New political party

(Extract from a proposal for a new political party)

The Reform Party

Raison d'etre

Social and economic management

It is the belief of the undersigned that the existing political status quo has failed to respond effectively to many of the challenges faced by this country over the last 10-15 years. The failure of leadership shown by successive governments has led this country to the edge of a precipice from which we must recoil before it is too late. It is now clear that a majority of British people have lost faith in politics and feel excluded from the political process. This is not only unhealthy for democracy but it is damaging to the social fabric and welfare of the nation.

During the course of the last two or three decades, there has been massive under investment and mismanagement of public services by consecutive governments. As a result, healthcare, public transport systems, social services and the police force/law and order, are all in a state of varying degrees of disarray.

Britain's economic diversity has been destroyed and is now critically dependent on the services sector industries. Manufacturing and agriculture have been degraded to the point that the nation is now a massive importer of the vast majority of products, it once exported to the rest of the world. Our superficially healthy economy has been fuelled by high consumer spending encouraged by higher personal borrowing and record debt. Savings have been seriously eroded by low interest rates and the collapse of pension schemes, despite the longest economic boom in equities in our history. The future now looks bleak for millions of people in this country.

Political Spin

The political process now dominated by spin, half truths and political correctness gone mad, has lost its credibility. The institution of Parliament has been surreptitiously undermined. The longer term interests of the nation are often subjugated by short term party political ambition in the pursuit of power at the expense of integrity and principle.

Media

Sections of the British tabloid press are regarded by many as the most socially irresponsible in the world and are symptomatic of a general malaise within British society today, which irrationally seeks to destroy those who succeed but does little to help those who fail to achieve.

The BBC, once the most respected broadcasting organisation in the world, is a pale shadow of its former self. The aim of a public broadcasting service in a developed society should be to help raise standards not lower them. We now live in a country where the lowest common denominator is the accepted norm. This is not good enough.

Middle-aged and elderly

The middle aged are the first to be made redundant and the last to be offered new employment. We live in a society where experience is sacrificed to a culture of youth, where celebrity worship is the new religion. We live in a country that has lost its sense of direction and its sense of core values.

The elderly are too often given little respect and generally treated as second class citizens despite their valuable contribution to society over entire lifetimes. Their wisdom and experience is ignored by governments and corporations alike. They are attacked in their homes and in the streets by semi-illiterate thugs unaware that they owe their own freedom and their democratic lifestyle to many of those they abuse. Britain today repays the contribution made by its elder citizens by destroying their savings, leaving them more vulnerable to crime, closing down care homes and hospices and undermining their dignity. This is unacceptable in a so called civilised and cultured society.

Crime and anti-social behaviour

Successive governments have presided apathetically over alarming increases in crime, drug abuse and anti-social behaviour which are now endemic in the streets of our cities, towns and villages. Prisons are overcrowded. Sentencing laws are a laughing stock. Society is in virtual meltdown because government has failed in its duty to uphold the values that are essential to a civilised society. This is unacceptable to the majority of decent, honest, hard working people in this country.

Traditional political parties

It is evident for all to see that the structure of the traditional parties no longer reflect the structure of British society. They are out of touch, out of tune and out of date with the aspirations of modern Britain.

Britain is now at a crossroads when it must decide on its future destiny. The choices offered by the existing political parties are limited, simplistic and narrow in their vision. They would also spell the end of the Britain we have known for more than a millennium and the end of Britain as a major influence on the world stage.

This is the last chance the British people will have to decide what kind of Britain they would like their children and their grandchildren to live in. This is the opportunity to create, not an ordinary Britain but an extraordinary Britain, that remains true to its heritage and continues to stand for freedom, tolerance, democracy and justice, a country of which we should and can all be proud.

Europe or what?

It is also worryingly self evident that the current political parties are entrenched in orthodox thinking with regard to Europe. They have never sought nor presented the British people with any alternative strategy other than to join or not join the Euro. Are they telling the British people that these are the only choices open to us, that there are no alternative strategies that might serve Britain's interests as well or better?

