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Hustings and other meetings that I was not invited to
2010.......
The Age concern hustings.
Churches Together in Greater Norwich.
Sprowston Community High School ( so much for an education in democracy ).
Question Time on Peace ( invited to sit in the audience but there would be no time to hear my views ).
ncopd ( Norfolk
coalition of disabled people )
No BBC and no ITV.
The above groups often rely upon democracy and/or fairness but do not see the need to practice it
Future Radio treated me well. You can hear the interview with them by going to the
Future Radio website.
Monday 9th January 2012
I wrote recently of the way in which there were only
two real choices for the economic wizards to move forward, it would seem at
this moment as if the choice has been made. We are about to have another
round of quantitive easing (this means that more money will be printed, this
has the effect of devaluing the money that you have even if you do not
benefit from the new money). Your house may still be worth £150,000 pounds
but each of those pounds will only be worth 75p. This is a hidden way of
rebalancing the economy, the downside is that the pound will drop in value
against other currencies and therefore some imports such as petrol etc have
a tendency to rise in price. The next thing that we will see internationally
is a raise in interest rates and this will in turn effect the interest rates
in the UK as they will have to go up in order to attract foreign investment
, by the end of the year the fiscal waters will be much more stormy than
they are now.
Thursday 24th November 2011
Whilst the financial world is still in turmoil and the
political parties here in the UK seem to be more interested in in-fighting
and fighting each other, rather than getting on with rebuilding the real
economy. We need to realise that there are really only two options open to
any of the solution seekers
1)
Tell
everyone that all their assets have been halved in value i.e. your £150,000
house is now worth £75,000
2)
The quantative easing route which
allows the government to print more money which has the effect of halving
the value of money but the numbers sound nicer than in option 1.
Just recently the USA has been telling the euro zone to
put its house in order whilst forgetting that it is the corrupt American
markets that caused the problem in the first place !!!
Thursday 11th August 2011
The Deputy Prime
Minister told BBC News: “I think it is simply ridiculous to say that people
have been smashing windows, looting shops, thieving, stealing because of
Government policies or indeed about cuts to some police numbers which
haven’t happened." This is the woolly thinking that has got us to where we
are. The actions and inactions of politicians since the late 60s is exactly
why we are in this mess. Children that have no moral compass have grownup
and in turn given birth to a generation that have no purpose, no morality,
no education, no prospect of employment, no understanding of society and no
hope. The police do need to be reorganised to save money but all the
millions that can be saved from the inappropriate overtime and perks bill
should be ploughed back into more effective policing. The sentences given to
the rioters / looters should be harsh, very harsh, and full terms should be
served. In the meantime we need to revert to a society based upon a social
value system, the sort of thing that we had before Thatcher allegedly said
that “there is no such thing as society” and then did everything she could
to make sure of it. This is not to let any of our current crop of
politicians off the hook, where is the structure, where is the social
cohesion, where are the jobs, where are the futures, where are the competent
teachers and where is a politician who is not afraid to speak for the people
even if it upsets the party to which they belong? Wake up and get on with
the job, enough with the endless words and reviews, do what you are paid to
do, run the country for the good of its citizens.
As for those
people that went to loot and riot and have come from privileged backgrounds
and/or have good jobs they just prove how broken this society has become,
the courts should be harsh and punitive.
Yes I am angry
and yes I have had enough.
Wednesday 10th August 2011
We must look at the roots of the social problems that
we are seeing rather than the routes. Ever since the early sixties there has
been an ever greater liberalisation of the structures that govern society. I
am not saying that the extremes of parental violence should not be addressed
but when if you punish you child you risk arrest, if you admonish a person
in the street you are liable to be arrested, when you defend what is yours
you are liable to spend a night in a police station and then allowed home
with a police caution. We are now several generations from the start of
these new ideas of society and therefore the problems have been amplified.
Society needs structure. Freedom needs boundaries. Personal responsibility
comes with rights and expectations of government, we need the government of
whatever colour to return to the original idea of putting the nation first
and that means investing in social structure (not a nanny state, just a
strong super structure, real values, real guidance, real chances, real
prospects, and real punishments for those who transgress). To rescue the
current generation whilst we are waiting for the return to a proper value
system perhaps we should consider some form of national service. I have
noted with amazement that the talking heads on the TV have been impinging
grave moral tones when asking parents “Where were your children last night”
and “Keep your children indoors” whilst forgetting the fact that these same
talking heads have progressively removed all of the tools that a parent
could use to teach their children the needed moral and social values of
society, you cannot have it both ways.
Thursday 21st July 2011
Back to the international fiscal problems.....The
problem at the heart of the issue that seems to have been missed by all
those clever people that brought about the crisis and are now continuing to
meddle with the outcome of their ineptness is that half of the money that
was considered system liquidity does not exist, it never did. The buying and
selling of exotic fiscal instruments is based upon the ideas of sharing your
exposure and risk, this has the illusion of working in a bubble market when
everything goes in one direction only. When the bubble bursts it is not
possible to collect on your shared risk portfolio because the money to pay
for this risk was reliant upon others who shared the risk with other others.
The answer lies not in finding the money, rather the answer lies in the
realisation that the money does not exist. Shuffling what you have is like
rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic, it makes no difference and the
ship will still sink. This problem started in the US and once again Europe
is expected to pay. The gold standard system was not perfect and the Glass /
Stiegel legislation was clumsy but it worked (these were systems that were
copied across much of Europe and were the underpinning of the fiscal system
here in the West.) The gold standard and Glass / Stiegel provisions were put
in place in order to guard against the effects of rampant speculation and
depressions. The buying and selling
of currency is an illusion supported by and based upon fool’s security. The
international markets are about 50% over valued, if you bought the risk you
should take the pain, there should be no bail outs. The euro is in itself a
myth currency; each member not truly measuring up to the basic requirements
of a currency, The Euro is many currencies masquerading as one. The constant
push to force Europe to behave as a single entity is the very thing that
will force the separate nations to rebel. The problems that we see today
have their roots in the abandonment of tools to guard against foolishness
and have their roots in the Regan / Thatcher years based upon fiscal
ineptitude and the Regan / Thatcher fantasy of deregulation. Those in power
since this time have failed to react to the ever faster spinning
merry-go-round and have not had the courage to get off. Now the ride is
broken it is vital that the brakes are designed and installed before the
ride is reassembled.
