Monday, 30 August 2010
Bonfire of Quangos will not light.
Vote for change said iDave.
Con-Dem are failing in the face of inertia from the resistance from the 'public sector'.
Most Quangos will not face dissolution for two years, which will be halfway through Con-Dem's term of office (if they do not fall apart)this is hardly radical shrinking of the State.
Large Corporations are now calling for their cosy relationship with the big banks to be maintained, wich the Banks not to be broken up.
Corporatism does not like competition and new entrants to the markets hence the resistance.
Over the next eighteen months we are going to see the steam run out any pretence of a radical agenda that either the Tories and Social Democrats had in shrinking the state.
Sunday, 22 August 2010
Still Fighting 'them' on the beaches
The War goes on ! The war against Fascism (The marriage of the big State with big Corporations) we were told ended in 1945. Another skirmish has broken out, that the Libertarian Party is pleased to be part of-
All the links in the following article reproduced in full are to be found here on the Anna Raccoon site
70 years ago this week, Winston Churchill made his famous speech immortalising the words ‘Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.’ He did so to rally every man and woman in these Isles to support the war effort:
“because we have been nurtured in freedom and individual responsibility and are the products, not of totalitarian uniformity, but of tolerance and variety.”
Sheila Martin was a fragile babe in arms when her Mother heard those words. Too young to understand the menace behind the Messerschmitts and Heinkels screaming overhead and disturbing her slumber. She was the intended beneficiary of Churchill’s words, one of the generation of children that depended on the bravery of British men such as her Father, away in France fighting for the freedom, tolerance and variety that was Britain’s hallmark.
Today, Sheila is once more fragile; she is 70 years old and was widowed 30 years ago. She tells me she has survived five heart attacks; she suffers from asthma, angina and high blood pressure. She only smokes the occasional cigarette these days, partly for health reasons, partly because her minimal state pension doesn’t stretch to any more.
70 years after Churchill’s speech was made, she has retired from a lifetime of hard work.
She was part of that unsung army of hard working, clean living, decent individuals, who cheerfully got up every morning and trudged off to put in a decent days work for a paltry wage as a ‘Mrs Mop’, raised her family, nurtured her marriage, made ends meet, saved little, but asked little in return, save the freedom, and tolerance that her older relatives had fought to provide. She is not a politically aware lady, nor insolent, nor ambitious for financial rewards.
In common with other ‘Smokers’ who may not like the new laws prohibiting them from smoking where others may be offended by the practice, she respected the law of the land, and complied. She is no campaigner against such laws.
Thus it was that she found herself standing at a bus stop, waiting for the bus which would take her home, and taking the opportunity to smoke a cigarette in the open air – there was no bus shelter. She could no longer smoke a cigarette on the top deck of the bus. She had not been able to smoke a cigarette with the cup of tea she shared with her daughter in town. Now she must stand in the road to enjoy the ‘freedom, tolerance and variety’ of the British Isles.
She only smoked half the cigarette; as the time drew close for the bus to arrive, she ‘nibbed’ the cigarette, letting the lit end fall to the ground, and thriftily stowing the other half of the cigarette in her handbag for a later occasion. It was her last cigarette until pension day.
Two of Sandwell’s famed ‘enforcement wardens’ approached her – a man and a woman. They told her that they were issuing a ‘Fixed Penalty Fine’ of £75 under Section 87 (1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 as amended by Section 18 of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005. This mouthful of gobblygook was lost on Sheila; she had no idea what she had done wrong and put the piece of paper in her pocket.
Once home, friends and neighbours clustered round to read this piece of officialdom. Sheila still had the ‘end’ of the cigarette, with its precious inch or so of un-smoked tobacco in her handbag, so how could she be accused of littering the street – it had to be the cigarette ash they were talking about?
I have spoken to Sandwell Council, they tell me that they do not issue fixed penalty notices for cigarette ‘ash’ – I am sure they don’t. I am equally sure that Mrs Martin is telling the truth when she tells me that the half cigarette with its ‘butt’ was still safely in her handbag when she returned home. So we are left with the quandary of whether the ‘lit’ end of a cigarette, which will become cigarette ‘ash’ within seconds, constitutes parliament’s intention when they defined litter as including:
In section 98 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (definitions), after subsection (5) insert—
“(5A)“Litter” includes—
(a) the discarded ends of cigarettes, cigars and like products, and
(b) discarded chewing-gum and the discarded remains of other products designed for chewing.”
