Lisbon Revisited

Exciting news from the Tax Payers Alliance yesterday that the EU is set to make all of its members vote once again on Lisbon. 

This would likely mean that in this Autumn the UK Parliament will need to re-ratify the document, which this time will allow for the additional 18 MEP's who are in attendance and on the pay roll to be able to actually vote in the EU's mock Parliament.

This of course opens a question today, in the last day of the campaign before an election of how each party if returned with a majority would react to what will be a very unpopular vote.

I think we could be certain that the Labour position would be to just ram it through Parliament; after all they did so the first time round despite their manifesto pledge.

The Liberal Democrats would certainly follow suit, and would argue it is a technicality and in keeping with the initial vote.  They would not give us a referendum on this or the wider EU vote they have talked of.

But what would David Cameron and the Conservatives do?  Would a second vote on Lisbon qualify in their "referendum lock" policy?  Would the supposedly more EU Sceptic swath of new Conservative MP's kick up a fuss and demand a that the referendum were were once denied now be granted.

I would genuinely like to know, and I hope if any of my readers are within shouting distance of any candidates today they try and get an answer - because a commitment on THIS SIDE of the election is what is needed.

My guess is that the Conservatives would not give the referendum vote and would push Lisbon through with the support of the Lib Dems and Labour.

I don't need to guess which MP's would work for a referendum on Lisbon, or in fact on a referendum on the wider issue of EU Membership because there are at the time of writing 99 candidates nationally who have taken the Albion Alliance pledge and declared:

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.

If the question of EU membership is your election hot spot and if you are one of the awakening masses that knows that our ailing country cannot be repaired whilst we are subject to EU diktat then we have one day to increase this 99 number and we have one day in which to prod and probe the three factions of the Westminster Cartel on what they are and are not prepared to do for us.  If the LIB/LAB/CON candidates want your vote, get them to pledge before the election to the Albion Alliance pledge so that you can be certain they will do what they say and so that others locally can be informed too.

I hope the 5th May is a busy day on the politics blogs, and I hope that people read and realise that getting out of the EU is the very best thing the UK could do.

Who Can You Trust?

Who can you trust to work towards what you want in this General Election?

That is a tough question of course, but the way to find out is to get those people who want to represent you in Parliament to acknowledge and pledge that they will do what they say they will.  It is in this mindset and fed up of again being betrayed by our political class that James, Ian and David got together set up the Albion Alliance. 

It is because the Albion Alliance exists that I am able to publish the 95 names of the candidates that has had the courage and the conviction to make a simple pledge on this side of the election that if they are elected, they have all declared:

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.

As someone else who feels let down by our continued submersion into the EU leviathian the Albion Alliance has provided me with a mechanism by which look at the candidates running in my area and press my local candidates to get them to state unequivocally whether they feel the same way as I do, and if so to offer more than mere words.  Words alone that one day things will all come good have stranded the UK without the means of real self-determination.  It is time we got serious about what is at stake and how to correct it.

Thus far, just ninety-five candidates out of thousands have been willing and/or able to make this very simple pledge.  Thus these are the only ninety-five candidates that can really be trusted to work for a referendum.  I have included their contact info where I have it, as there is no such thing as an election candidate who could not use a bit more support, or a bit more cash.

Here they are:

Constituency                                   Candidate                                    Party

Aberconwy                                       Mike Wietska                            UKIP

Aylesbury                                         Chris Adams                              UKIP

Banbury                                           David Fairweather                      UKIP

Barnsley East                                  Mark Watson                              UKIP

Bermondsey &                                Loanna Morrison                      Conservative Party
Old Southwark

Bishop Auckland                            David Brothers                              UKIP

Bognor Regis &                            Douglas Denny                               UKIP
Littlehampton

Boston & Skegness                      Christopher Pain                            UKIP

Bournemouth West                       Philip Glover                                 UKIP

Bradford West                               Jason Smith                                   UKIP

Braintree                                         Michael Ford                                 UKIP

Bristol West                                  Chris Lees                                      UKIP

Camborne & Redruth                   Derek Elliot                                    UKIP

Cambridge                                     Old Holborn                                  Independent

Cardiff Central                              Susan Davies                                 UKIP

Carmarthen East &                      John Atkinson                                UKIP
Dinefwr

Chatham |& Aylesford                 Sean Varnham                               English Democrats

Chatham & Aylesford                  Steve Newton                                UKIP