Thursday 7th July 2011
Like so many others I believe that it is time to abandon The News of The
World and all the other News International titles,
The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun and
News of the World.
I suggest that you should also abandon
any products or services that advertise in these publications. Tapping the
phones of victims and their families is disgusting and beyond redemption. I
would also ask you to consider giving up your Sky Tv subscription,
Freesat is a much better option and not related to the news international
group.
We should look at how this problem has been allowed to happen and why it
has taken so long for the truth to come out. Were the investigations ever
adequate? If not why not? All parties that have failed us should be brought
to account for their behaviour and made to pay a very heavy price.
Important update
It has just been announced that The News of The world
is to close with immediate effect. This is good news.
I hope that it is not just a cynical ploy to try and
get the government to agree to the Murdock takeover of Sky TV, this must not
be allowed to happen.
Tuesday 14th June 2011
I am not sure that the debate re the NHS has truly
run its course yet, nor do I believe that the changes that are being
proposed are in fact the way forward. I believe that the NHS needs to change
but not as has been suggested.
We need to look at the underuse of the existing
facilities, such as operating theatres. We need to look at the number of
managers that the system employs. We need to look at the number of hospitals
that we have and the duplication of underused recourses. We need to look at
the drugs we use that offer no advantage over the cheaper versions; we need
to look to the advantages of early interventions that can save money in the
long run by reducing complications in future years.
Tuesday 3rd May 2011
We are now close to the AV referendum and as you will
know I am in favour of a yes vote. There is also a need for legislation to
be passed that gives equal access to the media for all candidates in an
election, you may be surprised that this is not the case at the moment.
It has just been announced that Bin Laden has been
found, killed and buried at sea. We should be aware that this is not the end
of terrorism this is just a change in the chess pieces on the board. We must
stay vigilant.
Wednesday 30th March 2011
Since I was last able to post a comment so much has
happened that our own issues seem to pale into the background. There have
been the uprisings in many Arab states and the people demanding change. I
worry that we will be drawn into a new war in the middle east, we do not
know anything about the nature of any of the possible outcomes nor yet have
the people of the uprisings a clear manifesto of the changes that they would
like to see, I understand the wish for change but it is important to have
some idea of the direction of travel that is to be undertaken.
Already I feel that the political
minds in the UK and America are ringing and skewing the intent of the NATO
agreement in order to serve their own wishes rather than the common
understanding of the words that were voted on in the NATO council.
There has been the earthquake in New Zealand, this
devastating quake has been almost completely out of our news broadcasts here
in the UK ever since the tragedy that has befallen Japan.
The earthquake followed by the tsunami followed by the
nuclear disaster in Japan has quite rightly taken much time on the news
networks, the tragic loss of life is too horrific for many to comprehend and
there is a real feeling of frustration for many that it seems impossible to
be of any real assistance. There is no point giving money to charities
because the money never seems to quite get the cause without an awful lot of
expenses and wages being paid first, most charities seem to me to behave
more like leaches rather than refuges. The
nuclear disaster in Japan will have effects for many many years both in the
terms of radiation problems and the possible effects on health of people
across the world. It would be a lasting legacy if we now looked at the
safety of nuclear power plants and assessed the quality of the decision to
build even more of these.
Here in the UK we are seeing the beginnings of the
unrest associated with the funding cuts brought about by the banking crisis
(we should never have bailed out the banks). We are also noting the rising
resentment of the people who never thought that their vote would bring them
the government that it has. It is true that the numbers of people that have
not bothered to vote over the years have contributed to this political
disaster; you have allowed the country to become a sleepwalking mess. Of
course I would point out that the way our TV, Radio and newspapers work
means that you often do not know anything about half of the candidates (does
that sound like democracy?) In May we will have a referendum about changing
the voting system and I would urge you to vote for the change to AV, then at
the next election find out about all the candidates, read the leaflets, ask
the media to allow you to hear equally from all the candidates and then on
the appointed day go and vote. The country cannot afford you to sit idly by, get involved.
Friday 11th February 2011
It is possible that today has been a good day for the people of Egypt, only time will tell. There will be the inevitable stream of blow-ins and opportunists that will try and hijack the situation for their own gain claiming to speak for the people, the people should ignore these imposters.
The position of America is not really clear as the president calls for a transition to democracy but from a country that has supported the dictatorship that led the Egyptian people for many decades.
The Israeli government may have to enter into real negotiations with the Palestinian people rather than trample all over their rights and territories. Many Arab nations may start to be heard in the region and lend support to the oppressed people of Palastine.
Other countries may finally rise up against their own internal tyrannies in a bid to have a long overdue voice.
Much as when the Berlin wall finally came down and the dream of the once soviet governed nations was of freedom and prosperity for all, the chance is strong that the dream is in fact ultimately a bitter nightmare.
We preach democracy whenever it is in our interests but we do not even practice it in our own country. With freedom comes responsibility I wish the people of Egypt well.
Wednesday 2nd February 2011
Whilst we wait for the rhetoric to subside and the cuts to start to bite I have noticed that the one thing that is missing is firm detail as to the extent and depth of the changes. We know that there are job losses and service cutbacks to come but because we do not know the full extent to which each of us will be affected the terror is all the greater.
I remember when the Thatcher government came to power
we were told to tighten our belts and look to the future for our children, I
have lived with the consequences of those terribly wrong decisions ever
since. We cannot afford to lose jobs out of the manufacturing sector in fact
we must do all that we can to stimulate the rise of the manufacturing base
and export goods. We do need cut
backs in order to rebalance the national economy but we do not need the
slash and burn tactics and the broken promises that we are getting from this
broken government.
Friday 24th December 2010
I have not been able to update this site for some time
due to computer failures but happily we are now repaired and looking to the
future.
I hope that you have heeded the message that I have
been putting forward during this economic difficulty, once again it is
better to have a quiet Christmas and a small holiday next year rather than
lose your home because you cannot pay your mortgage during the year!
I believe that 2011 will be a hard year for many of us,
made all the worse by the lack of understanding shown by our elected
representatives. The lack of a grasp on economic issues and the misreading
of the political realities is at the heart of the future that we will have
to live through next year.
