Why Royal Mail Is Totally F****d

Tories plan to sell off all of strike-hit Royal Mail

The Tories will sell off Royal Mail not because it fits their privatising instincts but because they have to. Three EU postal directives compel it.

The Universal Service Obligation, which is to protect the basic system, will also disappear in the form that we know it. So, whatever the politicians say in public and whatever the ignorant wankers in the media parrot, the 6 day delivery is on the way out.

Read it for yourself:

* The Universal Service Obligation (USO):

The USO means that, under EU law, all citizens must have their mail collected and delivered at least once a day, five days a week. But, universal service providers are concerned that it will be impossible to do this under full competition.

Providing such a frequent and ubiquitous service to all citizens – whether they live in the city centre, up a mountain or on a small island – is expensive and, up till now, the “reserved area” was the main mechanism that allowed incumbent operators to finance the cost.

Indeed, the reserved area enabled incumbents to maintain a lucrative monopoly over the delivery of letters weighing less than 50 grammes, thereby allowing them to offset losses made on high-cost customers with profits made on low-cost ones.

Once this monopoly is abolished, the fear is that new market entrants will grab hold of the most profitable activities – such as business-to-business deliveries in cities – while neglecting more isolated customers. This would cause incumbent operators to lose the necessary resources for servicing the more vulnerable.

The final directive however identifyies a number of flanking measures that countries can use in order to ensure that the provision of universal service remains financially viable in a competitive market.

Such measures could include funding mechanisms, such as direct state subsidies, cross-subsidisation from profit-making to loss-making activities or the creation of a compensation fund through the introduction of fees on new service providers or users.

* Flexible funding for USO:

The new Directive would allow governments to finance the cost of providing a universal service in the way that best suits their particular situation, so long as it does not distort the market. The Commission is even open to allowing state aid.

But traditional operators are wary of this option because, in the long term, national budgets are always under pressure. Instead, they favour a “competitor-pays” system, where market entrants would be charged fees, in exchange for market or infrastructure access. Such a ‘compensation fund’ is not endorsed by private companies.

Following a request from Parliament, the Directive includes an amendment requiring the Commission to issue 'detailed guidance' on how to calculate the net cost of the universal service in order to create legal certainty, ensure a level playing field among operators and avoid violations of competition law.

For more information on the various funding alternatives, see our LinksDossier on Financing Universal Service.

All talk about state subsidies is misleading because these, of course, are regulated by the EU.

Labour's Fake Democracy Youth Propaganda Wing

On the tv this morning delightful scenes of young people at the Houses of Parliament to learn about our democracy.

All arranged by a charity called UK Youth Parliament, aka Democracy for Young People Limited, Charity no 1084716.

A quick look at the accounts to see who's funding this project reveals what's going on:

Principal Funding Sources

The Department for Children, Schools & Families (DCSF) which succeeded the Department for Education & Skills (DfES) from 29 June 2007, provided Core Grant funding to the charity. In 2007/08 this consisted of £152,000. This funding supports the central team and some core work in the regions. In addition, DCSF gave an additional £40,000 for participation work. All of this latter funding went towards work in the regions with young people. The combined total of these grants was £192,000 which equalled that given in the previous year. Funding from the Department for the second year of the successful Strategic Fund bid continued bringing in £136,000 and it also made smaller grants for specific activities including £20,000 for work with Young Muslims.

Additionally UKYP received funding from other Government Departments for a number of events and projects. These included The Ministry of Justice Innovations Fund (£14,700), the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) which funded Climate Change events with nearly £30,000, and the Department of Transport which funded activities around Road safety (£4,951). The Metropolitan Police Authority continued with its funding for activities to tackle knife and gun crime (£7,000 received in 2007) and the Children's Workforce Development Council funded work in London Region with youth workers, but the largest single amount of funding -£219,440 - came through "v", the independent charity championing youth volunteering in England for a series of events to develop active citizenship and volunteering amongst young people across England.

UK Youth Parliament's long standing partnership with BT continued with activities detailed elsewhere in this report. £75,000 sponsorship was received in the year, £50,000 of which is included in sponsorship - Circles of Influence. A new Corporate sponsorship arrangement was agreed with the MWH Engineering Group linked to a donation of £30,000 and further support for specific activities including Climate Change.

Readers may recognise the fake charity "v", described here as "the independent charity championing youth volunteering in England", but which is just another government propaganda outfit.

All rather nauseating when you know that no government in living history has done so much to destroy, bypass and reduce the democratic procedures of Parliament and has futhermore signed away our independence and sovereignty to the European Union without even the decency to give us a vote on the matter.

They won't be telling those kids about that, will they?

Imagine…. « Charon QC - UK Charnel House of Liberties

Imagine…. « Charon QC

Imagine a country where the right to trial by jury has been undermined, where an individual can be tried twice – the rule on double jeopardy abandoned – where well over 3000 new crimes have been enacted in the past ten years; where racial, sexuality and religious tensions are said to need the protection and might of law...

Read on.

My Favourite Frenchman - PY Gerbeau

This morning I was delighted by the spectacle of a Frenchman criticising not just the prospect of Tony Blair as President of the EU Council but the very EU project itself - on the BBC morning show.

It must have come as a bit of a shock to the witless presenters to hear PY Gerbeau say repeatedly that there was no need for a President, that it would be ridiculous for a Briton to be President, given the UK's dislike of the EU, that they had not been given a referendum on Lisbon, that nobody except the politicians wanted a federal Europe, and that the EU should just be a trading zone and not a superstate churning out more and more legislation.

Simpering inanely next to him was some Labour drone dribbling on about the need to act together against climate change, blah, blah, blah and completely avoiding taking up Gerbeau's points.

She also failed to acknowledge that we, the people, don't get a vote on who gets to be President. Labour and the EU both share a common approach to democracy - they make sure it doesn't happen.

European Naval Force - The EU Navy

Somali Pirates Attack, Board Thai Vessel, EU Naval Force Says - Bloomberg.com

Even before the Lisbon Constitution comes into force the EU has been busy putting together its own armed services.

I noticed that even the BBC yesterday occasionally referred to the 'EU' or 'European' Naval ships, etc. The link in the article will take you to EU NAVfor. Little by little.

Not content with taking our cash and our sovereignty, they're also taking our armed services.

Paranoia in the playground

Paranoia in the playground | Henry Porter | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

Listen to mayor Dorothy Thornhill. Her council has just banned parents from watching their own children at two council play areas in Watford. Quoted in the Watford Observer this evidently simple-minded woman says, "Sadly, in today's climate, you can't have adults walking around unchecked in a children's playground."

Instead of parents being able to watch and play with their own and other people's children at the Harwoods and Harebreaks recreation grounds, vetted council staff known as "play rangers" will be in charge. The mayor says that this enforces government policy.

Actually that's not true because no government policy has yet determined that parents may not supervise their own children in a playground. It seems possible that the mayor and her appalling council may be in breach of article 8 of the Human Rights Act – the right to family life. A mother of three named Rebekah Makinson was quoted by reporter Neil Skinner as saying: "Banning parents from an open access playground, I feel, is a breach of our personal freedom."

Can you hear the sound of something about to snap?

A Euro Border Police Force?

In Le Figaro Éric Besson et Pierre Lellouche, Minister of Immigration, Integration, National Identity and Solidarity Development (yes, even the French have these ridiculous posts) and Secretary of State for European Affairs respectively, argue for a European border police:

We're proposing that the EU eventually provide itself with a European border police, as a completely indispensable complement to the freedom of movement established in the Schengen area. There will certainly be no call for this European police force to replace the activities of the national border guards. It should support member states wherever Europe is faced with exceptional trafficking activity. It favours a communal approach to employing the means and co-ordinated action needed to dismantle trafficking networks.