Chelsea & Fulham                      Tim Gittos                                       UKIP

Chesham & Amersham             Alan Stevens                                    UKIP

Chippenham                             Michael Simpkins                            BNP

Christchurch                            David Williams                                 UKIP

Clwyd West                             Warwick Nicholson                          UKIP

Colchester                                John Pitts                                           UKIP

Colne Valley                            Nicola Turner                                    Liberal Democrats

Congleton                                Lee Slaughter                                    UKIP

Crawley                                   Chris French                                      UKIP

Croydon Central                     Ralph Atkinson                                 UKIP

Croydon South                     Jeffrey Bolter                                      UKIP

Devizes                                  Nic Coome                                         Libertarian Party UK

Doncaster North                 David Wilson                                      UKIP

Dover                                   Victor Matcham                                   UKIP

Dudley North                      Malcom Davis                                     UKIP

Ealing, Southall                   Ben Weald                                           English Democrats

East Devon                          Mike Amor                                           UKIP

East Lothian                        Jonathan Lloyd                                    UKIP

East Surrey                         Helena Windsor                                   UKIP

Epping Forest                      Andrew Smith                                       UKIP

Exeter                                   Keith Crawford                                     UKIP

Fareham                                Steve Richards                                      UKIP

Gateshead                             John Tennant                                       UKIP

Gillingham &                        Dean Lacey                                           English Democrats
Rainham

Gillingham &                        Robert Oakley                                       UKIP
Rainham

Glasgow Central                  Ramsey Ewan Urquhart                         UKIP 

Glasgow East                       Arthur Thackeray                                    UKIP

Hampstead & Kilburn         Magnus Nielsen                                      UKIP

Hastings & Rye                   Rod Bridger                                           English Democrats

Hastings & Rye                  Tony Smith                                              UKIP

Hornsey & Wood              Dr Rohen Kapur                                      Independent
Green

Horsham                              Harry Aldridge                                      UKIP

Huntington                         Ian Curtis                                                UKIP

Isle of Wight                      Mike Tarrant                                          UKIP

Kenilworth &                    John Moore                                            UKIP
Southam 

Kingston Upon                 Mike Hookem                                       UKIP
Hull East

Leeds North East               Warren Hendon                                   UKIP

Lincoln                                Nick Smith                                          UKIP

Liverpool, Walton             Joe Nugent                                           UKIP

Liverpool, Wavertree        Neil Miney                                           UKIP

Maidenhead                        Kenneth Wight                                      UKIP

Mid Bedfordshire              Bill Hall                                                 UKIP

Mid Sussex                         Marc Montgomery                               UKIP

Middlesbrough                  Stewart Lightwing                                 UKIP
South & East Cleveland

Monmouth                         Derek Rowe                                           UKIP

Newbury                             David Black                                           UKIP

Newton Abbott                Jackie Hooper                                         UKIP

North Antrim                      Jim Allister                                          Traditional Unionist

North Cornwall                  Ivor Masters                                         UKIP

North Dorset                     Jeremy Nieboer                                    UKIP

North Swindon                  Steven Halden                                        UKIP

North West                        Robert Brown                                       UKIP
Cambridgeshire

North Wiltshire                 Charles Bennett                                   UKIP

Oxford West &                 Paul Williams                                        UKIP
Abingdon

Rochester & Strood         Ron Sands                                            English Democrats

Rochford &                       James Moyies                                      UKIP
Southend East

Sevenoakes                      Alan Bullion                                          Liberal Democrats

Slough                               Diana Coad                                           Conservative Party

Somerton & Frome          Barry Harding                                       UKIP

South East Cornwall        Stephanie McWilliam                         UKIP

St Austell & Newquay     Clive Medway                                     UKIP

St Austell & Newquay    Stephen Gilbert                                    Liberal Democrat

St Ives                                Mick Faulkner                                     UKIP

Sutton & Cheam              Martin Cullip                                        Libertarian Party UK

Tiverton & Honiton        Daryl Stanbury                                     UKIP

Tonbridge & Malling      David Waller                                        UKIP

Truro & Falmouth            Harry Blakeley                                    UKIP

Uxbridge & South            Mark Wadsworth                               UKIP
Ruislip

Weaver Vale                      Paul Remfry                                         UKIP

Wentworth & Dearne       John Wilkinson                                 UKIP

West Suffolk                     Ian Smith                                              UKIP

West Worcestershire      Caroline Bovey                                   UKIP

Westmorland &               John Mander                                        UKIP
Lonsdale

Wirral West                     David Kirwan                                      Independent

Witney                             Nikolai Tolstoy                                    UKIP

Witney                            Paul Wesson                                        Independent

Wythenshawe &           Christopher Cassidy                             UKIP
Sale East

It is NOT too late to pledge, it is not too late to contact your local candidates to ask them to pledge. 