During the next 12 months we will have to start dealing with reality and that will not be a comfortable experience for many. Do not expect any improvement in the real world situation until mid 2012. Most people have yet to feel and / or understand the pain of our true situation, this fact is about to change.
Thursday 11th November 2010
This is a special day, it is the day when we show gratitude to those who
gave their lives for our freedom, and I am indeed very humbled by the
sacrifice made by all the fallen and wounded (often conscripted) that
protected their country.
Norwich City has today (11-11-2010) nearly finished the
refurbishment of the War memorial that stands close to the Norwich city
hall. Closed since 1994 and having been left to decay for many years the
council finally found someone else to pay for the refurbishment of this
important monument. The council should have looked after this monument over
the years and never have allowed it to get into the state that it did.
This is the sixteenth year in a row that the EU budget
has not been signed off by the auditors, this means that for sixteen years
the auditors have not been satisfied that all is correct with the EU’s
accounts. If the EU was a company it would have been in serious legal
trouble way before now. Don’t forget that we are being asked to pay even
more to this system of supranational government at a time of recession and
cutbacks in the domestic economy. The European project may yet rip itself
apart due to the instability of the Euro currency and the dire fiscal state
of many of the member states. We should be a member of a common market (as
we were sold at the start of this EU adventure), we were never asked if we
wanted to become a bit-part player in a European super-state where our only
function appears to be to pay ever more for ever less with the benefit of
loss of sovereignty as a bonus feature.
If being a member of a European super-state has meant
that we are protected from the sporadic and terrible wars that have marked
Europe’s history then truly I would rather pay the cost in pounds rather
than lives. If the European state diminishes the world reach of American
power then this is also a good thing.
I believe that the best way forward for any European
project is through co-operation rather than coercion and deceit. I wish to
make use of the democracy that our brave troops fought and gave their lives
for and therefore request a referendum on the future of the European
project, its direction and remit.
Our heroes do not ask for much, it is not about whether
you wore a poppy in a pompous fashion, it is not about stopping for the
minutes silence in the middle of your shopping
and trying to outshine everyone
else’s self promoting standstill. It
is about remembering, understanding and caring.
This year when you stop please think.
Tuesday 28th September 2010
Of recent date our politics has been lack lustre as we wait for:
1)
The Autumn statement that we expect to
announce the cuts that are to be made as the government attempts to balance
the nation’s books .
2)
The announcement of the new labour
party leader.
3)
The reduction in the level of local
services.
4)
The winter of discontent that has been
hinted at by various union leaders.
5)
The party conferences to gush forth
their narrow views of the state of the nation.
Over the last few years I have spoken about the time that we now face,
both here on the website and in the local press.
As ever there is always a problem with being heard but you can
always trawl this site or the local archive for further confirmation.
The recession is not over, it will get worse next year. Any real upturn
will not be seen or felt until 2012 at the earliest therefore save any money
that you have, it is better to have a quiet Christmas rather than lose your
house next year due to debt.
Thursday 22nd July 2010
Those of you that have followed my interest in politics
will know that I have been against the changes that were made to the
licensing laws in 2005 that allowed for alcohol to be served at almost
anytime of the day. I am pleased to report that my campaign and the work of
others has now been heard and will soon be acted upon, there will be
restrictions placed upon opening hours and new powers for local councils to
make restrictions.
Thursday 1st July 2010
There has been reports that the woods at the end of
Pound Lane (where it meets Plumstead Road East) are being considered as a
site to develop for housing.
This is not an idea that I could support,
these woods have been part of the local green lung for many many years and a
place for people to walk and think. The only development that should take
place at the site is that it is bought by the council and then left to be
what it always has been, a sanctuary for people and animals. There are many
other local sites that could and should be used first; these sites are
closer to where I live so there cannot be any suggestion that I am just a
NIMBY. Do not develop the woods.
Wednesday 23rd June 2010
I agree with much of the emergency budget that has just
been announced, but I believe that there are several areas that should have
been subject to deeper cuts, tax credit payments could have been cut off at
£25,000 and VAT could have been set at 22%, it is often said that VAT is a
regressive tax, it is not, truly poor people often cannot afford to buy the
goods that attract VAT. I would have been happy to see a rise in tobacco,
alcohol and fuel duty. Unemployment benefits payments should be set to a
maximum of 90% of the minimum wage.
You may think that what you have just read is very
harsh and maybe even foolish but it is nothing compared to what I expect the
October statement to bring forward. Before the election I did warn that the
next few years were going to be tough and that you should vote for a voice.
The pay freeze for public sector jobs may well prove to
be a failed idea as promotion will negate the freeze i.e. a “data entry
clerk” on £21,000 could be promoted to “data executive” on £22,000 (same job
better pay).
I find that I agree with much of what the government is
doing, I just wish that they were a little braver.
Don’t forget that you can now respond via the blog
page.
Thursday 10th June 2010
Has it escaped the notice of our American readers that the way their president is barking at BP is not really such a good idea! Those of us who have memories of Bhopal, Exxon Valdez, Torrey Canyon and of course Piper Alpha still hold these tragedies in our minds. The lives lost and the damage done by these American owned disasters is a matter of record. The lives destroyed by continuing health problems that are not spoken about are of a scale of magnitude that puts the BP rig disaster into a real perspective (BP do not even own the rig it is leased from an American company Transocean). Transocean would appear to have had many problems in the past with other rigs. What role in all this was played by American safety inspectors? When will America pay?
Tuesday 8th June 2010
Once again you heard it here first! I have been
speaking of the problems that we now face for some time, please note my
posts below from the last few years and also the letters pages of the
Evening News (Norwich UK). The truth is that this problem has been
building ever since we dropped the Breton woods agreement and the gold
standard. The Glass Stiegel acts were American in their origin but were
mirrored in the major economies of their day. The effect of these controls
was the separation between domestic banking and speculation on the
international markets; these controls that were put in place after the great
depression in order to stop market speculation destroying economies were
removed during the Thatcher years. Thatcher’s closing down of our
manufacturing industry has left us vulnerable to markets that we do not
control and with a currency that has only a notional value which changes
from hour to hour. The years of
labour government that followed Thatcher did nothing to improve the
situation, there was no rebuilding of the manufacturing base but there was a
huge increase in the benefits paid to vast groups of people that did not
contribute to the wealth of the nation. The growth of highly paid
ineffective quangos is another symptom of the way in which those with power
have watched whilst the country has crumbled.
