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First Doug Carswell and now Mark Reckless have left the Conservative party to join UKIP. Is the message getting through yet Mr Cameron?
Today, I am leaving the Conservative Party and joining UKIP.
These decisions are never easy. Mine certainly hasn’t been. Many have been the sleepless nights when I have talked it over with my wife and thought about the future of our children.
But my decision is born of optimism, conviction Britain can be better, knowledge of how the Westminster parties hold us back, and belief in the fresh start UKIP offers.
We all know the problem with British politics. People feel disconnected from Westminster.
In fact, “disconnected” is too mild a word. People feel ignored, taken-for-granted, over-taxed, over-regulated, ripped off and lied-to.
And they have reason to.
MPs, with some honourable exceptions act, not as local representatives, but as agents of the political class. Too many focus, not on championing their constituents’ interests at Westminster, but on championing their parties’ interests in their constituencies.
We’ve even evolved a special vocabulary…
View original post 1,595 more words
Tallbloke's Talkshop 
“I answer to the constituents I serve in Rochester and Strood, if I want to represent them under different colours, then I should ask their permission.
So, I will resign my seat in Parliament, trigger a by-election..”
I cannot but admire this man, and wish him well in that by-election.
Four years ago in Australia we had members who claimed to be independent, but decided to be faithful, slavish even, adherents to the Labor cause despite their constituents wishes. They inflicted our worst (federal) government ever upon us, and neither bothered to stand at the next election, as their likely vote was around 10%. Compare that with Mr. Reckless.
“Is the message getting through yet Mr Cameron?” Even at this distance I doubt it very much.
Is the message getting through to Mr Cameron? I sincerely hope that it is not. Let him continue in his ham-fisted way and the shock at the 2015 election may be even bigger than anyone might hope for. Graeme 3 mentions Australia; I’m sure it won’t have escaped his notice that Down Under is about to pass into law the some of the most draconian measures ever imagined to stop people reporting on Government misdeeds – they are worthy of the Stasi (public interest notwithstanding). This does not bode well.
Maybe he realizes how Britain has become a client state.
I client of the US in foreign policy and war, a client of the EU for economics and law, and a client of the UN for all things green and climate change. Have the British people a say in these areas? Did they have a vote before this happened?
Rog, he gave us the finest rallying cry we’ve had so far, and so far I have been unable by hook or crook to get said rallying cry in either the Mail, the Sunday mail. the Express and the Sunday Express. Real censorship, the first I’ve ever had……..[sorry]
I’d appreciate it -and so would everyone who wants their freedom from the EU- if people would take it up and repeat it whenever possible and at every opportunity.
Mark Reckless said during his speech at conference on Saturday:-
“I don’t want my country to be just another star on someone else’s flag.”
Obviously its an allegory but I’m sure there will be thickies that say ‘hang on there’s only 12 stars’
Isn’t it magnificent? The picture it paints is…..horrifying. Without using big words or fancy rhetoric he coined a phrase that I will use whenever I can, and as often as I can, stuff the Express and Mail.
Me_Again says:
September 29, 2014 at 9:59 pm
America is just another star on the Saudi flag. People are beginning to notice.
This will serve to justify the suppression of all criticism and has particular meaning to folks like you Rog, in light of the fact that have already been worked over during the climategate/FOIA repercussions.
Extremists will have to get posts on Facebook and Twitter approved in advance by the police under sweeping rules planned by the Conservatives.
They will also be barred from speaking at public events if they represent a threat to “the functioning of democracy”, under the new Extremist DisruptionOrders.
Theresa May, the Home Secretary, will lay out plans to allow judges to ban people from broadcasting or protesting in certain places, as well asassociating with specific people.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/11129474/Extremists-to-have-Facebook-and-Twitter-vetted-by-anti-terror-police.html
Just a change in position in the trough.
Jones, he gave up his job with the prospect of not getting it back rather than keep on taking the money.
I rather think that actions speak louder than words and his drown your words out.
Appalling curtailment of rights. What is an extremist? What is a disruption to functioning democracy?
This is 1984 by the back door in the traditional fashion of “this is all to protect you” fcuking control freaks. You don’t beat an idea by banning it, ask the Chinese.