It WILL be too late to do anything about our EU Membership when the final controls are soon ceded to Brussels - Do something about it today!

Albion Alliance Newsletter

The Albion Alliance takes the campaign to the doorsteps.



Well Gordon Brown has finally gone to see the Queen, Parliament has been prorogued and the MP's are no more.

Many have stood down and will disappear like the mist, others will be standing again along with a host of new candidates all looking for your vote in this all important General Election to be held alongside the local authority elections on the 6th May 2010.

The Albion Alliance has decided to now move the campaign into the constituencies along with the candidates, and take the fight for a referendum onto the doorstep.

Has your candidate signed The Albion Alliance pledge yet? If not, we have now produced a printable PDF file that you can present them with at the doorstep when they come canvassing for your vote.

Feel free to tell them that you will only be voting for a candidate who will represent your desire for a democratic vote on the the future of the UK and our relationship with the EU. Feel free to tell them bluntly that if they are not prepared to sign up to

The Albion Alliance campaign, you won't be prepared to vote for them.

If they tell you they have already signed, ask them to sign again as you don't have time to check the database whilst you are on the doorstep, use the PDF file to keep a few printed copies handy by the door. (whether they sign once or twice is irrelevant, so long as they do sign up).

You can download and save the PDF file here http://downloads.albionalliance.org.uk/pledge_form_2010.pdf

In fact, why not print lots of copies of the PDF Albion Alliance pledge and give them out to your neighbours, friends, work colleagues, in the local, in the gym, when you go shopping. The more people who know about The Albion Alliance the better the campaign will work.

Lets make every candidate wonder every time they knock on a door looking for a vote, will I be asked about the EU? will I be asked to sign this pledge. This time, don't let them talk at you, this time, make them listen to you.



NO PLEDGE, NO VOTE.


Good luck and our best wishes

The Albion Alliance team.

Albion Alliance News

[This post has been copied at pasted from Ian PJ on Politics Blog.]


You could be forgiven for thinking we are dormant but nothing could be further from the truth. At this second we’re keeping an eye on the Chris Grayling sacking [or not].

There is much being done in getting the databases up to date, it’s soaking up time and we need your help here. For example, one candidate said today that he pledged but we have no record.

The Albion Alliance relies on accurate data – we have various organizations, MSM, parliament, esp. Brussels etc. coming in to observe, as well as parties themselves and it’s egg on our faces if the data is not up to the minute.

One area of our political arm we’re getting traction through is the tweeting and that has almost taken over our output. The Forum is virtually dormant now – too difficult to get into and we can’t run news so we have the AA Blog to do this. We’re also a bit slow on Facebook as well. We’ve had regional interviews and the MSM is monitoring us but so far we’re not saying much which is new.

Money

I’ve just been approached now about whether we accept donations. Sadly, we don’t – we try to stay clean and unassailable, non-party political and focused on the two issues:

1. addressing the democratic deficit;

2. referendum in one year on the EU.

Too complex?

Some have said there are so many buttons to press to sign the pledges so our techie is looking at that this evening. We’ve made two changes already and will monitor how people are finding it.

I’m running this on my own site, rather than at our own because it’s getting crowded over there. If you are aligned with what we are about and can see your way clear, sign the pledge here if you are a candidate and here if you are a voter.

[James Higham]

Least Worst Option

I have been looking forward to this election for a long, long time.  I have been yearning for the simple pleasure of watching Gordon Brown issue a concession speech on the early hours of 7th May when it becomes clear that his beloved Labour Party has been completely wiped out in the polls with the Great British People having issued a stinging and lasting rebuke to kick the Socialists into the long grass for a decade or so.