The situation that we find ourselves in has been
building for the last 30+ years and at its heart is the smoke and mirrors
that have been deployed by governments of all colours to conceal the truth.
We do need a period of retrenchment in order to put the country back on the
road to recovery and the measures will hurt all those who have not been
called upon to pay for themselves whilst relying upon others to pick up the
bill for their excesses.
We need to fix exchange rates so that any currency has
a stable exchange rate (Breton woods 2); we need to restore the division of
the banks to local and international in order to control the international
speculative markets. We need to rebuild our own manufacturing base in order
to have products to buy and things to export whilst cutting the 6 million
plus economically inactive members of the population. We need to be more
careful with the numbers of people allowed to come to this country from
anywhere including the EU.
Before the last election I spoke of these things but
sadly because it was not what people wanted to hear they thought they could
vote in a painless solution, this was never going to be true! Why not add
your opinions on the blog page ?
Monday 31st May 2010
Israel you disgust me. The attack in international waters on aid ships going to the Gaza strip is contemptible. The sooner America stops supporting you the better.
Monday 24th May 2010
As for the outcome of the
election I think that the noises that we are getting out of the coalition
are quite positive and often correct. We will have to wait and see how well
the words become actions and of course whether the coalition has the
strength to last.
In August this year we will
see the real extent of the savage cuts that are necessary if the country is
to dig itself out of the hole that we are in. The cuts will be deep and
unpopular.
Friday 7th May 2010
The
voting is over and the result is known, until candidates are given equal
access to the media TV, radio,
newspapers and hustings events the result will always be corrupt.
Tuesday 3rd May 2010
The majority of the people that I speak to in Norwich
North say “Our party politicians do not represent us”, they also say…..
We want an end to party first politics. We want a good education for our
children and real care for the elderly. We want jobs to go to. We want an
economy that we can trust. We want to feel safe. We want tighter controls on
immigration. We want to be able to trust those with power over our lives.
We want to be listened to by our
politicians.
We do not want the badly planned northern bypass to be
built. We do not want aircraft engine testing to continue at Norwich
airport. We are against the closure of the Silver rooms & Essex rooms (day
clubs for the elderly). We do
not believe that we should have followed America into the war in Iraq.
We feel betrayed, that the promised
referendum on the EU treaty did not happen. We are disgusted by the bonuses
paid out to the staff of the bailed out banks.
We want an end to the expenses
scandal.
The next few years are going to be tough; you need to vote for a voice.
Doing nothing is not an effective way to protest
Saturday 24th April 2010
So the campaign is now really underway, as ever I am not given the same access to TV and radio that the other candidates get in order to put my case. I am not invited to all the hustings events in order for people to make up their own minds. My campaign has to rely upon the leaflets that are now being delivered by the Royal Mail, word of mouth, the Evening News (local Norwich newspaper) and of course this website. I am grateful to the people that are now talking about what I stand for and bringing me to the attention of voters across the constituency. We need to bring the work of our MP back towards the electorate; your vote for me will help that to happen. Please look through this website and get in touch, so many people are listening to what I have to say it would be good to be able to include you.
Tuesday 30th March 2010
I have been asked to make clear what my position on the Norwich City
councils unitary status bid is. My position is that the council have yet to
show themselves capable of running the services that they do provide, in a
professional manner. It is important that these problems are addressed
before they even ask for permission to meddle in other areas of importance
Whilst we are on the issues of poor decisions I note that the new rules
for MPs include being able to employ a member of your own family, I am not
sure that this is a good idea. For clarity we need to look at a complete ban
on this practice.
The rule change that means that we will no longer have to pick up the tab for an MPs second mortgage needs to be looked at again. It is a good idea that we only pay for the rent of a one bed flat but as ever the devil is in the detail. Who is the flat being rented from? Your brother, sister, company, your trust fund etc? We have to be sure that the rules are watertight enough to stop inappropriate net gains by our MPs. I still do not see why the government cannot provide a block of state owned flats for MPs to use whilst they have to be in London so that there is no need to pay out vast sums of cash for rent.
Tuesday 23rd March 2010
The money for MPs to lobby on behalf of private interest groups is a bigger problem than may be seen at first. Where is the democracy and the will of the people? It should not be possible to buy this high level of influence. What has happened to your voice? Your MP is supposed to represent the wishes of the people. To take money to influence policy is a corrupt practice that must be stopped.
Today is a good day as I announce the fact that I
intend to stand for election as MP for Norwich North
Bill
Holden is to stand as an independent candidate for Norwich North. Mr Holden
has lived in the constituency for the last 10 years and is often the only
local candidate with a degree in politics
(A 6
year Open University degree studied for, and paid for, whilst also working
at some very ordinary jobs). Bill stood in the last general election for the
Norwich North seat and again in the recent by-election for Norwich North
held when Dr Ian Gibson stood down.
It is
difficult for independent candidate to get their views heard due to the lack
of time allowed to independent
candidates on TV and radio, plus the fact that they are not invited to all
the hustings events in order to put their case, if you combine the effects
of this plus the fact that very few people read the leaflets that come
through the door then you start to understand the problem.
You may not realise it but unlike party candidates, Independent
candidates pay all their own costs in the electoral contest.
Independent MPs can more fully represent the opinions of voters at the
local, national and European levels; they are free from pressure to toe
party lines and are far more able to ask questions without fear or favour.
As I
meet people in the constituency they often say that their politician does
not represent them and then list the things that they are in favour of, or
against.
The
majority of the people that I speak to do not want the badly planned
Northern Bypass built, They are against the closure of the Silver rooms and
the Essex rooms (essential day clubs for the elderly), They do not believe
that we should have followed America into the war in Iraq, They want tighter
controls on immigration, They do not believe that bailing out the banks was
a good idea, They feel betrayed the promised referendum on the Lisbon treaty
did not happen.
They
want an end to Party first politics. They want a decent education for their
children, jobs to go too and proper care for the old, An economy that they
can trust, To be listened to by their politicians, An end to the expenses
scandal.
If there is to be change at
the general election then the electorate must vote for a change.
Saturday 23rd January 2010
So
with the New Year have come the opening salvos of the General Election! Are
you impressed so far? If people want real change in the political stalemate,
it will be necessary for those who do not vote and for those people who
always vote for their party to stop and think about the consequences of
their actions. Nothing will change unless you vote for a change.
