You only just noticed?

I wonder at times about Eric Pickles the Local Government Secretary, much of what he rails at I agree with, though his success rates doesn't seem to be that great. Good for a soundbite I guess, but not for getting things done. He's now having a go at the "Arc Manche" region idea proposed by the EU several years ago having inherited it from the Labour government (probably given the go ahead by that bunch of English haters as a measure of spite) Odd thing is, the English nationalists have been very, very unhappy about the EU's regionalisation for years and viewed with disgust Gordon Brown's continual pronouncement of the UK as a country of nations (Scotland, Wales N/Ireland) and regions (England) We were also aware of the Arc Manche scheme a few years ago too, though nothing we said or did could halt the slide of the Labour government towards the dismemberment of England.

Daily Mail.

Eric Pickles last night accused the European Union of trying to ‘wipe England off the map’ by developing a new cross-Channel region, complete with its own ‘flag’.

The Cabinet Minister condemned the EU for ploughing millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money into the ‘Arc Manche’, the name given by Brussels to an ambitious attempt to merge Northern France and Southern England.

Mr Pickles, the Local Government Secretary, says he is incensed to have discovered that Eurocrats are planning to roll out a new Arc Manche ‘transnational emblem’ across England.

‘Labour has been conspiring with European bureaucrats to wipe England off the map,’ Mr Pickles said.

Not exactly something that the politically aware in the UK were in ignorance of though. Still it's quite nice to see it get a little publicity though God alone knows what Pickles thinks he can do about it. Even if he had the power to stop it (he doesn't) there are those in his own party who would sabotage any attempt to try (yes we're looking at you Ken Clarke)
The only way schemes like this can be stopped is to leave the EU, our spineless treacherous politicians have simply given away too much of our sovereignty to stop any EU diktat from being implemented. We might have stood a chance if given a referendum on Lisbon, though clearly in hindsight there was no chance of ever being given such a referendum, the EUphiles know what the result would have been and for all their bland corruption and evil intent, they aren't stupid enough to ask a question of the English they know they won't like the answer too.
So, Eric Pickles has finally noticed something we in the anti-EU ranks have known for years, wonder what he thinks he can do about it?

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Quite a few of us, aren't there?

A good many people out there suspect (quite rightly) that the reason we're never given a referendum on the EU is that the government know we'll vote to leave, or we'll vote as in the case of something like the Lisbon treaty not to integrate further. The EUphiles know this and will move heaven and earth to make sure that no European country gets a fair say, even to the point of making people vote again as in the case of Ireland if necessary. In fact I suspect that's why we never get any referendums at all, the government has become too estranged from what the people actually want or need.

Express.

DAVID Cameron was yesterday given the clearest message yet that the UK should leave the European Union.
The Daily Express’s historic crusade for the country to withdraw from the EU marched on Downing Street.
Editor Peter Hill led a delegation to hand over the bulging sacks of petition coupons signed by 373,000 of our loyal readers.
In an indication of the growing support at Westminster, five senior MPs from both sides of the House of Commons helped to carry the petition to the Prime Minister’s home.
Tory MP Philip Hollobone said: “Congrat­ulations to the Daily Express for saying so clearly what most of Britain actually feels. At least one national newspaper has the guts to speak out on this issue.
“The message has been delivered straight to the door of Number 10. The Prime Minister will certainly take note of the strength of feeling on this.”
The Daily Express’s petition is among the largest collected by a newspaper in living memory. Coupons from 350,000 readers were sent in and a further 23,000 signed up on our website.

It will be ignored of course, oh I'm sure there will be many words in favour being spouted by all and sundry, but the business of selling the UK out to the EU will carry on apace because the vast majority of our MP's are spineless cowards in thrall to the EUphiles leaderships of their parties. Any attempt to get a debate on the EU is immediately stalled by filibustering EUphiles and the use of the government (and opposition) whips to make sure that any attempt by the few brave parliamentarians to do something about our undemocratic ties and lack of sovereignty to the corrupt EU elite are simply ignored or talked out before any damage can be done.
What of course the politicians don't realise is that all they are doing is causing more and more anger amongst the public who see their wishes thwarted by the people they've elected to represent them. This in part is wht the big 2 1/2 political parties are struggling to hold onto membership and actually get people to take an interest in voting. They decry the lack of interest in politics in the UK and then vote against the wishes of the people anyway, perhaps if they actually did what we wanted, people might vote for them, just a thought...
The day though is coming when we'll leave the EU, it's almost becoming inevitable with every decision in favour of the EU that our parliament makes, all those petty little regulations that make our lives less than happy, the collapse of its own currency and the ever growing tensions between the member states along with its immigration policies and import export taxes and regulations. A one size fits all clearly doesn't work for the EU and its becoming ever more apparent. A return to the EEC and the EFTA zone would be the best solution for the EU, except that the politicians (not the people) can't or won't do that. Eventually though the people will make that decision for them and they'll only have themselves to blame.
We should have never joined, we should have left years ago and we should get out now! The only reason we don't can be laid squarely at the door of our political leaders.

