the air will do nothing to reduce crime and will be as hit and miss as CCTV when it comes to the quality and admissibility of evidence produced. It is an expensive exercise being carried out without concern to a basic liberty currently withheld from us. At any moment when in your home or garden we are not exempt from the worst assumptions of the Government and not entitled to privacy, anywhere. As with Surveillance and speed cameras persistent offenders will quickly find a way to dodge and avoid being monitored and caught. It will of course be the case that these drones will be there to randomly catch out people and will not be much or any use towards replacing real policing and detective work which targets real criminals and builds strong a strong prosecution against serious criminals. The government feels it is its duty to monitor all of us, all of the time and everywhere we go. And of course, this will be sold to us as necessary for our own protection and safety.

Where To Cast The EU Sceptic Vote?

I see over the weekend whist I was busy that the debate has got going over Conservative’s potentially voting UKIP and how that potentially will benefit Labour. I am picking up on Steve Green’s post from The Daily Referendum Blog which has not unsurprisingly started a lively debate in the comments field of that particular post.

This deserves some thought, for long-time EU Sceptic Conservative voters it is not an ideal position to be in.

Here is the dilemma, (as I see it). If, as described I am a long time Conservative voter in General Elections, the question is do UKIP now more closely represent political position and views? If so, then logically I should now vote UKIP. However, because so many EU Sceptics are considering this, and because the electoral system is now weighted so much in favour of Labour do I give my vote to UKIP and leave the door open for Labour to clinch a hung Parliament and retain power?

The argument is that if I vote UKIP, I vote Gordon Brown through the back door, and bring with it 5 more years of socialist rule and even more EU. The notion of joining the EURO was mooted by Mandelson not long ago, the EU is still seeking to reduce the UK working week, and whatever happens there will be no consultation or referendum on EU membership under Labour. In five years the economy will have further crumbled and the full extent of Lisbon will be felt and the exit-the-EU movement could stall. However, there is a train of thought in the anti-EU movement that the worst possible scenario has already happened, and that because Lisbon is already ratified a Cameron Conservative Government, which is unwilling to visit the argument on the UK’s overall membership will be unwilling and unable to address many, if any of the EU Sceptics concerns. As such, a Cameron Conservative vote is not one which will improve our situation regarding the EU. Additionally Cameron seems keen to alienate anti-EU voters, who are in other fields being courted, why should a person vote for a party that is making it clear that they do not want them?

For EU Sceptic voters that have listened to the Conservative Party of late they will heard that the Conservative Party is for staying in the EU in the post Lisbon world, and seen the leadership move towards their traditional role of picking certain fights on certain issues - fighting to be "In Europe, but not run by Europe".. The leading EU Sceptic voices in the Conservatives such as Daniel Hannan are no longer maintaining the pretence that David Cameron is a closet EU Sceptic who is just waiting to grab power before revealing a radical shift in the party's position. The EU sceptics in the Conservative Party do not sound confident that their party will answer the big questions on the EU, and are cautious to concede that they understand how little that can truly be done to redress the erosion of sovereignty.

Looking long term and with a dire economy to manage, it seems pretty inconceivable that if a second term were granted to David Cameron that EU membership would be any more likely to make the main debate. The Conservatives stated position is to stay in the EU, and work from within the EU. We are no longer in an association of countries; the EU is the foetus of the Federal European Republic.

It is a tough choice for those of us who have traditionally voted Conservative but who have tired of to the notion that the EU can be reformed from within, or that the EU is of greater benefit to us than we can immediately see. The truth of the matter is that the EU has not pulled the wool over our eyes, we did it to ourselves. Those within the UK who sought this union have lied and cajoled us to where we are today and not once have we sufficiently found enough of a voice to insist that enough is enough. The EU in its various guises have always been the Federalist club, it is the forces inside the UK who pretend there is a third way on this that have fooled so many. It is the rotation of successive EU embracing parties to Government that both Labour & Conservative Parties have held a monopoly over and take sole account for that have led us to where we are today. When they have lied, which they have we have simply replaced a governing EU accepting party with another. If we do not break this cycle will history not judge us poorly for being so complacent? When their lies are held up for all to see, they sneer and jeer for they know that as long as the power stays in the main parties there is only one direction for the UK to follow on the EU, our vote just decides at what speed.

