Some thoughts on the AV referendum

A 'Guest Post' by Edward Spalton:

There are some lessons to be learned from this. They need thinking about but  would not necessarily transfer to an in/out EU referendum.

1. Self Delusion by the Liberal Democrats

Electoral reform has been the holy grail of the Liberal and later the Liberal Democrat Party for generations. Through talking amongst themselves they became convinced that “public opinion is moving our way”. It was obvious from the attitude of some of their spokesmen that they really believed the case for AV was so self-evident that nice, reasonable  people could not possibly be against it. In one interview Mr. Huhne, for instance,  likened opponents to the people he most despises – Americans who are not convinced by President Obama's birth certificate! This rather arrogant self-righteousness came across and was very off-putting to the sort of people who are interested in politics, open to persuasion but not deeply committed.

2. Desire to give the Lib Dems a Good Kicking.

Untainted by government responsibility, the Lib Dems were very successful over the years in presenting themselves as the “nice” party, not like those awful, squabbling, dishonest, tribal, thuggish Labour and Tory people. On their first scent of office since 1945, they reneged spectacularly on their manifesto promise about university fees. Arguably the financial situation did not give them much choice but people saw this as outright twisting and hypocrisy, were irritated by their smugness and resolved to take them down a peg or two. In spite of support for AV from members of other parties, people saw it as a Lib-Dem project and voted to show their disapproval of the Lib Dems. This is a lesson for any referendum.

It is true that people do not necessarily vote in answer to the question on the paper. In the 1975 referendum on “Common Market” membership, my late father, a dyed in the wool Tory, said “I don't like this European business but that man Wedgewood Benn's against it – so there must be some good in it”! Anecdotal I know but I am sure this sort of thing, repeated many times,  adds up to a potent  force in the circumstances of any referendum. The choice of “champions” is crucial and Eddy Izzard & Co plainly were not up to the job. There were also blatantly bogus claims for the benefits of AV – it was said that it would “make MPs work harder” and draw a line under the distrust of politicians arising from the scandals over expenses. I cannot think that anybody outside the small group of enthusiasts inside the political bubble (and probably not even them) ever believed either of these things for a moment.

3. The Weight of the Status Quo

I am not sure where the figure comes from but I have heard it said that, in any referendum, there is a built-in bias of around 15% in favour of the existing situation. People are suspicious and nervous of change. This may have played a part here.

4. Absence of Long Term Heavyweight Preparation and Propaganda.

 The calling of the referendum was itself a compromise on a compromise choice of system, agreed only at the beginning of the coalition about a year ago. So no deep manipulation of public opinion was possible, as occurred over several years in the early Seventies before the EEC referendum. The government spin machine was not involved, neither were the main party machines and associated interests, such as trade unions and employers' groups. The campaign was largely confined to the official  period between the calling of the local elections and May 5^th.

£230million propaganda exercise?

Bruno Waterfield, Daily Telegraph, reports on the fact that the EU proposes to spend this amount of money on propaganda campaigns - and the employment of over one thousand spin doctors - to sell the EU to a hostile public. Bruno Waterfield has a history of showing knowledge about the subject of the European Union and what he writes can be taken as 'gospel'. 

It is beholden on me though to pass a comment or two on that which Waterfield writes, although with no detriment in respect of his reporting:

"Projects that are part commission spending next year include £31million over four years on  "information events " targeting journalists.

"The commission wants to continue to connect with citizens and respond to their concerns and interests," said a tender document for the project.

"Informing journalists in a proper way about the EU and its institutions is an important step since they are the link between these two parties. " Journalists get more targeted and precise information and the tools they need to provide citizens with qualified, reliable and timely coverage of the EU."

Nigel Farage, the leader of Ukip, attacked a  "sinister " attempt to   "indoctrinate " journalists.  "Do they think journalists, or the public, are stupid? No amount of money or PR can make people like the EU or stop the press reporting the political reality of Brussels."

If we, in this country, had 'journalists' worthy of the name then I could understand the expenditure, but sadly we do not. What 'reporting' that is done can best be discovered by visiting the site: http://churnalism.com/ which hosts examples of what passes for journalism today, namely 'cut 'n paste' reporting. Hence I have to question: Journalists get more targeted and precise information and the tools they need to provide citizens with qualified, reliable and timely coverage of the EU". Qualified? Reliable? Timely?  - Who, where and when? Unfortunately, with regard to Nigel Farage's question whether both journalists and the public are stupid, then the answer must be yes - because (a) the journalists are stupid which means that (b) because of journalistic stupidity the public are likewise.

