Without – I hope – tempting fate, is this day, the day that Nigel and UKIP take their first confident steps on the path to Government ?
It seems likely – without making oneself a hostage to fortune – that UKIP will sweep the board at Rochester. An emphatic win might well result in a trickle of Tory defectors to the UKIP machine. That trickle could become a stream, resulting in a seismic shift in British politics.
Almost too delicious to contemplate ! Can you imagine the gnashing of left wing teeth ? The first step in releasing our country from EU serfdom.
By: TonyT - 24th September 2015 at 07:59
Well, that all seems very commendable but, is it actually working. My daily amd early evening TV is sprinkled with reports of charities working with children iin the Third World, attempting to alleviate sicknees, malnutrition and deaths by soliciting charitable donations from the viewing public. This has been going on for longer than I can remember with seemingly no successful inroad into the problem and apparently no end in sight.
Charities annoy me, if water aid can bring water to some kid in the back of beyond in Africa for £3.00 a month, why can’t my local water company do the same in the UK 😀
By: charliehunt - 24th September 2015 at 07:02
Oh dear……
By: AlanR - 9th July 2015 at 21:30
A link I was sent today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94UcyJnRcGU&feature=youtu.be
…………………………………………………..
I quite like this one too.
Baldrick:
“What I want to know, Sir is, before there was a Euro there were lots of different types of money that different people used. And now there’s only one… type of money that the foreign people use. And what I want to know is, how did we get from one state of affairs to the other state of affairs”
Blackadder:
“Baldrick. Do you mean, how did the Euro start?”
Baldrick:
“Yes Sir”
Blackadder:
“Well, you see Baldrick, back in the 1980s there were many different countries all running their own finances and using different types of money. On one side you had the major economies of France, Belgium,Holland and Germany, and on the other, the weaker nations of Spain, Greece, Ireland, Italy and Portugal. They got together and decided that it would be much easier for everyone if they could all use the same money, have one Central Bank, and belong to one large club where everyone would be happy. This meant that there could never be a situation whereby financial meltdown would lead to social unrest, wars and crises”.
Baldrick:
“But this is sort of a crisis, isn’t it Sir?”.
Blackadder:
“That’s right Baldrick. You see, there was only one slight flaw with the plan”.
Baldrick:
“What was that then, Sir?”
Blackadder:
“It was bolxxxks”.
By: Meddle - 9th July 2015 at 20:18
We as a nation do well and therefore we have to pay more. Does this system work in reverse ?
I think it does, if you are Portugal, Spain or any other former peasant economies. It might be rough in Greece, but they aren’t starving in the streets or carrying around mountains of bizarre hyper-inflated currency in wheelbarrows… yet.
When I was in Slovakia I was shown, with great pride, the shiny new motorway bridge erected over housing at the edge of the town I was staying in. This allowed Skoda cars, built further South, to be transported into the heart of Western Europe as quickly as possible. That wasn’t possible until Slovakia entered the EU! Some of the older residents still kept pigs in their back gardens and did their own butchery, and still stocked enough chopped logs to get them through winter. Luckily the EU also payed for triple glazing to keep the constant background rumble of car transporters down. Quite a leap forward for a country that still referred to ice cream as ‘Russian ice cream’ until very recently given the novelty of the chilled dairy product in those parts as recently as the early ’80s.
For my sins I once tried to get my head around the concept of the ‘pillar’ or ‘annex’ classification for countries in the EU family. Those like the UK and Germany feel the full wrath of environmental regulations, whereas those in the second tier got off a little more likely and are allowed to foul up both the air and water (shared goods, so we all suffer regardless of the pollution source) to a greater degree. We are all equal, but some are more equal than others.
By: John Green - 9th July 2015 at 18:29
So, Britain’s successful economy is to be punished. Our Danegeld payment to the EU is set to increase by 3.1 billion pounds over the next five years.