Despite my better judgement, I do still believe there are people in elected positions and seeking elected positions within the Conservative Party that do wish an end to our membership of the EU and see how membership is incompatible with The Conservative Party’s true core beliefs. It is certainly true that at the grass-roots, the core membership is still much more EU Sceptic than the other Westminster Parties. It is unfortunately not the direction of the leadership. Those EU Sceptic Conservatives who would bring us out of the EU, and who are willing to discuss the EU in the open are truly worth the consideration of people's support, even if the Party has abandoned the rest of us. Likewise, as UKIP’s David Samuel-Camps put it to me

"UKIP's raison-d'etra has always been that of an amicable divorce from the European Union. It continues to be our position"

So if you are stuck on whether to vote UKIP or Tory, or if you are traditionally of another party but want to ensure an EU Sceptic vote - and if you are open to a suggestion, here is mine. There is still time before the election to seek out the answers to the nagging questions in your mind. Email or write a letter to your MP and the Parliamentary Candidates in your constituency and ask them to sign up to the Albion Alliance Pledge. Ask them to put our country above their party. Insist that the candidate that you vote for, regardless of their party allegiance is able to openly and publically declare the following.

I pledge to work tirelessly to give the voters of my constituency a democratic and direct voice in the United Kingdom’s continued relationship with the EU.

I pledge that I will sponsor a Private Members Bill, written in clear concise terms, calling for a referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union – and/or support any motion for such a referendum – and to vote positively for any Bill that may call for such a referendum, irrespective of Party Whip, with a view to the successful outcome of this pledge within 1 year of a new Parliament or sooner.

It is a very simple pledge, and one that any EU Sceptic candidate from any party should have absoilutely no problem whatsoever in signing up to. If they unwilling or unable to pledge, then you can really consider, regardless of yours and their party allegiance whether or not they are the best candidate for you to vote for. I would suggest they are not.

It is after all not a lot to ask that our elected representative respect our wishes and desires. The EU question is not going to resolve itself, and it serves only the Federalists to see the EU Sceptic vote arguing amongst itself. We need to likewise put country above Party and insist that the people we vote for are going to do as we ask, not as they prescribe. We need to show them the way and put in our efforts now because they have been and will be quick to turn the tables back on to us if we don’t. Let’s make sure that if you, like me care about the UK and want a vote then we make sure that we know every candidates mindset so that we can make an informed decision about the people we are electing.

For those that may be wondering, I have emailed my MP and the two known other prospective candidates in my Constituency, and I am as yet to get an answer, but I have signed the Albion Alliance’s voter pledge, so unless I get a pledge they will not get the consideration of my vote.  Simple really.  I would urge others who are feeling in the middle here to also give this some consideration.

For the benefit of the UKIP and Conservative split, here are the UKIP and Conservative Candidates who have already taken the pledge:

Bermondsey & Old Southwark     Loanna Morrison     Conservative
Glasgow Central Ramsey     Ewan Urquhart     UKIP
Horsham     Harry Aldridge     UKIP
Rochfield & Southeast     James Moyies     UKIP
Selby & Ainsty     Darren Haley     UKIP
Vale of Clwyd     Matt Wright     Conservative
Wentworth & Dearne     John Wilkinson     UKIP
Witney      Nikolai Tolstoy     UKIP
Wythenshawe & Sale East     Christopher Cassidy     UKIP

And to be fair, here are the others who have taken the Albion Alliance Pledge:

Devizes     Nic Coombe     Libertarian Party UK
Gillingham & Rainham     Dean Lacey     English Democrats
Hastings & Rye     Rod Bridger     English Democrats
Sevenoakes     Alan Bullion     Liberal Democrat
Torfaen     Ian Parker-Joseph     Libertarian Party UK
Wirral West     David Kirwan     Independent
Witney     Paul Wesson     Independent

With a number of candidates as yet to receive an email and with many more who have and are yet to respond the above are the only Candidates who have stepped up and taken a pledge to guarantee they will work for a referendum on EU membership if elected to Parliament, and they are all deserving of your voting considerations.

To follow soon… Some examples of who has failed to pledge so far. These are the people who have replied to the Albion Alliance, and the people who have refused, for one reason or another to pledge to put country before party. In some cases these are candidates who believe in the EU, and in some cases these are people who claim to be EU Sceptic or want a referendum, but who refuse to pledge in any event. They are the people that the EU Sceptics should focus on unseating in place of EU Sceptic candidates who are not afraid to pledge.

Recommended Reading

Here is my latest recommended reading list.

Please note, I do not necessarily agree with these posts and articles, however I found them sufficiently interesting to warrant a recommendation:

Winston Smith tells us about a couple of people not only too lazy to work, but too lazy to turn up to claim their benefits.

John Redwood says that living standards will plunge in 2010.

Dick Puddlecote highlights to comments of a particularly loony CiF commenter.