It is worth noting - as an aside - that Open Europe, who produce many noteworthy briefing papers, are basically not what they seem in that they are quite content for this country to remain within the EU under certain conditions of their choosing. That opinion is borne out by the quoted statement of Mats Persson who maintains that what the EU needs is reform. If the EU believes, as it obviously does, that 'spin' is needed to 'inform' the public about the benefits of membership, then it is hardly surprising, in this age of transparency, that 'open' [sic] europe should do likewise!

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

Update: GoodnightVienna, Calling England, has also posted on this story - although she does it so much better and with humour!

Political Posturing

With Europe Day next Monday, Twitter is alive (well, at least as far as Laura Kuenssberg is concerned) with discussion on who will fly the EU flag - or not. We have the BBC, (of whom Laura K is an employee) with their usual impartiality, stating that:

"Downing Street will not fly the EU flag over Number 10 during Europe Day on Monday unlike previous years, the BBC has learned. Some other departments, including the Treasury and Foreign Office, will also not hoist the European symbol.But the Liberal Democrat Vince Cable's Department for Business will raise the blue and gold flag."

Naturally, being the BBC, there is no mention of what the actual regulations are, thus helping to publicize yet another non-story. Of course the fact that the BBC is a receiver of EU grants has nothing to do with their inability to practise investigative journalism?

The EU directive regulating who should fly the EU flag on Europe Day is Commission Regulation (EC) No 1828/2006, Article 7, which states:

"The managing authority shall be responsible for organising at least the following information and publicity measures: …“(c) flying the flag of the European Union for one week starting 9 May, in front of the premises of each managing authority" 

 The European Commission says that just two Whitehall departments are managing authorities for these funds, Eric Pickles' Communities Department, and the Department for Work and Pensions. anyone else flying the EU flag on Europe day next Monday will be doing it by choice - so that shows where Cable's true allegiances lie!

This entire affair about flying the EU flags is a perfect example of politicians accepting a non-story and then using the paucity of truth contained in such a story to present a picture of standing up to EU diktats, thus  demonstrating their "Euroscepticism".

One is reminded of: "where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise" (from Thomas Gray's poem "Ode on a distant prospect of Eton College" - 1742). This demonstrates how the political class rely on the ignorance of the public where matters EU are concerned. Were the political class wise to be honest, it cannot be illogical to presume the anti-EU mood within this nation would increase to such an extent that the failure of our politicians to agree to a referendum on EU membership would mean their life expectancy would be extremely short.

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

Energy sustainability helps lead to fiscal non-sustainability.

On matters 'climate' Watts Up With That and Bishop Hill are leaders in debunking environmentalists wild and inaccurate claims. Unbeknown to some there exists another blog, NoTricksZone, edited by P. Gosselin in Germany that is well worth reading.

From NTZ we learn that the entire environment scam has been torpedoed by the IMF, ECB and the EU who have, in effect, certified that energy sustainability = fiscal non-sustainability. 

Anyone seen this little gem reported in our MSM?

UN/EU - further news

Further to my post on the subject of the EU having been granted the right to address the UN, my thanks to Ian Parker-Joseph who points me to the fact that the JEF and UEF call on the governments of member states, their Parliaments, the European Commission and the European Parliament to demand a single permanent seat in the Security Council; and that the seat should be given to the EU Foreign Minister. At the same time it is also seen that the EU Parliament is to debate exactly such a motion this coming Wednesday.

Of course the present incumbent of the post of Foreign Secretary, William Hague, doesn't acknowledge Cathy Ashton, according to a report in EUobserver and he has also conveniently forgotten the infamous words of one Jose Manuel Barroso who told a news conference the person to call on foreign policy issues was Cathy Ashton, who had just been chosen as the European Union’s foreign affairs chief and that  The “so-called Kissinger issue is now solved”.  It may be remembered that Nigel Farage told Van Rompuy that he had the status of a low-grade bank clerk - and the same title can be bestowed on William Hague.

The inability of our political leaders to see the 'writing on the wall' beggars belief where the European Union is concerned, a fault compounded by the majority of their MPs. It is also disingenious for Cameron to pledge to save the Union, following the electoral success of the SNP, whilst continuing to agree to membership of the European Union, whose sole aim is the dissolution of the nation state.

