Who Are Ya?

Best speech of the year so far ...

EU ban on bendy bananas looks set to return

Good news!  The European Empire is going to save us, once again, from the scourge of bendy bananas and square strawberries.

It was only last year that our masters over the channel graciously allowed us to stop throwing away perfectly good food because it was the wrong shape and food bills fell by up to 40% as a result.  But now the imperial agriculture committee has decided that it's vitally important that we aren't exposed to horrifying culinary sights such as these:

Why the European Empire would think this is a sensible idea is beyond me, perhaps they're trying to deflect attention from the million metric tonnes of dead fish that are thrown back in the sea because of their quotas?

In other news, some brown people just south of Europe are a bit peckish:

Whatever your culture or politics, throwing away millions of tons of food because it's the wrong shape or size or because too much has been caught when a few thousand miles away, children are scratching round in the dirt for anything edible, is immoral.

Bloomberg Article Exposes Creative EU Member Accounting

It seems the unspeakable is now being spoken. How did countries that were effectively bankrupt manage to meet the fiscal criteria to join the Euro. This article exposes how it happened.


'When the European Union predicted in 1997 that Italy’s budget deficit would exceed the threshold to qualify for the single currency, it buried in the fine print the observation that with “additional measures” the Italians could pass.

They did, thanks to a one-time tax and a yen-denominated swap. It was an early example of the balance-sheet fiddling deployed since then by countries eager to share the benefits of a $13-trillion market and lower borrowing costs, yet unwilling to cede control over their budgets, wages and welfare systems.'

Click on title link for full article.

Hegelian: France says economic union is solution to Greek debt crisis

It didn't take them long, did it?

The FT notes that France is pushing for an "economic government" for the eurozone in the wake of the Greek crisis. "It is too early to talk about this openly", said an official in Paris. "But let's face it, this Greek tragedy is probably the best way to get the debate moving forward. It is a wake-up call."

Ah, yes. Wait until Germany has decided on whether or not to bail out Greece, then let the media loose to hail economic union as the cure-all that we 'need', to avoid economic catastrophe!

Yeah, right. Problem, reaction, solution. Only they're not fooling many people any more.

"We are at a crossroads," Mr Balladur wrote in Le Figaro. "The time has come to move to a new stage."

"The issue of economic government is largely about Franco-German dialogue," said an official. "The president and chancellor talk about it each time they meet."

Get ready for the media onslaught and watch McDoom's reaction.

Cross-posted

EU flexes Lisbon muscle in Greece

The European Empire has used its new powers to undermine national sovereignty under the Lisbon Treaty for the first time by removing Greece's right to vote at a meeting of finance ministers next month as punishment for their financial problems.

Unless Greece complies with instructions from other imperial finance ministers over their austerity budget, the European Empire will take over running the Greek economy.

Meanwhile, it looks like some Germans shops are refusing to accept high denomination Euro notes printed in Portugal, Ireland, Italy or Greece.

Cllr Defection Creates New Group on Billericay Council

UKIP have today announced the formation of a UKIP Group upon Billericay Town Council after Cllr. Terry Gandy (Billericay West Ward)(Independent)crossed the floor to the party taking the UKIP whip.

His main reasons for defecting was the EU, Taxes and Immigration.

He will join Cllr. Susan McCaffery to form the UKIP Billericay Town Council Group.
Cllr. Susan McCaffery was elected to the council last year with 57% of the vote.

A HUGE LANDSLIDE RESULT - 24th September 2009

Labour 266 , BNP 95 , UKIP 480 (57%)

Swindon Selects New PPC

The United Kingdom Independence Party held their Annual General meeting last night at the South Marston Hotel and Leisure Club.

The Chairman, Greg Heathcliffe was re-elected, following an unsuccessful challenge by Stephen Halden, UKIP's North Swindon PPC. The treasurer and secretary were elected unopposed and five other committee members adopted.

The party is also pleased to announce the selection of Robin Tingey as the new PPC for South Swindon. Robin has been a UKIP member since 2001 and has held a number of branch committee posts. He is the branches local webmaster.

