Give Criminals A break

PRESS RELEASE
Gordon Henderson
Date: 16th December 2007
Release date: Immediate
Subject: Labour giving criminals a break – as they walk free from local prisons.

New analysis of Government statistics has revealed that 1233 criminals have been let out of prison before finishing their sentences across the South East of England since June, under Labour’s controversial new early release scheme. This figure includes 117 prisoners who have been let out early from Elmley and 190 from Stanford Hill.

Across the country, 11,000 criminals have already walked out of prison early under the ‘end of custody licence’ system, with an estimated 25,500 criminals to be let out over a full year. They include violent offenders and foreign nationals convicted of serious offences. The scheme was introduced because a shortage in prison places, thanks to a funding crisis caused by Gordon Brown.

Labour Ministers are now planning a new sentencing quango, which would, for the first time, link sentences to prison capacity, so that when jails are full, criminals could receive shorter sentences or not be sent to prison at all.

Gordon Henderson said:
‘By definition, being sent to prison means someone has committed a serious offence. Yet Labour is giving criminals a break, by setting them free early, some of whom will re-offend almost immediately.

‘Serious crimes should be punished by a prison sentence, not least to protect the public. It is no wonder that violent crime has doubled under this Government when Gordon Brown is giving the culprits a “get out of jail” card this Christmas. This is fundamentally wrong. Sentences should fit the crime, not this week’s prison capacity.’

Conservatives are calling for:
· An immediate halt to the early release scheme, and the introduction of an emergency prison places programme using the savings from scrapping the flawed Identity Card scheme.

· Doubling the sentencing powers of magistrates to 12 months and repealing any new restrictions on their ability to hand down suspended sentences.

· Honesty in sentencing so that convicted criminals serve the minimum sentence handed down to them by the courts.

· Sufficient prison capacity to hold all those sentenced by the courts – and reforming prison regimes to break the cycle of re-offending.

Notes to Editors

LABOUR Giving criminals a break

The Government is trying to deal with the continuing shortfall in prison places by watering down sentences and attempting to restrict the ability of courts to send offenders to prison.

· The Criminal Justice & Immigration Bill, currently before the House of Commons, ends magistrates’ powers to impose a suspended sentence, and limits the period served in custody by offenders who breach their licence conditions to just 28 days.

· The Government plans to restrict the use of its flagship Indeterminate Sentences for Public Protection Sentence for Public Protection (IPP). There will be a minimum tariff of two years below which Judges will no longer be able be impose an IPP. This would affect half the cases in which IPPs are currently imposed for threats to kill, arson, sexual assault, sexual activity with a child, and most cases of sexual assault on a child under 13. The whole point of these sentences was to protect the public, ensuring that offenders could not be released until they were judged no longer to be a threat. Now they will be released automatically.

· A new Sentencing Commission will, for the first time, link sentences to resources, so that when jails are full, criminals could receive shorter sentences or not be sent to prison at all.

· It appears that the End of Custody Licence scheme, under which 11,000 offenders have already been released from jail 18 days early, will now continue indefinitely – even though it was meant to be a temporary measure. The Government expects to release 25,500 offenders early in a single year.

LOCAL FIGURES

The Government has published figures showing the number of criminals that have been let out of prison early, under the Government’s early release scheme. The figures below show the number let out from June to October.

Source: Ministry of Justice, End of Custody Licence Statistics, December 2007.
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/endofcustodylicence.htm

Kent Police Spend money on Newsletter

I have just received very well produced and expensive booklet entitled “Policing Kent” which features smiling Police Officers, information on Police Station Opening Times (yes Police Station have shop opening hours, because most crimes happen in those hours?)how well the Police are doing their job and of course we all know that GB and Kent is a very safe place in the World to live!!!!. There is a special telephone line for Homophobic crime and one for racial crime, presumably if a crime is committed against these two groups of people it is more serious then if a crime is committed against the rest of us?
With regard to the new PCSO I was under the impression that this was Policing on the cheap but I am told this not the case, according to a PCSO web site in the West Midlands their wages are £19,000 per annum compared with a new PC at £21,000 so it just a saving of £2,000 so why not train these people up to be proper Police Officer? Once again I have got it wrong I am told that Kent have their quota of Police Officers as they have to keep within their budget OK but where does the money come for the PCSO’s.? Listening to PCSO’s on various chat shows most want to become Police Officers and find being a PCSO is a way in through the back door.
The public are continually being told that the Police do not have the resources yet they can spend tens of thousands of pounds on a glossy magazine, the British Public have lost all faith in the Police and the Judicial system in this country what we want is better policing, the capture of criminals who are put away for some considerable time. I recently had a motor cycle stolen I reported the crime and was given my crime number, I then had a follow up call giving me the number of victims support and then was asked if I would help with a survey. Yet what I wanted was a Police Officer to come and see me and make some effort to catch the little toe rags who nicked my bike, needless to say I never saw a Police Officer mind you I should have told them I was an ethnic homosexual I most probably I would have a dozen round.
To finalise I would like to ask the Chief Constable through your newspaper whether the following is true That before investigating any crime Police Officer have to make a RISK ASSESMENT before they respond to the crime and if the risk is to great they do not respond? Hopefully this is one of those silly rumours. Can you imagine the scenario if this is true> An emergency call comes in that a big fight has started in the Town Centre, the Police then quickly have a meeting to work out a Risk Assessment. For this they will need a detailed map of the area, looking out for obstacles which could cause them injuries i.e. steps, wet pavements, lampposts, cars, etc they then have to evaluate how many personnel are needed for the incident, for this they must consultant the various guideline which are laid down by Senior Officers finally they then must write out a report which each officers must sign ¾ hour later they have left for the incident which has now finished but they make themselves available to the ambulance personnel who picking up the injured. Alternatively they say NO to the call as they do not have enough Officers to meet the Risk Assessment Guidelines.

Martin Clarke Sittingbourne Kent

RAIL FARES GO THROUGH THE ROOF

2008 PRICE HIKES FROM 7.75% to 11.75%

GRAVESEND TO ST PANCRAS FARE ADDITIONAL CHARGE OF 30%

70-90 PASSENGERS PER CARRIAGE FROM 2009

INCREASED JOURNEY TIMES FOR CANNON ST / VICTORIA
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SIGNED BOTH PETITIONS:

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/northkenttrains/
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/KeepCannonSt/

29 November 2007

Thanks to all you commuters who have given your overwhelming support to our campaign. We have had a great response from our fellow passengers, and interest from local press and councillors. We have contacted Southeastern in search of accurate information for you, and will be contacting the unions as well.

As mentioned in our last newsletter (App. 1: Mike Gibson's letter), the specifications on which the franchise was put out to tender are being reviewed. Sadly this doesn't mean we will be renationalised, but it does mean a review of the 2009 timetable - so now is the time to make your voice heard. Get everyone you can to support our petitions (please sign both!). Also write to Southeastern (mike.gibson@southeasternrailway.co.uk), your local MP (addresses below, as before), councillors and the local press.

Ask the following questions which we all, as fare paying passengers and tax paying citizens, want answered:
What is the frequency of commuter trains to Cannon Street and Victoria FROM 2009 (number and exact times)?
Southeastern declared for December 2009 (no mention of what happens going forward) 4 per peak period to Cannon St (2 from Faversham and 2 from Broadstairs) and 6 per peak period to Victoria.

What is the number of first and second class passengers per service compared to number of first and second class seats that will be provided?
Southeastern are proposing to have at least 90 passengers per carriage per train on the Cannon Street service and 70 on Victoria trains - and this is if each train has 12 carriages.

How many additional stops will each train make?
Southeastern admit to at least two, but we have been told it will be Longfield, Meopham and Swanley.

What is the proposed increase to current journey times for Victoria and Cannon St? Southeastern admit journey times "do take a bit longer" - probably long enough to force us all onto the St Pancras service.

Exactly what are the proposed fare increases for 2008 - 2011 per year, not the average, but the exact figure?
See table below for 2008 proposals - 7.81-11.75%!!. Southeastern call it fare increases, but in our view these are tantamount to theft. Our mate Purple Mike at Southeastern completely ignored my question on fares. We know it will be "an average of inflation plus 3%", however 11.75% for some stations is currently under that neat little umbrella! We believe Southeastern to be 'abusing its position of dominance', which is strictly prohibited under the Competition Act 1988 (the Chapter II, Prohibition).

Kent is desperately trying to attract more London workers - how will it do this with overcrowded trains, year on year double figure price rises and an ever slower commute?
Mike Gibson, (aka Purple Mike) Southeastern's Public Affairs Manager, emailed me on 9 November and said Southeastern do not want "misleading information being circulated amongst out passengers" (sic), but then proceeded to provide me with information which I very much believe to be misleading, and refused to answer some questions. See italicised information above for the main points in his e-mail. Also I am quite concerned that the information was "for 2009" - which does seem something of a play on words, is it only for December 09, will even this paltry service be phased out beyond that date?