Richard North, EU Referendum, posts on the aftermath of the AV referendum and, linking to Simon Heffer's article in the Daily Telegraph, writes:

"What we are about to see, however, is an orgy of self-interest, where Dave and his vapid little mates will now turn their energies to a contest which will cement their personal positions in the unreal world of Westminster, where they may preside over the continuing decline of a once-great nation."

so, no change there then!

The hypocrisy - a quality that appears to be a prime requisite for any politician - and the ineffectiveness of Hague is best illustrated in my post of two days ago. It is extremely sad that not one report has been seen in the MSM querying, or criticising Hague for the inconsistency contained in his remark.

A totally improbable scenario springs to mind, but bear with me. All members of the armed forces must "attest" their allegiance to the Queen on joining. One wonders how many of those - omitting the upper echelons such as Generals, Admirals etc - are themselves sick of the political shenanigans they witness, are incensed at the degeneration of our nation, which in turn poses the question: how long will it be before we in this country see them rebel resulting, possibly, in a military takeover? Far-fetched? Agreed, but also consider if and when the people do take to the streets in open rebellion, how many of our armed forces would actually fire on their own people?

The fact that I have to pose such a scenario as that above demonstrates the nadir to which we, as a nation, has sunk.

Star "Hot totty" - an EU Commission read?

The Daily Star is probably best know for their "Babes" page, which some would hold is the main reason for their sales. Others, of a patronising nature, claim that the intellectual ability of the Star's readers leaves a lot to be desired.

The latter opinion probably accounts for the fact that amongst their readership, it would appear, is one Johannes Hahn, EU Commissioner for Regional Policy.

It is ok Johannes - we know that when the EU's idea of totty is Cathy Ashton, Neelie Kroes or Vivienne Redding, the mind tends to wander.................... (neat way to cover-up why you read the Star, by the way!)

H/T: An email correspondent.

Thursday 5th May 2011

Posting for today and tomorrow will of necessity be light and not commence until the evening.

This should be an interesting speech.......

On Twitter @ToryPressHQ has announced:

"Speech by WilliamJHague tonight 'The idea of freedom cannot be confined behind bars, however strong the lock."

No other details have been provided in respect of venue etc and the content is eagerly awaited on this blog. However it will be interesting to see how William Hague balances that statement against the situation in which the British people find themselves unable to have a say on the UK's membership of the European Union; constrained by bars imposed as a result of a decision by him and his ilk.

Perhaps William Hague - and others - may well recall that statement amongst their last thoughts when the time comes for them to adorn a lamp post!

It could only happen in Britain!

Inspector Gadget posts on his force's idea of countering any increased terrorism following the death of bin Laden:

"Here in F Division Ruralshire Constabulary, we had to put up with a nonsense briefing from a local SB officer about how the killing of Bin Liner may have ‘consequences’ in the Shire. We were advised about the possible threat, informed about what Ruralshire Special Branch are doing about it and warned of the dangers of a lack of vigilance.

Our management responded by allocating a PCSO to keep an eye the local Indian takeaway. I kid you not."

Were it not for the tears of laughter obscuring my vision I might post more...................

Nigel Farage on UN speaking rights for the EU

From the UKIP website:

"The EU's speaking rights at the UN is another step on the road to the UK's international irrelevance. The end of our Permanent Seat is the goal of Federalists. And this latest move at the UN shows it is near being accomplished. 

Britain, having stood alone - together with our kith and kin in The Commonwealth - against German domination of Europe and having expended a huge amount of blood and treasure in bringing about the defeat of Germany, was after WWII accorded a Permanent Seat on the Security Council of the UN, together with the right to veto UN Resolutions and activities.

Such recognition was only just in view of what we had achieved and what we had expended. Yet exactly 66 years, almost to the day, after VE-Day, a British Ambassador, in one of the most shameful acts of betrayal since Munich, voted to grant the European Union "  Special Observer"   status at the UN.

Why does this matter, you might ask?

It is because this is the next step along the road to Britain being deprived of its permanent seat and its voice at the UN Security Council.

This is but another product of the Lisbon Treaty, a treaty upon which each the present British Political Class conspired to prevent the British people expressing their opinion.

Much of the Lisbon Treaty was devoted to the establishment of a "  common foreign and security"   policy and to the creation of an EU Diplomatic Service to underpin it. And in a crucial move, the Treaty gave the EU the right to enter into foreign relations - to sign Treaties, Conventions and International Agreements and the like - thus ensuring the EU fulfils the conditions to be recognised as itself being a Sovereign Independent State in international law.

Just think for a moment what the implications of that phrase "  common foreign and security policy"   are.