He has lived in Swindon for fourteen years, and works for Motorola in Swindon. Robin has strong family values and is a committed practising Christian. He has previously stood for election both as PPC and as a Council Candidate. He has also acted as a candidate agent.

Commenting on his selection he said, 'I am very pleased to be standing for UKIP again. Britain needs to rid itself of the EU and use the money for this country. If elected I will serve the people of South Swindon to the best of my ability.'


Robert Feal-Martinez
Spokesperson UKIP Swindon

Greece will be the EU's excuse for economic and political union

Information Clearing House has an interesting article on the demise of the EU as a consequence of the Greek debt crisis.

However, it's a mistake to underestimate the EU. Not because the EU is wise, but because it is ambitious.  

The aim of the EU has always been to effect an economic and political union. This crisis has just demonstrated that a monetary union is not possible without economic and political union. So, where the sane person might say that monetary union has been a failure and should be abandoned, the EU mind will use it as an excuse to push for political union.

I.e., it is the solution to the problem they created - a 'solution' they wanted all along.

I hope I'm wrong, but time will tell.

Cross-posted

Scum Sucking Tories

Scum Sucking Tories

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.  My MP (until May if he manages to hang on that long) David Wright has landed himself in a spot of bother with his inappropriate use of Twitter.  It was inevitable really, he’s been at it for some time now.

There’s been a bit of a tweetmeme going on throughout the day with people explaining why they’ve never voted Tory/Labour using #ivenevervotedtory and #ivenevervotedlabour hashtags.

But David Wright, a junior minister in the Treasury for a few years now, had to take it too far with the comment “#ivenevervotedtory because you can put lipstick on a scum-sucking pig, but it’s still a scum-sucking pig. And cos they would ruin Britain”.

I noticed the tweet earlier but I was out with my kids and so I didn’t make anything of it but it’s ok because Tory Radio noticed it and took a screenshot (above) and then Iain Dale picked up on it.

David deleted the tweet an hour after it was posted and apologised but then, bizarrely, subsequently claimed that his Twitter account had been tinkered with!  But here’s the funny thing: it’s exactly his normal style and exactly the sort of juvenile insult he comes out with aimed at the Tories all the time.

I’ve started favouriting some of his more interesting tweets such as this inciteful comment on George Osbourne in Parliament:

Georgey Porgey looks like he is holding in a big fart

Whether he looked like he was holding in a big fart I don’t know but is this an appropriate comment from an MP, let alone a Minister in the British government?  Since December he’s drunk-tweeted me, insulted me and even tried to intimidate me to stop me from asking him questions about Labour laundering taxpayers money through the unions to get state funding for the party and whether he’s a union-sponsored MP (he refuses to tell say).

But rather than take it on the chin after apologising, he quickly changed his story and said his Twitter account had been hacked.  Absolute nonsense if you ask me!  Iain Dale is now calling for support for the Tory PPC for David’s Telford constituency, Tom Biggins who already has a big advantage over David Wright in that he’s not Labour and he’s not David Wright but David does have some support still in the sinkhole housing estates that make up the bulk of his constituency.  I want David Wright out of office as much as the Tories do but I won’t be voting for Tom Biggins who’s been parachuted in from Whitchurch, still in the county but a good hours drive away.  I will be voting for – and actively supporting – the UKIP candidate, Councillor Denis Allen who has lived in Telford for years, has been a councillor in Telford for years, has served as Mayor of Wellington in Telford and is currently Deputy Mayor of Telford & Wrekin Borough.

I have a great deal of respect for David Wright for being an early adopter of Twitter amongst MPs and the fact that despite a mutual loathing he still talks to me on Twitter, even if trying to get him to answer a question is like trying to nail jelly to the wall.  But he really doesn’t help himself with his failure to understand what is and isn’t an acceptable thing to say and do as an MP.  Every day he tweets he says something inappropriate and people have warned him about his tweeting activities but he plods on regardless writing gaffe after gaffe and inevitably has attracted the attentions of the rabid Tory Twitterati and bloggers, some of whom have regular slots on national news channels and columns in newspapers, who will doubtless hound him until he resigns or something more exciting comes along.