Purple Mike finished his letter with the statement "I quite understand your wish for improved rail services and this is a goal we both share, however, I am sure you would want rail users to have the facts." I most certainly do want passengers to have the facts, and when he provides the answers to the questions I asked, rather than the answers he deigns to give, I will circulate them instantly. Our team will keep on asking until we get the answers.

We need your help - sign the petition, write to Southeastern and to your MP.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT, FUNDED BY PUBLIC SUBSIDIES.
THE INFORMATION SHOULD BE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN

Just in case you are dithering over whether it is worth making the effort, you should be aware that from December 2009 you will very likely need a travelcard to get from Stratford / St Pancras to your destination. If price hikes are similar to 2008's increase (and prior years' hikes do suggest a pattern of ever increasing rises) the true rise from a "London Terminals season ticket" to a Travelcard will be 26%. The proposed addition, we understand, for the Gravesend to St Pancras leg of the journey is 30%.

Bank refuses to honour Cheque Card

PRESS RELEASE

Date: 22nd November 2007
Release date: Immediate
Subject: Gordon Henderson calls for truth over data disc scandal

LOCAL Tory Parliamentary Candidate, Gordon Henderson, has called on the Government to tell the truth about the loss of two computer discs containing the private and personal details, including bank account details, of thousands of local people who claim benefits.

The discs were sent by unrecorded post from the Tyneside office of HM Revenue and Customs to the National Audit Office in London.

Gordon said:

‘This scandalous and incompetent act will have left many local people concerned about having their identities stolen and their bank accounts accessed.

‘It’s all very well the Government saying that people have nothing to fear, because bank accounts are covered by the Banking Code, but sometimes that code is worthless. For instance I know of shops that have had cheques bounce despite being supported by a bank guarantee card.

‘The banks refused to honour the cheques using the argument that although the signature on the cheque was identical to that on the bank card, both signatures were different to the signature held by the bank. When it was pointed out that the shops didn’t have access to the correct signature, so wouldn’t know that both were forgeries, the banks brushed this logic aside and still refused to pay up! How do we know some banks won’t use a similar get out clause on this occasion? How easy will it be for people to prove that they have been caught up in this scandal?

‘More to the point, how on earth can we trust the reassurances of a Government that refuses to tell the truth about this fiasco? On Tuesday the Chancellor told the House of Commons that the delay in announcing the lost discs was so that banks could put in place security procedures. Now the banks are saying that they did not ask for a delay, indeed, it now transpires that the banks only found out about the loss last Friday and were given until Monday to sort it out. That doesn’t fill me with confidence that the accounts of local people will be properly protected if those discs fall into the wrong hands.

‘We now know that two more discs were lost in the post a few weeks ago. Those discs contained National Insurance numbers. The Government needs to tell the truth about exactly how many people are affected by the loss of those discs.’
….ends….

PC Update

Dear Supporter

A few things PC...and details of Lord Tebbit's important speech on Political Correctness...

PC...

1. A mother in Derbyshire received a letter from her daughter's school telling her to retract her "racist" comments for telling a little girl not to chew on a dark-skinned doll as it was dirty - it had been dropped on the floor and was covered in mud!

2. Veterans were banned from selling poppies in a WH Smith in Bristol by the manager - thankfully this decision was later overturned by senior managers.

3. The Mayor in Chepstow asked soldiers of the Rifles regiment to lay down their guns before marching in the Remembrance Day Parade. Angry veterans said this was ridiculous and the President of the local British Legion said, "The regiment is called the Rifles and rifles are an important part of their uniform....it's like asking the tank regiment to march past on parade without their tanks."

4. Bluewater Shopping Centre has apparently ordered their santas to slim down because they say "Santa Claus is a role model to thousands of children" and that he should be a "responsible icon".

A bit better...

1. The Chief Executive of the Royal Society of the Prevention of Accidents said "small-minded bureaucrats" were undermining genuine advances in health and safety in their attempts to wrap children up in cotton wool. He went on to say, "We need to prepare our children for a complex, dangerous world in which healthy robust activity is more a national need than ever before".

2. Sir Norman Bettison, the head of West Yorkshire Police, said the "elevated and authoritative status" of health and safety often resulted in it being easier for the police to do nothing in a crisis. He also said, "The armchair perfection of the health and safety Taliban is intent on creating doubt where there was once certainty."

And finally...

Norman Tebbit has kindly agreed to speak to our meeting next Tuesday (20th November 2007) at The Strand Palace Hotel on The Strand (surprise surprise!). This should be a great meeting as many politicians shy away from taking on the subject of Political Correctness - which makes it all the more refreshing when they do. This will be a very important occasion in the battle against PC! A flyer with further details should be attached or you can find out more on the following link:

http://www.capc.co.uk/lord_tebbit_event.htm

The price of £45 includes your free copy of the Second PC Scrapbook worth £8.99 (as soon as it is published) and unlimited wine! If you have a group who want to go please get in touch with us and we will see if we can give you a group discount.

Please keep sending us your examples of Political Correctness at any time - the more information we have the better!

Cheers.

Yours sincerely


Laura Midgley
Co-Founder of the Campaign Against Political Correctness
www.capc.co.uk
"The Second Politically Correct Scrapbook" out soon - pre-order your copy now!!Please click this link for further details - http://www.capc.co.uk/PC%20_Scrapbook_Main.htm

IS MR COMMON SENSE DEAD?

London Times Obituary of the late Mr. Common Sense - Thursday, 15 Feb 2007Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who hasbeen with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since hisbirth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will beremembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm;Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend morethan you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are incharge).His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned butoverbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boycharged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended fromschool for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimandingan unruly student, only worsened his condition..Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the jobthat they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consentto administer sun lotion or an Elastoplast to a student; but could notinform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have anabortion.Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments becamecontraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received bettertreatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn'tdefend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sueyou for assault.Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed torealise that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in herlap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; hiswife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He issurvived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, SomeoneElse Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim.Not many attended his funeral because so few realised he was gone. If youstill remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.And a little extra...Can you imagine working for a company that has a little more than 600employees and has the following statistics?29 have been accused of spouse abuse7 have been arrested for fraud19 have been accused of writing bad cheques117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses3 have done time for assault71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit4 have been arrested on drug-related charges8 have been arrested for shoplifting21 are currently defendants in lawsuits84 have been arrested for drink driving in the last yearWhich organisation is this?It's the 635 members of The House of Commons, the same group that cranks outhundreds of new laws each year designed to keep the rest of us in line.

The Royals v Gordon Brown

Over the past few days we have seen how the Royal Family have got involved in the workings of the people of Great Britain, first we had the Princes William and Harry supporting the England Rugby team in a very active way, when the match had finished they went round to the Hotel joined in the party with the players and their families. These two Princes are definitely British Princes, while they were doing their bit at the Rugby their Father Prince Charles was honouring Territorial Army soldiers who served in Iraq s in the grounds of his private Scottish home. They were members of the 51st Highland, 7th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland; He wanted to personally thank them for their efforts during a recent tour of duty in Iraq.
Compare this with our Prime Minister Gordon Brown who was signing up to the European Treaty, do we British get a say in the destruction of Nation? Brown maybe a European Patriot but one thing for sure he is a Traitor to the British people. It was reported after the EU meeting he enjoyed a few celebrity drinks withal his European friends, did he have drinks with the Rugby lads and has he organised a parade for our returning Armed Forces NO