Why should Britain isolate itself and lose its identity in a protectionist trading block when it could and perhaps should eliminate its trade barriers on a quid pro quo basis with trading partners around the world? Could Britain not set the definitive standard for true globalisation?

The British people must be presented with the widest possible choices before deciding for themselves which course they believe best serves the interests and aspirations of the nation and its people. No government has the right to dictate policy on matters of constitutional importance but all governments have a duty to protect the sovereignty of the nation.

New political consensus

Given the general malaise that now pervades this country, it is clear that a new political consensus is required. The undersigned therefore believe the time is now right for the formation of a modern new political body which will be known as the Reform Party capable of facing the problems of the 21st century as well as resolving the mistakes of the previous one.

My poetry:

http://www.spearman.blogspot.com

Hollow words

It's now almost two years, could be more, since Blair made his crusading speech about saving the world and in particular Africa, at a Labour Party Conference attended by Bill Clinton. He said that the world would never stand by and watch another genocide such as that which took place in Rwanda some ten or eleven years ago. Clinton has admitted several times that his greatest regret was not intervening to halt the Rwandan genocide. Believe me, he has no idea just how serious an ommission that is.

Since then much suffering has been inflicted on ordinary Zimbabweans. Tens of thousands have been murdered in the Sudan and many thousands more Africans have been tortured, raped, robbed and murdered at the hands of brutal and corrupt states. Let us not forget either that millions have perished in the Congo over the last decade during which the international community, to its eternal shame, has yet again remained silent and looked the other way.

So much then for crusading speeches. Blair's grand rhetoric rings very hollow two years on. He and the rest of the international community continue to fail the oppressed of this world. They lift not a finger against these tyrants. Indeed they sit side by side with the representatives of these tyrannical states in the UN Assembly! In doing so they give legitimacy to these corrupt states and the criminals that govern them and are therefore guilty by association of complicity in the murder of millions.

Were Mugabe sitting on the world's second largest oil reserves or in possession of a few decrepit missiles, he would by now be either dead or awaiting trial for crimes against humanity. This is the hypocrisy for which the United States and other powerful nations are so hated by the poorer defenceless nations. It seems that as long as they have no oil or WMD, any tin pot tyrants can literally get away with murder for as long as they choose.

So much then for Blair's hollow crusade. So much then for the integrity of the U.N. and the international community at large. Whilst we continue to tolerate the intolerable, we are all barbarians. Whilst the worth of human life is measured in barrels of oil, we are all guilty of crimes against humanity. When will we learn to value most that which is most valuable. How many barrels of oil for an ounce of humanity?


For poetry:
http://www.spearman.blogspot.com

Gone

(For those who have gone, those who are going and those who remain behind.)

When the sun rises tomorrow,
I shall no longer be here,
I shall be gone from this dimension,
No longer a part of this world,
Which was my world and yours,
And will still be your world.

Where shall I have gone?
I don’t know.
But I shall have gone,
From you who loved me,
I feel it in my bones,
My time is close now.
My time has come, to go.

Though I shall miss you,
Though I am sad to go,
I have no fear.
In a strange way
I am ready to go,
Almost happy even,
For I know,
That this is not the journey’s end.
Another awaits me,
Just round the bend.

You will not see me again,
Not the way I was,
Nor where I used to be,
Though I may still see you,
Where you are, as you are,
And as you will be.

Oh! Make no mistake,
I shall miss you.
I miss you already
Though I am still here.

You were, you are my family,
My companions on this endless journey.
My heart is heavy but at the same time, happy,
Remembering the love,
The joy and the sadness,
We have shared,
For it is the sharing ,
That gives life meaning,
That bonds our souls together.

Yes, tears come to my eyes ,
With the sadness of knowing,
We shall not talk again,
Nor embrace, nor berate one another,
Nor laugh with and at each other,
At least not for a while anyway.