As if having British goons working for the Border Agency isn't bad enough, now these French jokers want to replace them with foreigners.

Now why would they want to do that?

EU Commission Considers Direct EU Taxes

Secret plan for Euro income tax

Proposals included in a draft report by the Commission on the budget include phasing out the UK's rebate:

"The justification for the existence of the remaining correction [rebate] in favour of the United Kingdom, and corrections on this correction, disappears progressively.

In any event, the ultimate objective is to eliminate all the correction mechanisms."

Other suggestions are to slash the CAP budget (French farmers, for whose benefit the whole thing was devised, are already sharpening their pitchforks); and raising direct tax from "communication charges (SMS), financial transactions and levies related to aviation [departure tax or kerosene]." A lot more can also be filched away out of anything that comes under the green/emissions-reducing category.

Not to be forgotten, of course, is the fact that the EU's budgets for the last dozen years have not been signed off by auditors because they're a mess.

EU Allows Govt To Break Up Banks

Government to break up the banks -

Lloyds, Royal Bank of Scotland and Northern Rock will be broken up and parts of their businesses sold off to create three new banks, it emerged last night...The European Union will today approve the split of Northern Rock into two sections, a "good", profitable, bank with no bad debt, and a "bad" bank. Ministers will begin exploring sale options at the start of next year when the split happens and a deal could be finalised before the general election. The remaining "bad" bank will remain in state hands for the time being although sales of "tranches" of the more risky mortgages it holds will be explored in the longer term.

Shouldn't this have happened right at the start, instead of keeping them going with taxpayers' cash?

Also good to know we'll be lumbered with the 'bad' bits of Northern Rock.

And good to know the EU will let us do all this. Thanks, chaps.

Kelly Report Proposes Cuts To MPs' Expenses

MPs face ban on claiming expenses for second home mortgage

MPs would be banned from employing their family members in the Commons and from receiving taxpayers' money to pay the mortgage interest on their second homes under proposals expected to be published next week.

I note that the media (in this case Sky News on tv) last night reported this as if it had been actually put in place, rather than being a set of proposals.

Councils And Quangos Can Now Seize Your Assets

Councils get ‘Al Capone’ power to seize assets over minor offences - Times Online

Draconian police powers designed to deprive crime barons of luxury lifestyles are being extended to councils, quangos and agencies to use against the public, The Times has learnt.

The right to search homes, seize cash, freeze bank accounts and confiscate property will be given to town hall officials and civilian investigators employed by organisations as diverse as Royal Mail, the Rural Payments Agency and Transport for London.

The measure, being pushed through by Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary, comes into force next week and will deploy some of the most powerful tools available to detectives against fare dodgers, families in arrears with council tax and other minor offenders.

The radical extension of the Proceeds of Crime Act, through a Statutory Instrument which is not debated by parliament, has been condemned by the chairman of the Police Federation. Paul McKeever said that he was shocked to learn that the decision to hand over “intrusive powers” to people who were not police was made without consultation or debate.

New Labour are obvioulsy shoving through as much of their authoritarian staist legislation as possible before they get turfed out next year.

This is just another example of their complete contempt for the people and democracy. Such an extension of the law is not required and will not recover anything like the amounts claimed.

Alan Johnson is a first-class shitstain.

Immigration Policy Backtrackers

Andrew Neather and a few commentators are hastily trying to backtrack on the admission that part of Labour's immigration policy was politically-motivated.

Though Cowards Flinch reckons "Andrew Neather didn’t really mean what he said"(!), which is an odd thing to say about a professional speechwriter.

Over at The Spectator's Coffeehouse blog, Peter Hoskin is rather too relaxed and lenient:

Like Neather, I'm uncomfortable with the idea that the government so readily seized on the political angle to this. But it seems to me that there's something different between a) having solely political motivations for a policy, and b) recognising (welcoming, even) the political implications of a policy. Neather appears only to be claiming b) – which is far from edifying, but still a less controversial point that a).

Strictly speaking, this doesn't necessarily mean that Labour's immigration policy wasn't a politically-motivated ruse. The question which may follow from Neather's claims is whether "subsidiary" goals can distort "primary goals" – or whether he's got the set of goals the wrong way around. But this isn't, by itself, the definitive confirmation which some people have been looking for.

I think it's obvious what's been going on - and you don't need to be a right-wing troll to realise it.

Britain's Creeping Police State

The breakdown of free society | Henry Porter

The shocking Guardian report into the surveillance operations run by the police National Public Order Intelligence Unit makes it clear that the right of free protest in Britain now hangs in the balance, and that the very expression of opinion and attendance at meetings is enough for an individual to be categorised as an enemy of society.

Anyone now who feels strongly about climate change or the Iraq and Afghanistan wars is now liable to be labelled a "domestic extremist" to be photographed and monitored and to be subject to automatic tracking by the number plate recognition system. There are few stories that capture the parlous state of Britain's democracy like this one, and I suggest none that portray the government's institutionalised contempt for rights and its casual attitude to unfettered growth of police powers.

Not to forget that the police are busy arming themselves in order to patrol the streets of Britain and the government don't seem aware of it.

A Tangled Web picks up on this, too.

Perhaps we should all declare ourselves enemies of the state. That way we'd fulfill the state's intention to criminalise all of us and at the same time overload the bastards with information so that THEY would start to feel outnumbered and threatened.

Too Many Bastard EU Presidents

On “the President of Europe” | Nosemonkey’s EUtopia

Nosemonkey correctly points out a few facts about the so-called new 'President of the EU' post, to be created by the Lisbon Constitution (sorry, Treaty).

All of which is pretty fucking pointless, considering we, ie the people, don't need a President of the Council, any more than we need a President of anything else in the EU, or the EU itself. Not that we get to vote for any of these bastards anyway.

He even admits: 'In other words, it really doesn’t matter who gets the gig. It’s not important in the slightest. It’s a meaningless position.' In which case he might wonder why this expensive con trick is going ahead in the first fucking place and why he generally supports the shysters who are running the whole show.

Nor does he seem to willing to acknowledge that the Lisbon 'Treaty' is nothing at all to do with solving 'problems' but is a deceitful attempt to turn the EU into a superstate with its own constitution, armed services, diplomatic service, etc.

The Lisbon Constitution will be implemented. I don't know how long it will be before those people who are not directly benefiting from the EU machine will have to admit that something they have supported and believed in is and always was a corrupt, undemocratic, mendacious and destructive project run by a corrupt and arrogant political class who care for nothing more than their own ambitions.

I think for many EU supporters it must be a case of increasing cognitive dissonance. Surely it must get tiring continually having to defend the EU with that 'Yes, but...' routine.

How long before the fucking euro drops?

EU Shows Its True Colours In Filesharing 'Crackdown'

Landmark crackdown on illegal file sharing has been approved by the EU

Until now, an amendment existed that prevented EU member countries from barring persistent file sharers from the Internet. Today news of the removal of that amendment has been made public and is believed to have stemmed from pressure from member countries keen to adopt tough anti-piracy laws.

“Barring from the Internet” effectively means that individual countries would be able to ask internet service providers to remove users deemed to be persistent pirates without needing a prior court order.

Summary 'justice' from the fascists at the EU, supported by the fascists of New Labour and the bastards in big business.

Labour - Thieves And Fascists

Secret court seizes £3.2bn from elderly and mentally impaired

A secret court is seizing the assets of thousands of elderly and mentally impaired people and turning control of their lives over to the State - against the wishes of their relatives.

The draconian measures are being imposed by the little-known Court of Protection, set up two years ago to act in the interests of people suffering from Alzheimer's or other mental incapacity.

Words like apoplectic and incandescent do not adequately describe the rage I feel at reading this.

The Public Guardian's site is here.

Fuck, even the bloody name sends shivers down my spine.