Martin Clarke Sittingbourne

Bruges Group

The EU Constitution:Context and PredictionsRevisiting predictions on the fate of the EU Constitution
Two years ago the Bruges Group predicted the path of the EU treaty and warned of the consequences of railroading integration on Britain. Now the Bruges Group looks at what will happen next. And how Britain can finally resolve the EU question and become a good neighbour to the continent, rather than being an overcharged lodger.
We predicted in early 2005 that the EU Constitution would;
fail somewhere in a referendum(France and the Netherlands voted No. Britain would have certainly done the same)
the rejection of the Constitution would provoke a panic in Brussels(EU leaders did not know what to do next, EU Commission Vice-President, Margot Wallström, even moved onto Plan D)
this panic would create the opportunity for Britain to rethink our terms of EU membership(This however was missed and the EU stumbled on)
a failure to change our membership would mean the original plan would go back onto the table, and the breakup of the EU would become inevitable(The federalists only idea was to re-submit the same old tired Constitution, just under a new name)
What happens next and why a vote is inevitable
Brown under pressureThe Prime Minister has found himself stuck in the middle between the masses of people demanding a referendum on the Treaty and the Europhiles that are floating the idea of holding a vote on our very membership of the EU.The inevitability of a referendumA referendum, sooner or later, is inevitable and long overdue. The British public will not sit idly by as they see a referendum on the revived and renamed EU Constitution taking place in Ireland. They will not forgive the Labour Party for breaking its 2005 election manifesto.After the fiasco of the election that never was, Brown cannot afford to duck the will of the British people yet again.It is just a matter of what the final question will be.More wasting of taxpayers moneyWe can expect the Government will restart is costly, yet futile, roadshow to convince us of the ‘benefits’ of EU membership without actually naming any.The European Commission will also spend more of our money on propaganda in a vain attempt to make us support the Reform Treaty. We can be sure that some of this propaganda money will come from the European People’s Party which the Conservatives in the European Parliament are members of.The opportunity of the revived EU ConstitutionA vote rejecting EU integration in the UK will open up the prospect of new opportunities for Britain including a new arrangement of free trade and friendship, replacing burdensome regulation and the constant antagonism caused by Britain’s reluctance to submit itself fully to the federalist project.These opportunities were acknowledged by the very drafters of the EU Constitution itself. Article 7a, the Good Neighbour clause, of the draft Reform Treaty would allow Britain, if it were to leave the EU's political control, to enjoy a special relationship with the EU, where the UK can remain outside of the political structures, but still enjoy good working relations. This will give Britain free trade with the European Union. There is no reason why we cannot aim for such a relationship once the Treaty is rejected.This ‘good neighbour’ arrangement is clearly therefore an achievable objective, replacing our existing terms of membership.EU expert Dr Lee Rotherham says,“You don’t have to be Mystic Meg to predict a stormy 6 months for Gordon Brown. The question really is whether the Captain will follow his policy to the bottom of Davy Jones’ Locker, and whether David Cameron seizes the opportunity to steer a bold new course in Britain’s dealings with Europe.”Robert Oulds, Director of the Bruges Group, says,“Blair will be remembered as the man that failed to make the British public love the EU as he did and, above all, he ran from the challenge of the Eurosceptics and failed to even hold a referendum on the euro.“Unless Brown holds a referendum his legacy will also be one of cowardice, not courage, on the question of Europe.“If Brown fails to let the British public have their say he will also go down as the man that sunk Britain’s membership by pushing the people too far without their consent.”
Powers that Britain must reclaim
Once there has been reform at home by affirming the Primacy of Parliament over EU law, striking out the parts of the acquis communautaire that do not suit Britain. And after an official inquiry into the costs of EU membership has reported on the price we are paying; Britain can replace our current membership with the ‘good neighbour’ status.Below is a list of minimum demands that would be needed to make the 'good neighbour’ relationship work.
Repatriate CAP to national control. Reforms to be undertaken at national level
Repatriate CFP. Local community management
Restore Social Chapter opt-out
Remove Employment and Social Affairs from the arrangement
Repatriate all of International Development, and link with good governance
Remove Defence and intergovernmental affairs from the agreement; cut Commission representation; cut UK funding for Galileo; remove WEU from any EU agreement
End regional aid: budget saved to be restored to exchequers
Cut R&D funding or withdraw from UK participation and funding
UK to represent itself internationally unless we request otherwise. Option to join NAFTA subject only to anti-dumping talks with EU
Tax harmonisation to end. Britain allowed to set own tax rates, including ending VAT
Education and Culture to go to Council of Europe (a non-EU institution) with budget line
Health and Consumer Protection to be scaled back vastly
Stop the ability of the ECJ and the Commission to govern Britain
Justice and Home Affairs to be taken away from the EU and discussed at a broader level of intergovernmentalism
All remaining competences to see the restoration of the veto
Click here to read the original Bruges Group paper from early 2005 on where Britain should go next and the mechanics for changing the UK’s relationship with the EU
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For further information contact:Robert OuldsDirectorThe Bruges Group227 Linen Hall, 162-168 Regent Street, London W1B 5TBUKTel: +44(0) 20 7287 4414Mobile: 07740 029787E-mail: info@brugesgroup.com
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If you do not wish to receive these news-bulletins please send an e-mail to:unsubscribe@brugesgroup.comPlease write unsubscribe in the subject heading

No Ban on Red Arrows

Date: 20th October 2007
Release date: Immediate
Subject: Gordon receives reassurance on Red Arrows “ban”.

GORDON Henderson has received an assurance that the organisers of the 2012 Olympics have not banned the Red Arrows from performing at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics because the RAF display team is considered to be “too British”.

The assurance was given by the Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Jeremy Hunt MP, who explained that the issue was raised with Lord Coe and Hugh Robertson, MP for Faversham and Sports and Olympics Spokesman, at the London 2012 fringe meeting at The Conservative Party Conference.

Lord Coe stated quite unequivocally that the issue had never even been raised with him and that the Red Arrows would be extremely welcome as part of The London 2012 Olympic Opening ceremony.

Furthermore, he pointed out that a fly past by The Red Arrows had been a key part of the celebrations in Trafalgar Square when we won the right to host The Games and that the London 2012 Organising Committee had not even settled on the format for our eight minute handover slot in Beijing in 2008 - let alone begun to consider possible formats for 2012.

Mr Hunt went on to say:
‘On a personal level, I would only add that I am a strong supporter of our Armed Forces in general, and The Red Arrows in particular, and would certainly wish them to have an appropriate role in the London 2012 celebrations. As the Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport I have been closely following this issue and will continue to do so in order to ensure such a role is secured.

‘I hope that this reassures you about the current position, however we will continue to monitor the government closely as ever!’

Gordon said:
‘I am happy to accept the reassurance from Jeremy Hunt, however, I haven’t yet received a response from the Government itself, so I am still slightly nervous that the politically correct brigade in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will try to twist the arm of the 2012 Olympic organisers in an effort to change their minds. I hope I am wrong and that the Red Arrows will play a part in the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony.’
ENDS

"Immigrants No Bottle" says Ollie

My mate Ollie sent me the following:

Isn't it funny how foreign immigrants in this country (illegal or otherwise)claim to be here because they didn't like the set-up in their own country.What really sticks in my gullet, however, is that they are soon happy to stand up and shout about the wrongs of this country (and their rights), when they didn't have the balls to do so in their own country!

Alan returns from Afghanistan

You may have seen one of the Swale Martial Arts Club members in the various tabloids on Monday; it was of course Cpl Alan Cain cuddling his two children. Why was he doing this, well he was a member the TA London Scottish Regiment who had just returned from active service in Afghanistan. You may also have also seen the pictures where these troops paraded through London without any member of the public cheering them on.

What a despicable country Great Britain has turned into where true hero’s, where men and women are willing to lay down their lives to protect us from terrorists yet we the public can not even celebrate their return home. Had this been a winning Football team you would not have been able to move the same would be for a pop band or celebrity and the only threat to their lives would be the amount of drugs or alcohol they consumed. Can you imagine what will happen if England wins the Rugby, there would be loads of politician singing the team there praises and knighthoods would go out of fashion
This government sends these troops out to be killed, then get embarrassed when they return at least Maggie Thatcher gave our troops a parade for their deeds in the Falklands but then again she did not court Celebrities and pop stars she dealt with real people.

I hope those who lived in the area where the parade was feel thoroughly ashamed of themselves.

Martin Clarke East Street Sittingbourne

Sittingbourne People want referendum

I am proud to say I spent a couple of hours with Gordon on Saturday getting some signatures, I thought it was about time I stopped complaining and done something

LOCAL Conservatives were out in Sittingbourne High Street at the weekend as part of their campaign to force Prime Minister Gordon Brown into holding a referendum before ratifying the EU Reform Treaty.

The EU Treaty, which transfers more powers from Westminster to Brussels, replaces the European Constitution which was resoundingly rejected by voters in France and Holland, but has now been resurrected under a different name.

Led by Parliamentary Candidate, Gordon Henderson, the campaigners received lots of attention and support from members of the public, who queued to sign the Conservative petition calling on the Prime Minister to honour the promise in the Labour Party manifesto at the last election to hold a referendum on the EU constitution.

The Conservative campaign was supported by The Sun, which has launched its own campaign for a referendum. The national newspaper supplied flags for the stand, which was set up outside the Forum and also sent along a photographer to take pictures of the campaigners.

Gordon said:

‘This was the best supported campaign we have ever organised. In just two hours we collected over four hundred signatures.

‘People were queuing to sign our petition because they are really angry about the way the Prime Minister is refusing to deliver on the Labour promise to hold a referendum before ratification of the new EU Reform Treaty.

‘Mr Brown maintains that this treaty is different to the EU Constitution, but that is nonsense. The documents are almost identical, which is why the Irish government is allowing its citizens a referendum.

‘Why is the Prime Minister scared of letting the British people have their say on this very important issue? First he chickened out of calling a General Election, now he is chickening out of holding a referendum.’

Council Tax to rise again

GORDON Henderson says that he is “absolutely horrified” that residents of Swale face inflation-busting hikes in council tax, following the publication of the Government’s new tax and spending plans for the next three years – the so-called “Comprehensive Spending Review”.

Gordon’s comments follow news that: -

· The cross-party Local Government Association has forecast that “the Chancellor's announcement will mean above inflation rises in bills for council taxpayers”.
· Insufficient resources have been given to local authorities to tackle the soaring costs of care for the elderly, waste collection and disposal, and other burdens imposed by Whitehall.
· Independent commentators have said that the Government’s claim that council tax bills will be kept down “do not look plausible”.
· The small print of the Government’s report reveals that council tax revenues are forecast to rise by 5 per cent this year. Assuming council tax rises of 5 per cent every year over the three years of the Spending Review, this would push the average council tax bill in Swale to £1508 on Band D. Under the Labour Government, bills have already soared across the country, and have increased bills by 112% across Swale.