But as time has rolled on by and as the election has drawn closer the reality of the situation and that of our politics has become more and more clear.  The three "main" Parties have all set themselves out on a course over the past year that in many ways is spectacularly similar.  Elections are no longer about people voting for what they want their MPs to do, and elections no longer provide for a democratically charged change of direction.  Elections are now used, here in this country of ours as a mandate for Governing in a way that the overwhelming majority of people do not agree with.  Manifestos are no longer adhered to, the policies are largely the same; our function as voters is reduced to changing a few of the main characters every five years or so and even then we are not exactly torn by the selection on offer, we seldom regret not electing certain individuals do we?  We are continuously picking and actively screening for the least worst candidate.  Those who are eventually deselected via ballot go on to lucrative and unelected positions either in the House of Lords or in Europe. 

Why are the political parties in the UK all offering much the same?  The answer is simple, they all must operate within the guidelines of what the EU lets them govern.  In other words, the EU makes the laws for us in the areas in which it chooses, then our Parliament and our political parties operate in the waste land that the EU does not deem important enough to already legislate on.  This election is worse, because post-Lisbon the EU controls so much more and is building the framework to seize control of our markets and our diplomatic service.  Do not kid yourselves that this decreasing sphere of legislative freedom will not get smaller and smaller as the EU expandes again in the coming years.

Look at what according to the House of Lords the EU has sole control over.

Look also at some more seized EU broad controls:

And, they were good enough to share these, though don't forget that EU law has primacy in the UK, so by "share" they mean that they are prepared to and empowered to over rule with anything they disagree with.  You will hear our home grown parties talking about these policies, but run down the list and you will understand that their similarities are based upon the extent in which they think they can manoeuvre without being over ruled by the EU.

And lastly, the these are things the EU likes to control some funding and will be seizing overall control over at a later date.

So with so much hanging in the control of the EU, and with the people we put in Westminster the only ones who can both speak up for us, and maybe, just maybe work to bring control and decision making back to our shores and place it back into the hands of voters it really does matter who we vote for - but don't let any candidate or any party tell you that this election is not about Europe or the EU because it really is.  There are Euro ID Cards, Policing, Harmonised and Centrally Collected Taxes (probably VAT), all to come from the EU before the next UK Election on top of the surrendered competencies.

The only mechanism available to us in the Post Lisbon world is a referendum of the people of the United Kingdom asking for consent to remain in the EU with our present relationship.  There is no other mandate now for withdrawal - even repeal of the 1972 European Communities  Act probably won't do now we have signed into Lisbon as it formalises a drawn out and difficult divorce scenario, one which is designed to deter exit - in keeping with the "progressive" style legislation enacted by the EU which always points in one direction.

If you, like me are completely sick of this scenario, we have one month to make our voices heard.  There are options.  Firstly, there is UKIP who are preparing to fight this election with a promise to provide a referendum on EU Membership.  UKIP are not everybodies cup of tea, but if you are voting with the EU in mind, then UKIP must be considered.  They are clearly a compatible vote for disgruntled Tories. 

There is Jury Team who are a Party of Independents, who have an over-reaching set of shared aims, and at the top of that list is a referendum on continued EU Membership.

A lot of people though will want to still consider the main parties, and for them I would recommend they take a look at the Albion Alliance Pledge Pages, and see just which candidates are prepared to undertake this very simple 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.

I simply can't imagine voting for anybody who would not address this most pressing of issues. If your preferred candidate has no and will not sign up to this, can you trust them to act in your best interests in Parliament?

You can help, even though there is still time for candidates to declare there are 1,004 candidates that have yet to be contacted to see if they will pledge and a further 2,156 who have been contacted but have as yet not stated if they will or will not pledge.  The Albion Alliance is not a political party, it is a cross-party initiative that is open to all candidates - and all they have to do is sign their name up to the above pledge which is hardly asking much of them given how important and how widely popular such action would be.

There is also another option, as I mentioned there is still time to become a candidate.  Most of the seats targeted by the main parties are done and as good as closed.  This country is almost singularly brilliant in its inclusion of independent candidates in our elections, and they are often the most colourful and interesting candidates.  Independents essentially say to the main candidates that you cannot run in my constituency if you will not speak to my issues and I hope that Independent Candidates up and down the country take the fight to the LIB/LAB/CON Alliance of government only so far as the EU prescribes.