If a court holds that it does, then every smoker is liable for a £75 fine every time they smoke a cigarette in the street. I do not believe that to be parliament’s intention.
On Friday, the threatening ‘Final Demand’ from Sandwell Council, warning her that she now faces a £2,500 fine plus costs (and possible imprisonment if she does not pay that) expired. The next opportunity for Mrs Martin to contest this matter will come in ‘some months time’ – the council cannot tell me when her case will arrive at the top of their back log of cases to appear in the Magistrates court.
Sheila Martin is frightened, intimidated, and feels helpless in the face of this prosecution. She is in delicate health, aggravated by stress, and I have asked the council to reconsider their decision to press ahead with what may well be an interesting test case defining a cigarette end, but which will be at the expense of a frail and elderly person. They have referred me to their ‘revised Enforcement Policy’ – which makes for terrifying reading, a fine example of the totalitarian government Sheila’s Father fought so bravely to prevent. (available HERE)
Nick Hogan, who I was instrumental in rescuing from prison after similar council action, has joined with me, the Libertarian Party and the Sunday Mercury, to ensure that Sheila suffers as little as possible from the council’s intransience.
We have already arranged for some very high powered legal representation for her, to put her mind at rest, and I have promised her that she will go to prison ‘over my dead body’ – she is obviously unable to pay this fine, or incremental increases of it, and I have personally guaranteed her that somehow I will make sure that she doesn’t have to pay it herself, nor go to prison.
There is no need for money at present, all the legal beagles so far involved are kindly donating their time and expertise free of charge – although if there are any other lawyers out there who would like to join the team, this is one broth that will not be spoiled by too many cooks. My e-mail address is on the contact section of this blog.
70 years ago we were prepared to ‘fight them on the beaches’ – how appropriate that today we prepare to f’ight them on the Sandwell……’
Friday, 13 August 2010
CCTV- Just Turn It Off If You Cannot Afford To Run It
Malmesbury in Wiltshire wants 'volunteers' to man their CCTV cameras at the local prison.
Anybody who 'volunteers' for this sort of activity should be immediately banned from going anywhere near CCTV.
Just turn it off.
Thursday, 12 August 2010
Monday, 9 August 2010
Not A Good Weekend For Confidence In The Police
A retired Policeman who stood guard over the body of Dr David Kelly has now admitted that there was very little blood that would justify Kelly dying in this manner thus confirming the statements of the two paramedics who attended on scene, and fuelling further controversy and confirming the view of a group of Doctors that he could not have possibly died in this manner.
Coe also now admits that there was a 'third man' on scene in contravention of his earlier evidence to the largely discredited Hutton enquiry, and he is still refusing to name this man.
Lastly that he was instructed to search Kelly's house for sensitive documents relating to Iraq.
Whatever you weigh this up, and don't forget that Hutton delivered the BBC up to the Blair Government, there is an almighty stench still hanging over this whole affair.
It appears that obsfucation and not telling the truth and the whole truth is now endemic within the Police and security services.
Two policemen have been suspended following this attack on a retired businessman who they accused of fleeing from the scene of a 'stop' ( Note the speedo bottom right, he stays within the speed limit at all times, until he stops voluntarily , but this does not stop the 'road rage' incident and criminal damage that ensued.
Was there a reason for this TV cop response, possibly this episode concerning Mr Whatley a few years earlier may provide a salient clue.
On current form as with Jean Charles De Menezes, Balir Peach and Ian Tomlinson it will be the fault of the victim, rather than the assailants dressed up as law officers.
ACPO the private limited company that runs the Police in this country as so to avoid the intrusions of the Freedom Of Information Act have threatened to resign if elected Police Commissioners are brought in. The Libertarian Party has long had this as policy, and ACPO should be closed down in the public interest as a private limited company.
The Police have been itching to crack heads eversince February 2009 with the outrageous statement referring to a 'summer of rage' by Super Hartshorn.
This is not policing by consent under the Peelian Principles. The Police are in serious danger of turning themselves into a paramilitary force at the hands of repressive government. In the case of Kelly searching for sensitive 'Iraq' documents is the job of SIS not the civilian police.