Gordon remarked,
‘Thanks to Labour’s fiddled funding, council tax has gone through the roof across the country. Since 1997, council taxes in Swale have already rocketed by 112%. Now I fear that Gordon Brown is engineering three more years of inflation-busting hikes. I am absolutely horrified that rises will be imposed on our residents, because those increases will hit hardest the most vulnerable in Swale – particularly pensioners on fixed incomes.

‘This is yet another tax con from a tired Government that has run out of ideas. Using council tax to raise more money is the most dishonest tax hike of them all – engineered by Whitehall but with local councillors taking the blame when bills hit the doormat.’

Notes to Editors

GOVERNMENT PLANS TO HIKE COUNCIL TAX BILLS EVEN MORE

The small print of the Government’s Pre-Budget Report and Comprehensive Spending Review reveals that council tax revenues are forecast to soar this year by £1.2 billion, from £23.7 billion in 2007-08 to £24.9 billion in 2008-09. This is an inflation-busting rise of 5.1 per cent; only a tiny proportion of this change is due to the increase in the size of ‘tax base’ from population change (HM Treasury, 2007 Pre-Budget Report and Comprehensive Spending Review, October 2007, p.168, table B8).
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/F/9/pbr_csr07_annexb_305.pdf

In their response to Labour’s Pre-Budget Report, the cross-party Local Government Association has warned: “This is the worst settlement for local government in a decade. Councils will continue to work hard for the people they serve but they face tough choices. The Chancellor's announcement will mean above inflation rises in bills for council taxpayers and businesses, and there remains a black hole in funding for the care of the elderly. The money allocated to local government is simply not enough for councils to provide everything ministers have promised and meet the extra cost of looking after an ageing population which will cost £9m every single day. Even though this is a real terms increase in grant we estimate there will be a shortfall overall. The council taxpayer will once again be left to pick up the bill for promises made by the Government” (LGA Press Release, 10 October 2007).
http://www.lga.gov.uk/PressRelease.asp?id=SXEAC2-A7848E45

Leading commentator, Peter Riddell of The Times, has added: “Council tax, not inheritance tax, is what the Autumn Budget will be remembered for in the long term... Whitehall funding for councils will increase by an average of 1 per cent in real terms in the three years from next April: 1.5 per cent in the first year, then 0.8 and 0.7 per cent. The Government claims that this should be sufficient to ensure improved services, enabling local government to keep council tax rises low, with ‘an overall increase of well under 5 per cent in each of the next three years’. This is well above the forecast 2 per cent annual growth in consumer prices over the period. These figures do not look plausible. Local authorities complain that the Whitehall grant is not enough to provide new services promised by central government” (The Times, 11 October 2007).
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/peter_riddell/article2633826.ece

Sainsbury call its workers lazy

Dear Editor
Sainsbury recently announced that immigrant workers are very Conscientious, hard workers and will take on more then one job, indigenous British workers can learn a lot from them.

Well I would like to speak up for the Sittingbourne Sainsbury Worker, I have always found them smartly dressed, polite , helpful and always busy, the few I know personally are very hard workers.
One must asked the question if the British Worker is such a lazy bunch how did Sainsbury made its massive profits over the last 50 years? Sainsbury workers have been very loyal to the company maybe the company should respond the same.

Sainsbury like many companies have their own language every sentence they make has a hidden meaning so I have translated some Sainsbury Speak:
1) Very Conscientious = Do as they are told regardless, i.e. slave mentality
2) Will take on more then one job = Will work excessive long hours (this can cause health and safety problems due to tiredness)
3) Hard Workers = When told to jump they ask how high.
What Sainsbury is really saying here is a group of workers who we can take advantage of to make even bigger profits for the Fat Cat owners, Sainsbury has no loyalty to its work force or Great Britain its only loyalty is to the management and share holders, The British Worker is expendable.
Can I suggest if Sainsbury employ a disproportional amount of immigrant labour we all boycott the store?

The above can apply to medium size builders and farmers who now refuse to employ British workers


Martin Clarke Sittingbourne

Conservatives Back On Top

Gordon Henderson cutting away the Bacon from Labour

Conservatives back on top
As a Conservative I obviously want a Conservative Government but in the past it has been anything is better then this Soul Destroying Government yet this weeks conference give me confidence that the next Conservative Government can claim the country back for the British people for example they pledge to:
1) Increase to £1 million pounds the Inheritance Tax threshold
2) Build more Jails so we can lock up the scum who ruin our lives, criminals to be treated as criminals not victims of society.
3) Stop earl y prison release
4) Tougher Immigration Laws
The one thing that has affected many steel workers in Swale was the Pensions debacle so I have attached a letter from Swale next MP Gordon Henderson




Gordon Henderson
PRESS RELEASE
Date: 1st October 2007
Release date: Immediate
Subject: Gordon “absolutely delighted” at Tory promise to help ASW pensioners

LOCAL Tory Parliamentary Candidate, Gordon Henderson, says that he is “absolutely delighted” David Cameron has promised to help workers who lost all, or most, of their pensions when their company pension schemes were wound up.

The issue has been a hot topic locally since ASW went into liquidation and workers at the steelworks in Sheerness saw their pensions destroyed overnight.

The Government eventually stepped in and set up the Financial Assistance Scheme, but the scheme only provides pensioners with 80% of their anticipated pensions and there are such long delays in processing claims that only 2000 pensioners have actually been helped, out of an estimated total of 125,000 victims.

Now David Cameron has promised that a Conservative government would immediately provide a £30 million a year “lifeboat fund” to provide immediate help to those facing hardship because of the loss of their pensions. As an interim measure, he promised that the Treasury would provide a £30 million loan so that victims could receive their proper pensions whilst the lifeboat fund was being set up.

Gordon said:
‘I am absolutely delighted that David Cameron has made this unequivocal pledge. So many weasel words have been spoken over the past few years as Gordon Brown and his Labour Government have tried to wriggle out of their moral obligation.

‘At last ASW pensioners can see an end to their struggle. They now have a cast iron guarantee that they will receive justice under a Tory government.’
….ends….

X Factor Cry Babies

Over the weekend I had a bout of food poisoning, I had a chicken cannelloni in Canterbury, So I spent 14 hours of on the toilet this started to ease of just as the X Factor came on the box, I will admit I do like watching the first rounds as you get some really crap acts which are hilarious but I normally stop watching when it comes to Boot Camp as it always seems to be a repeat of previous years except with different face in fact a rather boring affair but as I could not go out I decided to watch. The format was as expected but what has happened to the “British Stiff Upper Lip” where you deal with adversity, disappointment and jubilation in a dignified manner, all I saw was a lot of crying, jumping and shouting I was quite disgusted, luckily enough I had recorded the latest episode about “The Royal Marines” here was at least some young people I as an Englishman could be proud of, young people who were prepared to give their lives for others rather then seeking fame and riches in the overrated, over egotistical world of the celebrity
Can any of you official ado’s of the X Factor tell me do they have any acts apart from singers copying well known artists?

A True POOF

I have just returned from a Caravan holiday on the Isle of Wight, while there I watch the programme “Hell’s Kitchen” I have already listed one instant on the show but the incident with Brian Dowling (I that is his name ) and Jim Davidson took the biscuit. Both are supposed to be celebrities obviously everyone has heard of the comedian Jim Davidson but the other guy is Militant Gay who won Big Brother (I have mentioned him in a previous Blog) as I am not yet brain dead I have not watched Big Brother so I did not know him. Jim, as a very UN PC comedian, and Brian, as a extremely Camp Homosexual ,working together was bound to cause friction, most probably the TV company knew this. So the stage is set, Jim has to serve some of Brian’s Camp mates who behaved in a way that irritated Jim, at the end of the services Jim said to Boxer Barry and Brian “do those shirt lifters always give that kind of look”. In the staff room afterwards Brian berated Jim for using an offensive word i.e. “Shirt Lifter”, Jim brushes him away and makes the comment as “Good As You” a homosexual rallying call. Brian went into a screaming and crying fit supported by the to silly young girls on the show, Adele Silva and Abigail Clancy saying leave him alone he is only a boy (he is 29). Why do silly young women want to defend a thing like Brian? ITV told Jim he had to leave the show for insulting Brian. At the end of the week some of the so called celebrity diners were asked the best bits of the programme at one of the Nolan sisters (the one who was in the Bill) said that moment with Brian was inspiration for millions of men the way he stood up against Jim. The next day several papers carried a large report the incident.
While this programme was on I had been reading a book called “Sniper 1” a true story of British Snipers in Iraq, who’s bravery was unsurpassed these were young men who were being killed, wounded while serving their country. I did not know whether they were homosexual or heterosexual and I did not care all I knew I felt a great sense of pride. Compare this with the disgusting behaviour of the Camp, Publicity seeking, excuse for a man Brian; he was upset because some one called him a name thanks God the great majority of Englishman are not like him. As for that Nolan women maybe in her showbiz world that type of behaviour is a sign of bravery but it is not in the real world, You can see why the UK is fast going down the pan when people put these celebrities on a pedestal

Thank fully the Public voted a real man to win the show BARRY McGuigan an ex World Boxing Champion, mid you I am surprised the PC Brigade did not have a go at him as they want Boxing banned.