Lastly I hope what I am hearing that the new batch of Conservative Candidates being more EU Sceptic than the present bunch is true, but I hope they if elected to a majority government are prepared to act on those instincts.  [They can obviously start by signing the Albion Alliance Pledge!]  The Conservatives are driving people into the hands of UKIP and despite the threat of a Hung Parliament; they seem instead to prefer a hung parliament with a greatly reduced anti-EU vote, than an outright victory with an anti-EU membership vote.  Why is this?  I am one of those people who used to think the Conservatives were right about "being in Europe, but not run by Europe" and that "we can reform from within" but I was a sucker and more importantly I was wrong.  I want the Conservative Party to speak to Conservative issues, and at present it is not really doing that; I hope that this is a short term development and it will soon mend its ways.  But if David Cameron is to issue his "referendum lock" and if he is to renegotiate some powers back to the UK, perhaps he would be so good as to publish the legislation he intends to introduce for this referendum lock, and perhaps he will tell us how he intends to do the impossible and get certain controls back, because until he does I don't believe the Conservatives can make any claims to represent in any way the EU Sceptic and democracy loving millions of voters who still do not know for sure who they are going to vote for.

Albion Alliance Newsletter

Copied & Pasted.



Here we go with the March edition of the Albion Alliance Newsletter, and I do apologise for the late distribution of this as I needed to take some time out to recharge the batteries.

A campaign such as the Albion Alliance is always going to be a bit like an iceberg - the visible part is small but there is a lot going on under the water. However, unlike an iceberg we are not just drifting, but carefully aiming our campaign where we think it will have the most impact, and impact it certainly has had. It is quite clear that those in power as well as the public are watching, listening and taking note, with the campaign being read and acted upon by many.

The main web page and candidate database is constantly being monitored by the big party organisations, with regular visits from amongst others the Labour Party, CCHQ, Cooperative Party, Parliament, European Commission, European Parliament, The Sun, The Daily Telegraph, The Times, Sky News and The Guardian along with literally hundreds of visits from Universities across the UK as well as the public visiting to view the status of their candidates.

One of the biggest impacts that we have seen thus far is that we have been made aware, by candidates, that CCHQ have issued an instruction to all Conservative Candidates not to correspond with us, or if they do then there is a template giving the party line that must be used, and is used consistently. That instruction also indicates that candidates will be deselected if conservative candidates sign the Albion Alliance pledge. It would seem that this party at least is running scared of open debate on the EU, and have apparently also given instructions to TV companies not to include the subject in any forthcoming debates in the run up to the election.

We felt that this level of micro management of candidates over such an important election issue is something that is probably unacceptable to voters, so in order to counter that CCHQ instruction we have added a facility for candidates (of any party) to sign the pledge in secret, where the names of secret pledge candidates will not be released until after the nomination process with returning officers are closed. This is proving to be a popular move.

With the election drawing ever closer, we now feel that it is time to widen the debate. In order to facilitate that we have decided that one of our moves is to launch our own dedicated Albion Alliance blog (http://blog.albionalliance.org.uk/), so that issues relating to the EU, our membership of it and its impact on life in the UK can be brought up and discussed, openly.

Whilst the administration committee will be making regular posts on this new blog, we are also going to open it up to guest posters. This may be from those who already blog elsewhere or from members of the public who have never published their thoughts before and would like an outlet.

The Albion Alliance hope that the provision of this blogging facility will promote debate, awareness and the general exchange of ideas and political viewpoints surrounding UK membership of the EU. Posts for submission do not necessarily have to be purely on the European Union or the need for/against a referendum, but ideally they will link to both those two subjects. You may wish to write about your experiences in getting your candidate to sign up to the Albion Alliance pledge, or how EU laws, regulations or directives impact on your life or even how you envisage the UK working in a de-regulated world.

The only thing we ask is that posts remain polite, do not contain profanities or anything which could be construed as personally defamatory, libellous or racist (sometimes difficult we know), but subject to that criteria it will be published as written. Anything which we feel may cross the outline above we will contact the author with suggested changes, and all posts will be open to comments for which the same criteria will apply. Albion Alliance retain all editorial rights at all times.

If you would like to submit a post for publication, please send your draft to blogposts@albionalliance.org.uk

Now to things more mundane. The bulk of our activities are and always will be correspondence based and technical updates, with the major task at this moment keeping the candidate database up to date, and that\'s not easy. In this we again look for your help. If you look at your constituency in the database and know there are candidates who are either missing or shouldn\'t be there, or any of the details are incorrect, please let us know on media@albionalliance.org.uk and we will amend the relevant entries. Let me thank you in advance for any help you can provide.

Whilst the main thrust of the Albion Alliance campaign is to get the agreement of candidates to sign the pledge BEFORE they are elected, where do we see the Albion Alliance going after the election.