It means that the EU will have its own foreign policy. If it does so, the UK and other member states cannot properly have a voice at the UN: for the conceit is that the EU will be talking for us. There can be no such thing as a "  British Foreign Policy"   if there is an EU "  common foreign and security policy".

And the clear logic of that is that the UK (and France) will have to surrender their Permanent Seat at the UN and yield it up to the EU.

So, on great occasions, it will no longer be William Hague sitting there theoretically fighting Britain's corner but the second-rate used politician the European Political Class raised from considerable obscurity to be its Foreign Minister - none other than Baroness Ashton of Upholland.

And be sure of this, she will not be fighting Britain's corner.

She will be doing the work of Germany and France and all the rest of them.

And how will she wield the veto that will go with the EU's accession to our Permanent Seat? Is it to be imagined that this erstwhile Treasurer of the pro-Moscow CND and lover of the General-Secretary of the British Communist Party will be giving the USA her enthusiastic support when the security of the West is threatened?  

The end of our Permanent Seat is the goal of Federalists. And this latest move at the UN shows it is near being accomplished."

And so the ingestion by the European Union of the United Kingdom, which was once a free and sovereign nation, proceeds.

Has the time not come when, forgetting their differences, the people of Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England speak with one voice and say: "Enough, this stops right now!"?

Anne Milton - Minister lacking a brain? (Whats new?)

The Evening Standard carries a report that Anne Milton, a health minister, has suggested that cars should be banned from using roads on a Sunday in order to allow children to play outside and thus assist the fight against obeisity.

"On Sundays they close certain streets (in Colombia) so that everybody can play in them. That is an outstanding idea,"   she told MPs. "  Before constituents email to complain about their streets closing, I should say that I accept it would not work everywhere."

I leave readers to comment on the illogicality of this proposal, suffice it to say this woman should perhaps be in a house for the insane, rather than a house for politicians. As with the majority of MPs, Anne Milton shows that attribute for which politicians are becoming renowned - that of not engaging brain prior to opening mouth.

Is it any wonder that obeisity is prevalent amongst children when physical activity is curtailed for health & safety reasons? Google "school sport banned for health & safety" and see reports where the sack race and three-legged races have been banned. It is years since I have seen schoolchildren out on cross-country runs, for example - an activity prevalent in my day.

Anne Milton remains astounded to discover thatpeople have probably had their daily allowance [of calories] just in a snack on the way to work. Seems to me it is about time that Guildford elected someone as their MP who bears some resemblance to a human being, especially where the possession of a brain is concerned.

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

The future is not bright

And it most certainly is not "Orange", but rather blue with yellow bits (in more ways than one!).

GoodnightVienna, CallingEngland, has a brilliant, well-crafted post which laments our future and the present spineless and mis-guided behaviour of our political elite in which she writes:

"......Within a generation or two the oldsters who remember what things used to be like will have died off, their voices diminishing over the years. Youngsters who have been brought up in this multi-culti, anti-democratic hellhole will know no better and accept the status quo........."

Nothing illustrates the manner in which future generations are being "brain-washed" as part of their education than this report in the Express newspaper:

"Schools are also being sent instructions from the European Parliament on how to celebrate Europe Day. Recommendations include assemblies with an EU theme for all pupils and even setting up a European Cafe that only accepts euros........The leaflet for schools across the UK is from the UK Office of the European Parliament entitled: “A few ideas on how to celebrate Europe Day.” Advice includes: “Hold an assembly on the meaning of Europe Day. “Set up a European cafe in school using Euros/European currencies and arrange a lunch. Learn the national anthems of other EU member states and sing songs of European origin. Write a short story about Europe."

Then of course there is the matter of it being mandatory to fly the European Union flag (you may recall that mention of the European flag was dropped from the original Constitution) on "Europe Day", Monday next. The Coalition's windbag, Eric Pickles, is indignant:

"Not only is it unacceptable to threaten to fine people for not flying a flag, this is unnecessary and pointless red tape. The European Union should be focusing on ensuring that taxpayers are receiving value for money, and clamping down on fraud and corruption in EU-funded project."

Pickles does not deny that he will not refuse to comply - as of course, he cannot - so what is the point of him and his position of Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government; which, come to that, begs the question just what is the point of any government minister?

We now learn that the United Nations has given the right to the European Union to speak at the UN on behalf of its 27 member states.

One can but wonder what those who lost their lives  during the fight to preserve the freedom of their country against totalitarianism would say, were they able to speak?