David will be desperate for a proper politician to do something daft in the next day or two to take the heat off him, let’s hope they’re all on their best behaviour at least until the end of the week!

Cross-posted: Wonko's World

Camerons Common People

Restoring Britishness: UKIP Policy - Part 2

Having read the full policy document, it is clear that it even more ill thought out, inconsistent and out of touch with reality than the summary suggested.

Here is some further comment to go with the earlier comment on the summary:

the British people enjoyed the protections afforded by Magna Carta

No, the English people enjoyed the protections afforded by Magna Carta, a proclamation dating from 1215, some 492 years before the British state existed and a proclamation that has never formed part of Scottish law.

Britishness is also defined by a civic nationalism, which is inclusive, as opposed to religious or racial nationalism, which is exclusive. Civic nationalism is defined by loyalty and identification with the symbols of nationhood, such as the national flag.

Of course it's a civic nationalism, it is a 300 year old political construct that has no racial, ethnic, historical or natural basis.  We spent a couple of thousand years knocking seven shades out of each other and even in the 300 years the union has existed we English have still been universally loathed by the celts.  And the national flag - what an own goal by whoever wrote this policy!  Take a drive around your neighbourhood and count the British flags and your own national flag.  Other than public buildings and company premises you'll be hard pressed to find the butchers apron flying anywhere.  I know of one house - just one - in the whole of Telford (population 160k) that flies a British flag but the English flag is everywhere.  The British flag is a symbol of British imperialistic officialdom to most people, nothing more.

Civic nationalism's real beauty is it is open to all, whatever their ethnic, religious or linguistic background or skin colour, as the only thing the person has to do is self identify as British and demonstrate loyalty and consistency in their beliefs

I am a civic English nationalist and believe exactly the same thing about an English identity and most people in English identify themselves as English.

As UKIP’s Deputy Leader David Campbell Bannerman notes

What is it that leads Brit/Scot politicians to blather on about Britishness in defiance of logic and public opinion, especially the opinion of their fellow countrymen and women who reject Britishness more than any other people on these islands?  I knew he'd have something to do with this.

The Scottish and Welsh nationalists have also fallen for the siren's call from Brussels that a "Europe of the Regions" will be to their advantage, particularly if they can dissolve the UK, despite the fact they would be mere regions of an EU state and not proud nations within a British union

All the more reason to establish an English parliament for all of England, to permanently frustrate the regionalists.  But you see, even in the final sentence, the author acknowledges that we are distinct nations and not one country.

Meanwhile with devolution, the work of Scottish Westminster MPs has diminished and their status undermined

But this is what the Scottish people wanted, it's what they voted for and it's what they continue to support.

By contrast, the United Kingdom has a proud history of tolerance and respect for national identities, legal systems and cultures stretching back through the centuries, and we feel that Welsh, Scottish, English and Northern Irish people can resolve their grievances in a calm, intelligent fashion as part of restoring confidence in the Union.

The British establishment has spent the last 300 years trying to abolish the English identity and nearly succeeded in doing so.  As for tolerance of the Irish - tolerance and respect for national identities?  Don't make me laugh!  England has been a unified nation since 927AD, 780 years longer than the British union.  Where's the respect for the thousand years of history and English identity in this policy?

British Gas

That great symbol of Britishness, who operate under the name Scottish Gas north of the border because of the toxic British brand.

To recognise the importance of the Magna Carta to the British Constitution

There. Is. No. British. Constitution.  Jesus Christ, this really isn't a difficult concept is it?  There is no British constitution, Magna Carta is part of English law and doesn't apply to Scotland.  Same with Habeas Corpus, the Act of Succession, the Bill of Rights - all English constitutional laws that do not apply to the whole of the UK.

All UK Citizens would undergo a ‘Citizenship Ceremony’ to affirm their commitment to British civic values, sign a "Declaration of Citizenship" and undergo an English test.

Does this include those of us that live here already?  I would never attend one of these charades.

cricket is a sport in which Britain celebrates its close ties with Commonwealth friends

My god, it gets worse.  What is British about cricket?  Is there even a Scottish cricket team?