Let's get these bastards out of office and make sure they NEVER EVER get into power again. And make sure the next government damn well does its duty and removes all such legislation on pain of being hunted down in the fucking streets if it doesn't.

Labour's Hoof Tax - Governed By Cretins

Labour's 'hoof tax' is riding roughshod over the countryside - Telegraph

Just when horse owners thought they had been squeezed until their pips could no longer squeak, another nasty Labour stealth tax rears its head. After forcing us to buy horse passports and to have our mounts injected with microchips, you might have thought even this government would ease up on equine folk.

Far from it. Every horse and pony in the country will now be liable for something that can only be described as a hoof tax. Under the proposals, millions of riders, trainers and breeders will be forced to pay at least £10.50 a year, and possibly a lot more, for every horse they own. Labour claim the levy, which would generate more than £6.8 million per year, will help fund a £56-million animal-health quango to improve the way outbreaks of disease are handled in the countryside. Because what we really need right now is another quango, right?

Copy of a relevant DEFRA document on Scribd.

Death To HIPS?

Estate agents break law on hated HIPs

LABOUR’S hated Home Information Packs have created a “grey market” in housing with estate agents routinely flouting the law to win an instruction.

Ministers hailed the £300-a-time HIPs as a way to speed up sales but critics say they slow the system down.

The National Association of Estate Agents said last night it had received “numerous” complaints from its members that unscrupulous competitors were by-passing HIPs altogether.

Under Labour’s law, homes cannot be marketed for sale until the 32-page HIP form has been completed.

There is growing evidence, however, that many agents are simply sending house hunters round to look at properties without even starting the HIP.

Peter Bolton King, NAEA chief ­executive, said it was “very common” for agents to tell sellers they would sort out the HIP later but “Could we send Mr Smith round tonight?”

In some cases agents and vendors never get round to completing a HIP. In others the form is filled in when the property is all but sold. He said members trying to comply with the law complain that competitors are ­telling people, “Don’t worry about it”. As a result, they lose ­instructions.

He said members caught cheating could face fines or ­expulsion. The ­Tory housing spokesman Grant Shapps said: “This demonstrates how pointless HIPs are. If we win the election next year, HIPs will be history.”

The Sunday Express has revealed that HIPs made a £320million dent in the housing market last year.

Sellers paid for more than 1.1million packs, netting £44million in VAT for the Treasury, yet only 650,000 homes were actually sold.

Hundreds of thousands of home owners with left with worthless HIPS.

A classic example of how to make a bad EU law worse.

More Frightening Than Nick Griffin

‘Routine’ armed police units for London streets - Times Online

The prospect of an armed police service moved a step closer yesterday when Scotland Yard announced the formation of a new firearms unit that will routinely patrol gun crime hotspots in London.

This is comletely unnecessary and dangerous. The police seem to be getting more out of control as the months go by. According to this article the decision was taken at assistant commissioner level, in which case whoever authorised it should be sacked immediately.

The police are hardly to be trusted with weapons in the most difficult situations as it is. To have them parading around our streets with weapons on a regular basis is a frightening prospect. There are obviously elements within the police force who are building up a little empire for themselves, probably on the understanding that the next few years in this country could get difficult.

What's doubly worrying is that this is obviously going on without any scrutiny (or even awareness) by our politicians.

Immigration Cat Bag Shit Fan

Don't listen to the whingers - London needs immigrants | News

A former New Labour apparatchik reveals that the government deliberately opened up the country to mass immigration for political purposes. Referring to a report in 2001 he says:

Eventually published in January 2001, the innocuously labelled "RDS Occasional Paper no. 67", "Migration: an economic and social analysis" focused heavily on the labour market case.

But the earlier drafts I saw also included a driving political purpose: that mass immigration was the way that the Government was going to make the UK truly multicultural.

I remember coming away from some discussions with the clear sense that the policy was intended - even if this wasn't its main purpose - to rub the Right's nose in diversity and render their arguments out of date. That seemed to me to be a manoeuvre too far.

Mr Neather seems a bit conflicted about all this because he still makes the case for migrants coming to London - as if there's any actual danger of them 'drying up'.

He talks about London being 'much more international now than, say, 15 years ago, and so much more heterogeneous than most of the provinces'. I lived in London 30 years ago and it was pretty bloody international then. Mr Neather also needs to get out into those benighted 'provinces' as well, some of which are (and have been for along time) pretty 'international' one way or the other.

Mr Neather has done us a great service in revealing what many people have long suspected, that New Labour's intentions have been to destroy our national identity (debates about 'Britishness', Mr Brown?). Unfortunately he himself is still floating around in that political class bubble: 'it's a question of genuine diversity now', he says. Words such as 'diversity' and 'multiculturalism' are the weasel words of the left. They're bullshit.

New Labour and the rest of the political class are busy not just changing the country but deliberately destroying it. We don't count. We're just the people. The BNP are just another bunch of wank-brained politicos but they've realised that people are really worried about lots of things, especially immigration, and have bothered to listen to them.

If you're a political party, you'll attract votes if you appear to be listening to people and taking them seriously instead of ignoring them or telling them to stop being stupid. How difficult can that be for the mainstream parties to understand?

We Have Ways Of Eliminating Opposition

UKIP may have to repay £363,697

The EU and the UK courts are in cahoots to put UKIP out of action.

The UK Independence Party has lost the latest stage of its battle to avoid having to repay donations of £363,697.

Gifts by retired bookmaker Alan Bown between December 2004 and January 2006 were illegal as he was not registered to vote, the Court of Appeal said.

The accidental omission of Mr Bown from the electoral register was corrected when discovered but this isn't good enough for the politicos in charge.

Common sense out, vindictive and deliberate political sabotage in. Especially when you consider this:

If the money were forfeited it would go to the Treasury, not back to Mr Bown.

So. Not only a bunch of authoritarian shysters but thieves as well.

The Vanishing Sex Slaves

Inquiry fails to find single trafficker who forced anybody into prostitution | UK news | The Guardian

The UK's biggest ever investigation of sex trafficking failed to find a single person who had forced anybody into prostitution in spite of hundreds of raids on sex workers in a six-month campaign by government departments, specialist agencies and every police force in the country.

The failure has been disclosed by a Guardian investigation which also suggests that the scale of and nature of sex trafficking into the UK has been exaggerated by politicians and media.

Current and former ministers have claimed that thousands of women have been imported into the UK and forced to work as sex slaves, but most of these statements were either based on distortions of quoted sources or fabrications without any source at all.

Goodness, who would have thought the government and media were such a bunch of useless, lying bastards?

Someone better tell the Swedes, who're promoting their Stockholm Programme, one of whose major aims is to prevent people trafficking.

Via Anticant's Arena.

Foreign Home Exchange Paedos

Criminal checks on families hosting foreign pupils to protect children against paedophiles could end school exchanges | Mail Online

Ministers are insisting that both parents in British host families submit to child protection checks before they can put up an overseas pupil.

In the poisoned, authoritarian mind of New Labour this is especially necessary since

ministers cannot point to a single incident on exchanges that has led to child protection becoming a major issue.

Now that terrorism seems to have dropped way down the fright menu justification for totally unnecessary interference the government are making child abuse the major frightener.

Slovaks Get Arsey Too

Bratislava will block an opt-out for the Czech Republic from the Lisbon treaty to secure the inviolability of the post-war Benes decrees if it does not apply to Slovakia as well, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-Social Democracy) said today.

Ceske Novini.

Oh well. Anything for a week or two watching the EU nazis get hot under the collar.

We Are At War

Czech president finally admits he cannot block the Lisbon Treaty... and gives David Cameron's Tories a problem | Mail Online

Not surprisingly, Vaclav Klaus has given in to the bullies in Brussels.