Update: On the subversion of future generations, there is also this little exercise being carried out! (H/T: The Albion Alliance Presents)

"Ten Cannots"

According to Wikipedia John Henry Boetcker was an American religious leader and influential public speaker. Born in Hamburg, he was ordained a Presbyterian minister soon after his arrival in the States as a young adult. Rev. Boetcker was raised in Eyrie, Pennsylvania and ordained in Brooklyn, New York where he quickly gained attention as an eloquent motivational speaker. As Wikipedia intimates, Boetcker is probably most famous for his "Ten Cannots":

• You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
• You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
• You cannot help little men by tearing down big men.
• You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
• You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
• You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money.
• You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
• You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.
• You cannot build character and courage by destroying men's initiative and independence.
• And you cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they can and should do for themselves.

Now, where exactly, was it that our political class lost their way................?

More political "brass-necked" communitarianism

CallingEngland posts and links to an article on the the planned integration of North America, Canada and Mexico - follow her link to the New American for an interesting read.

On a similar topic of communitarianism, Nellie the Elephant Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda, has delivered an address at the launch of "Internet of the Future Public-Private Partnership" - aka "Now how do we in the EU get our grubby mits on this".

Just just a few days ago I posted about the censorship aims of the European Union and it is noticeable that in her address, at the end, Kroes states:

"The ideas from you with the right European regulatory environment!"

This entire address - and do read it all - is nothing but a smokescreen to cover the aim of the European Union, one which is total control over every aspect of our individual lives, ie thought, word and deed.

She might just "Neelie" pull this off, within her given area of responsibility, unless we give her, her colleagues and the whole 'kit and kaboodle' the toe end of our boots - something one can only hope occurs in North America, Canada and Mexico.

Calm down dear (chaps)

Via Paul Waugh on PoliticsHome comes news of the success story of a paper candidate in the Canadian elections.

Please note I am not implying that being young, pretty (?), with long blonde hair and big brown eyes were factors in her success - factors which political opponents of Angela Eagle will not need to consider.

Just though y'all would like to see what Canadian socialism looks like........

Unbelievable Hague

William Hague, speaking against the introduction of a change to the voting system, at a No2AV rally:

"The most serious problem of all with AV is it that puts an end to the idea of equal votes and in doing so begins to undo two hundred years of British political progress."

Err, Mr, Hague: what about the undoing of more than two hundred years of self-governing independence that membership of the European Union has caused? I would have thought this a far more serious problem than discussing whether to change the method by which we select either blue, red or yellow "rubber stamps" that are necessary to implement orders from Brussels.

Just asking, like............................

War is war!

If defining the word "war", in the context of fighting terrorism, totalitarianism or any other oppressive doctrine in the name of democracy, it is accepted that "the means (whatever that may involve) justifies the ends", then I am amazed at the comments/criticisms on Twitter about Osama bin Laden not having received "due process of the law".

"War" comes down to one basic element: kill or be killed. It is most definitely applicable to the "war" on politicians, because either we "kill" them or, as sure as God made little apples, they intend to "kill" us - and I can assure politicians that, come the revolution, they will definitely not have recourse to "the due process of law"!

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

Norwich North "Babe" spouts more political dogma

Chloe Smith, Norwich North Conservative MP, has been attempting to impress her constituents once more, this time stating that members of the community should see it as a duty to resolve matters of anti-social behaviour.

Ever the politician, she obviously believes that yet more law is the answer to anti-social behaviour and whilst wishing for communities to resolve anti-social behaviour, she probably realises that were the community to do just that she probably would not like the manner in which they solved it. Because she is still in her twenties she can be forgiven for not knowing that years before she was born there was little anti-social behaviour and what little there was was promptly dealt with.

It is noticeable that young Chloe does not seem able to accept that  decades of social meddling and social engineering by successive governments, combined with our enforced acceptance of rulings from the ECHR, has tipped the balance in favour of wrongdoers. As Greenwich Millenium Village Sucks writes:

"Gypsies arrived about a month ago [..] illegally occupied several parking bays along West Parkside and parked on the pavement in Greenwich Millennium Village. If anyone else tried parking for more than two hours at a time in the same bay, they would be fined by the council."

It is not unreasonable to question how a crime prevention injunction would stop issues like those in Greenwich Millenium Village - issues which happen all over the country. Chloe Smith is also being disingenious by promoting government policy as, being a Whip, she must not speak against government policy - something hardly helpful for her constituents.