Football, a game invented in the UK, has gone on to become one of the world's most popular sports. It could be said that the British invented both of the world's universal languages (English and football).

Football, a game invented in England.  And the English language was invented by the English, hence why it is called English and not British.

UKIP would support the creation of a British football team composed of players from the Welsh, English, Scottish and Northern Irish teams, which would compete in special games such as the 2012 Olympic football competition and in exhibition games (e.g. Charity Shield), whilst backing Home Nation teams for other tournaments

Ok, find an organisation that isn't backed by the British government that supports a British football team.  There is universal opposition in the supporters clubs of every home nation to a British football team and only the fifth columnists in the English FA (which won't even put the word English in their name) support a British team with the FA's of the other home nations opposed to it.

UKIP will make high quality teaching of British history in schools mandatory

It already is.

UKIP believes all UK citizens must learn a common history and draw from a unified heritage

So history lessons will stop at 300 years ago?

Part of the improved teaching will be a fair and factual analysis of the history of the British Empire, which celebrates its achievements in terms of democracy

And presumably this will include teaching children that the British Empire is the English Empire renamed given that the Scottish Empire consisted of a short-lived colony in Panama that bankrupted the Scottish Crown and led to the Act of Union with England which started a 300 year addiction to English subsidies (bought and sold with English gold).  It won't will it?

UK citizens can be proud Scotsmen, Welshmen and Ulstermen as well as proud Britons

But not Englishmen?

Schools around the UK should also be encouraged to familiarise themselves with the anthems of Home Nations.

England hasn't been allowed a national anthem.  Will one be handed down by the British state or will the British national anthem be substituted as it is now?

Restoring Britishness: UKIP Policy

I am an English nationalist and I will make no apologies for that.  As far as I'm concerned, loyalty my country (England) comes before any loyalty I might have to UKIP and so I am equally unapologetic for what follows: a comprehensive fisking of UKIP's new policy entitled "Restoring Britishness".

Before you go any further, read this overview of the policy which is what I'm commenting on.

In England, an increasingly resentful English nationalism is also brewing, often fuelled by perceptions that other parts of the UK are receiving preferential treatment and services and/or that Celtic nation MPs are forming voting blocs at Westminster.

How does b**locks sound?  Scottish, Irish and Welsh nationalism aren't described as resentful despite the fact they're fundamentally built on a hatred of the English.  Other parts of the UK are receiving preferential treatment and services and celtic MPs do form voting blocs at Westminster.  We wouldn't have foundation hospitals or university top-up fees if it wasn't for the Scottish MPs voting as a bloc to impose them on England even though they didn't apply to Scotland.

The 'English Question' is arguably the most serious threat to Britishness.

It's the most serious threat to the union but not Britishness.  The most serious threat to Britishness is atrophy - it was an artificial construct that served a purpose for a while and is no longer relevant.

UKIP would replace members of the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland Assemblies with national Westminster MPs.

There goes the Scottish and Welsh vote ...

An English Executive would be created from British departments that are de facto only engaged in English affairs, headed by an English First Minister. UK national government would be restored at the highest level within this overall framework.

So basically a return to how it was before devolution with grand committees and home offices, the only difference being that England would get one?  Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland has never had a problem with their British MPs not representing their national interests, it's the English that have always had the problem with British MPs elected in England putting Britain first to the detriment of England.  So England will be disadvantaged again.  And what will happen when there is a conflict of interests in their grand committee?  Will they put British or English interests first?  Exactly the same fundamental stumbling blocks as the Tories' policies.

UKIP would abolish the Barnett formula, which has disproportionately provided some parts of the UK with preferential services to others.

"Some parts of the UK" being Scotland, Wales and NI - the very reason dismissed as a "perception" in the denigration of English nationalists.  But I agree with getting rid of the Barnett Formula, it is an abomination and an insult.

In England, UKIP would replace the May Day bank holiday, and make St George's Day a public holiday in its place.

So Scotland, Wales and NI will still have more public holidays?  England has the least public holidays in Europe.  But a good move promoting St Georges Day although surprising when the policy writer seems to have such an aversion to English nationalism.