RantinRab looks at the police harassment campaign against motorists.

And finally, John Ward says the UK has fallen from the Top 10 Index For Economic Freedom list.

Enjoy!

Friday Caption Contest

No Swearing Please!

Picture Source

Thursday Rant

To be honest this may not make much sense, I just seem to be raging about things more and more lately and lately when I am writing things just keep bouncing around in my head and I am suffering a touch of writers block (again) so for therapeutic reasons, I am just going to spew it all out in literary form and see what comes from it. If this is not you cup of tea, leave now.

The Government of the UK has become nothing more than a form of control and frustration over our lives. It has become a malaise on the progress and liberty of the people that live here. It is not unique to the UK, Governments across Europe and the globe are inching more and more towards systems that would have shocked Churchill, Lincoln and Pitt and delighted Marx, Stalin and even Mao. I am getting sick of seeing people suffer and being rail-roaded as a result of our political system – we need to reverse the direction of ‘progressive’ government, yet now that they have the controls it seems impossible.

When progressive government offers movement and change, it is in one direction.  And when the tools of the past that ensured our freedom are now used against us what is a person to do? The direction is not rooted in the desires of the people it represents, it emanates from somewhere else. Progressive government is one which is principally anti-democratic, as it serves the motives of those who work for it, not those who it claims to help and protect. This strikes me as not all together unique in the history of Britain, the land owners and the aristocracy for a long time did the same.

The poverty of man has become a product of our existence; we are all poorer for the world we live in. Multinational organisations, not all of whom are “corporations” grow more and more in terms of power and wealth – they have a direct line to the front. People are reacting; they have turned their backs on politics because it does not serve them, and because they do not have the luxury of comfort or time in which to be proactively engaged. In a society where most people do not vote, we have a clear signal that politics and politicians are not serving people, they are serving group interests. The link between individual and political representative is dying, it is on life support.

When a politician can garner a political donation for £10,000 for speaking to one group, why would he knock on 1,000 doors to seek a similar collection from across his constituents?

This country needs political revolution and it needs to happen from the bottom up. Politicians must be reminded that they are not elected to be the mouth piece of organisations; they are there to work for us. We should insist that donations can only be made by private individuals and end the notion that groups, charities, corporations and unions can donate, because politics is big business – and as long as it remains so, the less we are being served. Oh, and private individual contributions should also be capped so that politics is about people again. We need to take the power from the political parties and put it back in the hands of people.

As we approach the election and the end of this Labour Government I am grabbed by a mixture of emotion and sentiment. Thank god Labour will be out of power soon; but my delight is tempered in the knowledge that all will not be right just because they are gone. They are the front man, the sales team for a corrupt world. I know already I will tire and frustrate easily of the next government, because they are only offering to change the window dressing, not the shop.

My point is, if the system cannot be changed by us now, and if those who are profiting continually become mesmerised into adopting a veil of ignorance the moment they attain power, then we have to turn things up a notch. I don’t know how, I don’t know when, but things will keep getting worse and worse if we don’t.

If there was a revolution tomorrow, we could (if people en mass wanted it):

• Exit the EU. Immediately.
• Exit the CAP and reclaim our fishing waters. Once outside the CAP we can look to buy from farms in Africa and Asia who cannot sell to us because of the CAPs price distortions.
• Reform Parliament; it needs a new form and purpose.
• Abolish regional assemblies in England, and reform local government structures.
• Re-establish democratic control and oversight in Parliament.
• Have a referendum on whether to remain as the United Kingdom or whether to continue as separate self-governing nations.
• Cut Taxes.
• Cut Welfare so that a working wage is always more attractive than claiming welfare.
• Cut government jobs where they serve only to bloat the bureaucracy and size of government.
• Establish an annual referendum and tools for direct democracy, so that people are in control of the direction of national and local government. If it was not in the manifesto, and it is a big issue, call a General Election for a new mandate or get one direct!
• Establish a system for locally elected sheriffs/chief constables.
• Take the necessary steps to cut Government debt and spending so as to aid recovery.
• Launch an investigation into how the banks ended up being supported by public funds, and how £850bn was committed without any Parliamentary vote. Prosecute if the law has been broken.
• Implement an actual immigration policy… or at least talk about immigration openly so that people’s opinions could be noted and taken account of when making a decision.
• Implement a new treason act
• Privatise or abolish the BBC
• Make Judges appointments subject to Parliamentary scrutiny, including appointment by vote.
• Put people in prison when they break the law including the long forgotten notion of assault on a person and damage to capital.
• Bring back matrons
• Bring back dedicated local policing
• Shrink the national curriculum to 50% of school content, and invite parental groups and teachers to write the rest individually for each school.
• Ensure that political parties can only accept donations from individuals and limited to £2,000 per year.
• Begin to publish ALL public expenditure online. Every single penny of it… including the name of who approved expenditure when above a certain limit.
• Abolish all QUANGO’s. If it get’s tax payers funds and is a part of the government it gets a Minister in Parliament to account for its actions and budget; and the opportunity for oppositions questions.