As I showed in an earlier post, the colleagues were determined to implement the Lisbon constitution irrespective of any opposition.

I don't believe Cameron has the guts or the intelligence to challenge any of this by giving us a referendum (and then acting on the result).

We (the people) are consequently at war not just with our own government but also with the EU.

What is the next step?

Car Boot Sales In Monocular Madman's Sights

Car boot sales face tax blitz by cash-strapped Labour | Mail Online

Gordon Brown was accused last night of a ‘tax blitz’ on Britain’s car boot sales in a desperate attempt to raise more revenue.

Valuation officials admitted that those who run the popular events could face tax rises in a revamp of property levies to come in next April.

They confirmed that landowners, including farmers, could be hit with bigger business rates bills if they hold regular sales.

Hurrah! Our intrepid, cashless class-warriors in Westminster strike another blow for justice.

Another mention here.

MEPs Call For EU Indoctrination Of Schoolchildren

MEPs call for compulsory 'EU lessons' in schools - Telegraph

Leaders of the centre-right EPP grouping in the European Parliament say there should be compulsory classes for 14-year-olds in all member states.

The calls are being led by Mario David, a Portuguese MEP who was chief of staff to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso when he was the country's prime minister.

He claimed the controversy surrounding the Lisbon Treaty demonstrated their was widespread ignorance of the EU's work.

Widespread ignorance has been to the benefit of the EU.

Whether this happens or not, David is perhaps sensing that with the coming finalising of the Lisbon Constitution and all the high profile shenanigans to with presidencies and diplomatic services, etc, people will start to see what the EU is really up to. Then it will become necessary for them to pump out their propaganda.

Geoff (The Hoon) Hoon, proposed this three years ago. It seems it was quickly kicked out of touch. Let's see what happens this time. One thing's guaranteed: any shit fed to my grandkids at school will be thoroughly rejected at home.

EU Wants End Of London As Major Financial Centre

London mayor Boris Johnson's report reveals EU threat to City's dominance - Telegraph

The European Union's draft Alternative Investment Fund Management directive is a "key threat" to London's pre-eminent position on the global financial stage, says the report. It adds to a growing body of evidence against the directive that its critics say will cost economies across Europe billions of pounds in reduced investment returns and tax revenues, as well as curtail investor choice and lead to job losses.

It's been obvious from the beginning that the EU's intention has been to demote London as Europe's financial capital, under the the guise of preventing a repeat of the recent banking crash.

It comes as no surprise, then, that across the Channel, our French 'partner', Nicolas Sarkozy, has installed his son as head of the development of La Defense, the business area of Paris. Young Jean (23) has little political experience and hasn't yet managed to get himself a degree or anything like, yet. But there's no nepotism involved.

Even the French themselves are a little put out at this. But, like here, they're just the little people. It's the political class that count. Everyone else can fuck off.

Vive la revolution.

Scottish Executive, Not Government

I see the SNP are pushing their 'economic' independence for Scotland agenda at their upcoming conference. Not a surprise, since they want to be running the show and, as usual, it is personal and tribal ambition that drives such campaigns, not a concern for the people.

Just a note for various parts of the British media and others: the correct term for the administration in Scotland is the Scottish Executive. It is not a government. The SNP re-branded it as such a couple of years ago and presumably Westminster couldn't be arsed to do anything about it.

I am also amazed to say that I have even heard Gordon Brown refer to it as the executive rather than government. Weird.

ID Cards WILL Be Compulsory!

Independence Home

In a written answer to a question posed by Independent Labour Peer, Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 14th October, Lord West of Spithead, for the Government, has confirmed that from 2012, ” anyone applying for a British passport would be offered the choice of being issued with a passport or an identity card, or both documents and their identity details and biometrics would be recorded on a single national identity register”.

Lord Stoddart of Swindon, commenting on the response from the Government said: “This exposes how deceitful the Prime Minister was at the Labour Party conference when he announced that ID cards would not be made compulsory during the next Parliament. Whilst he was being technically truthful, the fact that details being added to a single national identity register is compulsory for anyone applying for or renewing a passport, which is most of us, effectively makes ID cards mandatory.

Such are the lying shitbags who run this country.

Russia Must Prepare For NATO Defeat In Afghanistan

Russia must prepare for NATO defeat in Afghanistan, ambassador says

Brussels/Paris: NATO is facing defeat in Afghanistan, and Russia and the states of Central Asia must be ready to pick up the pieces, Russia's ambassador to NATO said Tuesday.

Discussions at a conference in Paris on the future of Afghanistan run by the East-West Institute think tank 'have only further enhanced the impression of NATO's looming capitulation in Afghanistan,' Dmitry Rogozin wrote in a Twitter feed from the meeting.

'Russia and its Central Asian partners should be ready for such a dramatic scenario,' Rogozin wrote.

Oh for the good old days when the USSR was bogged down there and taking all the flak.

The Westminster Conspiracy

THE WESTMINSTER CONSPIRACY An under-reported speech by Greg Dyke, attacking the political class for their stranglehold on democracy.

Last month, Greg Dyke, who was the BBC's director general from 2000-2004, described the BBC as part of a "conspiracy" preventing the "radical changes" needed to UK democracy. Speaking at the Liberal Democrat party's conference, Dyke said:

"The evidence that our democracy is failing is overwhelming and yet those with the biggest interest in sustaining the current system - the Westminster village, the media and particularly the political parties, including this one - are the groups most in denial about what is really happening to our democracy."

Repeated nonsense from the politicos about cleaning up politics and improving the system are smoke-screens to cover up their intentions to do nothing so that they remain in power.

As I have repeatedly said, the problem is not so much the system as the people in it. Even if you have the best system in the world it'll be rubbish if the people within it are a bunch of self-serving shits.

Government By Cretins - DEFRA

Defra squandering millions as Rural Payments Agency nears collapse - Times Online

Taxpayers are to be landed with a £622 million bill for bungled payments made to farmers after reform of the Common Agriculture Policy four years ago, according to the National Audit Office .

The scale of chaos and administrative failures at the Rural Payments Agency, which distributes £1.6 billion a year to English farmers, and lack of oversight by ministers is outlined today in one of the most damning audits produced by the public spending watchdog.

Oh ar oh ar.

Denis McShite's Unfinished Labour EU Business

UNFINISHED EUROPE BUSINESS  - Denis MacShane Half-truths, obfuscations, diversions, fantasies and lies. Just what you'd expect from a New Labour politician.

The Italian Way Of War

French troops were killed after Italy hushed up ‘bribes’ to Taleban - Times Online

When ten French soldiers were killed last year in an ambush by Afghan insurgents in what had seemed a relatively peaceful area, the French public were horrified.

Their revulsion increased with the news that many of the dead soldiers had been mutilated — and with the publication of photographs showing the militants triumphantly sporting their victims’ flak jackets and weapons. The French had been in charge of the Sarobi area, east of Kabul, for only a month, taking over from the Italians; it was one of the biggest single losses of life by Nato forces in Afghanistan.

What the grieving nation did not know was that in the months before the French soldiers arrived in mid-2008, the Italian secret service had been paying tens of thousands of dollars to Taleban commanders and local warlords to keep the area quiet, The Times has learnt. The clandestine payments, whose existence was hidden from the incoming French forces, were disclosed by Western military officials.

There's a certain easy logic to the Italian way of doing things, ie don't do the job you're supposed to do and use bribery to make things look good.

These people, however, are our 'colleagues' in the European Union, which is poised to seize even more of our sovereignty. Not exactly trustworthy, are they?

Tesco's Sir Terry Leahy attacks Government education record - Telegraph

Tesco's Sir Terry Leahy attacks Government education record - Telegraph

The head of Britain's largest private employer has said standards are "still woefully low in too many schools", adding that companies "are often left to pick up the pieces".