By these changes, ordinary people opposing this kind of legislation could fall into either category because this is so subjective.
Worse than the hate crime crap that they pulled on us.
Mac has always been superb…………..
Hi Rog,
This is a bit ‘OT’ (off thread), but my vote will go with Doug Carswell for the Harwich Constituency on 9/10/2014. The reasoning behind my vote decision is also ‘OT’, but is ‘pertinent’ and ‘on thread’.
I stand by the phrase ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, but the UK Constitution ‘is’ broke!
It started when the Labour Party entered the arena of politics and ‘broke’ the ‘first past the post’ system for the election of a ‘majority’! It was okay when the ‘Whigs and Tories’ (Liberals and Conservatives) were the only ‘parties’ in the ‘political mix’, but the advent of a third political ‘party’ (Labour) ‘buggered’ the ‘statistics’. With three ‘political parties’ on the electoral ‘paper’ (voting slip) it’s possible that the ‘party’ with the ‘greatest electoral vote’ doesn’t gain a ‘seat’ in Parliament with the ‘first past the post’ system. This is history.
The LibDems recognised this and this is why I’ve put my vote for their candidate to date in that box, but the EU proves to be a more ‘pressing’ agenda. I’m ‘all for’ European ‘interaction’, but ‘climate’, ‘legal’ and ‘border’ issues need to be decided by the ‘National electorate’ and not a panel ‘elsewhere’.
UKIP has brought attention to the ‘legal’ EU ‘border issues’ and that’s enough to ‘swing my vote’.
Yes. N Farage is a ‘prat’, but he’s an ‘educated prat’ (unlike myself) and realises that a ‘three line whip’ refutes the decisions/desires of the local ‘region’!
Party, or person? I know Doug from the previous activity he’s adopted here and it wasn’t fully coherent with the ‘party’. I respect Doug’s integrity and expect that he’ll continue with the representation that he’s displayed in the past. Whatever the guys ‘party’ political representation is/was he’s still ‘the same guy’!
Best regards, Ray.
Guy Ropes:
My apologies for not responding sooner. Yes, our politicians never waste an excuse to issue more laws, that will please the bureaucrats, whom they supposedly control. I do note that this is an announcement only, and they have yet to get through parliament. As the Senate here is somewhat hostile to the government they may not pass, or if they do, will only in an amended form. Also there are ‘sunset’ clauses setting a limit to their applicability.
Graeme 3: thank you for the clarity of your information. If you find time to update us (me) on what seems some seriously bad legislation I would be obliged. Unlikely that much of our media would consider publishing details of it. Thanks again
Guy Ropes:
The Australian Parliament has passed some of the Terror Laws.
* Greater surveillance and search powers for ASIO including access to computers and inspection of postal and delivery service articles. ( Includes powers to search networks which is poorly drafted and could allow one warrant to cover the entire internet)
* Limited immunity from prosecution for intelligence officers engaged in special operations.
* New “whistleblower” offences for unauthorised dealings with an intelligence-related record, including copying, transcription, removal and retention.
* Maximum 10 year imprisonment for unauthorised communication and publication of intelligence-related information.
* Increased penalties for identifying intelligence officers.
So far, it looks more like clamping down on whistleblowers. Labor sided with the government. The only amendment in the Senate was a ban on torture.
MEASURES PARLIAMENT HAS YET TO APPROVE:
* Require telcos to keep metadata information on calls and internet use.
* Reverses the onus of proof by deeming a person guilty of an offence if they travel to certain “no-go” locations overseas.
* Make it easier to ban organisations and jail their members based on their speech about terrorism.
* Extend for another 10 years three regimes from the so-called “war on terror”, legislated by parliament to automatically expire from July 2015.
* Enable ASIO to question and detain any person, including Australian citizens not suspected of terrorism.
* Allow the government to seek control orders to regulate every aspect of a person’s life, including house arrest and/or wearing a tracking device.
* Allow preventative detention orders, which permit a person to be held without arrest or charge in secret detention for up to 14 days.
These are facing some opposition (as did those passed) from independent Senators. I regret to say that the Labor Party has been quite supine, but then they have a poor record when it comes to freedom, so the Government will probably get its way.