Some 'hard cases' in the force seem to take some pleasure in assaulting members of the forces who have been involved in action in Afghanistan in an almost tribal proving manhood test.
A relative of mine who served in the Highland Light Infantry in World War Two said that when the Police assaulted one of their number prior to D Day, they took a covered truck and two bren guns, and shot up shop windows in the high street of a south coast town scattering the police on duty. What did they care, as far as they were concerned ninety per cent of them were going to killed in the next month when the invasion started. Lets hope that we don't get to that level of retaliation, fortunately the Army has a bit more control over its members than do some Police Forces.
The fact that Mr Whatley's solicitor has released the sickening assault to the media, shows the level of confidence that he has in getting the two policemen concerned sacked and convicted, that he feels in neccessary to appeal to the public.
The Police should remember the 4th Peelian Principle
The degree of co-operation of the public that can be secured diminishes proportionately to the necessity of the use of physical force.
The last Labour Government tore up the rule book, the Libertarian Party wants Peel back.
Coe also now admits that there was a 'third man' on scene in contravention of his earlier evidence to the largely discredited Hutton enquiry, and he is still refusing to name this man.
Lastly that he was instructed to search Kelly's house for sensitive documents relating to Iraq.
Whatever you weigh this up, and don't forget that Hutton delivered the BBC up to the Blair Government, there is an almighty stench still hanging over this whole affair.
It appears that obsfucation and not telling the truth and the whole truth is now endemic within the Police and security services.
Two policemen have been suspended following this attack on a retired businessman who they accused of fleeing from the scene of a 'stop' ( Note the speedo bottom right, he stays within the speed limit at all times, until he stops voluntarily , but this does not stop the 'road rage' incident and criminal damage that ensued.
Was there a reason for this TV cop response, possibly this episode concerning Mr Whatley a few years earlier may provide a salient clue.
On current form as with Jean Charles De Menezes, Balir Peach and Ian Tomlinson it will be the fault of the victim, rather than the assailants dressed up as law officers.
ACPO the private limited company that runs the Police in this country as so to avoid the intrusions of the Freedom Of Information Act have threatened to resign if elected Police Commissioners are brought in. The Libertarian Party has long had this as policy, and ACPO should be closed down in the public interest as a private limited company.
The Police have been itching to crack heads eversince February 2009 with the outrageous statement referring to a 'summer of rage' by Super Hartshorn.
This is not policing by consent under the Peelian Principles. The Police are in serious danger of turning themselves into a paramilitary force at the hands of repressive government. In the case of Kelly searching for sensitive 'Iraq' documents is the job of SIS not the civilian police.
Some 'hard cases' in the force seem to take some pleasure in assaulting members of the forces who have been involved in action in Afghanistan in an almost tribal proving manhood test.
A relative of mine who served in the Highland Light Infantry in World War Two said that when the Police assaulted one of their number prior to D Day, they took a covered truck and two bren guns, and shot up shop windows in the high street of a south coast town scattering the police on duty. What did they care, as far as they were concerned ninety per cent of them were going to killed in the next month when the invasion started. Lets hope that we don't get to that level of retaliation, fortunately the Army has a bit more control over its members than do some Police Forces.
The fact that Mr Whatley's solicitor has released the sickening assault to the media, shows the level of confidence that he has in getting the two policemen concerned sacked and convicted, that he feels in neccessary to appeal to the public.
The Police should remember the 4th Peelian Principle
The degree of co-operation of the public that can be secured diminishes proportionately to the necessity of the use of physical force.
The last Labour Government tore up the rule book, the Libertarian Party wants Peel back.
Wednesday, 4 August 2010
Note From The Treasurer
I would like to thank everybody, Member and supporters who so generously made a donation to the Party in July, however made. We do not get the support of major companies or unions and are totally reliant on your generosity.
There is so much more that the Libertarian Party can and must do. Tim Carpenter and Andrew Withers have been on mainstream TV and Radio in the last few weeks, so we are slowly prizing the door open.
We are painfully aware that we are in a difficult economic period, which is why I am trying to build a war chest for next May slowly and surely. Therefore every pound we collect in is so valuable.
Please keep the donations coming in of whatever size. Whilst I am speaking to some serious donors it is your £5, £10 , £20 plus that keeps us going.
Direct bank transfer to:
sort code 40-28-20
account 92635313
Please put your surname and if you have one a membership number as a reference.
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