That is just the first year.

None of this will happen through our current system not just because there isn’t the will from the people in Westminster, but because they can’t… the EU won’t let them. How long are we going to stand for this? Politicians will not change until the can see and feel the voracity of our seriousness, when participation in this continued charade we know as politics results in consequences for serious breaches of public trust and for offences against basic democratic principle.

Venting over.

Recommended Reading

Here is my latest recommended reading list.

Please note, I do not necessarily agree with these posts and articles, however I found them sufficiently interesting to warrant a recommendation:

Norman Tebbit says he was wrong to have believed in the European project.

The Boiling Frog says that the ECJ is challenging the supremacy of the German Constitutional Court.

Subrosa is upset that politicans who pretend to be soldiers are getting medals.

The Voice of the Resistance tells us more about 'Communitarianism'.

And finally, Brits at their Best with the shot heard in Washington.

Enjoy!

2005 Electoral Map

Random Thoughts #5

Why is it that when you buy a lighter in a petrol station, and the attendant flicks it to check if it works nobody bats an eyelid, yet if somebody's mobile phone rings people get upset like they are about to be blown up?

Drop Your Pants In Protest

H/T: LPUK Blog.

A Politican Called Brown Who May Win An Election... Today

The Americans are still much better at these You Tube adverts than we are in the UK, this is one I spotted over at Tory Bear's place, thought I would give it an airing over here too. 



Today is the day of the big Massachusetts Election for a new Senator.  I will not pretend to know all the details, but the Republican candidate Scott Brown is polling unexpectedly close to his Democratic rival Martha Coakley.  Massachusets is the bluist of the blue states and Edward Kennedys now vacant seat was considered amongst the safest in the US.  So, for the Democrat not to be leaps and bounds out in front is an embarrassment to them, and to President Obama. If the unexpected does happen and the Republicans win the seat, it will be seen as a rebuke against President Obama's agenda especially his much debated healthcare reform bill.

Recommended Reading

Here is my latest recommended reading list.

Please note, I do not necessarily agree with these posts and articles, however I found them sufficiently interesting to warrant a recommendation:

The All Seeing Eye joins the hunt for Osama Bin Laden.

Doug Carswell gives an update on his EDM for a referendum on EU membership.

Michael Merrick offers a fieldguide to engaging social-liberal militants.

Guido says that the Fabians forget the history of their own evil cause.

And finally, here is a nice video on Viral Footage of Huskies socialising with Polar Bears.

Enjoy!

Conspiracy Theory

Fausty says that Obama's information Czar wants to outlaw Conspiracy Theorising, which was an interesting post in itself.  Like most people I too like a good Conspiracy Theory.  Here's one I literally stumbled over today, from none other than the grand daddy of Conspiracy Theorists, Nostradamus.

Century 2, Quatrain 62
Mabus will soon die, then will come,
A horrible undoing of people and animals,
At once one will see vengeance,
One hundred powers, thirst, famine, when the comet will pass

The people on the internet that like to talk about this particular Quatrain tie the death of "Mabus" to a terrible war and many deaths, and also tie in another Quatrain which foretells the arrival of the third prophesised "Anti-Christ" who again brings about a whole load of the bad stuff.

Century 8, Quatrain 77
The antichrist very soon annihilates the three,
twenty-seven years his war will last.
The unbelievers are dead, captive, exiled;
with blood, human bodies, water and red hail covering the earth

Anyway, I had heard the theory behind Nostradamus prophesising the first two Anti-Christ figures being Napoleon and Hitler's rise to power and the destruction that followed; and I have heard before about the prediction for a third Anti-Christ and a 27 Year war and some pretty grim events also.  However, it was only when I watched a Nostradamus programme on the History Channel tonight that I learned of the name of Mabus and this link into the war to end all wars.  This individual is probably not the Anti-Christ, but his or her's death brings on a series of very serious consequences where by plenty of death follows. 

Anyway, a quick search on Bing later after the show and though I am not the first person on the internet to have connected these particular dots, I was, for just one moment, a teensy-bit taken-a-back to learn the name of the US Secretary for the Navy. 

If you want to see too, click here.