Below is a comment made by a reader in the Daily Express which I think is apt


Nobjocki
Comment No. 685403
September 12 13:49
I'm one of those people who, whilst I find homosexuality physically and morally wrong ,have many gay friends and work colleagues.However I think if you wish to go through life being theatrically camp like Brian Dowling then you should be prepared to expect a certain amount of attention coming back the other way.Indeed many of those gay friends and work colleagues believe the behaviour of Dowling and like-minded exhibitionist gays does them no favours.I mean - does anyone really find the term " shirt-lifter " THAT offensive any more.Certainly not as offensive as the term " pikey " which wasn't deemed bad enough by TV producers to have Marco Pierre White removed from the show.Double standards all round methinks.
Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.

Union Flag in distress

Martin Clarke
118 East Street
Sittingbourne
ME10 4Rx

Dear Editor
In your paper last week you featured a piece where a Labour Councillor disagreed with the Union Flag being flown at the SBC Offices as he thought the National Flag was a racist emblem, he then suggested flying the Flag upside down, this was done when someone was in distress. For once I agree with a member of the Labour party not that the Flag is racist but it should be flown upside down as a sign of this countries distress at having Gordon Brown and his Labour government ruining this great Nation we call the United Kingdom, the flag should not be flown in the correct way until a Conservative Government is in power.

Referendum

Together we can make Gordon Brown listen
At the last General Election, Gordon Brown promised us a referendum on the EU Constitution but now he is breaking that promise.
He claims we don't need one because the new document is called a "Treaty" rather than a "Constitution". But it doesn't really matter what people call it. The fact is that the new Treaty is basically the same as the Constitution and it means giving away more powers to the EU.
It would create a new EU president and lead to the loss of at least 60 of our national vetoes. It gives the EU the power to make treaties and introduces a new ratchet clause that would make it easier for the EU to taken on even more powers in the future.
Just before becoming Prime Minister Gordon Brown said "the manifesto is what we put to the public. We've got to honour that manifesto. That is an issue of trust for me with the electorate." That manifesto included the promise of a referendum and it is up to all of us to make sure that he honours that pledge.
The campaign for a referendum is supported by people from all parties - in fact more than eight out of ten of Labours own voters want a referendum.
If you would like to play your part in making sure that Gordon Brown keeps his promise, then I hope you will offer your support to the cross-party "I want a referendum" campaign by signing their online petition at www.iwantareferendum.com

Red Arrows to British for Olympics

The world-famous Red Arrows have been banned from appearing at the 2012 London Olympics because they are deemed "too British".Organisers of the event say that the Arrows military background might be "offensive" to other countries taking part in the Games. The display team have performed at more than 4000 events worldwide, but the Department of Culture, Media and Sport have deemed the display team "too militaristically British". Red Arrows pilots were said to be "outraged", as they had hoped to put on a truly world class display for the Games, something which had never been seen before. Being axed from a British-based event for being "too British" is an insult - the Arrows are a symbol of Britain.The Red Arrows have been excellent ambassadors for British overseas trade, as they display their British-built Hawk aircraft all over the world.The Arrows performed a short flypast in 2005 when the winning bid was announced, but their flypast at the Games was to have been truly spectacular.It is to be hoped that common sense prevails

Immigrants increase traffic accidents

So 1/5 of all crimes are committed by immigrants, immigrants create an increase in traffic accidents> Not my words but reports in the media, in tuesday's Mail there were some interesting comments:

No surprise there, then. Yet another reason to celebrate our membership of the EU.What is not mentioned in this report is that most EU drivers in this country leave their cars registered in their home countries. This avoids the need to pay for the Motor Vehicle Licence (car tax), MOT and insurance and also allows the driver to avoid detection when caught by cameras breaking road-safety laws. Furthermore, the authorities don't check for a valid insurance certificate at the point of entry when these cars are driven into our country.- Lickyalips, Richmond, Surrey


The vast majority of East Europeans driving on our roads will be doing so illegally. Those who bring their cars here will have been here for more than 6 months and should therefore register their vehicles here and then pay their road fund tax and submit their vehicles for a MOT and if they bother with insurance it will be their inadequate Eastern European one which will be invalidated if they are permanently in the UK, but they don't and the police find it easier to ignore the problem. Others will just leave the country with their car on a booze and cruise ferry for a day and return 24 hours later so that their 6 months exemption from registering their vehicle start from scratch. They bring their old customs and habits with them which are not compatible with our customs and laws such as drink driving, illegal fishing, carrying knives etc and they belong to criminal gangs having a field day carrying out crime with impunity, again, because police shy away due to their human rights and language difficulties.

Iraqi Women and English Pin Badge

An incident occurred in a supermarket recently, when the following was witnessed: A Muslim woman dressed in a Burkha (A black gown & face mask) was standing with her shopping in a queue at the checkout. When it was her turn to be served, and as she reached the cashier, she made a loud remark about the English Flag lapel pin, which the female cashier was wearing on her blouse. The cashier reached up and touched the pin and said, "Yes, I always wear it proudly. My son serves abroad with the forces and I wear it for him". The Muslim woman then asked the cashier when she was going to stop bombing and killing her countrymen, explaining that she was Iraqi. At that point, a Gentleman standing in the queue stepped forward, and interrupted with a calm and gentle voice, and said to the Iraqi woman: "Excuse me, but hundreds of thousands of men and women, just like this ladies son have fought and sacrificed their lives so that people just like YOU can stand here, in England, which is MY country and allow you to blatantly accuse an innocent check-out cashier of bombing YOUR countrymen". "It is my belief that if you were allowed to be as outspoken as that in Iraq, which you claim to be YOUR country, then we wouldn't need to be fighting there today". "However - now that you have learned how to speak out and criticise the English people who have afforded you the protection of MY country, I will gladly pay the cost of a ticket to help you pay your way back to Iraq ". "When you get there, and if you manage to survive for being as outspoken as what you are here in England, then you should be able to help straighten out the mess which YOUR Iraqi countrymen have got you into in the first place, which appears to be the reason that you have come to MY country to avoid." Apparently the queue cheered and applauded.IF YOU AGREE... Pass this on to all of your proud English friends. I just did.............!!!

PIKEY & Hells kitchen

I rather enjoy the programme “Hell’s Kitchen” it was quite interesting seeing celebratees (most of whom I have never heard of) trying to cope with proper work. What I find insulting, annoying and completely unnecessary is the continual swearing but I was gob smacked when someone named Lee from a Boy band Blue complained about “a pikey kitchen” with reference to the word Pikey which is a derogatory name for Gypsy , this remark has made the newspapers and the Commission for Racial Equality who have asked the chef to apologise. Well Chef Marco DON’T most of us use the word PIKEY to refer to those individuals who travel the roads in beat up Caravans, leaving a mess where ever they go, abuse the benefit system, steal and generally make a nuisance of themselves, some maybe travellers but more often then not they are the dregs of society. They are certainly not proper travellers or true gypsies. A Pikey Picnic is where everything that has been obtained or purloined during the day is thrown together as a meal
What is more interesting this rather immature individual Lee was upset by the term Pikey but was continually using bad language, derogatory gestures and remarks to fellow inmates, I note no one wants an apology from him any way what happened on to “Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me”
It is interesting that in most of these programmes they have the “Token Homo” and one that is extraordinarily camp, this programme we have a Militant Poof (poof is a homosexual who is extrovert and camp, parades his sexuality when ever he can, it does not refer to Homosexuals in general) Although these type of men are comical to watch when they mince about the TV but I would have thought that the wider Homosexual community would find them insulting. I still can not understand what a person’s sexuality has to do with running a Kitchen maybe some one can tell me.

Martin Clarke Sittingbourne

Derek Wyatt MP & Crime

M Clarke
118 East Street
Sittingbourne

Saturday, 01 September 2007

Dear Editor

I note from the amount of articles featuring our local MP Derek Wyatt he must have returned from a long holiday or is there an election in the offering?

It is pleasing though to see his intervention in the soaring crime rates especially amongst the young, which is bringing the country to the verge of anarchy. Having read some of his ideas, although not new, does show that these young hooligans can be dealt with, although I am not to sure what he meant by “boarding element to state schools” I recently sent a letter in suggesting ways that we can stop this massive crime rate, my ideas were more prevention then cure but sadly it was not printed (I am told I write to much) but you can view it on my MartinClarke.blogspot.com

Although I congratulate Mr Wyatt, you have to admit that he and his government are responsible for this state of anarchy. When the Conservatives lost office 10 years ago did we have this epidemic of Crime NO, de we have this epidemic of Drug use NO, de we have this epidemic of Booze Britain NO, did we have this epidemic of Gang Culture NO, did we have this youth culture of disrespect for their elder and authority NO.