The same old stuff, but unfortunately true. BBC news had some educational buffoon on saying that businesses ought to be getting together with schools to make sure pupils get the skills that are required. It's pretty bloody obvious, though, isn't it? The ability to read, the ability to write correct English, with correct spelling and punctuation, the ability to cope with basic arithmetic - aren't these fairly straightforward?

Apparently not.

Up Your Wilders, Jacqui

Court rules UK was wrong to bar Geert Wilders | Radio Netherlands Worldwide

The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal in London has ruled that Dutch rightwing politician Geert Wilders should not have been refused entry to the United Kingdom in February.

A British organisation that promotes freedom of expression, the Birkenhead Society, had brought the case on his behalf.

Via Cranmer.

The Irish Wolf, The EU Goat And The Wily Czech Fox

Czech government considering Klaus demands

The Czech government is meeting today to discuss calls by President Václav Klaus for an opt-out for the Czech Republic from the EU's charter of fundamental rights.

Klaus raised a new obstacle to the Czech Republic completing ratification of the Lisbon treaty last Thursday when he called for an opt-out from the charter, the same as the UK and Poland obtained when the treaty was negotiated in June 2007. Klaus is reported to want to prevent ethnic Germans being able to use the charter to claim compensation for property seized at the end of the Second World War following the expulsion of Germans from the former Czechoslovakia.

Under the Czech constitution, the government is responsible for negotiating international treaties so it could refuse to back Klaus's call for an opt-out

Not for them the meaningless 'guarantees' given to the Irish:

“the guarantees given to Ireland are not guarantees; they were a political declaration in a style such that the Irish wolf filled its stomach and the Lisbon goat remained whole”.

Guardian Gagged

Guardian gagged from reporting parliament | Media | The Guardian

The Guardian has been prevented from reporting parliamentary proceedings on legal grounds which appear to call into question privileges guaranteeing free speech established under the 1688 Bill of Rights.

Today's published Commons order papers contain a question to be answered by a minister later this week. The Guardian is prevented from identifying the MP who has asked the question, what the question is, which minister might answer it, or where the question is to be found.

The Guardian is also forbidden from telling its readers why the paper is prevented – for the first time in memory – from reporting parliament. Legal obstacles, which cannot be identified, involve proceedings, which cannot be mentioned, on behalf of a client who must remain secret.

The only fact the Guardian can report is that the case involves the London solicitors Carter-Ruck, who specialise in suing the media for clients, who include individuals or global corporations.

The Guardian has vowed urgently to go to court to overturn the gag on its reporting. The editor, Alan Rusbridger, said: "The media laws in this country increasingly place newspapers in a Kafkaesque world in which we cannot tell the public anything about information which is being suppressed, nor the proceedings which suppress it. It is doubly menacing when those restraints include the reporting of parliament itself."

The media lawyer Geoffrey Robertson QC said Lord Denning ruled in the 1970s that "whatever comments are made in parliament" can be reported in newspapers without fear of contempt.

He said: "Four rebel MPs asked questions giving the identity of 'Colonel B', granted anonymity by a judge on grounds of 'national security'. The DPP threatened the press might be prosecuted for contempt, but most published."

The right to report parliament was the subject of many struggles in the 18th century, with the MP and journalist John Wilkes fighting every authority – up to the king – over the right to keep the public informed. After Wilkes's battle, wrote the historian Robert Hargreaves, "it gradually became accepted that the public had a constitutional right to know what their elected representatives were up to".

Better be juicy.

Cold, Dark Days Ahead For UK

Power cuts forecast to hit UK in four years - Times Online

Britain faces a return to 1970s-style power blackouts and disruption to its electricity supplies within four years, the energy regulator warned yesterday.

Ofgem raised the spectre of a return to the three-day week for British industry as the country scrambles to renovate its crumbling power infrastructure ahead of new EU pollution rules that will force the closure of a quarter of UK power stations by 2015.

Alistair Buchanan, Ofgem’s chief executive, said: “There could be a potential shortfall in the period 2013-18 ... Life might be pretty cold.”

And this is no surprise:

"Mr Buchanan said that a failure to tackle the issue had left Britain more vulnerable to energy supply shocks than any other major country in Europe. Germany and France, he said, were “way ahead of us” in terms of investing in new, lower-carbon power supplies".

I bet France and Germany were prime movers in driving the EU's energy policy which is screwing the UK.

We occasionally get sudden, short outages and recently had a five-hour blackout when engineers were apparently 'fixing fuses' at a sub-station.

Still, if we're suffering power cuts it'll be more difficult for the EU to requisition our energy reserves 'in solidarity' with other EU states when the Ruskies cut them off.

How is it that we've ended up being governed by complete cretins?

Czech Spanner In EU Lisbon Works

EU Lisbon Treaty: Czech Republic government caves in to eurosceptic president - Telegraph

The crisis over the EU Lisbon Treaty has deepened after the Czech Republic's government backed down in a battle with President Vaclav Klaus over his refusal to sign the text.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA! Long may it continue.

David Miliband For EU Foreign Minister?

David Miliband lined up as EU 'foreign minister' - Telegraph

David Miliband is being lined up to become the European Union’s first “foreign minister” as a “plan B” should Tony Blair be blocked from becoming its president.

Yes, I can just see that one happening, can't you?

Still, it's a good reminder of the total fatuity of the EU and the people running it/wanting jobs in it, that a man of no discernible talent, experience, understanding or integrity could be considered by anyone as suitable.

Vetting 'threatens scout events'

BBC NEWS | UK | Vetting 'threatens scout events'

New anti-paedophile vetting rules will threaten the 90-year tradition of Scout Jamborees, the Scout Association says.

It has warned that major gatherings of packs from around the world may be cancelled due to the introduction of the scheme.

Under the controversial rules anyone working or volunteering with children must register for background checks.

But organising checks on thousands of foreign Scout leaders was "just not possible", a spokesman said.

That's what happens when you make stupid laws.

Defenders of our MPs, particularly in the light of the expenses scandal, repeatedly tell us how hard our MPs work. Unfortunately, this is the sort of shit they're hard at work producing.

Desperate Lefties Dare To Mention EU

David Miliband in fresh attack on Tory links to far right | Politics | The Observer

So, after 12 years of saying nothing about the EU, The Observer suddenly features it on its front page. Only as a means to smear the Tory party, of course, and over something totally irrelevant. Labour seem to think that attacking Cameron's re-alignment of the Tories in the Toy Parliament in Brussels is a vote-winner in the UK.

I suspect the British electorate couldn't give a shit.

More Bounces Than A Bag Of Dead Cats

Britain's economy ready to bounce back, says Gordon Brown - Telegraph

Gordon Brown, Master of The Dead Cat Bounce. How embarrassing can he get?

Guardian Taxpayers' Bombshell Alliance Bilge

The Guardian today makes the astonishing discovery that a pressure group devoted to tax-reductions is actually a bit right of centre and supported by rich people! I'd never have thought that. I'm glad they let us know.

Apparently the Taxpayers' Alliance, as it's cleverly called, is 'arguably the most influential pressure group in the country', which is pretty frightening, especially as we know there are absolutely no pressure groups or lobby groups supported by the current government to influence its own policies.

Mind you, the Guardian's acute and perspicacious reporter also notes that the Fabian Society, who oppose what the Taxpayers' alliance are proposing, are 'left-leaning', so we can be happy the Guardian has its best minds on the case.

It's also truly disturbing to find out that one director was appointed to the TPA, 'despite living in France and not paying any British tax.' I do hope the French authorities are onto him, making sure he coughs up whatever he owes them under their already very lenient tax regime. And we have to question whether someone living in a foreign country should be seeking to influence how we run things at home.

We can be sure that democracy is assured in the UK with papers like the Guardian looking out for us, keeping us informed about secretive, authoritarian groups trying to take control of our lives.