Just thought I would get that onto the Internet before Gordon follows Obama's lead and outlaws Conspiracy Theories... oops that's another conspiracy started.

Friday Caption Competition

Recommended Reading

Here is my latest recommended reading list.

Please note, I do not necessarily agree with these posts and articles, however I found them sufficiently interesting to warrant a recommendation:

Biased BBC says that yet another Tory-hating Labour luvvie will from a new BBC Political programme.

Gaiwan Towler tells how Euroscepticism can kill millions.

Norman Tebbit thinks the two main parties policies on taxing the poor is madness.

Witterings from Witney on democracy and the next General Election.

And finally, Doug Ross gprovides his top 10 Liberal proverbs.

Enjoy!

Country Before Party

The Albion Alliance is a cross party call to MPs and prospective MP's to publically declare their support for our right to a voice, starting with a referendum on membership of the EU.  You may have noticed that I carry the banner with a link on my sidebar.


Over the past few months letters and emails have been sent out asking for pledges of support, but there are still many MPs and candidates who have not been written to.

The Albion Alliance is not a political party, it is a concept.  It is a place where warring factions can meet on some common ground and stand true to an exceptionally important issue that affects every man woman and child in the UK.  There are two main objectives:

1. To address the democratic deficit in the current political system by ensuring that MPs place country before party.

2. To ensure that MPs agree to actively sponsor, promote and support, a Bill in Parliament that allows a referendum of The British people on membership of the European Union.

Sound like something you would like to hear from your MP?  In attempting to secure this end candidates are requested to sign up to the following pledge:

I pledge to work tirelessly to give the voters of my constituency a democratic and direct voice in the United Kingdom’s continued relationship with the EU.

I pledge that I will sponsor a Private Members Bill, written in clear concise terms, calling for a referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union – and/or support any motion for such a referendum – and to vote positively for any Bill that may call for such a referendum, irrespective of Party Whip, with a view to the successful outcome of this pledge within 1 year of a new Parliament or sooner.

Here is the LINK to the candidate database, which is easy to use.  If you agree that the UK should have a vote on its membership of the EU and you want your MP to pledge, or a prospective MP to pledge, then why not take a few minutes now to check the database, and email the candidates in your ward and see if you can secure that pledge?  The Albion Alliance even has draft emails on site that require little tailoring meaning the whole process will only take a few minutes; and where contact details are known these are also listed.  When looking through it is easy to see if a candidate has been received an email already, and if they have responded.  Just because an email has been received does not mean that another email stating your support for the Albion Alliance would not be helpful. (Remember to include the Albion Alliance on your correspondence so that they can keep a record of it.)  You could also add the Albion Alliance banner and link on your blog or social networking page to help spread the word. 

Every small contribution adds up and shows the depth of our feelings; it really does not matter which Party you may support this is something we can all get behind. MPs are elected by us and they are supposed to work for what the people want, not the other way around.  We have seen that the cast-iron guarantees of some politicians are spun as something completely different as and when the situation suits them; cast iron guarantees be damned, candidates either sign this pledge or they don't - there is no room for ambiguity; it is a binary option, yes or no.

I have already emailed my MP and two other candidates, and their responses are pending.

The following candidates have replied to the Albion Alliance and they have signed the Albion Pledge - As of the time of me posting this.  I hope as many of these people as possible get elected to Parliament because if they do, these are the people that have pledged to put the wishes of you and me in respect to the above pledge before their party Whip.  These people, I hope, will get your attention and support for their action.

Bermondsey & Old Southwark, Loanna Morrision - Conservative

Gillingham & Rainham, Dean Lacey - English Democrats

Horsham, Harry Aldridge - UKIP

Rochford & Southend East, James Moyies - UKIP

Selby & Ainsty, Darren Haley - UKIP

Sevenoaks, Alan Bullion - Liberal Democrat

Swindon North, Steven Halden - UKIP

Torfaen, Ian Parker-Joseph - Libertarian Party UK

Vale of Clwyd, Matt Wright - Conservative

Wentworth & Dearne, John Wilkinson - UKIP

Wirral West, David Kirwan - Independent

Witney, Nikolai Tolstoy - UKIP

Witney, Paul Wesson - Independent

Just as importantly if you wish to see which candidates have refused to sign the pledge, you can filter as such using the "refine my search" button.  You can view the correspondence by clicking the link in the field marked "WRef" where some of the candidates give their reasons.

Islam4UK Ban

I don’t know all of the in’s and out’s about the group Islam4UK but from what I have seen and read in the news their agenda is not one I agree with, and should they ever have any real influence they would have me very worried.