Sunday 06th December 2009
We
have a lot to catch up on! I am disgusted that there are moves afoot to
close the Silver rooms and The Essex rooms.
It is heartbreaking to see that our County
Council wants to close day centres in Norwich. There seems to be so little
recognition and understandings of what these centres achieve which is far
beyond the reach of any balance sheet.
Our elected officials are hell bent upon
hiding behind regulation to bolster their claims that it is all for the
best, or because of a change in central government objectives. The County
Council also assure us that there is no desire to save money!
I have heard that the Essex rooms and the
Silver rooms are not up to the standard needed to achieve the needs of the
people that use the facilities; this is plainly rubbish as the thriving
communities based upon the services provided bear testament.
I do not suppose for a moment that any of
our so called experts have understood the communication that is vital to
people who for much of the week are left on their own with just the
television or a budgie to talk to? The desperate need to feel that you are
part of a community, needed, remembered, understood and valued. The long
days and evenings of winter can seem to be all the longer and all the colder
when you are not sure what the governments “personalisation agenda” is all
about, other than you will not be able to rely upon the one piece of
stability that was left.
To add insult to injury we now have the
various political parties jostling for position trying to achieve the moral
high ground and point to the desperate failings of other groupings.
You may remember that last May I wrote in
the Evening News about the hollow ring of the various electoral promises
being made and that a list of the order in which services would be cut by
each candidate would have been more useful, I did not get a response from
any of the candidates, I strongly suspect that now we know why!
The government and the opposition have both
been telling us that the economy, that their combined wisdom has managed to
make such a mess of for the last 30 years or so, is about to improve in a
couple of years (I don’t believe this), if it is true then why not put some
of the pointless and vastly expensive projects on hold, and spend the money
we have on those who need help now and many of whom will not be alive to
live in your predicted utopia.
I do not belong to any political party and
therefore cannot be instructed by political masters as to what to think,
therefore, I challenge the County Council to open its files to me so that I
can find the money needed. Whilst I wait in vain to be invited to attend the
council office perhaps you would like to suggest cost savings that the
County Council could make in order to provide a proper level of care for our
vulnerable senior citizens. I hope to attend a public meeting at The
Vauxhall Centre on Tuesday Night 8pm to meet with like minded people.
Wednesday 04th November 2009
I am
disappointed that the conservative party has decided that their promise to
hold a referendum on the Lisbon treaty is not to be kept, it does show that
party politics takes precedence over the wish of the people. I believe that
we were told that the common market was to be a trade partnership; we were
never told that it would be a political union, we should trade with and
interact with many but we should rule ourselves. The act of parliament that
enables the laws of the common market to have power here does include a
clause which allows us to withdraw and / or modify any dictate from
elsewhere. One parliament cannot hold the next to hostage and therefore
anything that is can be changed.
If we are to become a member of a federal Europe we do
not want Blair to be the president!
I am pleased that the expenses that MPs can claim are
being reigned in; regular readers will know that I have been in favour of
this for many years; perhaps we will be able to vote for people that wish to
represent us rather than just get rich quick on the coattails of party
politics.
Monday 05th October 2009
I am not really very happy about the Irish population getting two goes at the referendum on the EU constitution whilst we have not yet had our promised referendum. Do the Irish now have to hold a third vote in an attempt for best of three?
Saturday 19th September 2009
I note
that all the parties are now talking about the cuts that will need to be
made etc, as many of you will remember this is exactly what I spoke about
and wrote about here in October of last year. Those of you with even longer
memories will know that I had been advising caution for years before then,
whilst speaking about the smoke and mirrors money that has supported the
British economy ever since Thatcher encouraged speculative investment of our
core finances on the international markets. This style of trading has been
allowed to go unchecked ever since and now we reap the reward. The same set
of problems are at the heart of the stock market crash that preceded the
great depression of the 1930’s, after that, laws were passed to limit
speculative use of core banking finances. It was Thatcher’s government that
first started to loosen the reigns of this style of trade and no-one since
has seen fit to say enough is enough, until now.
Last
May when we had the local council elections and the various candidates were
putting forward their plans for how to spend our money and many had
expansionist ideas I wrote on this site and in the local paper about the
need for the candidates to tell us which of the existing services they would
cut and in which order due to the fact that rather than have money to spend
they were going to have to cut services. None of the candidates ever
replied, I prefer to believe that it was not because they did not care but
rather that they did not and do not understand the job that they stood for
and have been elected to. We cannot afford to make this same mistake at the
next General Election.
Tuesday 25th August 2009
We have nearly 6 million unemployed people here in the UK, many of those that are employed are on low wages and working shift styles that do nothing to assist health or family cohesion. We buy more from the EU countries than we sell to them. Next year we will have to pay £6.4 billion pounds to the EU as our contribution to EU funds due to the ending of the rebate system. We should interact with, trade with and co-operate with the EU as a common market, not as a political union. What has happened to the promised referendum on the EU treaty? Have you noticed how many of the provisions of the treaty are just quietly being implemented even though many people across the EU do not want this treaty enacted?
The more the countries of Europe are forced together
the more likely they will be to explode into anti-integration hatred and the
project will have achieved exactly the result that it was supposed to
prevent.
Monday 24th August 2009
The decision
to release the Lockerbie bomber, on compassionate grounds was wrong.
Abdel Baset al
Megrahi was allowed to return to Libya after serving eight years of a life
sentence. The Scottish Parliament has reconvened to take part in emergency
session. Scotland's First Minister has been forced to continually defend the
decision.
I am not sure that the conviction was safe, the fact
that the plane was broken into at Heathrow by people who have never been
identified is a worry to me, the plane should not have been allowed to fly
after the break-in. If this man is guilty he should not have been released,
but, a retrial using ALL the facts should have been held eight years
ago. There seem to be far too many people in positions of power who are
desperate that a re-trial using all the facts is not allowed to happen, I
wonder why? We should remember that America had just shot an Iranian
civilian airliner out of the sky some
weeks before that killed hundreds of people.
Friday 21st August 2009
Welcome to the website makeover, I hope that you enjoy the changes that have been made in order to make it easier to use, these changes have stopped me from updating the site for a week but we should be back to normal now.