More about → Quite a few of us, aren't there?

This will send the Righteous up the wall

Nothing gives me greater pleasure than seeing an article which is almost guaranteed to send the "Righteous" into paroxysms of outrage because it's being promoted by the ordinary proles out there, will be voted on by the proles and if passed will become law and there's nothing the political/chattering classes of the "Righteous" who think they and only they know what's best for us can do about it, other than moan about it in the Guardian.
One of the things that gets their goat is the fact that the USA has the death penalty and they use Europe, dear old civilised Europe as an example of how superior their system is to the barbarous USA (They ignore China and other foreign death penalty states as it's a cultural thing and besides they are not white, so that makes it ok)

Pravda. (Yes I know, but if you want to know what's really going on in the EU and Europe it's best to take an outsiders view)

Switzerland is ready to challenge European traditions again. The controversy about the prohibition on the construction of minarets in this country had hardly subsided before the small nation prepared another surprise to the tolerant Europe. The Swiss started collecting signatures to conduct the referendum to reinstate death penalty.

Capital punishment was officially cancelled in Switzerland in 1942, but was valid during the war period. The last execution by shooting took place in Switzerland in 1944. Twelve death sentences were enforced in the country during the WWII years: eleven of them were about the citizens of Nazi Germany, whose actions caused considerable damage to the security of Switzerland.

What made the Alpine nation think about the retrieval of such anachronism? The initiative was set forth by a group of seven people, whose relatives had fallen victims to paedophile rapists. The members of the group believe that Switzerland should retrieve death penalty "for those committing a murder or responsible for a death resulting from sexual abuse of children, sexual violence or rape."

One shall assume that the restoration of death penalty in the country may trigger protests in Switzerland's neighbouring nations. They will obviously pay attention to the fact that such will expressions contradicts to the European Convention for Human Rights. It would not be a first for Switzerland, though: the country has been previously accused of the same twice. Whatever the case, the authorities of the Alpine nation found no obstacles for collecting signatures.

The group will have to collect 100,000 signatures for the referendum to occur on February 24, 2012. We do not know what common people think about the initiative, but the leaders of many political parties of the country treated it extremely negatively.

Yes, just 100,000 signatures triggers a referendum where everybody gets a vote, the main political parties might hate it, however in Switzerland they have very little power once the people have spoken. It's one of the reasons why we don't have strong local democracy or a tradition of referendums in the UK, after all if the people got to decide what they wanted, where would that leave the political classes?
Now, my main objections to the death penalty are that if you make a mistake, it's impossible to put it right, not against offing violent criminals per se. However in cases where there is no doubt whatsoever, I have no objection, getting rid of the likes of Sutcliffe, Huntley and sundry others who cost us money to feed and house for the rest of their pampered lives.

Still, if anything, this Swiss attempt will drive the righteous to distraction and give them something to do which might make them leave us alone... Well I can dream can't I?

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So, what about a proper referendum, like the one you promised?

So Parliament has decided to offer us a referendum........ though not the one most people seem to want on the EU, I doubt those in charge of their respective political parties will ever offer that though as they know they wont like the answer they'll get, which will be bye bye EU.

Politics.co.uk.

MPs have agreed to hold a referendum on reforming the electoral system.

Should Labour win the general election, a referendum will now be held on whether Britain should adopt the 'alternative vote' system on October 31st 2011.

MPs agreed the measure by 365 to 187, giving the government a majority of 178.

A more radical Lib Dem amendment, which would have seen the implementation of the single transferable vote system and the referendum brought forward to May 30th 2011, was defeated by 476 votes to 69.

The vote came late in the evening after a marathon debate which saw MP after MP stand to make their case.

Towards the end of the evening, George Galloway was reduced to telling the deputy Speaker: "I almost lost the will to live when we approached the 50th minute of the honourable member for Cambridge's [Lib Dem justice spokesman David Howarth] speech.

"I've sat here for six and a half hours shaking my head at the complacency on view from both sides."

The amendment is unlikely to reach the statute book given the shortage of parliamentary time available.

So they wasted a day debating something that probably wont become law but was designed to show up the Tories as non reformist, typical Gordon Brown thinking then as he doesn't see things as being good for the country (with the possible exception of Scotland) but either good for Labour or bad for the Tories.
That's why he's selling off English assets (Dover, Thames Crossing et al) and no-one else's and it's also why he did this to try and show that he's a reformer, despite the fact it wont matter and that when you look closely at the system he wants it would boost Labour votes as second choice and disadvantage everyone else.
Meanwhile a real bill for a referendum on the EU is being proposed by Douglas Carswell, I hope it manages to become law though the odds are stacked against it, both in Parliament with the current stranglehold the EUphiles have on the various party leaderships and outside with the EU not liking the idea of losing a net contributor.

I just wish our politicians would get over playing stupid point scoring games and actually run the country for the people who live here, rather than themselves and outside interests.

Or perhaps I just want the impossible.

More about → So, what about a proper referendum, like the one you promised?