Gallimaufry & Chips

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How not to win friends and influence people:

I support the Freedom of Speech and support Archbishop Cranmer against the ASA.

In addition I demand that quangos like the ASA and the Charities Commision cannot be headed by obvious party political placemen.

1. The CTOL F-35C should have been ordered in 2002 along with steam catapult equipped aircraft carriers. This is how a diesel/gas turbine powered ship generates steam. The STOVL F-35B was ordered because the RAF didn't want to give up any of its fast jets (Tornado and Typhoon) and had already got bored with the Harrier as it had stopped al fresco deployments (for which the Harrier was originally ordered) after the end of the Cold War. The Navy just wanted TWO BIG BOATS and kept quiet.

2. The AirTanker PFI is indeed far too expensive. The RAF should buy the China Eastern trade-in A340s and ask Marshalls of Cambridge to zero-hour and convert them to the RAAF specification (probe, reinforced floor and big cargo door). Then walk away from the PFI. Set a precedent.

3.  If Jeremy Hunt has really done something wrong regarding the News International takeover of BSkyB, why are politicos asking for him to resign? Shouldn't LOL Dave sack him instead? Wouldn't that save the three month salary resettlement grant that Ministers get when they screw up big time? Why reward failure?

Every time a Government Minister gets up on his or her trotters to announce a new piece of legislation they must preface the announcement by stating whether or not the new law is because of an EU directive or regulation and state its title, number and year.

This will serve to illustrate how much supposedly English law making is actually cutting and pasting Brussels diktats and how weak the Government actually is. It will also save Dr North of EUReferendum from having to delve into eurolex and surface every time with well-merited "I told you so" proof.

Failure to mention that a Government policy is actually EU policy will cause the Minister and Permanent Secretary to be liable for a sentence of twelve months imprisonment if found guilty on indictment.

Update: Thanks to Edward Spalton, I am now aware that Mark Harper MP proposed a Ten Minute Rule Bill to this effect that the Government used a whipping to vote down. Great! So much for democracy and openness where the EU is concerned. I'm increasingly minded to believe that The Constant Gardener is a manual of governance.

ANOTHER MODEST (actually an excellent one) PROPOSAL. From Edward Spalton


Every policeman, council official, civil servant or quangocrat enforcing a law originating from the EU in any way should wear a drark blue armband with that ring of stars. Then we would know who really rules us
 

I was a Civil Servant for nearly twenty years. I don't think I understood the job description properly because I signed up on the premise that I was serving my fellow citizens, on the off chance that most of what I did would be to the benefit of the common weal. Well, apart from compulsory purchase, which is morally identical to the Argentine invasion of the Falklands in 1982.

Anyway, I recently emailed Theresa May on the subject of Graham Mitchell and digressed onto Christopher Tappin and Abu Qatada and the whole dogs breakfast that is extradition:

"Dear Home Secretary,

Please suspend the operation of the European Arrest Warrant with immediate effect because the Portugese Judiciary for one does not even meet the standards of a Kafka-esque Kangaroo Court.

And while you are doing Good Things, may I suggest that you also suspend the UK-US Extradition (One-Sided Kidnap) Treaty because allowing British citizens to be rendered to a country where pensioners are shackled and unarmed black boys can be shot on the street with impunity is wrong.

Finally put that terrorist on a plane to Jordan and deport all other foreign terrorists without regard to their possible welfare: my safety takes precedence over that of people who want to kill me and my family and friends.

My decision on how I vote in the next elections will depend on how the Liberal-Democrat-led Coalition defends the human rights of British people.

Yours Sincerely,

Brian"
 
Over a month on from 23 March, I received this reply:
 
"Dear [Brian],


Thank you for your e-mail of 23 March 2012 regarding the operation of the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) and the UK-US Extradition Treaty. I have carefully noted the concerns raised in your letter, which has been forwarded to the section responsible for extradition.
You may be aware that the EAW is administered by the Judicial Authorities of Member States; as such there is no Ministerial involvement in its operation. The Home Secretary therefore has no power to intervene in EAW cases.
The EAW is a system of surrender between judicial authorities based on a high level of confidence between Member States in respect of judicial decisions. I am not at liberty to comment further on your assertions regarding the Portuguese Judiciary.
As you may be aware, Sir Scott Baker’s independent review of the UK’s extradition arrangements was published on 18 October 2011. The report makes a number of recommendations to improve the UK’s extradition arrangements both with the European Union and its wider extradition partners, including the US. The findings of the report can be found at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/police/operational-policing/extradition-review
It is important to note that these are the findings of the panel, which the Home Secretary has not yet accepted. The Government is now carefully examining the review panel’s findings and will announce what action it will take shortly.
Turning to Abu Qatada; as you will be aware he has sought to have his case reviewed by the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). The Government maintains that his application was made after the deadline for further appeal. A panel of five judges of the Court will now consider whether Abu Qatada’s application is admissible. The panel will consider both the timeliness and the merits of the application.
The Government maintains that Abu Qatada is a very dangerous man, and is determined to deport him from the United Kingdom for good. However, they respect the rule of law and accept that the deportation must not be in breach either of our domestic law or our international obligations. This is why there can be no question of simply ignoring the ECtHR’s determination, or seeking to remove Abu Qatada before the panel has had the opportunity to consider his application. Nonetheless, as soon as this can legally be achieved, they remain convinced that Abu Qatada should be removed from the United Kingdom.
I am sorry I can be of no further assistance in this matter.

Yours sincerely,


Extradition section"

So there you have it, the British Government is utterly powerless.

Democracy is a good thing. But, it is dangerous when concentrated in the hands of a few and also when available to a tyrannical majority which takes no account of the minority. A balance needs to be struck between autocracy/oligocracy on the one hand and ochlocracy on the other.

My solution is the introduction of plural or manifold democracy into the second chamber, currently inhabited by party placemen and religoons without any accountability to the public. It's nearly impossible to convict them of expenses fraud, for goodness sake.

Manifold Democracy gives every organisation with, say, 80,000 paid up members (the same as a constuency for exanmple, the right to a voting seat for as long as they retain their membership quota  in the second chamber. If an organisation has more than 200,000 members it gets two seats etc. I have no problem with even religoons plonking themselves down if they have the legimacy of 79,999 other like minded people.  There will probably be just as many people to balance out extremist opinions. The beauty and simplicity of this idea is that all of a voter's interests can be represented simply by him or her joining one or more organisation. Of course, political parties can also claim seats but only if they attract enough members. By becoming mass membership organisations again, instead of North London dinner party/focus group cliques, the Augean Stables of the first chamber with its constituency Representative Advocates will begin to be cleaned of the filth of party whipping.

Discuss.