Our contribution for next year will amount to 9.5 billion. This is due to a re-assessment of the size of Britain’s economy compared to the rest of Europe.
We as a nation do well and therefore we have to pay more. Does this system work in reverse ? If so, that must be why the Germans are always moaning about the size of their contribution to the EU kitty, they’re supporting too many lame ducks.
Good to see Nigel’s beaming features as he tried to sway the Greeks into finally walking away from their financial millstone. Then Herr Juncker appeared and removed one of Nigel’s toys, a placard bearing the Greek word for NO – OXI.
By: charliehunt - 21st June 2015 at 15:29
Much of what you say is clearly correct and both the Government and no doubt the Gates’ are more than aware of it. There will be media reporting which is no doubt slanted for effect and some of the charities involved are suspect at least.
Population control is just wishful thinking unless enforced like some of the practices of the mid- 20th century.
My point is that it’s probably not all bad as much of the sensationalist tabloid reporting would suggest. As on most things a little objectivity on all sides would not go amiss.
I repeat however that my position on the amount of aid the UK gives and its ring fencing is unchanged.
By: John Green - 21st June 2015 at 15:13
Well, that all seems very commendable but, is it actually working. My daily amd early evening TV is sprinkled with reports of charities working with children iin the Third World, attempting to alleviate sicknees, malnutrition and deaths by soliciting charitable donations from the viewing public. This has been going on for longer than I can remember with seemingly no successful inroad into the problem and apparently no end in sight.
We cannot hand money to the governments in question because of the endemic corruption to which I can personally attest. Widespread distribution cannot easily be administered by charitable organisations because the money has to be spent on providing clean water, food, medicines etc. rather than maintaining teams of outreach workers to cover vast distances. All of which means that the said organisations can reach only some of the people some of the time.
The most important aid mechanism that we can offer Third World countries and co-incidentally ourselves in the developed world is, population control. If we cannot help countries with burgeoning populations to restrict people growth then the problems of deprivation far from diminishing will persist with no hope of being contained. At which point the exodus from North Africa and other points into Europe that we are currently witnessing, will become an uncontainable avalanche.
If Mr. Gates and our aid budget succeed, then I expect to see fewer and fewer TV adverts of the kind mentioned, appear. Unless of course, these charities are not being used to channel aid and appear simply because they exist to provide a living for charity officials and thus gain some form of unstoppable momentum – which at present, judged by the length of time they’ve been around, seems to be the case.
I think that not only do we have examples of wishful thinking but, also ostriches and holes.
By: charliehunt - 21st June 2015 at 12:08
I post this as one who has consistently criticised our foreign aid budget and its ring fencing. I still disagree with ring fencing and would favour a reduction but it is good to see our efforts given strong weight by a highly engaged philanthropist.
By: Creaking Door - 18th June 2015 at 20:14
UKIP continues to self-destruct!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-33190940
The most interesting thing was the leaked internal e-mail; what a way to run a party! :rolleyes:
By: John Green - 17th June 2015 at 17:19
The D. Tel. announces a new grouping in the EU, courtesy of a defecting UKIP MEP. The defection of Janice Anderson from UKIP has enabled a new political grouping called: “Europe of Nations and Freedom”. Sounds to me like a rather bad translation.
The new grouping will be led by Marine Le Pen and entitrled to twelve and a half milion pounds from the EU taxpayer. That doesn’t sound bad value !
By: Arabella-Cox - 19th May 2015 at 13:39
Immigrants coming to live in ghettos as immigrants with no interest in the citizenship of their adopted country helps no one and foments fear, distrust, anger and ultimately violence.
Indeed.