Thursday 13th August 2009
The Bank of England Governor Mr Mervyn King has warned that the recession is
'deeper' than officials feared and the 'mayhem' caused by bank meltdown will do
far-reaching damage to the economy. Adding to the poor prognosis, joblessness
has soared to its highest level since 1995. The Bank of England predicted the
level of unemployment will carry on rising 'for some time'. In a further blow to
the Government's credibility, the Bank said that this year's downturn will be
even sharper than previously expected, with gross domestic product tumbling
around 4.4 per cent, according to the Bank's forecasts. That is significantly
worse than the Treasury's 3.75 per cent worst-case scenario, again suggesting
Chancellor Alistair Darling's March Budget forecasts were far too optimistic. He
said 'the recession appears to be deeper' than the Bank's own Monetary Policy
Committee thought likely at the time of their report in May. The Bank is pumping
£175billion of cash into the economy as it grapples with the steepest economic
declines since the Second World War. Interest rates are at their lowest since
the Bank's foundation in the 17th Century.
Thursday 06th August 2009
Another
£50 billion for the banks! That is a very bad idea and will not fix the
problems. There are better answers but no-one is listening, what they are
doing will extend the downturn by a generation. I do not believe that the
people who suggest that they know how to run our economy have any idea of
what they are doing. This smoke and mirrors money will devalue the pound and
lead to higher taxes. If you think that this year has been tough just wait
till you see next year !
Wednesday 05th August 2009
We have seen the banks returning to reporting profits and talking about bonus payments. The stock market is showing signs of recovery! Do not be fooled, this is only DCB brought about by margin runners ahead of the return of the main market in the autumn. If you have not liked the downturn thus far you are not going to like next year at all. The problems that we face have not yet bottomed out; they will not even start to really improve until mid year 2011 when there will start to be very modest improvements.
As I have explained on these pages in the past (see September 21st 2008 ↓ ), bailing out the banks was not the way to fix the economy.
If you bought a house at the height of the boom you should not expect to see you house worth what you paid for it until about 2014-15.
If you are lucky enough to have money you should not spend
it on holidays and TVs etc, you are going to need it to pay the ordinary
bills.
Wednesday 29th July 2009
I have
been advised that chasing the corrupt nature of the Norwich North
by-election is likely to be a fruitless task and therefore I will not follow
this line any further, but unless all candidates are given a fair hearing
any election cannot help but be corrupt.
Friday 24th July 2009
Norwich North election report: Corruption won.
With an electorate of some 75,000 potential voters you have elected an MP with only 13,591 votes, there was a 45.8 % turnout.
Update: Looks like an
interaction with the electoral commission re “benefits in kind” rules may be
made next week to cover all the TV, Radio, press coverage and invites to
hustings events that I was denied.
Wednesday 22nd July 2009
Good luck with whatever you decide to do tomorrow, thank you to everyone who has listened to what I have had to say and to all those who have done whatever they can to try and get the word out.
Tuesday 21st July 2009
Press pack page has been updated (via home page).
I was not invited to appear on the BBC programme last night. How can an election be considered legitimate if all the candidates are not given equal access to the media to put their case ? Our newspapers have not given me fair access. This election is corrupt.
We are to learn today that the treasury accounts show that the Treasury department under Alistair Darling has spent £23 billion more during the last year than Parliament had agreed. This just shows as I have spoken of before that there is a lack of understanding at the top and heart of our current crop of politicians, this problem is not likely to be cured anytime soon and certainly not at all by the current opposition.
We will also hear of the failure of our education system to teach our children.
Sunday 19th July 2009
I have been asked “What type of MP would you try to be?”
My answer is Ian Gibson light !
Light because I would not be weighed down by a political party to disagree with.
Light because I have no expenses scandal.
And buoyed up by fighting for the people of Norwich North.
Saturday 18th July 2009
Has anyone else noticed that after one of the shortest ever working sessions, and with the country in very deep do-do that our MPs are about to embark an 82-day break !!! Still it’s not their fault they have too much holiday money to get through so it takes more than a fortnight.
Friday 17th July 2009
Last nights hustings meeting at the Norwich Council offices went well, I was not quite able to deliver all of my opening address (I ran out of time but it was a fair and properly regulated meeting) but the main references to the lack of access to media to inform people of my candidacy were put across.
Once again the mainstream media did not allow me to speak after the event all the party candidates were asked for their opinions. It is not that I was forgotten I WAS BLOCKED.
Tuesday 14th July 2009
Once again Britain is failing to acknowledge its commitments to people that have given it assistance to achieve it military objectives.
Among the many groups that we have chosen to just cast aside are translators in Iraq who have served less than 1 year. We have a real and moral duty to ensure that anyone who has served our country is not left in a dangerous situation after that service has been rendered. If someone feels able to serve our nation then they should be welcome to live here (with assistance if necessary) after that service is finished.
Monday 6th July 2009
At last ! My campaign is now a footnote in the EDP, so if you are joining us because of this coverage then I am very grateful. Independent candidates are at a disadvantage when it comes to getting their message heard due to the lack of TV and radio time and often very little in terms of newspaper coverage. Please look around the site, download the campaign leaflet and let me know what you think.
Thursday 2nd July 2009
Today I am in the constituency speaking to the residents; this is always an interesting exercise. I find that even though as an independent candidate I do not get a fair level of access to TV, Radio or even reporting in the local news papers that my message is getting through. People appear to be tired of the party system that they feel does not represent them. People know who I am via my previous leaflet drops and of course via the website, this is all very heartening. What’s even better they agree with me!
It will soon be time for me to take £500 to Broadland District Council to pay my candidates fee. Democracy in the UK is not free. I have been asked who pays my costs. I do! I have to pay for everything myself there are no handouts to support independent candidates. I pay for, candidate’s fees, leaflet printing, petrol, telephone etc.
I note that the government appear to be doing all they can to tidy up their political positions before announcing the general election.
Monday 29th June 2009
So it looks like the Norwich By election will be held on July 23rd, I expect the writ to be moved tomorrow
(the writ is jargon for the official way in which the starting gun is fired) I may not get to you with a leaflet
please download the version that you can find on the homepage.