We all know by now that hoping to hear some common sense, or the truth, from our politicians is somewhat folorn and it also seems no matter the subject, half-truths, obfuscation or lies is all that they can manage. From the same area, Norwich, comes yet another story illustrating political disingeniousness:

Leaving to one side any arguments for, or against, AV; bearing in mind the letter implies that abuses of the system under AV will be less likely, it is surprising to see the name of Ian Gibson amongst the signatories. Ian Gibson, it will be recalled, was the previous Labour MP - who also probably thought he had a job for life - who was deselected by his party for misuse of public funds, namely using his parliamentary expenses to help pay for his daughter’s London home before selling it to her for around half its market value. What is also surprising is that representatives of other political parties, having also signed the letter, are prepared to be associated with Gibson. I fail to see how any voting system will stop a politician abusing the system if he/she is intent on exploitation of whatever rules may be in force.

For as long as political parties control the selection of candidates; control how the elected MPs can represent their constitutents; and insist that loyalty to party comes before loyalty to constituents, even country, then all politicians will be regarded with suspicion by their electorates.

Reverting to Chloe Smith, according to Wikipedia, amongst her political stances is opposition to the Lisbon Treaty, yet reference to They Work For You shows that she voted moderately for more integration with the European Union. According to TWFY record of all voting, not once has Chloe Smith voted against the Government, something, as stated previously, she cannot do in her position as a Conservative Whip. One wonders what her constituents views on that record are!

Sunday Pause for Thought

European Union: You don’t need a treaty to have free trade. – Murray Rothbard

Elections: A man is none the less a slave because he is allowed to choose a new master once in a term of years. – Lysander Spooner

Big State: As the state grows, one’s sense of self-ownership is destroyed, liberty is traded for “security,” the human spirit diminishes, and the citizenry increasingly thinks and behaves like dependent children. Eric Englund in Income Taxes, Obesity, and Other Maladies of Nanny Statism 2/28/05.

The problem is big government. If whoever controls government can impose his way upon you, you have to fight constantly to prevent the control from being harmful. With small, limited government, it doesn’t much matter who controls it, because it can’t do you much harm.  Harry Browne

Taxation: What the government gives, it must first take away. John S. Coleman

Politicians: There’s small choice in rotten apples. (attributed: William Shakespeare)

If we all stop voting, will they just go away? – Bumper Sticker

Those are my principles. If you don’t like them, I have others. – Groucho Marx

The problem with political jokes is they get elected. Henry Cate VII 

I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody Bill Cosby

The politicians’ three R’s: this is Ours, that is Ours, everything is Ours. – Anonymous

 Freedom: The war on “terror” will never be over, it will just change locations. Like the war on drugs, prostitution, pornography, and the many others that will follow, it is a war on humanity. These wars will never be won; the State will just keep creating new boogiemen to frighten us with. The sheep will anxiously anticipate the next fall guy the State offers up as a sacrifice for the war on whatever happens to be next. Be careful, the next pawn could be me or you. Mike Wasdin

To protect us from terrorists our government treats us like terrorists. Hal O’Boyle

We get to go to the polls every couple of years and choose between two flavors of the same gruel. The inmates get to elect the guards. Then, having exercised our rights as free citizens of a great social democracy, we go back to obeying orders. Hal O’Boyle 

 

The government says: You are free to do anything we want. Anonymous

Political beliefs: The next time some academics tell you how important “diversity” is, ask how many Libertarians there are in their sociology department. Thomas Sowell 

Markets: How many libertarians does it take to screw in a light bulb? None. The free market will handle it. Anonymous

Social Workers: Remember that the key words in the sentence “I want to help you” is “I want”. Anonymous

Please note the quotations have been 'married' to subjects - they were not necessarily said in respect of the subject to which they are linked.

The lunatics really are in charge of the asylum

An Englishman's Castle posts on a story in the Sunday Times, a report that states wind farm operators in Scotland were paid nearly £900,000 to keep their turbines idle for a night because the National Grid did not need the power.

Anna Raccoon posts on the idiocy of Sandwell Council, a story which again involves wind turbines.

Calling England notes that the Government - Eric Pickles - has only just discovered the Manche region of the European Union. Just where the hell has Pickles been since he was first elected MP for Brentwood back in 1992? Exactly how does he plan to "fight these plans, stop this waste and protect England’s national and local identities from EU empire-building"? Pickles can no more stop this than he can the incoming tide. Pickles has either had his head buried deep inside his rear orifice or he is practising the political art of disingeniousness, an artform for which he and his kind are famous.

What this country needs is more unemployed politicians!