There are many reasons why these things have happened one of the main reasons is the introduction of the “European Human Rights Act” this act has been the catalyst for most of our ills as it continually favours the rights of criminal above those of the victim. The Labour government have been responsible for “I am not to blame” culture this attitude of not taking responsibility for ones actions is now the norm. The young thug who beats up a pensioner and who’s solicitor then try to make the excuse the thug had a bad childhood or his mother never breast fed him, the liberal minded judge who believes them and lets the thug of with a warning BUT what about the pensioner did he or she deserved to be beaten, was it he or she who was responsible for the thugs upbringing NO The Labour government and the rich lawyers and judges just consider the pensioner collateral damage. Remember fat cat Judges and lawyers get rich on crime.
Was it not this government who decided to release convicted prisoner early rather then build more prisons, who in recent report have suggested a lot re-offended again within 24 hours, why? Just so the y can save money, who would have ever believed Socialist Government would put money before the safety of its people. Money has become this Government’s God not the people it was elected to represent, take the ridiculous idea of Police Support Officer! What the country needs is more trained Police Officer even if they do cost money.

As for the Police they also have to take a lot of the blame on a recent Radio 4 News programme a Senior Police Officer would not admit to there being a crisis, it seems to me every rank above Inspector is more interested in climbing the slippery pole to promotion then worrying about crime, this governments obsession with Political Correctness, Positive discrimination in favour of Women, ethnic minority and Homosexuals has produced an inadequate, unsuccessful, under achieving Police Force (sorry Police Service) maybe time has come to employ Police Officer’s because they are best qualified to do the Job, now there would be a radical idea. Mind you the lower ranks must take some of the blame, how long does it take a PC to come to an incident? How many crimes warrant a call out or just a crime number? Mind you they are pretty good prosecuting those disgusting motorist or arresting people for defending their property or even themselves need I say more.

My England is collapsing around me not just on the crime but in nearly every respect, this is a country that panders to the worst elements in society, a country where in places you do not even hear the English language. At 57 years of age I to old to leave but what is more important I do not want to leave the time has come to take our country back.

If you are reading this I expect you will be on my blogsite, I know I have a lot of readers, with the slow erosion of democracy in this country the individual is no longer listened to. Yet through the Internet we all have a voice so why not start your own Blog put your views across you will not always get favourable replies, I know I don’t, but you do have a voice.


Yours Faithfully

How do we cure our sick society?

How do we cure our sick society?

Events during the last couple of weeks have left me depressed as I have come to realise just how sick is the society in which we now live. Every day we are confronted by yet another example of the deplorable sub-culture of anti-social behaviour that is slowly pervading our lives.

Binge drinking, rampant drug taking, burglary, shop lifting, threatening behaviour, vandalism, swearing in public and the verbal abuse of anyone who has the audacity to upbraid the perpetrators, are simply different sides of the same coin; lawlessness, and the most worrying aspect of this disorder is the seemingly unstoppable increase in the incidence of unprovoked violent attacks on innocent people.

The ghastly murder of 11 year old Rhys Jones, allegedly shot by a 15 year old youth on a BMX bike, is the latest high profile crime to hit out national TV screens. But such crimes are not confined to Liverpool, Leeds or London; locally we have our seen more than our fair share of violence, indeed not a week goes by without yet another appalling story appearing in our local newspapers.

Who can ever forget the senseless killing last year of 16 year old Michael Chapman as he walked across a Sittingbourne playing field, or, the more recent vicious attack on a Sheppey pensioner, which left him battered, bruised and hospitalised?

At the weekend my depression deepened because of a very minor incident, but one that I believe is hugely significant because it epitomises the problem that is ripping the heart out of communities up and down the country. It is the lack of respect many youngsters have for authority, for older people, including their own parents, and for their fellow citizens.

The incident happened as I finished clearing all the litter out of our front garden; I looked up just as two teenage girls walked out of the alley opposite my house. As they made their way down the road one of them simply threw an empty crisp packet over her shoulder. I was incensed and shouted at her to pick it up. She looked at me as if I was mad, laughed and walked away.

Thirty years ago I would have chased after her, grabbed her by the scruff of the neck, marched her back to the crisp packet, made her pick it up and put it into the nearest litter bin. Today if I had taken such action I would have been arrested for physical, and, quite likely, sexual assault.

What can we do on such occasions? Call the police? Hardly! They are not going to be interested in a single crisp packet when they are so short of manpower that they cannot even respond to calls about a burglary if the culprit is not still on the property!

Contact the girl’s parents? Not possible, because I had no idea who the girl was and she was unlikely to tell me even if I had asked her name, anyway, if I had discovered her identity it is very unlikely I would have received a sympathetic hearing from her parents!

The truth is that in today’s Britain we can do nothing but fume about such insolence. No wonder decent citizens are becoming so frustrated and losing respect for the law and those who are charged with upholding it.

Now you might well ask what that crisp packet has to do with the shooting of an 11 year old in Liverpool or the murder of a 16 year old in Sittingbourne. There is a clear link.

The problem is that if people get away with dropping litter without fear of punishment, some of them will believe the same goes when they bend a car aerial, daub graffiti on a garage door, throw empty beer cans at somebody’s window, urinate in the street, or even “do a bit of shoplifting”. And, unfortunately, too often they are right, because even if they are caught, the police increasingly refuse to prosecute for such a “minor crime”.

But often those “minor crimes” lead the perpetrators to more serious crimes. The problem is that failing to punish people for the little things makes them feel they can do what they like, including attacking those to whom they take a dislike. And sadly, our current sentencing policy is such that they almost certainly will get away with little more than a slap on the wrist for even the most vicious assault. Just remember, young Michael Chapman’s killer was sentenced to a derisory four years in prison!

So what can we do to reverse this increase in lawlessness? In two words: Zero Tolerance. I know this is a concept that has been talked about on and off for years, ever since Mayor Juliano used it so successfully to bring crime under control in New York City a few years back, but we have never really embraced it in this country. I believe the time has arrived for us to practice Zero Tolerance.

If we crack down on the minor criminals such as litter droppers and graffiti writers then we might just discourage them from progressing to more serious crimes.

Of course, schools have a big role to play in teaching our children the right way to behave, but over the years we have slowly reduced the avenues of discipline open to schools and now teachers have to enforce rules and regulations with both arms tied behind their back!

Some schools do have good discipline, however, teachers in those schools would tell you that they only have pupils in their care for a relatively short time; the rest of the time they are at home, where very often all the good work of our schools is lost because of indiscipline or disinterest by parents. That is another problem. Some parents simply refuse to accept responsibility for their children. Those parents must be brought to book and should be prosecuted for the misdemeanours of their children.

In my opinion, the breakdown in social cohesion and the increase in anti social behaviour began the day that Parliament voted to abolish Capital Punishment. Doing away with the ultimate deterrent sent out entirely the wrong message and undermined the whole sentencing system. That particular decision was further exacerbated when corporal punishment was banned in schools. Of course, there are some who are now trying to have corporal punishment banned in the home. God help us!

I know there will be many who disagree with me on this, and I respect their right to differ. I hope they respect my right to hold an opinion different to their own, without trying to brand me as some hang and flog ‘em monster!

Indeed, I would simply say to my critics that it cannot be a coincidence that the increase in anti-social behaviour and violent crime has happened at exactly the same time that we have done away with capital and corporal punishment.

In Singapore anyone caught dropping litter is caned, which could have something to do with why it is one of the cleanest cities in the world! These days, schools cannot use the cane or the slipper; the maximum punishment that can be metered out is “exclusion”, but what sort of punishment is that to a teenager who doesn’t want to be in school anyway? It is hardly surprising that the current level of truancy in our secondary schools is quite scandalous, with one local school having an appalling 25% truancy rate. 25%! That means that on average one pupil in four is absent every day!

Perhaps the time has come to set up special “detention” schools to which pupils who are excluded from their current main stream school, or, who habitually play truant, are sent. Those schools could offer a robust secure disciplined environment, with a properly structured educational day, but a tough regime of physical recreation once the academic day was finished. I suspect that discipline levels in our secondary schools would soon improve and truancy rates would drop dramatically!

Now such a scheme might be impractical, or, politically impossible, but at least we should have the debate about how we are going to combat the current lack of discipline in schools. I know that many teachers are frustrated with the lack of support they are given when they try to solve this problem.

Similarly, the police are frustrated when they see criminals for whom they have spent a lot of man hours to obtain a conviction, being released early because the Government simply has not built sufficient prisons. And on the subject of police, so bogged down are they with the paper work needed to obtain that conviction, that they simply have no time to do what they should be doing, which is preventing crimes form happening. Which leads me to another problem; when was the last time that you saw a policeman on foot patrol in your area?

We are told repeatedly that foot patrols are not the best way of using police time and that car patrols are more efficient. I am not convinced because the facts simply do not support this argument. Once again, it cannot be a coincidence that incidence of anti-social behaviour has increased as the number of foot patrols has reduced. Certainly, residents would sleep better in their beds if they knew that their local streets were being patrolled regularly by a policeman.

I believe we have reached a watershed; unless the decent majority start to fight back with determination and firmness, our country will become an intolerable place in which to live. To succeed in that fight we need to increase the number of police on our streets and bring discipline back into our schools and homes. Such measures will cost a lot of money, but that is a small price to pay if it means saving Britain from the anarchy that David Cameron spoke about last week.