Friday 26th June 2009
Today there are several voices talking of the education system and each of them are suggesting ways of tinkering with the system. THIS IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH!! What we need is children leaving school who have received the very best education possible, able to read, write, able to understand arithmetic. We need quality teachers working in high quality buildings. When we have produced children that can cope with the basics of English, maths, history, geography etc we need to have proper and stable futures waiting for them in factories, offices or other frameworks that allow any individual the realisation of a birthright to a purpose to life and an ability to reach for the stars whatever those stars are.
Wednesday 24th June 2009
The news today is all about how the economy is in a worse state than has been reported and will hurt more than you have been told. I know that it is not helpful of me but if you scroll back through this page you will note that I told you so.
Today I want to ask you a favour! Please write to or ring your local TV and radio stations and ask them why they do not give airtime to independent candidates and more importantly when are they going to invite Bill Holden to put his side of the political debate to their listeners and viewers ? The immediate effect of denying independents airtime is to rob their audience of the tools with which to make an informed decision.
If you like the views that I express here then why not write to the press and demand to know more.
Monday 15th June 2009
Benjamin Netanyahu's speech last night on the Israeli position before peace talks was not helpful; I think that before any progress will be made a sense of realism will have to be adopted.
Here in the UK I note that today’s newspapers are talking of the cut backs in spending that will be needed in order to pay back the debts due to the economic failures. If only our leaders had listened to those people who were pointing out the system failures but we were laughed off as out of touch.
Friday 12th June 2009
The papers today are full of the news that the (downturn) recession is over! I do not think that it is. If I was to be cynical I would have to suggest that this is just positive spin in the run up to the General Election. In the years to come there will have to be severe cutbacks in many different areas of government provision due to the debt that we have generated in order to stop the banks from going under. It will get worse before it gets better, how can the economy pickup when many families are in negative equity, loosing their jobs and in debt up to their limits? The big questions that we must concentrate on are. Who will you send to represent you in the new parliament? And do they understand the problems?
Sunday 7th June 2009
Next week will be a difficult time for the government as it suffers the slings and arrows of a system in disarray, whilst we have been navel gazing at our dysfunctional leaders from all the parties, it would appear that the work of governing the country has come to a halt.
We need a system fit for purpose, populated by competent people, how long do we have to wait? When we finally get the chance to speak, the future of the country really does rest with the electorate, so (even if the system of selection is flawed) please choose wisely and vote, for if you do not, nothing will change.
Wednesday 3rd June 2009
Someone wise once said “If you find that you are digging yourself into a hole stop digging and throw away the shovel”, I am writing this late on Tuesday evening / early Wednesday morning a few hours after Ian Gibson the labour MP has been sanctioned by his party’s star chamber. I have been contacted by some sections of the media who were encouraging me to show contempt for Dr Gibson and do some sort of hatchet job on his character, I don’t think that it would help the situation although I note that others in our local politics have not felt so constrained.
We need to stop and work out what the future format of MP’s pay and conditions will be before we rush headlong into the same trouble again, we need a roadmap and a moral compass that is agreed to and understood. People who break the rules do need to be removed from the equation of course, but equally so the rules do need to be set far more rigidly than they have been. What has been the role of the fees office in all this?
I have worked hard for the last 11 years (at my own expense) in order to prepare myself to be your representative in parliament and I will consider it an honour to answer the call if elected, but we must remove this minefield of pay and expenses so that we can get on with the task of restoring the country and it’s parliament to the position of self respect that we once were able to take for granted.
Sound-bites, ignorance, immature inter-party sniping and exaggerated expense claims are no way to operate the mother of all parliaments.
It is time to allow the voice of independent candidates to be heard on TV and Radio in equal measure as granted to the parties.
It is time for an election.
Friday 22nd May 2009
The revelations re MPs expenses keep coming and in truth we all have to bear some of the guilt, politicians have for many years been held in contempt just above estate agents, but the electorate has done nothing to change things.
Whilst we are waking up to the state of our politics it is possibly time to shake up the rest of the tree, we are overrun by departments, administrators and others who have sat on their backsides being globally useless whilst the country has gone to pot, lets deal with these problems also and have a fresh start. We could provide an education for our children, we could recreate the manufacturing base so that people could have jobs rather than benefits, we could have better medical services and a police force that is retrained in order to provide the service that we expect rather than what we get.
We need the media, TV radio and the press to allow independent candidates the same level of access that the political parties enjoy in order to repair the democratic deficit.
I am pleased that the light of day has been shone on all these practises and that we have a chance to re build our politics.
Monday 11th May 2009
I am so grateful that the expenses claimed by MPs are being published, it shows what a fantastic investment we make for such a little return.
I still do not understand why MPs are not given a government flat in a government owned block which is taken back when the MP looses their election.
Sunday 26th April 2009
The local council elections will be with us again soon and the various people and their parties have started to send out their leaflets which suggest that they have moved heaven and earth on our behalf in a bid to make our lives even better, the local conservative hopeful (Norwich North) Mr Ian Mackie’s leaflet lifts him from minor bit player to hero of the universe but in truth the important question that you should ask of any candidate is not about their wish list for the money that they have not got but rather the order and priority that they place upon the cuts that they will be forced to make as the recession really starts to bite. The leadership of all the main parties know that cuts are inevitable so why are the local candidates in denial ? The choice is not as simple as just rejecting labour, beware of the competences (or lack of) of your chosen candidate.
Thursday 9th April 2009
Today is not a good day as I ask you to think about the state of our nation,
1) The economy is broke.
2) Our leaders do not know how to fix the economy and because of this are making the problem even worse.
3) Our police are all too often out of control, shooting innocent people, killing people by dangerous driving, assaulting people who then die, arresting those who choose to stand up to the idiots, thugs and vandals.
4) Our education system is not fit for purpose
5) Our hospitals are not even able to properly look after the vulnerable people in their care (The number of deaths from malnutrition due to lack of food in hospital is horrendous).
Do you feel that those with power over our lives have lost the plot?
There is plenty of evidence that things have gone very wrong indeed
Tuesday 17th March 2009
I am happy to report that both Norwich City Council and NHS Norfolk have been monitoring these pages in the last few days (the visits are only short and do not allow time for quality analysis) thus we can be sure that our opinions are being heard, we have to wait to see if they will be responded to in a professional manner.