You may not think me right about this post, nor will this win me any new friends but I am more worried by the ban than what they have to say. So far as I know, the members of this group have not been convicted of any terrorist crimes. And so banning them in the UK leaves me with an uneasy feeling. Perhaps I have missed a crucial detail here, but I am not seeing it.

If we are to survive as a free democracy, then we must recognise that the bedrock of our society is rooted in our freedoms and freedom of speech is one of those, perhaps even the most important. Those people who hate our way of life, including Islam4UK are showing us up as hypocritical for purporting to defend freedom of speech then banning the messages that we don’t want to hear.

If Islam4UK is telling lies that prosecute them for libel or slander and get a court injunction silencing them; if they are engaged in acts conspiring and plotting murder then arrest them on terrorism charges, and then ban them then. I no more want to see or hear from them than I assume my readers do, but hearing what we don’t want to hear is the price we must pay for free speech, the alternatives to having free speech can be witnessed around the world today and many times over in history books and journals and they carry a much, much, higher price to ordinary, everyday people than having to listen to unpleasant things. For the genuinely crazed and loony’s there are already laws to shut them up and if necessary remove them from society.

The government seems to have put all parties concerned into a corner here whereby it [seemingly] has no recourse on criminal grounds to press charges, nor has to bring a suit in civil court which would silence them and so has decided that it should therefore censor what it finds distasteful. This is yet more dangerous ground for the state to be seizing over its citizens and lends an unneeded precedent in future to other acts of censorship.

Remember also, that free speech works both ways – those who use it to provoke and avail themselves of such a freedom, like Islam4UK should also be aware and prepared to hear what others think of them.

Only In The Daily Mail...

Gay man who tried to poison lesbian neighbours with slug pellets over three-legged cat walks free.

Feeling Cold

It has been five long years since I last visited a cinema, or there about at least.  The last movie I went to see on the big screen was the third Star Wars instalment, which despite being better than episodes one and two I still left feeling let down, especially as that particular franchise which needs to be judged per trilogy.  I think after episodes 1 & 2, nothing short of the beheading of Ja Ja Binks by Natalie Portman would have brought a similar warm feeling that was enjoyed after watching the original films as a child, perhaps it really was a mistake to revisit the story.  I went however because it "had to" be seen on the big screen; it was just one of those movies.

Since then, and not only because of George Lucas, there has not been a single film that has been appealing enough to drag me back into what has become an expensive experience.  There have been a few films along the way that have had me looking up film times, but I have not wanted to see a film so much that I have felt the need to re-arrange other activities for it.  I have been married over a year, yet since I have know my wife which is coming on for five years we have never been to the cinema together.  We almost made it to Casino Royale but the pre-film drinks turned into drinks and dinner and we gave it a miss and rented the DVD some months later.

It irks me, because for many years films were a big part of my recreation, and were entangled within many of the social interactions of my now fading faded youth.  Having not made it to the cinema until very nearly 14 years old, I spent the next few years catching up and would go as frequently as possible.  When studying, a small amount of my the wages I could muster went every month to Virgin Megastores on some VHS deals so as to build up a small collection of films which poses space problems in my house to this day - I needed movies in my life.  Now-a-days I am rating films from the trailers and they all seem predictable and boring... certainly not worth the cost of admission any way.  The experience of renting DVD's has too often confirmed that we were right to stay home in the first place.  I struggle to think of a really decent film made in the last 5 years (... that I have seen) and would have to go back to the late 90's to find a year when a few good films would have been made in close succession.  It is probably me, films just don't seem to be made to cater for my tastes, and when they kinda do, the ending is usually a letdown.  (See, Indiana Jones 4, No country for old men and a host of poor horror films.)  Please tell me, am I alone here?

Today, I learned that an A Team film was due for release in cinema's this year, and upon hearing the news lept forth to You Tube for a peak of any trailer that may be available, which I duly watched, but again I am left feeling cold. 

Here is the A Team trailer:




It would perhaps irk less, except, there is no decent entertainment programmes being made for British television... but that is an entirely different and much longer rant all together. 

Recommended Reading - Nourishing Obscurity Edition

I can't help myself, all below needed a recommendation and James has clearly had a busy weekend:

The world is in good hands

Sovereignty - who actually owns this nation?

Wheels within wheels

The Venetians and concept of Oligarchy

The assault on science and the great climate scam

And if that was not enough there is also An Albion Alliance Update

The Dark Lord Speaketh

I just flipped over to Sky News to see if anything interesting happened at Gordon Browns meeting with the Parliamentary Labour Party tonight (answer, no nothing interesting did happen...)