We think that it is going to become apparent to people after the election, when the EU really starts to grip combined with the traditionally lean fiscal quarters meeting the general post-recession politics then this campaign will become more the focus than pre-election. It will become more apparent of the need for us to have an immediate say in where we plan to go as a country, socially and politically.

This is where the Albion Alliance will really have its work cut out to keep up the pressure to give us a say in our future, and again a change in campaign strategy, but for now, please, we ask you to keep an eye on your constituencies, write to or phone your candidates, put as much pressure on them as possible to sign up to the pledge, and if you are a blogger keep up the articles, as this is after all, a basic question of democracy.

Thank you all for your support.

The Team at The Albion Alliance

Great Minds, etc...

If the Conservative Party were on solid ground I would wager that two of the big thinkers at the forefront of the Party would be Lord Tebbit and Daniel Hannan. They are not, and neither is the Conservtaive Party.  It was somewhat endearing to have had a quick look over on the Telegraphs today and see these two basically agreeing with me on some points I have recently tried to make, but they of course being much smarter and better writers put things across much better that I ever could.

Lord Tebbit first. He is saying today that basically people as individuals will generally not understand every facet of every issue in the run up to a General Election, but invariably the British public, irrespective of party political associations have usually returned the right decision in elections, including on four occasions since World War 2 a Parliament that is reliant on coalitions. In fact here is what Lord Tebbit says:

The thought of that brought back to my mind some of the studies by animal behavioural scientists of bees and ants. The brain power of a bee is pretty small and that of an ant even less, yet the hive or the nest seems to be capable of taking far more complex decisions than any of its members. The behaviourists call it “swarm intelligence” and I often wonder if electorates enjoy the same ability.

Not very many individual electors understand quantitative easing, the risks and benefits of early cuts in public expenditure or increases in taxation, or the merits of Blair’s wars. Some may say the same of Members of Parliament, of course – but, whatever the arguments, we ask the electorate to take a decision comprised of judgments on a mass of matters outside their individual competence, and time and time again that electorate delivers a reasonably sensible judgement. Looking back over the last 65 years and 17 general elections, it would be hard to say that any of those results were irrational however much one might have wished that they had gone the other way. On four occasions, 1950, 1964, February ‘74, and October ‘74, the elections led to an indecisive outcome, and it could be well argued that so too would the election of 1951, but for the quirkiness of our system.

Looking at those indecisive results, it seems to me that the swarm intelligence of the electorate was in fact telling the politicians that the choice they were being offered was not one they could be reasonably asked to make. A good example was Heath’s February 1974 question: “Who governs?”

I had said THIS about a week ago:

And it all leads up to what I have written in the past and have more polling on today that people are looking to engineer a hung Parliament because we ain't happy with what's on offer and do not wish to grant any party 5 years.

As implied, this is a recurring theme; People are not happy with what Labour has done and just as importantly the wisdom of crowds seems to me in my conversations to be pointing to the desire for a more traditional Conservative offering. On the economy people actually do want big cuts, they are fed up of paying for a bloated public sector, and want some tax relief. On the EU people are actually taking notice of what is going on, but my take is there is generally no agreed mechanism that everyone sees for which to issue a protest, other that the token offering of the EU elections which even if there were an all UKIP return to the E U Parliament would not really affect the course of how the EU controls us. And more recently I am not detecting any support for the Union and Cabin Crew actions at BA, and I work quite close to Heathrow.

The feeling is that the Private Sector (to which I earn my salary from) is that we took our medicine and made the cost savings needed over a year ago when the credit crunched. The highly Unionised Sectors have been slow and have not had to make the same cuts. The Public Sector has since grown on increased borrowing and low tax yields. So, as far as me and my chums in the productive sector are concerned, were paying for the public sector and want it reduced massively in size, because we are sick of paying for it and as far as the Cabin Crew of BA goes, it seems that you were on a very cushy deal especially looking at your industry, grow up and accept that you are damaging your company to protect an overly generous set up. If a business cannot operate in profit then there will no jobs because the company will fold. Cuts must be spread.

If Mr Tebbit were a little younger I think there would be calls for his inclusion in a Conservative or Coalition cabinet.
Then I moved along and Daniel Hannan has posted a response to his UKIP supporting readers about why he remains in the Conservative Party.