I have two problems with this "Restoring Britishness" policy.

Firstly, I'm not British, I'm English and most people in England consider themselves English too.  You can argue with the facts if you want but before you put your red white and blue tinted glasses on and start hammering on your keyboard, check out the research on this first and you will find that more people consider themselves English, Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish first and British second.

Secondly, who is actually asking for it to be restored?  Aside from a handful of British nationalists (mainly politicians) basically nobody.  The vast majority of people in all four home nations are quite happy with the national identity they have had for centuries.  Britishness is a made-up political identity that has never taken root outside of England and now it's been relegated to the history books in England.  It's only immigrant populations in England, who get Britishness rammed down their throats (in England) from the day they arrive in the country, that have a British identity.

Rather than expending time and energy on trying to keep alive a made-up political identity that has never really been anything other than a pseudonym for English that's been in terminal decline for decades, we should be embracing and supporting the true identities of these isles that the majority of people have chosen for themselves.  If you have to form a committee and hold workshops to try and define Britishness and actually publish a policy on what steps should be taken by the state to indoctrinate children with a different identity to the one that they were brought up with, it's quite obviously a pointless and ultimately doomed exercise.

Let's stick to what we're good at - libertarianism, capitalism and euroscepticism - and stop wasting time on Canute-like proclamations.

More comment in this post.

Another cast iron guarantee from Devious Dave

According to ConservativeHome, "Cast Iron" Dave has given a cast iron guarantee that while he is Prime Minister the UK will never join the Euro.

Let's hope this cast iron guarantee is more of a cast iron guarantee than the cast iron guarantee that we'd get a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

Gordon's Gift to UKIP

MPs have voted to hold a referendum on changing the voting system in general elections to the Alternative Vote system although it is very unlikely that it will happen before the general election this year.

Gordon Brown has opposed electoral reform for the last decade but has suddenly decided that now is the right time to overhaul the voting system.  Why?  It's simple ...

El Gordo knows that there will be tens, if not hundreds of thousands of traditional Labour voters casting protest votes in the next election.  Their only hope of clinging on to any sort of power is through the Alternative Vote system where rebellious voters can cast their protest vote and still vote Labour as second choice.

UKIP was criticised in some quarters for asking voters to lend them their vote during last year's EU elections because some people thought it might make the party look weak but Labour aren't even asking for people to lend them their vote, they're asking them for their second choice!  Desperate doesn't even begin to describe it.

There is an advantage of the the Alternative Vote system, though.  For some reason, most people still vote for the LibLabCon even though they've let us all down over and over again because they still, for some bizarre reason, want one of the LibLabCon to win.  But as we've seen in EU elections, if they don't think the result matters, voters will vote for someone different and if they think they can vote for UKIP and whichever faction of the LibLabCon they normally vote for then we could see a significant number of UKIP wins based on second preference votes.  It worked for the English Democrats in Doncaster, imagine what the fourth biggest party in the UK could do with a voting system that wasn't inherently biased against anyone who doesn't belong to the LibLabCon coalition.

If he can rush this bill through Parliament and get the referendum before the election this year, Brown's desperate attempt to cling on to power could be the biggest gift UKIP has had since ... well, since humiliating Labour and the Lib Dims in the EU elections last year!

EuropeNews: 'Islamist' emails from Tower Hamlets council address sent to UKIP

'Islamist' emails from Tower Hamlets council address sent to UKIP

TOWER Hamlets council has launched a disciplinary enquiry over pro-Islamist emails sent to a London Euro-MP. Two e-mails, with a town hall address, attacked proposals by the UK Independence Party to ban Muslim face coverings, including burkas and hijabs, in public places and accused the party of trying to "stoke a religious war on the streets of Britain."

London MEP Gerard Batten has lodged a formal complaint with Tower Hamlets council and is demanding to know what disciplinary action will be taken against any individual found responsible for sending the emails.

The emails, which have been linked to a Town Hall employee's email account, were sent last month.

One message said: "Teenage pregnancies, binge drinking, that is what is associated with British culture. Islam is the dominant religion in the United Kingdom. If you don't like it, go live somewhere else (...)