It’s hard to accept, I know,
But accept it, we must,
Because when the sun rises tomorrow,
The world and you will go on without me.

I shall no longer be here.
Where I shall be, I do not know,
But I sense that tomorrow
Will be my birthday,
The first day somewhere else,
A place much different,
From this world I am leaving.
But you have prepared me well,
For the next step of my journey,
All you who have loved me,
All you who have taught me,
All you that I have loved,
And even you, that I have hated.

So though I am sad to leave you,
I am ready to leave you.
I go without fear.
I go with a sense of anticipation,
Looking forward to fresh horizons,
And glorious new vistas.

Show me Lord, your wonders.
I am curious to see,
That which is greater still,
Than all I have ever seen,
There to await those I have loved,
And those who have loved me.

Link to British Parliament

Have an issue with British Government policy? Want to contact a member of the British Parliament? Be my guest and use the following link:

http://www.parliament.uk/index.cfm

Prince Harry

Why has our nation become so hysterical about everything and nothing? Flick through the channels on television and chances are someone will be screaming or shrieking mindlessly at someone or something on most of the stations.

If this were not bad enough, the guttersnipes of the tabloid press aided and abetted by a complicit and unscrupulous section of the media have now contrived to manufacture yet more hysteria over Prince Harry going to a fancy dress party dressed as a nazi. Well so what? That’s what fancy dress parties are all about. The nazis, like Atilla the Hun, the Crusaders or the Vikings are now part of human history and will therefore be a feature at fancy dress parties for millennia to come. Get used to it.

Quite apart from that, it is as clear as day to any objective observer, that Harry is not a nazi, quite the opposite. He was if anything, having a joke at their expense, for which the nazis have no one to blame but themselves.

The most shameful aspect of this whole affair is not that Harry wore a swastika to a fancy dress party. It is that everything good that he has done, in particular his work with Aids orphans in Africa, should be cynically and conveniently air-brushed out of the reporting by blood thirsty reporters sensing a cheap and easy kill and a good pay day. That is what is immoral and it is this, that is wrong with our society. This kind of "journalism" poses a far greater threat to our society than the foolish antics of a relatively innocent 20 year old at a fancy dress party. I'd wager Harry has more character and integrity in his little finger than those who connived to get the story on to the front pages of a tabloid rag.

That many of our politicians should have jumped on this bandwagon is a disgrace. Just as they have so often in the past, they have fallen hook line and sinker into this populist tabloid trap. They are now using the incident to persue their own cynical agendas in the hope that it may buy them a vote or two here and there, come the next election. We have a right to expect a higher degree of insight, judgement, intellect and integrity from our community leaders, who are after all, twice if not thrice, Harry’s age!

It might have been worse though. Harry might have upset the Pope by going as a condom. Phew!

Caring sharing Blair

Tony Blair makes crusading speeches about saving Africa, Iraq and the world but today on BBC's Daily Politics program, we hear that hundreds of Britains, some badly injured, were virtually ignored by foreign office officials in Thailand, who left them more or less to their fate. Some were rescued by German teams who were on the scene in double quick time and air lifted out by Lufthansa.

Some of those Brits may well owe their lives to the German Government and I am sure their families will be forever grateful. They will however, be extremely disillusioned with the efforts or lack of them, of the British Government.

I've said it before and I may well say it again. Jack Straw, our erstwhile Foreign Secretary, strikes me as a most uninspiring individual. The fact that Blair should choose this bland, boring and somewhat lethargic man for this important post is testament to Blair's own insecurity. Heaven forbid that he should choose a Foreign Secretary who might outshine him on the world stage.

Blair himself was on holiday when the Tsunamis struck and chose to remain there. As far as I am aware, he issued no statement at the time, nor did he send any message to the people in the afflicted countries. If he did, it was certainly not well publicised by the media.