What I’d ideally like – and what I assume my UKIP readers also aspire to – is a situation where UKIP no longer needs to exist: where it can award itself a medal and retire with honour, job done. Obviously, we’re not at that point yet. But I worry that every activist who deserts the Tories for UKIP is retarding the prospects of a Euro-sceptic Conservative Party without taking his or her energies to an alternative party of government.

I realise that I won’t have convinced my UKIP critics with one short post. But I would urge you to ponder one thing. Eventually, the issue will have to be settled in a referendum. If we are to win that referendum, we shall need the support of people on the Left, people on the Right and people in the Centre. UKIP won’t win on its own. So when you come across people in other parties who believe in British independence, don’t snarl at them, or tell them that their support is worthless unless they join UKIP. Encourage them.

Which neatly brings me to… and don’t groan… the Albion Alliance.

Daniel Hannan is of course right that UKIP will not be winning this election, and that UKIP are generally a good bunch who have been driven to UKIP generally because of their understanding of the EU situation. I have been to a few marches and rallies where the turnout is predominantly UKIP, and this is a knowledgeable collection of people who hold a frankly stunning amount of EU Legalese in their heads ready to quote in any conversation. UKIP are a party borne out of an intellectual argument rather than reactionary urges. Thus UKIPers are generally quite polite and open to others opinions. I have never met a UKIPer how was not armed with wealth of information and ready to politely debate policy on any issue to help win over others to their position.

We need a referendum to exit the EU now, and with Lisbon we have passed the point where an “amicable divorce” would be available. By supporting people of others parties who are prepared to say before an election that they too will support that referendum effort we can urge people to vote for people who share the same aim on what many of us consider the greatest of electoral issues and by doing this we can get people into Parliament who are not afraid to make the EU the debate.

Hannan and Tebbit may not have said exactly what I am saying, but we would appear to be of a similar mind in terms of direction. So I only hope their views can resonate more clearly through the halls of the Tory headquarters.

Anyway. Back to the football.

Conservative Voters Are Under No Obligation To Vote Bercow

Glad that clears things up....



Lord Tebbit makes a good point.  Take a look at the candidates who are running and ask yourself if they resonate with what you believe in, and if they will work to the same aims that you want to see.  Indeed, don't just ask yourself those questions, ask the candidates themselves and get assurances before the election.

Ahem.... *Cough*.... Erm... 

For those of you, like me who would like to see politicians put country before party, no matter which party they are standing for, then please go have a read about the Albion Alliance.

Who Makes Your Laws?

Two complimentary posts from the blogosphere today, both from bloggers named James.

First, James Kirkup notes that MPs have again knocked off early, and asks what is the point of the House of Commons?

The gist being that the Commons sat at 11.30am and rose at 4.01pm as there was no business left to discuss.  I would remind that this is hot on the heels of a two week recess.

Second, James Higham lists (and links to) a raft of EU Legislation ready to go (lazily copied and pasted by me):

European Union Directory of Community legislation in preparation:


01 General, financial and institutional matters (number of acts: 55)

02 Customs Union and free movement of goods (number of acts: 41)

03 Agriculture (number of acts: 110)

04 Fisheries (number of acts: 47)

05 Freedom of movement for workers and social policy (number of acts: 33)

06 Right of establishment and freedom to provide services (number of acts: 11)

07 Transport policy (number of acts: 67)

08 Competition policy (number of acts: 2)

09 Taxation (number of acts: 42)

10 Economic and monetary policy and free movement of capital (number of acts: 28)

11 External relations (number of acts: 443)

12 Energy (number of acts: 27)

13 Industrial policy and internal market (number of acts: 85)

14 Regional policy and coordination of structural instruments (number of acts: 17)

15 Environment, consumers and health protection (number of acts: 126)

16 Science, information, education and culture (number of acts: 23)

17 Law relating to undertakings (number of acts: 17)

18 Common Foreign and Security Policy (number of acts: 20)

19 Area of freedom, security and justice (number of acts: 112)

20 People’s Europe (number of acts: 1)

So, don't forget to ask your MP and prospective MPs what the hell they will be getting up to as it seems like the answer will be "not much, the EU makes all the laws now". 
 
If you don't like this, and want to do something about it, please go read about the Albion Alliance and have a think about how you can push for an EU referendum by applying pressure to our MPs and wannabe MPs BEFORE this General Election. 
 
Time is of a premium, if you have not already, get writing today!