You Can't Trust The Fucking Swedes Either

As if having the Franco-German axis throwing its weight around in the EU Empire weren't enough, the Swedes have decided they want part of the action as well.

Hence The Stockholm Programme:

The Stockholm Programme is to define the framework for EU police and customs cooperation, rescue services, criminal and civil law cooperation, asylum, migration and visa policy for the period 2010–2014. The Programme was discussed at the informal ministerial meeting in Stockholm in July 2009 and will ultimately be adopted by EU Heads of State and Government at the Summit in December 2009.

In a preamble document there's the statement:

Migration issues are also high on the list of priorities. The EU must attract more immigrant labour so that bottlenecks in the labour market can be eliminated and more people can find work.

You may wish to issue a loud "what the fuck?", just as I did. In other words, under Lisbon there'll be a common rule preventing individual members from regulating immigration into their own states from outside the EU.

It's also ironic that this is all towards making "an open and more secure Europe" while they're talking about increasing surveillance, for instance.

They're also mightily obsessed with people-trafficking, this being one of the current fashionable hobby-horses of interfering neo-liberal progressive types.

I've gone right off the Swedes.

On a more optimistic note: the Romanian courts are rejecting the EU's data retention directive:

Members of EDRi, European Digital Rights, and the press are reporting that Romania’s constitutional courts are blocking Data Retention. Their decision could lead to restoration of privacy rights in the UK and across Europe.

The Romanian courts have concluded that retention of data identifying who individuals send email communications to is a breach of their fundamental right to secrecy of correspondence.

Europeans and UK citizens have this right enshrined in Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights.

As Romania is a member of the EU, this may mean they have to challenge the Directive through the EU court system, if they wish to defend their court's decision, and if they succeed, the Directive itself would have to be revised or repealed. It is by now law in nearly all EU states, with the notable exception of Sweden. German citizens are also trying to challenge its constitutionality on privacy grounds.

The Directive was challenged by Ireland on a narrower basis, but the door was left open for a human rights challenge. ORG and over forty other civil liberties groups made this case in a joint submission at the time.

Update: campaigners are waiting to see exactly what the judgement says, but warn that Romania may not take a challenge to the EU, but may simply not implement the directive.

Small country. Let's see if they get the usual EU bullying treatment.

Anyway, fuck the Swedes and hurrah for the Romanians.

Why Renegotiating Lisbon Is A Possibility For the UK

All politicians are full of cockwaffle, which means that they'll change what they actually do if they think it'll save their skins or make their lives easier.

Pondering on the juggernautish inevitability of the Lisbon Constitution being ratified by all subservient 'partenaires' of the great European Project (the fart-arsing of the Czechs notwithstanding) it struck me that Cameron and his crew could indeed hold a referendum on the whole or parts of said 'Treaty', and thus demand substantial changes with regard to the UK (not as good as outright withdrawal, of course) without necessarily alienating all our 'allies' across the Channel.

I base this idea upon three factors: the first being that the EU wants our money as much as it wants our subservience. Six billion quid a year may be a small part of their bloodsucker's budget but six billion is still six billion. If pushed to the wall then Cameron could simply say "fuck you, chaps, no cash from us unless we get what we want". Yes, I know I am being naive, but in the end this is a matter of plain power politics. The French and Italian governments are continuously fucking around with money and the EU and getting away with it.

Our politicians have continuously proved to lack nous or balls when confronted with the despots of the EU (even Thatcher caved in) but the bureaucrats in Brussels are so desperate to get this thing in place they might just go along with concessions for the UK as long as they can subjugate the rest.

The second factor is that, as we have seen from the words of the Grand Constitutional Architect himself, M Valery Giscard d'Estaing (see previous posts) the Franco-German pact is the EU. As long this holds, no one else matters. And, certainly as far The Grand Architect and his friends are concerned, the UK is not a player, merely an insignificant occasional irritant. In other words, they don't give a fuck about us.

Thirdly, Berlusconi and others have already been talking about developing a two-tier EU if the Lisbon Constitution does not receive full acceptance (see earlier posts).

Put that together and you have a scenario in which the UK government could go the people in a referendum and then ask (nay, demand) either de-ratification of the Treaty with regard to the UK or substantial renegotiation. The EU may get sick of the delays and aggravation and just say yes, after all.

The EU are bullies and liars. They're not used to national politicians standing up to them, particularly from the UK. It's about time they got a dose of their own medicine. Our liberty and freedom to govern ourselves are at stake.

It is, of course, not likely to happen.

The question really is, what are we, as British citizens, going to do to resist and subvert the EU Project within our shores?

EU Regional Cockwaffle

Just in case anyone's interested in seeing what the EU gets up to with our cash, ie endless committees, talking shops and smoke-screens to cover up the centralisation of government in Brussels.

So here's a link to The Committee of the Regions, whose purpose is quite clearly stated at the beginning of their Mission Statment:

We are a political assembly of holders of a regional or local electoral mandate serving the cause of European integration. Through our political legitimacy, we provide institutional representation for all the European Union's territorial areas, regions, cities and municipalities.

NB European integration, the EU's territorial areas, etc.

More follows:

We want to see Europe, united in diversity in a globalised world, make the very most of its territorial, cultural and linguistic diversity, as this is the source of its strength and guarantee of its people's identity. We play our part in promoting European democracy and citizenship and their values, and contribute towards the anchoring of fundamental rights and the protection of minorities.

This is typical egregious EU cockwaffle.

This deceitful piece of political spin omits the unpleasant but vital fact that Europe's diversity is national, rather than regional. There is no such thing as a European identity.

Noteworthy that the word nation does not feature once.

After poking around on the site I clicked on 'Useful regional Links' to check out who's riding the government gravy train in my neck of the woods. These days it happens to be Phil Hope, who's now Regional Minister for the East Midlands.

Most people living in the East Midlands area probably don't think it's more than a notional thing, let alone that there's a government department for it. Indeed, most people who live in Lincoln will probably have been unaware that their sitting MP, Gillian Merron, was Regional Minister for ten years.

This is just another scheme for implementing EU policy, destroying the traditional structure of local government in the UK. It won't be long before district and county councils will have disappeared. I've never heard anyone identify themselves as coming from 'the East Midlands' or any other region, for that matter.

All of this is pushed forward under the innocuous-sounding cockwaffle of which Phil is a practitioner:

"I am delighted to have been appointed Minister of the East Midlands. As Regional Minister I hope to provide you as a region with a strong voice to champion your needs and interests in Parliament and across Whitehall.

"The East Midlands is a region with much to offer and a region that I am proud to represent. Apart from being home to some of the UK's best known businesses, we can also boast some of the most innovative scientists and most creative artists. Our towns and cities have many individual strengths and wonderful qualities, and together as a region we are in a unique and powerful position to continue to prosper and face the challenges that lie ahead

"As your Regional Minister, an important part of my role is to facilitate a joined up approach across government departments and agencies to enable the effective delivery of our single regional strategy and achieve the best for the East Midlands. Through partnership working we can make sure that we are in a strong position to face the social, economic and environmental challenges that lie ahead, and continue to stay competitive. I am ambitious for what we can achieve together.

"I hope you find this site useful. Over the coming months I will continue to use it as a way to keep you in touch with my work as your Regional Minister."

Hand me a revolver.

Belgium Farmers Attack Pigs With Milk

Farmers protest fall in milk prices by spraying Brussels police from cow's udder - Telegraph

Couldn't resist it.

Serious Europhilia And Blithering Mendacity

Why it’s hard to take eurosceptics seriously | Nosemonkey’s EUtopia


[I wrote this last night while suffering from the delirium of a cold that won't go. I'm reaching the same height of feverishness now, but I stand by what I said. I've added a bit at the end.]