Gordon Henderson
Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman
Sittingbourne & Sheppey

SWALE A DIRTY BOROUGH?

PRESS RELEASE

Date: 27th August 2007
Release date: Immediate
Subject: Gordon “frustrated at the way in which the level of tidiness and cleanliness is rapidly deteriorating across Swale”.

The director of the Swale Community Action Project (SCAP), Gordon Henderson, has written to Kent Highway Services to complain about the poor service being provided to the residents of Swale.

In his letter Gordon highlighted a number of issues including:-

· The poor standard of road sweeping, particularly on Sheppey.

· Blocked drain culverts that cause flooding.

· Overgrown and litter strewn alleys.

· Badly overgrown roundabouts and verges on the A249, which are unsightly and a hazard to motorists.

Gordon said:
‘I am becoming increasingly frustrated at the way in which the level of tidiness and cleanliness is rapidly deteriorating across Swale.

‘As the director of the Swale Community Action Project (SCAP) I am doing all I can to encourage members of our various communities to take ownership of their areas and help keep them clean and tidy. But it would make my task much easier if those agencies with a statutory responsibility for keeping our highways, verges, alleys and footpaths clean, set a better example by fulfilling their obligations with more diligence!

‘The situation has certainly become noticeably worse since the highways agreement with Swale Borough Council was ended a couple of years ago. Perhaps it is time to revisit that decision!’

In his letter Gordon also raised again the problem of speeding in Queenborough Road and Minster Road, and the lack of proper white lines in the area.’
….ends….

Enc: Copy of letter to Kent Highway Services

Planning is a Nonsense!!!

BEFORE AFTER
The two photographs attached have been taken on the land next the Swale Martial Arts Club in East Street Sittingbourne. Photo no 1 shows a long lean to shed where the club houses some of its equipment, it a very neat affair with recently refurbished roof, painted front and parts decked with hanging baskets. SMAC decided to keep this ground in reasonable good order because it was the first thing people who come from Faversham side see of Sittingbourne. It seems that the planning authorities at Swale Borough Council did not like our shed as a few weeks ago they sent an enforcement officer ( who was in all fairness very pleasant and helpful) to SMAC telling us that the Sheds and our bird aviary did not have planning permission and had to come down. It was true that the big shed and aviary did not have planning something I did not realise I needed the club had no option but to agree.
The questions one must ask oneself are as follows:
1) Why did we have to knock them down, planning departments answer was no planning, yet the sheds were more attractive then what is left, they did not ruin the look of the area, they were not affecting anyone in terms of a hazard, they were not a danger to anyone and not in a state of disrepair. Surely common sense can prevail when this sort of things happen or is that beyond the remit of planning department?
2) Is it necessary to send a Planning Contravention Notice with fine of £1000 if you do not reply in 21 days?
3) A 8ft x 6ft garden shed is also part of the order, yet this stands in the garden of one of the flats on land that has been residential and in continual use as such for over a 100 years, in that time there must have been scores of garden sheds. So why now is it that contravenes planning regulations could it be planning are flexing their bureaucratic muscles it will not be the first time SMAC has been singled out someone, years ago we were taken to court because we had a banner which did not have planning permission yet all the major stores had banner adverts without planning, for nearly 100 years there has been a roadway to what used to be stables and a barn at the rear of the buildings, when the new roundabout was erected our entrance from the road was taken away so we were told to use another route from the road after doing this for 20 years some KCC officials tell us we are breaking the law and must cease. Are the SMAC being harassed by some at the council or is it we are not one of the big companies and an easy target?
4) The planning department tell me you need planning permission for a garden shed and do this you must have proper drawings so for an 10ft x 8ft shed you will have to have a set of drawings which will cost £100 or more. So if you have had a shed erected in less then 4 years you could be breaking planning laws.
Local Councillors seem to have less and less powers and in reality we are governed and administered by a unelected autonomous organisation, Councillors must start clawing back control of Council affairs and return power to the people.

Immigrants Must Adapt "take it or leave it" veiw from Australia

Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told onWednesday to get out of Australia , as the government targeted radicals in abid to head off potential terror attacks.
A day after a group of mainstream Muslim leaders pledged loyalty to Australia and her Queen at a special meeting with Prime Minister John Howard, he and his Ministers made it clear that extremists would face a crackdown. Treasurer Peter Costello, seen as heir apparent to Howard, hinted that some radical clerics could be asked to leave the country if they did not accept that Australia was a secular state, and its laws were made by parliament. 'If those are not your values, if you want a country which has Sharia law or a theocratic state, then Australia is not for you', he said on NationalTelevision.
'I'd be saying to clerics who are teaching that there are two lawsgoverning people in Australia : one the Australian law and another Islamiclaw that is false. If you can't agree with parliamentary law, independentcourts, democracy, and would prefer Sharia law and have the opportunity togo to another country, which practices it, perhaps, then, that's a betteroption', Costello said.
Asked whether he meant radical clerics would be forced to leave, he saidthose with dual citizenship could possibly be asked to move to the othercountry. Education Minister Brendan Nelson later told reporters that Muslimswho did not want to accept local values should 'clear off. Basically peoplewho don't want to be Australians, and who don't want, to live by Australianvalues and understand them, well then, they can basically clear off', hesaid.
Separately, Howard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying he supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's mosques.
Quote: 'IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians.'
'However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the'politically correct' crowd began complaining about the possibility that ourpatriotism was offending others. I am not against immigration, nor do I holda grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to Australia.' 'However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to ourcountry, and apparently some born here, need to understand.' 'Thisidea of Australia being a multi-cultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. And as Australians, we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle.'
'This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trialsand victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom'
'We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese,Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to becomepart of our society ... Learn the language!'
'Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing,political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christianprinciples, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It iscertainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If Godoffends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as yournew home, because God is part of our culture.'
'We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why.. All we ask isthat you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us.'
'If the Southern Cross offends you, or you don't like 'A Fair Go', thenyou should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet. We arehappy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don'tcare how you did things where you came from. By all means, keep yourculture, but do not force it on others.
'This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom, 'THE RIGHT TO LEAVE'.'
If you aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to come here.You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted.
’Maybe if we circulate this amongst ourselves, British citizens will findthe backbone to start speaking and voicing the same truths!*
If you agree please SEND THIS TO EVERYBODY YOU KNOW

SCHOOL leaving age 18 you must be joking

Dear Editor
The latest idiotic idea to come from our new labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown is that we should keep children at school till their 18 years of age. One wonders if he and his government have a clue what it is to be normal or maybe because he has had children very late in life he does not know what it like to have a 15/16 year old who does not want be at school, well he should go and ask a Teacher who will have to put up with young Men and Women who would rather be working. For that what 16/18 year old are, they are not children, at 16 they can smoke, they can get married, they can legally have children (under this government rather then deal with that problem they will bring the age down to 12 so at a stroke you will have no under agemothers), drive a motor bike, at 18 you can vote and die for your country.
Now a far better idea would be to let youngsters leave at 15 years as long as they have an apprenticeship or equivalent, which will include a day release where their education can continue but in a more adult environment. I have dealt with young people most of my adult life as a Judo/Sombo Wrestling Coach and at 14/15 the youngsters move up to our Senior section where they come involved with adults, this especially beneficial for young boys. Being involved with adults made them feel more mature and they acted accordingly, obviously not every adult pastime is encouraged my Judo pupils were never allowed to drink till they were 18 they were discouraged from smoking and taught respect for other people. I know you will say that is easy in my line of work because you have pupils who want to be there and that is true but that is exactly what the old apprenticeship scheme did it put young people mainly boys working with older people, people they would be with for as little as 40 hours a week, these people would become their mentors and friends without either of them realising it. I started work at 15 years and 3 months as an Agricultural Apprentice, after being out with my mates for the weekend I came back to work on the Monday my head full of rubbish planted by other adolescents of may age group, these ideas I would start bragging about in front of older work colleagues who would soon put me straight by giving me a verbal tirade, a kick up the backside or in extreme cases a cow pat hitting me along side the ear but there would always be someone who would tell me why I had spoken rubbish. Today teenagers only mix with their own age group and sadly believe all the hype that they talk and see “the blind leading the blind”.
If at 16 years of age a youngsters doesn’t opt to got back to education, doesn’t have a job he or she would go in the Forces for a year not as front line service personnel but as back up staff doing the mundane jobs.
Jobs being the answer but yet for a 16 year old to get even a basic job is becoming more difficult as foreign labour is pushing them out of the Labour market, I have been told that most farmers and companies who want low cost labour now refuse to take on British workers, it is easy to condemn youngsters for not working but if fellow countryman do not give them the chance what are they supposed to do.

Flooding Action NOT Words

Gordon calls for flooding action, not words.

Gordon Henderson has demanded that the Government learns lessons from this summer’s floods and bans all housing developments in areas at risk from flooding, such as Sittingbourne & Sheppey, until the safety of those developments can be guaranteed.

Gordon said:
‘We have been immensely lucky in our area. We have witnessed flooding across huge swathes of north, west and south England, but we have been spared the traumas faced by so many families. However, the truth is that what has happened elsewhere could so easily have happened here.