Tory Deal With EU

According to Bruno the Conservatives have sent Ken Clarke to Brussels to meet with Jose Manuel Barroso to signal that a Conservative government is one which is not going to cause any trouble to the EU's grand plans.  Bruno, who is based in Brussels, says that:

The two-day visit to Brussels, which begins on Tuesday, by the most pro-EU member of David Cameron's cabinet-in-waiting is seen by European officials as a signal that a new Conservative administration will work with the EU executive rather battling against it.

Ken Clarke will also meet with Michel Barnier who is the French Commissioner for the Internal Market and I would imagine they will discuss the disembowlling of the City of London and gradual handover of power of our markets to the EU Commission.

Such a move should not come as a surprise to anybody but in my opinion is going to be held up as yet another stick with which to beat long-suffering EU Sceptic Conservatives who will again be taking a long hard look at UKIP.

Let me again give reference to the Albion Alliance, who are seeking to get candidates from across all parties to pledge to a referendum on EU Membership before the General Election.  There are a number of candidates who have indicated that they fear being deselected if they pledge before the General Election, and as such the Albion Alliance has introduced a secret pledge function so that candidates can pledge now without fear of the party whip.  Their support will be announced once the General Election has been called, when deselection is no longer an option.  We must maintain and in fact increase the pressure on our MPs and perspective MPs and we have to do it this side of the General Election.  Conservative Candidates can of course pledge, but I suspect they may need a decent indication of local support for doing so.

If you are someone who wants to cast an EU Sceptic vote, but you are not sure if your candidates rhetoric is solid, or if it is all more guff, then what is the harm in spending a couple of minutes to email them?  Just because a candidate has already been emailed, does not mean that with the benefit of repeated requests will be lost on them.

I wouldn't mind wagering that Ken Clarke's trip will grate on those Conservatives who hold the hope that the party will shift to a more EU Sceptic position when in office.

Bin Collections

The Telegraph today reports that bin collections are set to move to a fortnightly service across the country.  I am someone who is already subject to fortnightly collection and I hate it.  In the summer the smell is terrible and despite being a wheelie bin with a lid it still attracts insects and rodents; in the heat it is not uncommon to have maggots crawling all over the top.  There is no way to dress it up; when waste is allowed to fester for upto two weeks it is a health hazard. 

Recently, over the Christmas period I checked my local councils website to see when to put my bin, and my neighbour bin around by the road for collection.  Unfortunately for me, the collection team were working to their own rota and came a day early.  When my bin was not emptied on the allocated day I queried why and could not get a straight answer, but it was a whole additional week before a wagon was able to come and collect. 

Of course, nobody actually wants fortnightly collections, and nobody has voted either locally or nationally for fortnightly collections, so why is this being forced upon us?  It is not a party political issue, for a time The Conservatives were outspoken about this issue, but that was some time ago, and my council is Tory and that has done me no good. 

The reason is that it is an issue not decided by the council or by Westminster; it is as is shamefully so often the case an EU regulation passed down by our real Government in Brussels.  The fact that the Telegraph chooses not to acknowledge this in the article is testament to the hidden hand of power and the shock our establishment is still in... They still refuse to concede that we are living in an undemocratic state.

Voter turnout has in recent years fallen and fallen and may well fall again at the next General Election, despite the stakes being so high.  It is a direct result of our membership of the EU and that people instinctively know how little their votes actually affect how we live our lives.  Decisions are made in committee with the lobbyists and technocrats, submitted as law by the EU Commission, and then either rubber stamped by the EU Parliament or our own hollowed out Parliament.

Want the bins collected weekly?  Want them picked up even more frequently than that? The only way, the only way at all to make that happen is to return sovereign control of our law making to Westminster.  The best way to ensure this is to get our politicians and potential MPs to declare that they are prepared to put country before party before the General Election and take the Albion Alliance Pledge declaring they will work for a referendum on the UK's continued EU Membership.  Get them to pledge now so that they cannot back down on their word this time, and give us a referendum that we want and which our country sorely needs.

Albion Alliance Blogroll

You may have already noticed, I have added an Albion Alliance blogroll to my right sidebar.  This is to list those blogs displaying the Albion Alliance badge on their main page both as advertising and for a prominent link back to the Albion Alliance homepage.

I hope I got everyone, but if not let me know in the comments and if you have the badge, and you support the Alliance I will add you to the blogroll.

The Albion Alliance.... it's the future!

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.