This is the kind of stuff that's seriously fucking pissing me off: the kind of naive 'oh we know the Lisbon Treaty isn't brilliant but..' routine of pro-EU bloggers and the 'you eurosceptics are your own worst enemies' nonsense.

The Lisbon Treaty is unnecessary, full-stop. It is not just a bloody 'cleaning-up' exercise.

Listen to this:

Every time you make such wild claims – and they turn out to be unfounded – you are alienating potential allies. When Lisbon comes into force and life in the EU continues much as before, proving all the claims that this treaty is in any way significant to be objectively false (because no matter what many eurosceptics claim, Lisbon *is* just a tidying-up exercise) – when member states continue to run themselves, when the threatened abortion clinics and enforced involvement in military campaigns fail to materialise – then anyone with half a brain will be able to see that the claims of the eurosceptics were false, and so stop paying them any further attention.

So come on, eurosceptic types – for your own sake start with the *proper* arguments against the EU. Stop all this hyperbolic emotional guff that’s characterised so much of the debate over the last couple of decades, and make with the convincing critical analysis. Stop with all the pathetic and blatantly false comparisons to dictatorships past and present. End the “EUSSR” meme – that only makes everyone who uses it look like a moron.

Instead, try pointing out what’s *actually* wrong with the EU, rather than make up nonsense about Lisbon ending Irish neutrality, forcing abortion, ending national sovereignty, creating a superstate and so on. You’ll find that you’ll win a lot more support – whereas at the moment you’re just preaching to the converted (as the comments to Hitchens’ piece perfectly prove).

Sorry, mate, but whenever a sceptic does make a valid point it is always disregarded - I've just witnessed that on The One Show tonight where after Freedland and Forsyth were given space to give their opinions, the conversation was carried on in the studio with Giles Brandreth(!), who basically turned it into the old cuddly story of us all getting together for our own good and that although we'll all be 'Europeans' we'll still be able to feel British. The essential point that this is about real political power being shifted even more from national government to EU government was never addressed.

Jonathan Freedland, to be blunt, was a fucking disgrace. He basically lied, presenting the old image of the EU as 'club' of sovereign governments, and so on. Frederick Forsyth was the only one who spelt out the facts. And that's a hard thing for me to admit, because politically he's not one of those people I have ever agreed with. Unfortunately what he said wasn't taken on board - even though he spoke directly, plainly and without 'hyperbolic emotional guff'.

Which brings me to the second point, which is that the Treaty does establish the EU as a state with its own legal identity and gives it the power to amend and extend its powers without the full consent of the peoples of Europe. There's lots of other stuff in the Treaty that the pro-brigade won't talk about.

And you know what? I used to have the same vaguely idealistic views of the EU as these pro-bloggers. I sued to bo along with the line that it was good the nations of Europe to work more closely together

I want to live in a country where I can vote for the party I want to govern. I'll put up with enduring a bunch of people I don't want because that's democracy, rough as it is. I don't want to live in a country where the laws of a foreign power take primacy over my own (even if they've been 'democratically' agreed by the odd minister whose been told what to do by civil servants); I want to live in a country where the laws are made by my own government.

Basically, I don't want to live in a country which is governed by foreigners. If that sounds nationalistic or old-fashioned or racist, I don't fucking care.

ADDENDUM

And if you don't fucking believe the EU is fundamentally a Franco-German stitch-up, driven by these two countries mainly for their own benefit and that they don't give a damn about the UK (so much being close to the heart of the EU) then perhaps you should pay attention to the words of Valery Giscard d'Estaing, a major architect of the European Constitution, who states the case quite plainly:

Il y a eu des inquiétudes parce qu'on pensait que la diplomatie française se rapprochait du Royaume-Uni au détriment de l'Allemagne. Ce geste va donc dans la bonne direction [l'installation en Alsace de militaires d'Outre-Rhin] car l'entente franco-allemande est le socle indispensable de l'Union européenne. On voit bien que le Royaume-Uni ne souhaite pas participer à l'intégration de l'Europe. L'intégration, c'est l'Europe continentale avec, au centre, ce grand ensemble que constituent la France et l'Allemagne. Le couple franco-allemand est la base historique de l'Union. Tout geste politique permettant de le conforter est positif.

(interview in Le Figaro, 2 Feb 2009).

You guys are all great Europhiles, so you all speak French, go translate it yourself.

Good night and fuck off.

Europe's Usurpers Have Succeeded

The result in Ireland shows that Europe's usurpers have succeeded - Telegraph (Ambrose Evans-Pritchard)

Eurosceptics always feared that the mechanisms of monetary union would force recalcitrant states to knuckle down in the end. This has occurred exactly as they predicted. Only a fool can believe that the Irish people have genuinely embraced the European Constitution (now Lisbon) as a "positive good". They acquiesced with their backs against the wall...

The methods being used to force this treaty through after electorates have already spoken cross a line that may not be crossed. The European Project has become the enemy.

This is the treaty that Gordon Brown was too ashamed to sign in public with fellow EU leaders in Lisbon. Yet sign he did.

The question for David Cameron is whether he will continue this practice, or take a stand before any more pages are ripped out of our own Magna Carta. Go on, David, sock the usurpers between the eyes.

Some chance.

Bastards To The Left, Bastards To The Right

Don't trust the Tories | Henry Porter | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

Henry Porter makes a sensible point. After all, these people are all absolute shits.

I was particularly cheered by the fact that he also names people off-piste, as it were, such as Matthew Taylor, CEO of the Royal Society of Arts:

But any pleasure one feels at the party and leader's discomfort is tempered by a strong suspicion that the Conservatives will follow more or less the same path. The Sun's defection was proceeded by the smarter parasites from think-tanks like Demos, which is lifting its skirt in an indecent way at the Tory conference next week, and by people like Matthew Taylor, formerly of Blair's No 10 and now the RSA and the sinister Julian le Grand of the London School of Economics, also formerly of No 10, who of course suggested that the state should forcibly marry pregnant teenagers.

These characters long ago sensed the flow of power from one party to the other and have hopped like so many fleas on to the new host. The fact that someone like Le Grand is granted any kind of hearing at all the Conservative conference, even though a fringe event, is a rather bad sign.

Reading Matthew Taylor's blog posts recently had led me to the same conclusion.

None of these people is to be trusted. They all trim their sails to the winds of power. Older voices may call them Vicars of Bray. I wouldn't be so polite.

The Stait Of Brittish Educatian

Overseas students are better at English than the British - Education News, Education - The Independent

For anyone in higher education, like myself, this is old news, although I've found that students from east Asia tend not to be so good at written English. I've always found the Germans write better English than British students.

The problem is that this nearly always gets reduced to a stupid spat about spelling. Spelling is important but it's not anything like as important as correct grammar and punctuation. Incorrect or sloppy syntax alters the meaning of what is being said. I've frequently encountered sentences that are not just wrong but incomprehensible. I've also read sentences that meant the opposite of what the student meant. The situation has been so bad in the last decade that the Royal Literary Fund (not a fake charity, I hasten to add) set up a fellowship scheme whereby practising writers are placed in universities to help students improve their writing skills (meagre as they are).

There's no point people saying it's always been like this or that it doesn't really matter. The situation has got worse - ask anyone working in higher education; ask anyone in business.

The situation is not made better by authors and academics (people who should know better) who declare that spelling, grammar and punctuation are not important because they get in the way of creativity. Not only is this obvious bollocks, it's not an approach they take to their own published work - which will proofed precisely to eradicate any such errors.

Critics of correct grammar, etc, don't seem to understand that precision is essential in the written language, otherwise its primary purpose - communication - is degraded. Learning correct grammar is a chore, but it has to be done. Spelling can be managed by using dictionaries and spell-checks as well as an extensive vocabulary. Punctuation is remarkably straightforward to grasp.

