Cameron 'governs' the UK? Does he hell!

Exhibit 1: Richard North, EU Referendum, quotes Cameron on the subject of maritime safety saying that:

".......if changes need to be made, including on the issue that the hon. Gentleman raises, of course we will make them."

Exhibit 2: European Commission - Mobility & Transport:


Maritime Safety: Commission requests the United Kingdom to comply with new safety rules and standards for passengers engaged in domestic voyages [IP/12/57]:

"If this Member State fails to inform the Commission within two months of the measures it has taken to ensure full compliance with EU law, the Commission could refer the case to the EU Court of Justice.....The United Kingdom has failed to notify the Commission of all the measures taken to enforce the new Directive although required to do so by 29 June 2011. The United Kingdom has only notified the Commission of partial measures of implementation."

Not maritime. but related:


Driving licences: Commission requests Denmark, Lithuania, the United Kingdom and Portugal to adopt measures on driving licences [IP/12/55]

"Directive 2006/126/EC updates Directive 91/439/EC on driving licences, by for example introducing new driving licence categories and a harmonised period of validity of the driving licence document.......Denmark, Lithuania, the United Kingdom and Portugal still have not fully transposed this Directive into national law, although they were required to do so by 19 January 2011."

January and June 2011? 2011??? Oops!


One wonders who will get put through the carwash and/or keelhauled? Hammond or Greening? The latter is lucky in that she is 'justin' time to qualify.

Afterthought: The two items quoted above were as a result of news from The Albion Alliance Presents - a site well worth bookmarking!

Political principles and democracy

Articles in today's Sunday Telegraph on the subject of HS2, one by Robert Watts and Adam Lusher, the other by Andrew Gilligan, illustrate the lack of political principle and democracy. Both articles are substantially shorter than those in the print edition - which raises a question about censorship on-line, but I digress. As a result some of the points I raise are from the print edition.


On the front page of the newspaper a short 'intro' article by Watts and Gilligan states that documents published last week revealed that 91 per cent of those consulted opposed the scheme. Yet Cheryl Gillan is quoted as stating that she appreciates that there are many people who remain disappointed - but, given there is overwhelming support in the House of Commons across all parties, she believes good progress has been made in improving the protection of the Chilterns. Yet another example of democratised dictatorship!


Justine Greening does not escape condemnation either, because if her views against the third runway at Heathrow are used then her reported statement by Gilligan, one made in 2009, that at every stage the Government has ignored public opinion and shamelessly ignored the grave environmental risk and that the battle to preserve our quality of life is important must also hold true today. But then, in 2009, Justine Greening was just an MP, which lends weight to the argument that attaining high office with all the benefits of position, power and an increased salary, does affect a politician's principles.


Just saying..........




Afterthought: A statement from Greening and link to all the documentation can be found here.

Know thy master........

Patrick Hennessy, another icon of 'journalism', writing in the Daily Telegraph reports on a 'last-ditch' attempt to de-rail HS2.

For someone who purports to be a 'Political Editor', should he not know that a 'comprehensive' strategy for transport, one including road, rail and air is, in fact, out of our hands? Just how many times do I have to point this out? Or this? And just what the hell does someone who qualified as an accountant, but who is obviously at a loss when being questioned on economics, know about chuff-chuffs?

And we plebs have to rely on Hennessy for news, someone who has 5,898 followers on Twitter, someone who obviously knows 'squat-diddly' about that which he 'writes'? Hell, he can't even confirm whether Greening, as Transport Secretary, will have cleared any agreement she may make with Siim Kallas*!

'Sheesh'! We are indeed being fed a load of 'Kebab'!

* And who is Siim Kallas? Just another 'political ladder climber', like Greening!

A philip to the greening of the transport brief?

It would seem the media and twitter are totally enthralled with the Liam Fox saga, presumably on the basis that this news trumps all others, so it would be discourteous to let such important news pass on this blog without at least some attempt to comment with the required degree of gravitas that it deserves.

With the announcement that Philip Hammond has been moved to the post of Defense Secretary, which seems an odd choice as Hammond's defense of HS2 was abysmal to say the least, then this can only be held as yet another questionable decision by what may be termed the chief executive officer of EU region UK. One can only suppose Hammond was delighted with his appointment as he must consider it a 'filip' to his career.

In regard to the appointment of Greening to Transport Minister, one can only hope that she shows more of a grasp of her new portfolio than she did as Economic Secretary, when she got 'trashed' by Andrew Neil on the Daily Politics. As a result of her performance then, it could perhaps be said that prior to wrecking the nations finances even further we should be grateful that she has been moved 'justine' time.

It is a requirement that all comments to this post continue in a similar vein - thank you.

More headaches tomorrow?

We have George Osborne promising a council tax 'freeze' for next year with a reported 'saving of £72 for the average family, an announcement intended to assure the electorate that all is well in the fight against their ever rising bills. As Mark Wadsworth asks, will people really fall for this - a reduction in an in-your-face tax of £1bn whilst increasing stealth taxes (VAT and NI) by 20bn - and not notice? How long will people continue to accept ever increasing bills whilst the cost of foreign aid is set to continue? How long will people accept what amounts to a lowering of their lifestyles whilst continuing to be charged £300 per annum for EU membership? What is really hard to understand also is the public swallowing the myth, one that politicians are only too happy to continue, that council tax pays for all the services they receive, when in fact council tax only provides approximately 25% of a local authorities income stream. What is also hard to accept is that the media seem content to perpetuate this myth.

The Financial Times reports that the drive for deeper integration amongst eurozone member states is causing worry for those outside, with the possibility that those outside will become enmeshed with the eurozone as a result of what is decided within. That the European Commission is increasing their control of member states' national budgets is fact; likewise is fact that the avowed aim of the EU is that it's currency will be the euro. Regardless of the legalities involved - and we all know that the EU does not worry too much about legalities when it wants something - one does have to wonder how long it will be before those 'outside' will be told: Sorry, but you're now 'in'.

An article surfaces today in the Daily Telegraph, one reporting on excessive use of credit cards by the Health & Safety Executive, a move condemned by MPs who last night lambasted the watchdog for “squandering” taxpayers’ money. Odd that this is classified as squandering taxpayers' money yet they did not consider that the case when the expenses scandal became public knowledge; nor that of foreign aid, nor that of EU membership payments.

When wishing to obtain funds from a bank it is necessary to specify for what reason the funds are required and how they will be spent. It is about time that politicians were made aware that taxpayers are their bank and that they too have an obligation to inform us why they require our money and exactly how it will be spent. If only for this reason should our system of democracy be changed and an element of Richard North's "Referism", together with ideas outlined in my "Constitution" series of posts, be introduced.

A statement made today on twitter by @andyholland01 said that the sad truth about this govt is that none of them are very bright* and nobody in the media wants to admit it - how very true.


* Update: See what I mean?