‘It is time to call a halt on the huge housing developments planned for our area until the Government can guarantee that such developments are safe from the threat of flooding.’

Government Ministers in Whitehall are planning an inquiry into the floods; and Gordon is calling for a number of areas of concern to be taken into account:

· Who’s in charge ?: There should be clearer lines of responsibility for preventing flooding and tackling flooding emergencies. Since 2000, there have been at least 25 reports on flooding: and yet no single Government Minister, Department or Agency in charge.

· Building on flood plains: The Government’s building plans and regional targets will mean even more high-density development on floodplains, such as in Rushenden and Iwade, many of which may be uninsurable or have exorbitant premiums. Such development should not take place unless the safety of both assets and homes can be guaranteed.

· Urban drainage and gully cleaning: “Cinderella” issues such as urban drainage must no longer be neglected. Pressures on town hall budgets in recent years have squeezed highways budgets, leading to cuts in gully cleaning and more localised flooding.

· Emergency funding review: There must be a complete review of the “Bellwin scheme”, a central fund which gives local authorities financial assistance in the aftermath of large-scale emergencies.

· Climate change matters: The Government should make an annual statement on climate change adaptation, which would include evaluation of flood defences.

Gordon went on to say:

‘Across the country, the emergency services and local authorities have done an immense amount of work in recent weeks to tackle the problems of flooding – from major floods to small-scale incidents. But with a changing climate, we need to learn the lessons.

‘There should be clearer lines of responsibility for preventing flooding; we should end the neglect of urban drainage, sewers and gullies; and we must review Whitehall’s plans for reckless building on flood plains - that threaten to become the sink estates of tomorrow.’

Notes to Editors

LESSONS TO BE LEARNED FROM SUMMER OF FLOODS

The Government has announced an inquiry into why this year’s flooding was so extensive, whether its impact could have been predicted and prevented, and whether the immediate response was effective and co-ordinated. Conservatives are calling for the inquiry to consider a number of issues:

· General co-ordination: As early as 2001, the Environment Agency acknowledged: “the confusion of responsibility for managing the wide variety of flood problems” (EA, Lessons Learned, 2001). However, 25 reports later, responsibility for preventing and managing flooding is still divided among Whitehall departments DEFRA and DCLG, and the Environment Agency, drainage boards, water companies and local authorities.

· Condition of flood defences: The National Audit Office has warned that less than half of the country’s high-risk flood defences were at “target condition”. The Environment Agency has a target of 63 per cent (NAO, Building and maintaining river and coastal flood defences in England, June 2007).

· How cost overruns at the Rural Payments Agency led to cuts in vital flood defence work: After having to set aside almost £400 million to pay for RPA failures and to provide for possible EU fines, DEFRA slashed £200 million from its agencies, including £15 million from flood defence work at the Environment Agency. The Government subsequently promised an extra £200 million a year for flood defences from 2011. However, there are concerns that the money is for capital funding only, with the Environment Agency’s planning budget being slashed.

· Pressures on town hall finances mean less gully emptying: Financial pressures on councils have squeezed highways budgets, which in turn have led to cuts in gully clearing. The industry has warned, “with a continuing shortfall of funds, the backlog of work can only worsen. There is increasing concern about the deterioration of our roads and the consequences for safety... [There is] some considerable concern over problems with localised flooding resulting from reduced frequency of gully emptying. This was mentioned by numerous authorities” (Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance Survey, March 2007, pp.4, 17).

· More building on floodplains: According to the Environment Agency, 50 per cent of the housing built in Britain since the Second World War is on flood plains. Some 15 per cent of all current development is in the flood zone - as is 30 per cent of the building planned for 2016-2021. The Government’s new Housing Green Paper, published on 23 July, has signalled that even more building will inevitably be on flood plains. The Association of British Insurers has said that insurance companies would continue providing insurance “as long as it is in an area where the Government continues to invest in flood defence systems” (ABI Press Release, 11 November 2005). However, less than half of the UK’s flood defences are in target condition. This means that new developments may be uninsurable or have exorbitant premiums.

· Is the Bellwin scheme adequate?: The Bellwin scheme was introduced in 1983 to provide financial help to local authorities in the aftermath of large-scale emergencies. At present, Bellwin covers only revenue spending, not capital payments. It also only covers 85 per cent of costs, although this has been temporarily changed to 100 per cent. Even in 2001, the Government warned that “the main live issue [with Bellwin] is local authority expenditure on flood protection and responses to flooding” (DETR, Impacts of climate change: implications for DETR, 2001). There should be a complete review of the Bellwin scheme, including the capital costs of flooding, rather than short-term fixes.

ENDS

Who are these fools who support Gordon Brown?

The polls tell us that this Labour Government under the new Prime Minister Gordon Brown is 9 points ahead that would mean a complete landslide victory for the Labour Party, purely because people think we have a new government!
WE DON’T
Gordon Brown was Tony Blair’s second in command since 1997 and as such supported everything he done so lets have a look at Labours legacy:
1) Increased Taxation
2) Increased Teenage Pregnancy
3) Increased usage of illegal drugs
4) Increase in crime especially teenage crime
5) Increase in illegal immigration
6) Increase in deadly hospital diseases
7) Increase in power to the EU
8) Increase in unemployment for native Britain’s, work taken by 2 million EU workers who accept lower wages
9) Patients having to go to European Court to get the NHS to supply life saving drugs
10) High percentage of youngsters out of control
11) More money and help given to foreign disaster areas then our flood disaster
12) A massive recruitment problem for the Armed Forces
I could go on and on, so who are these people who want to vote for this treacherous, inefficient, corrupt government? I am no great lover of David Cammeron but I would rather vote for him then Gordon Brown and his henchman mid you I would rather vote for my neighbour’s dog then vote labour

Is Gordon Brown a traitor to GB or a EU Patriot

Scandal of new EU “Constitution”.

GORDON Henderson has added his voice to criticism of the EU draft treaty that was recently negotiated by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, accusing the Government of “scandalously undemocratic behaviour”.

The treaty, which was signed by Tony Blair just before he stepped down as Prime Minister, but was heavily influenced by his successor, Gordon Brown, is almost a carbon copy of the European “Constitution” that was so decisively rejected by Dutch and French voters less than two years ago, and on which both Mr Blair and Mr Brown promised the British People would be able to vote in a referendum.

The problem is that currently few members of parliament can make a proper judgement on the “treaty” because the only copy circulated in the House of Commons is in French!

The ludicrous situation has been highlighted by North Thanet`s MP, Roger Gale, who this week challenged the Leader of the House, Harriett Harman, to make the EU Draft Constitutional Treaty available in English to Members of the House to study during the parliamentary recess period.

Gordon said:
‘Hooray for Roger Gale! At least we have one Kent MP who believes in British democracy. It is quite scandalous that the Government has failed to provide members of the parliament with a copy of the treaty in English.

‘How on earth can they make a proper judgement about the treaty when it is French! The conclusion has to be that the Government does not want MP’s to read the treaty in English, because they will be able to prove conclusively that the treaty is simply the European Constitution under a different name!

‘Whatever one’s views on Europe, this is simply an undemocratic manoeuvre by the Government to stifle debate and avoid having a referendum that Gordon Brown knows he would lose. That is quite shameful!

‘This whole episode once again tarnishes the whole image of the European Union and simply reinforces my own view that we would be better off out of the EU.’

Derek Wyatt betrays local pensioners

Gordon Henderson once again highlights how this government and it's MP's care very little form its own people.

Let us be quite clear; our local MP’s decision to vote against the pensions “lifeboat fund” was not only a betrayal of the ASW pensioners, but was a kick in the teeth also for many other local people who have lost their occupational pension through no fault of their own, despite repeated Government assurances that those pensions were safe.

And that latter statement is the whole crux of this issue; this was an issue of public confidence in Government information. These pensioners have been misled, deceived and now betrayed. No wonder those workers are bitter!

Our MP tells us that “the lifeboat scheme cannot work” and that any rescue plan would “hit the general taxpayer”. In addition, he persists in the deceit that this was a Tory initiative. I am sorry, that is all so much hogwash!

Firstly, this was a cross party initiative promoted by Conservatives, Lib Dems and Labour MPs, including Frank Field MP. Secondly, the “lifeboat scheme” is almost identical to the help given to Mirror Group pensioners when Robert Maxwell stole their pensions. The idea was that the Treasury would loan funds to help pensioners NOW and those funds would then be paid back over time. The money loaned to the Maxwell victims is still being paid back today, at no cost to general taxpayers!

It is true that the Government has now (at long last) agreed to pay 90% of the pensions, the problem is that nobody knows when the pensioners will actually start seeing any money. The Government’s record to date has been abysmal, with millions of pounds being spent on administration, with only a relatively few payments being made to pensioners.

The scandal is that many of the pensioners who are seeking justice will be dead before any money is paid out. If the “lifeboat fund” had been agreed then those pensioners could have started receiving money almost immediately.

I hope our MP is proud of himself!

Yours sincerely
Gordon