Perhaps it's just the plain fact that learning the basics is a bit of a grind that educationalists don't like. Or perhaps they're driven by a perverse political ideology that regards the old fashioned imposition of rules as against one's human rights. I don't know.

I say all this, not in criticism of the students, who are friendly, enthusiastic and hard-working. They deserve better.

One thing is for sure, though, and that's the education system has been truly shafted by 'experts' and 'advisers'. Along with just about everything else in this country.

At Last The Observer Talks About The EU And It's Bollocks

Rafael Behr | Britain must grow up and stop believing Europhobe nonsense | Comment is free | The Observer

After years of printing virtually nothing about the EU and its operations (including its catastrophic effect on the postal system) The Observer suddenly prints an article by Rafael Behr, attacking Europhobes. Must be something to do with events, dear boy.

The article is stuffed with inaccuracies and shot through with political naivete.

Please read it for yourself; I can't bring myself to read it again. The comments by supporters of the EU are as sadly misinformed and incorrect as Behr's, who writes:

A second Irish referendum has approved the Lisbon treaty, removing one of the last obstacles to its taking effect. This document, remember, is a European constitution in disguise, smuggled through Britain's parliament under the noses of somnolent MPs. It means that Albion's ancient powers can be whisked away at last to a dark Belgian corridor.

There is another interpretation [other than that Europhobe 'conspiracy' one]: that there is no conspiracy; that the EU is an alliance of sovereign nations in which British prime ministers have collaborated because it serves the country's interests; that the Lisbon Treaty is just one in a parade of flawed but worthwhile compromises required to make a multinational alliance work. Dull, but true.

What planet is this oaf living on?

The Lisbon Treaty is a constitution; the architects of the original European Constitution have said so; Lisbon was the EU's means of getting what they wanted after the rejection of the Constitution by French and Dutch voters.

The EU will no longer be an alliance of sovereign nations once the Lisbon Treaty is implemented - in fact, it is barely that, even now. This is the 'pooled sovereignty' bluff the EU's supporters like to deploy, ignoring the fact that sovereignty cannot be pooled, only drowned. It ignores the obvious fact that successive British governments have either connived in passing EU laws that are inimical to our sovereignty, trade and other interests or have not fought hard enough against them. And not told us what they were doing while they were at it.

Behr has clearly not read the treaty document or understood the implications of it: Lisbon makes the EU a state, with us as its citizens. It cements the primacy of the unelected Commission and the Councils over national governments (the Parliament remains nothing but a glorified rubber stamp); it establishes the total dominance of EU law and legislation over that of its 'member states'; and it allocates to itself the right to change, amend and extend its own powers, with no democratic checks or accountability. The treaty also lays out the intention to set up a Euro police force, an EU army/armed services and an EU Diplomatic Service.

These and other facts are either not known by EU supporters or are simply disregarded, as if they'll just go away, like a bad dream.

The few benefits of membership of the EU are completely outweighed by the disadvantages. Those benefits could just as easily be secured through traditional international agreements.

The British media since 1997 have assiduously avoided talking about the EU with the deliberate intention of keeping us uninformed. The undemocratically-enforced second Irish referendum and the blather about the prospect of Blair as 'President' has meant they've had to acknowledge the existence of the Union, and in the Guardian and Observer's case, declare themselves in support.

We know who our enemies are.

Head Of Digital Engagement Job For Disengaging FCO

Head Of Digital Engagement The Foreign and Commonwealth Office want a Head of Digital DooDah, though once the Lisbon Constitution Treaty goes through there won't be much point, since we'll all be represented by the EU's own Diplomatic (hah!) Service under an unelected High Representative.

Brown Hails Irish EU Yes Vote

Brown.

"I welcome the decision of the Irish people on the Lisbon Treaty," said Brown.

"The treaty is good for the UK and good for Europe. We can now work together to focus on the issues that matter most to Europeans -- a sustained economic recovery, security, tackling global poverty, and action on climate change."

What a cunt!

He didn't give us the chance to vote on it; turned up late for the ratification to avoid the publicity; now has the gall to go on about how good it is for us all.

May he drown in his own shit.

Congratulations To The Little People Of Ireland

Congratulations, Ireland.

The EU took you for a tiny, spineless nation, with a population they could bully and lie to with ease in order to get what they wanted.

And you've proved them right.

The EU's Irish Nemesis

EU Referendum finds a 'large measure of comfort' in the prospect of an Irish 'yes' vote on the Lisbon Treaty. Because it would spell the beginning of the end for the whole dishonest enterprise.

It's certainly true that the EU has managed to be as successful as it is by virtue of its invisibility. Just think: all those people in Ireland voting on something they don't understand about a treaty they've never read, produced by an institution whose operations they never see. Once the EU makes itself visible - and all its corrupt, undemocratic ways - the clearer it becomes to everyone what's going on.

It may indeed turn out to be the overweening vanity and arrogance of the EU's politicians that kick starts the collapse. The sooner the better.

Broken Politics, Whores And Maggots

Re: the Campaign for an English parliament and The Last Redoubt. Campaigning for a separate English parliament does indeed mean accepting the ultimate break up of the Union, as planned in the EU's 'Europe of Regions' agenda (though no doubt France and Germany will remain unified pretty much as they are, since they run the show).

It seems likely the Irish will vote yes to the Lisbon Constitution, but even if they don't the EU will go ahead with it, as I pointed out just the other day.

Cameron and his supporters won't do anything about Lisbon. We won't get a referendum. Even if we did and voted no, nothing would happen.

And now we have lobby groups like 2010, ('Countdown to a new politics') and their possible link with Common Purpose. The main problem, however, is that it is driven by the same fashionable impulse that drives all 'progressives' - ie, a belief that the only answer to the political situation is 'reform' of one sort or another. Institutional reform is not the answer; it wouldn't change anything.

What's wrong is the people who are in politics. They're corrupt, self-serving, sneaky, arrogant, ignorant, smug, unimaginative, interfering, lying, thieving, bullying, hypocritical little dictators. By and large they have little experience outside of politics. They don't know or care about the lives of others. Politics as a means of personal aggrandizement is all that matters to them.

Whatever party they belong to they all share similar views on how society should operate; any differences between them are matters of style rather than substance. They all share a supreme sense of entitlement, that they know best, irrespective of what the people actually want; and that since they know best, then they should be have the power to impose their ideas and 'values' on the whole of society. Hence we have the pathetic and insulting spectacle of Brown, a dead politician, trying to rally the purulent corpse of his government and party for a 'fight' at the next election. What's the point? Why can't we have that election now and get the execution over with? Well, because Gordon Brown can't let go of power: he's wanted this so long he'll hang on till either we (or his party) have to chop his stubby fingers off at the knuckles. And Cameron will no longer call for an early election because he wants Ireland and the Lisbon Treaty stitched up and out of the way so that he can get get on with running the UK as his own little province under the EU dictatorship.

So it doesn't matter what changes are made to the system: if the same scum are in positions of power nothing will improve. And things are only going to get worse. At the next election all those MPs leaving because they lost face over the expenses debacle will be replaced by young versions of themselves - eager little busybodies with the same sense of self-entitlement and the same lack of social experience; the same lack of imagination invigorated by a firm belief in whatever is the grand theory of the day.

It's not Britain that's broken; it's not even our system; it's our politicians. The whole British and European political class is corrupt. If you want to see that ethical poverty at an EU level all you have to do is consider the prospect of Tony Blair as President. It's like watching a bunch of preening whores deciding which one of them should be the next Madame in their brothel.

These people are our enemies. They're the enemies of our nation, our culture, our history, our dignity, our livelihoods, our liberties and our future. Blair, Mandelson, Brown, Cameron, Clegg: they're all maggots in the corpse of democracy.