More shamefully however, is the fact that it was not until Blair et al realised that the British people had given more from their own pockets, than the government was proposing, that Blair increased government aid to the Tsunami victims.

I must add however, that the manner in which some governments have strived to make political capital from this disaster is unedifying to say the least. They're like a bunch of jocks in the showers after a football game, competing to see who has the biggest penis! My aid package is bigger than yours. No it's not! Yes it is! One thing is for sure, their egos are massive.

So much then for caring New Labour! I am convinced that Blair is really no more than a holograph and not a very convincing one at that!

The dollar's fate no longer America's call

From the New York Times:

(open quote)

China has pegged its currency, the yuan, to the dollar. When this peg is either relaxed or tossed out, the dollar is likely to plunge sharply against it.

Some economists argue that if the Chinese do not allow the yuan to trade more freely, the dollar will not fall enough to reduce the nation's record current-account deficit.

That deficit, which is the broad gap between the nation's exports and imports of goods and
services, is expected to top $600 billion this year. A weaker dollar could reduce it by making
foreign imports more expensive for Americans while our exports are more competitively priced abroad.

China's possibly pivotal role in next year's dollar story is a reminder of its burgeoning economic importance, said Robert J. Barbera, chief economist at ITG/Hoenig.

"The adjustment to the dollar that all the economic models say we need to reduce the current-account problem is in the hands of China," he said. "It is not a U.S. call, and that is a profound change."

(Close quote)

Comment:

Is America's power on the wane? I have had the feeling for some time now, that America's halcyon days are behind it rather than ahead of it. For the last 60 yeras or so, America has been able to go her own way and do pretty much as she pleases. As the strongest and by far the wealthiest economy in the world, the U.S. has, as the expression goes, been independently wealthy.

In today's more open global economy, America is much more vulnerable to external factors and influences. The globalised economy has encouraged countries like China and India to open up their economies to inward investment. This has ignited phenomanal economic expansion in these and other Asian countries.

As they grow bigger and stronger, America's slice of an admittedly larger pie is being eaten into. This is not what the Federal Reserve had in mind when it contemplated the benefits of globalisation. The idea was that America, as the driving force behind globalisation, would be the biggest benificiary.

As ever, the best laid plans of mice and men often have unforeseen consequences. The fact that the fate of the dollar now no longer rests in the hands of Alan Greenspan but in those of China's ruling elite, is surely one of them.

Malawi leader settles into palace

According to a BBC report, Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika has moved into a palace outside the capital, Lilongwe, which previously housed the country's parliament. Mr Mutharika's decision to settle into the 300-room palace caused outrage when it was announced in July.

Most of the parliament's staff are now based at a nearby venue belonging to a merchant bank, but MPs are still seeking a debating chamber. Parliamentary committees have been holding their meetings in a motel.

The presidential palace was built at a cost of $100m by former President Hastings Kamuzu Banda - but he only stayed there for 90 days.


Besides hundreds of air-conditioned rooms, it has its own school and supermarket. Parliament moved into the venue in 1995.

Mr Mutharika said he wanted to move from his Blantyre residence to Lilongwe, as part of attempts to streamline government operations.

But the opposition says the decision runs against his promises to cut government expenditure. MPs have rejected the idea of moving to a sports stadium and have been searching for new premises.

Mr Mutharika was elected in a bitterly contested poll in May.

Comment:

In the meantime Western leaders like Britain's Chancellor of The Exchequer, Gordon Brown are proposing that the West cancels third world debt! Well that should go some way to paying for Mr. Mutharika's 300 room palace and a new parlaiment for the minions!

Wake up Mr. Brown et al! I say not a penny till these corrupt African demigogs put their houses in order. It is simply throwing good tax payers money after bad!

The naivity of our leaders is at times bewildering beyond belief.

There is no point in giving money to corrupt and incompetent third world governments.