Then I spotted this quote attributed to the Dark Lord himself:

Lord Mandelson responded by emphasising the need for unity, saying that they would not allow others to "drive wedges between us".

To whom was he referring?

Was it Geoff Hoon? Patricia Hewitt? Hazel Blears? Frank Field? Charles Clarke? Caroline Flint? Harriet Harman? Ed Miliband? David Miliband? James Purnell?

Best Political Blog Post 2009

Intended as a bit of fun... the nominations closed and the voting has opened, go here for the list of nominees.


Click here to vote

Friday Caption Competition

Source.

Favourite Blog Post 2009

Nominate your favourite blogpost from a political blog in 2009 over on the Voice of the Resistance.

You can nominate your own work if you are a blogger, or a piece from someone else.

I am still racking my brain on which post to nominate.

Update: I gave it some thought, and looked back over some old referral posts and I have nominated The Difference Between England and Europe written by David and Cat on Brits at their Best.

Recommended Reading

Here is my latest recommended reading list, which is slightly extended as I have been saving a few up because of the festive period.

Please note, I do not necessarily agree with these posts and articles, however I found them sufficiently interesting to warrant a recommendation:

Corrugated Soundbite thinks us bloggers should make an effort to get to know each other.

James Higham is contemplating the dilema of who to vote for.

Daily Referendum has some home-made election posters.

Fausty revealled the German plan to neutralise the UK's EU Sceptics and recruit David Cameron.

James Delingpole is happy that the BBC trust is to launch a review of the BBC's science coverage.

Tom Harris comes out in defence of Chelsea Tractors.

Daniel Hannan sets out ten reasons why the UK should leave the EU.

And finally, The Boiling Frog has an explosive story that irritated the government of Ireland.

Enjoy!

New Tory Poster

From ConservativeHome... (I assume they are happy that this is being distributed)

Plot Resolution

Having just read the plotters email sent from Hewtitt and Hoon I feel I agree. There should be a secret ballot; but it should be a General Election because the people of the UK should have their say on who should be Prime Minister. The Labour Party took the change of leadership from Tony Blair and elevated Gordon Brown, they feared not just the opinion of the public but a challenge no matter how flimsy from within their party.

There will be Labour MP's going on telly today and they will pick their words carefully. The truth as I and everybody I know see's it is that Gordon Brown is discredited within, and incapable of the role he holds... The role that the Labour Party appointed him to. Their Party's implosion is the right tonic for ignoring the need for democratic consent and scrutiny. Serious mistakes beget serious consequences.

Somebody send a taxi to Number 10, he should be due at Buckingham Palace this afternoon.

Government Indebtedness

In 2009 the national debt rose to £829.7 Billion this is all money that must be serviced by the tax payer. This figure does not include Private Finance Initiatives and Pension Contributions which the Government is obliged to pay meaning the true debt figure today is likely to be in excess of £1,350 billion which is way above what could be expected to be collected in a single year in tax. The level of debt is rising, and could sky rocket again based on pledges to buy back Mortgage securities. Potentially, in a very bad case, the UK Public Sector debt could be in debt to the tune of the £2,000 Billion bracket in 2010.

To service the interest on our debts, like all borrowers the Government must pay interest. In 2009 the Government paid over £31 billion in debt interest, this is very close to the number (£32bn) the UK pays on the entire defence budget annually. Nearly everybody outside the Labour Party in the UK agrees that this Government has made some serious mistakes with the economy, but I don't personally think it is enough to lay the blame at the feet of the current Government and simply repay the national debt down to a level that is more comfortably managed… We should force a change of the rules so that no party can ever make its people so indebted ever again. Governments of the three parties that have held government in the last 150 years have all had at some point high levels of public debt, and often that debt rose with little consent from Tax Payers.

As an electorate, and as a country, we should demand from our political parties not only a commitment to cap national debt today until a General Election has taken place, but we should also demand that national debt is paid down to a level of 0% of GDP over a period over the next 5 Parliaments.

Yes, Governments have been borrowing for centuries, and yes, in the good times economically debt can be borrowed and serviced somewhat cheaply. However, the rules governing Government borrowing and spending are not so dissimilar to the rules you and I face in managing our household budgets. If you borrow, you must pay interest on that. I think it is easy to make a case that the need to raise in excess of £31billion in taxes simply to pay interest is immoral. We all know the folly of those who have put too much on their credit cards, and who attempt to live on credit... they pay through the nose.