I am often asked about the people that I represent and what numbers are involved. I represent the many thousands of people regardless of previous political allegiance that get in touch with me because they are tired and frustrated by the failures of the party system or just need help that is not being provided by the all too often constipated lines of responsibility. I am contacted by phone, email, letter, web page responses and conversations when we meet, I have letters printed in the paper, run a web site, deliver leaflets and speak to anyone who wishes to know more. I am not a single issue candidate, I live in the Norwich North constituency, and my six years of self funded study for a degree in politics often sets me apart from the other candidates for this political work. I was a candidate at the last general election and I will stand again at the next. If the support that I receive from constituents were to be translated into votes at the ballot box then there is a real chance of change at the next election.
I fully support the idea of a minimum price per unit of alcohol (as you will have seen else where on this site I am also keen to see an end to the open all hours system for the sale of alcohol). While we are on this subject who decided that selling alcohol at petrol stations was a good idea?
Thursday 5th March 2009
Today the bank of England is due to announce a process that they are calling Quantitive Easing (we always used to call it devaluation); the effect of this action is to basically print and supply more money. This action will make the problems that we are facing far worse than they are already as it will lead to inflation on a massive scale as faith in our money (which since the ending of the Breton Woods agreement is not based on a tangible asset) will plummet, if you think things are tough now you really are not going to like next year at all
Friday 20th February 2009
It is sometime since I have been able to update you due to technical problems but I hope these have now been sorted out.
The Office of National Statistics are reporting that they expect The National Debt to now be about £2 trillion pounds (that's £2,000,000,000,000), people are losing their jobs and homes, the tragedy is both that things will get worse before they get better and that the problems have their roots in the smoke and mirrors money that has been a feature of the economy for many years.
We are often told that the problem is a global one but this is not really true, the only nations that have been caught up in this foolishness are those that have allowed exotic type investments that no-one understood. These investment styles were common just before the American stock market crash of 1939 and this is why they were banned but our wise people removed the restrictions and told people that they knew what they were doing !!!!!
I am told that it is easy to be wise after the event but I have been telling people about the looming problems for years (in fact we reduced our own liabilities way back in 2001 and waited for the storm to start blowing). The last Conservative government changed the investment rules and the following Labour government have made the problem worse, this created a borrowing bubble.
We will be paying for the ignorance of our leaders for many many years. Despite what you may have heard and seen there is no coherent strategy being deployed to get the country out of the mess that our leaders have created for us.
Our leaders spout Maynard Keynes but they do not understand his work and therefore are doomed to fail.
Rather than bailing out the banks with billions of pounds we need to look at the real problem base, we need to produce far more of the things that we use, the jobs created would generate a revitalised economy and employ some of the 5 million unemployed people that we have and improve social cohesion. I am not suggesting isolationism but I am suggesting far less dependence.
Tuesday 13th January 2009
I look forward to a time when
1) Israel is once more contained by it’s internationally agreed borders.
2) When the UN directives are adhered to.
3) When the occupied territories have been handed back to their rightful owners
4) When American money is no longer used to buy bombs, shells, warplanes, boats and tanks to attack the Palestinian population.
5) When the borders of Israel’s neighbours are properly observed.
6) When the right to self determination of a sovereign state is once more the watchword of the worlds elite.
7) When Israel has paid full reparations for what look like illegal acts under international law.
8) When Israel’s neighbours no longer feel the need to strike at Israel.
Monday 22nd December 2008
As we approach Christmas once more I wish you all the best of the season, many will be having a quieter Christmas (who knows it may be all the better for that). Next year will be hard for many, I believe that it will be a tough year. We may get a general election, as you may remember I suggested that it may be the case and that May could be the month (we will see). What ever the new year brings I wish you well, don't forget to keep in touch and let me know how things are effecting you.
Monday 24th November 2008
Once more the government are about to announce sticking plaster measures in order to rescue the economy and once again they are failing to address the real problem. The problem started when the relationship between assets and values became detached, i.e. people borrowed money that they could not afford to pay back by being creative about their earnings on credit applications or borrowed against the rise in value of their main asset (their home). An asset only has any value after it is sold and the payment is received in full, until then that asset has no value what-so-ever.
Until the government deal with the underlying problems their attempts at stimulating the economy are a costly mistake, all that will happen is a rise in future taxes and interest rates, a reduction in services provided, a further loss of jobs, and reduction in the value of the pound on world markets (this would have been a good thing if we still had a manufacturing industry that would have benefited from cheaper exports).
The seeds of the economic malaise that we are suffering started under the last conservative government and have been exasperated by the labour government.
It is time for our economy to sober up, you do not help an alcoholic with a hangover by giving them more alcohol. Our nation must now go through the pain of detox and rehab it really is the only way forward.
Monday 10th November 2008
Don’t get caught this Christmas by offers to supply free extras if you apply after you have bought the product. Last Christmas we bought a laptop with the promise of a free battery which would be sent by post, we applied, and chased the lack of delivery, it has never arrived. If you are offered free extras only buy the product if the free extras are supplied with it.
Monday 10th November 2008
The Government is about to spend money on capital projects, is talking about tax cuts, reducing interest rates and talking about Keynesian economic models in order to kick-start the economy, there is a flaw in the plan.
In fairness
I should report that all the major parties are talking about tax cuts at the
moment.
Using a Keynes model of the economy, if you spent money on a project within
the state ( remember that this was before the vast levels of international
trade )
1) Jobs were created
2) Unemployment went down
3) Employed people pay tax
4) Employed people use services and buy goods (creating new job
opportunities within the state)
5) People have pride in being able to provide for themselves
6) The governments pump priming spending can be recouped from the employment
tax stream provided by the extra jobs created.
The Flaw with the plan now is.
1) Jobs created
2) Unemployment goes down
3) Employed people pay tax
4) Employed people buy goods that are made from across the world which means
that the loop is broken and thus the extra new jobs that were created in the
previous model do not exist so the employment taxes are not paid and the
pump priming money cannot be recouped.
The reason that we are not able to provide for ourselves is the way in which
markets work, cost reduction being the main motivation. We should trade with
the world but not to the point where our social structure becomes
unsustainable.
We need to become rather more independent as a state, but at no time
isolated.
I believe that result of the plans that all the major parties are currently advocating will be felt in 2009
1) Interest rate rises.
2) Tax increases.
3) Job losses.
4) Devaluation of the pound.
5) Reduction in services.