Most of it will either be squandered, or find its way into Swiss numbered bank accounts. Perhaps Mr. Blair and Brown can explain to us how that is going to eradicate third world poverty because for the life of me, it's beyond me!

Sikh and ye shall not find!

Sent: 20/12/2004 22:40

Birmingham Theatre Scraps Sikh Play

The directors of a play depicting sexual abuse and murder in a Sikh temple have scrapped the production due to fears that protests against it would escalate.

___________________________

Our right to free speech was further eroded today by an intolerant minority and a too tolerant majority. That the Sikh community should take advantage of their democratic right to condemn a play they deem as offensive and blasphemous but then choose to use undemocrat means to get the play closed down, namely the threat of and use of violence, is despicable. They want the right to make their views felt but do not want the author ( a Sikh woman) to have the same right. Such is the hypocracy surrounding this case, the author has even been threatened with kidknapping and murder. So much for democracy then!

That we allow religious and other minorities to come here and dictate what plays we can or cannot stage in this, the oldest of all democracies, is testament to the spineless, knee bending, focus group driven, shortsighted, misguided, politically inept leadership we now have in this country. A populist government is always a dangerous government and a shallow government. Allowing minority groups to dictate the agenda in this way will lead to more, not less, racial tension in this country and play into the hands of parties like the BNP!

That these Sikhs cannot see that the events depicted in this play have nothing to do with blasphemy but merely reflect the sinful behaviour of humans, shows just how narrow minded is their thinking. It is not God who is being accused of misbehaving. That might be construed as blasphemy. In this case, as I understand it, it is the humans that are erring not God. The sin is theirs, not God's. So what is the fuss about? Surely no one is claimimg that Sikhs are without sin, are they?

Imagine what would happen if christian believers burned every book, play or newspaper that either depicted or carried a story of a priest committing a lewd or sinful act in a church or destroyed every cimema that had ever shown a controversial film about Jesus. What kind of a democracy would that be?

We don't do this sort of thing because no matter how strongly we may disagree with the views expressed or detest the nature of the material, we still respect the right of those who hold such views to express them. That is the bedrock of our democracy. If you don't like the play, book or film don't fork out the money!

We believe in freedom of choice and freedom of speech. These people say they do but resort to violence when someone says something they dislike! In my opinion these people should go live in dictator land where they can force everyone to agree with them, if that is what they want.

I prefer to stay here and agree to disagree with those who do not share my opinions or visa versa. As long as they do not try to force me to agree with them, I will not force them to agree with me.

It does not mean that we cannot share a pint and talk about something else on which we can agree, like what a great football club Tottenham Hotspur are for example! Alright, alright! I am only kidding.......................come on you Spurs!!!!!!!!!

Cycles of Life

Seeds

As seed turns to flower and blooms in the spring

Aromas waft scented upon the wing,

Of bees and birds and butterflies,

Till the petals fall and the flower dies.


Seeds fall upon the mulch of autumn.

Trees bend in the whistling winds that court them,

And the leaves blush in hews of red,

As they tumble lightly to their dewy bed.


The leaves lie sleeping in gentle decay,

Harvested by mould turning them into chalk and clay,

While seeds lie trapped in the frosted earth,

Awaiting the spring of a new a born birth.


A Baby Is Born


Cycles of Life

A baby was born this day, in a Bethlehem manger.

Three wise men following a star journeyed to see the stranger.

From heaven he came, to this humble earth,

When the virgin Mary, gave him birth.


And Leaves His Mark


Seeds of wisdom did he sow.

On barren ground they did flourish and grow,

For his words were harvested by the twelve apostles,

And guarded for posterity, like ancient fossils.


And Dies And Is Reborn


Upon a heathen’s cross he died.

Why have you forsaken me Lord, he cried.

But he rose again from the dead,

So doubting Thomas said.


From Dust To Dust


From ashes to ashes and dust to dust,

We metamorphose as all life must,

From state to state in mysterious form,

Shall all life itself transform.


The Beginning And The End