By: charliehunt - 19th May 2015 at 12:25
[QUOTE=snafu352;2226615
If the existing society is too weak or scared of “pc” crap to speak up and defend it’s values (without trotting out nationalist, racist crap) and insist that incomers adapt rather than the existing society adapt to the incomers then perhaps that society would actually benefit from some change…[/QUOTE]
And a large component of the situation we find ourselves in is due to the totally flawed policy of multiculturalism adopted nationally by the Blair government in 1997. The US is no shining example but the sense that as an immigrant you went there to become an American and make your success as an American has much to commend it and is of course what we should be advocating here too. The West Indians in the 50s and the Asian refugees from Uganda came here to become a part of our society. It didn’t always work and there have been serious problems along the way but the principle remains valid. Immigrants coming to live in ghettos as immigrants with no interest in the citizenship of their adopted country helps no one and foments fear, distrust, anger and ultimately violence.
By: Arabella-Cox - 19th May 2015 at 11:46
Most of our ancestors were immigrants!!;)
Damn those Romans, Normans, Angles, Vikings………etc
Well quite. There doesn’t seem to be much complaint with regard to the rather more uncivilised “uncontrolled immigration” those peoples effected does there! Perhaps we should have a drawbridge and invite attack, invasion and ultimately domination as in the past! 🙂
No thanks actually, I’d rather have people come in a civilised fashion, contribute through taxes, national insurance and their participation in society but hey ho.
If the existing society is too weak or scared of “pc” crap to speak up and defend it’s values (without trotting out nationalist, racist crap) and insist that incomers adapt rather than the existing society adapt to the incomers then perhaps that society would actually benefit from some change…
By: Arabella-Cox - 19th May 2015 at 11:31
Yes john, have you taken your meds today?
More formally I disagree with and reject totally your fear induced and hyperbolic characterisation as set out above.
It appears that the UK voters have as well…
By: John Green - 18th May 2015 at 18:00
The constant whine of “uncontrolled immigration” is rather boring and tedious.
Where are the numbers that support this dubious claim?
Yes the EU allows freedom of movement and right to work, that does not however equate to “uncontrolled immigration.”
The last numbers I took a look at gave a 0.47% net rate of immigration to the UK.
If you are scared of that can I suggest some nice pillows for you to hide under?
Yes, you are right. The EU insists on ‘freedom of movement and the right to work – unrestricted. That means uncontrolled immigration. That is what everyone including me, is bleating about.
If they are so minded the entire population of Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, France or any member state of the EU can move to our shores if they so desire. Quite why they would want to is another matter. The fact is that they can and we can’t stop it if for any reason whatsoever.
That is what UKIP is about. Reclaiming control of our borders with complete control over the numbers coming into this country. Reclaiming our total sovereignty and control over our affairs without any permissions required from some third rate undemocratic, totalitarian and thoroughly corrupt, cobbled together mish mash of failed political ideas.
By: AlanR - 18th May 2015 at 17:44
Get a grip and stop bleating hyperbole from the daily fail.
Which paper would you prefer to have the figures from ?
By: AlanR - 18th May 2015 at 17:42
Most of our ancestors were immigrants!!;)
Damn those Romans, Normans, Angles, Vikings………etc
By: charliehunt - 18th May 2015 at 17:28
Most of our ancestors were immigrants!!;)
By: Arabella-Cox - 18th May 2015 at 17:14
I do believe those are the numbers that I used to get to the 0.47% of the population figure. (That’s rounded up btw…)
Once again 0.47% of the population… and some people call this “uncontrolled immigration” as if there’s a f’in tsunami hitting British shores.
It’s also total immigration so EU plus others.
Get a grip and stop bleating hyperbole from the daily fail.
I suspect our ancestors would be appalled at the weak and whiny Brits we have today.
By: AlanR - 18th May 2015 at 17:08
The constant whine of “uncontrolled immigration” is rather boring and tedious.
Where are the numbers that support this dubious claim?
When he took power in 2010 Mr Cameron pledged to bring the figure below 100,000. A total of 624,000 people migrated
to Britain in the 12 months up to last September while 327,000 left. The inflow is up 94,000 on the year before.
190,000 of them travelled from outside the EU
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November 20, 2014 at 11:51 am