In my opinion with Tax Levels so high, Governments should seek to have no debt, and to work with a budget in credit. If the budget was in credit, the Prime Minister and Chancellor would need to set out the public finances in a different way, in a bad year they would have to balance to no worse than £0. Taxes should be sought to pay for the next year’s spending and to keep a sensible reserve. It would be illegal to manifestly propose legislation that cannot be met through current taxation, and thus all government expenditure would need to be set in terms of how much each of us would pay in tax over the following year or years. No Government could employ a scorched earth policy of engaging in unfunded spending in the run up to an election. In an emergency the Chancellor or PM could address Parliament - our representatives - and ask permission for to take out a short-term loan on our behalf and set out the implications and costs of such a loan and more importantly explain why they were unable to foresee this need in advance. If Parliament refuses, the PM and Chancellor will have to find the money from existing finances. The reserve would be there for spikes in spending, but our money would be invested and earning money and interest and all spending from the reserve would have to be explained annually at Budget time.

In the event of war, well, this idea would not work... however, debt would be accumulated from £0 or surplus, rather than beginning to rack up more debt on top of a position such as the £1,340 Billion already in place today.

Working in surplus would give the nation a sense of pride that the public finances are in order and provide a greater degree of control over Government, as Government can stop listening to the people they owe money to and listen to what people want their money spent on.

Another crazy idea on this blog perhaps, but makes perfect sense to me. The way to achieve this is to petition the current parties until they relent and accept the responsibility of managing public finances in our interests, not theirs. There is no partisan reason for the continuation of government indebtedness for the rest of time; all that is needed is the realisation that this would be an idea widely accepted by the public... Then for us to use our voices to call for some lines to be drawn and some belts to be tightened.

Sneak Peak - Wikio Sports Rankings

Dan the man at Wikio has granted Football Banter the sneak peak on the Sports Blog rankings... In case you are interested.

My 2010 Predictions

1. David Cameron will be the UK’s next Prime Minister

2. The UK General Election will be on Thursday 6th May 2010

3. Economic recovery in not be achieved in Q1 2010

4. Guantánamo Bay will not be closed in 2010, though it will continue to gradually reduce it’s inmate population

5. The key political and economic concern in Q3 and Q4 2010 will be Inflation… “Hyper Inflation” will be the prophesised buzz words of concern in the media and blogosphere

6. At least two Labour MP’s will be exposed in the tabloids as having affairs in the lead up to the General Election

7. David Miliband will secure the backing of Peter Mandelson and become the next leader of the Labour Party

8. Vince Cable will become Liberal Democrat leader in 2010 with the backing of Charles Kennedy and Ming Campbell.

9. Nigel Farage will unseat John Bercow

10. Here is my very early attempt at some serious Nostradamus forecasting as I predict the GE result in terms of Parliamentary seats.

Conservative Party / UUP – 349 Seats
Labour Party – 212 Seats
Liberal Democrats – 49 Seats
SNP – 12 Seats
DUP – 8 Seats
Sinn Fein – 6 Seats
Independent – 5 Seats
Plaid Cymru – 3 Seats
Social Democratic and Labour Party – 3 Seats
UKIP – 2 Seats
Respect – 1 Seat

2009's Top Referrals

Here is a special mention for my top 10 referrers of the year for 2009

1. Letters from a Tory

2. Unenlightened Commentary

3. Daily Referendum

4. The Voice of the Resistance

5. SNP Tactical Voting

6. Scunnert Nation

7. An All Seeing Eye

8. EU Referendum

9. Subrosa

10. John M Ward

Thanks to everybody for linking here, it is very much appreciated. Without the traffic you send my little efforts would not be worth it. I like to acknowledge those who keep the traffic coming and say thanks to you all.

Here's hoping for a blogging good 2010!

December 2009 - Top Referrals

Here is the list for December's Top 10 Referrals to this blog from elsewhere in the blogosphere, with the movement from last month's position in the brackets.

1. (+2)  The Voice of the Resistance

2. (+5)  An All Seeing Eye

3. (+4)  EU Referendum

4. (-3)  Muffled Vociferaction

5. (NE)  Corrugated Soundbite

6. (NE) The Anger of a Quiet Man

7. (-2) SNP Tactical Voting

8. (+3) Subrosa

9. (+7) Cato Says

10. (-9)  Letters from a Tory

11. Unenlightened Commentary, 12. My Own Doubts, 13. Mark Wadsworth, 14. Britishblogs.co.uk, =15. Guido, =15. Barking Spider, =17. Calling England,  =17 Daily Referendum, =19. Rantin Rab, =19. Scunnert Nation, =19. It Wasn't Me.

Thanks to you all!