The ‘Remnants’ futile attempts to stop ‘Brexit’ through legal activism in the Supreme Court and time wasting ‘amendments’ in the Lords, are being rapidly swept aside. The rump of democracy deniers are in headlong retreat and their cause is failing. The overwhelming majority in Parliament recognises (even through gritted teeth), that we’re leaving the EU.
Two interesting things emerged from the Supreme Court’s judgement, far from Gina Miller and co’s original intent. First, the Court ruled that ‘Wee Sturgie’s’ parish council has no authority to stop Brexit; we leave the EU as the United Kingdom by the will of the UK Parliament alone. Second, ruling that the government couldn’t use the ‘Royal Prerogative on Treaties’ to trigger Article 50 but must seek a Parliamentary vote, raises the question of whether our joining the EU in 1973 was legal, since Heath’s government forced it through by the Royal Prerogative. If we can’t use it to get us out of the EU, how could it have been legal to use it to get us in ? Perhaps we never legally joined ? An academic point for now, but if Article 50 fails to progress, ‘m’learned friends’ may be asked to reconvene.
We’ve Only Just Begun …….. Trust the Mail to write UKIP’s obituary after ‘only’ finishing a close second in Stoke; one of Labour’s safest seats. There were many factors working against UKIP in this by-election which were beyond our control, but in the face of a hateful smear campaign, Paul Nuttall remained focused and positive, never descending to the abysmal level of his Labour opponents. 300 – 400 UKIP activists turned out every day to deliver leaflets, knock on doors, work on street stalls and run the campaign shop.
Contrary to the scribes of the Tory press, UKIP very much has a purpose. Firstly, we’re still in the EU, so we must ensure that the government delivers what 17.4m Britons voted for. Let’s remind them, it was: 1. Full control of our borders with the EU, 2. No more UK taxpayers cash to Brussels, 3. Restore the law making supremacy of the UK Parliament, 4. Restore the power to make our own trade deals with the rest of the world.
If the terms of ‘Brexit’ are unsatisfactory, UKIP must be there to say ‘Britain needs a better deal’. When we are eventually disentangled from the EU, why should we leave it to the same old parties that have misgoverned for so long ? If you’ve had builders in who have wrecked your house, would you invite them back to do another job ? Britain has long term economic, financial and social problems which none at Westminster have any idea how to solve. All seem to think that ever bigger government, more state borrowing and more legislation is the answer. As our national debt heads towards £2 trillion (80% of GDP), the cost of ‘big government’ is ever more unsustainable.
‘More government is not the solution to our problems; it is the problem’ (Ronald Reagan)
If UKIP weren’t around, Mrs May wouldn’t have any policies to steal. UKIP must continue to be the radical party, the ‘change’ party; the party of small-state libertarianism; against ‘big brother’ government, be it at Westminster or Brussels. It’s territory that’s unique to us; an area where the other parties fear to tread. It gives us a golden opportunity to define policies in every field which will challenge the ‘big state’ orthodoxy at Westminster. UKIP‘s prescription is to give people and communities the tools to be self-reliant. Trust in people and set them free; get the over-mighty, intrusive ‘big state’ off their backs, so they can begin to take control, pay off debts, keep more of their own money in their pockets and take more responsibility for their own lives.
Something you won’t read in the Mail is the recent defection of five Tory Councillors to UKIP on Spelthorne Council (Surrey), making UKIP the official opposition group. They slammed their party’s rule as: ’undemocratic, lacking in transparency and against the interests of our residents. We believe its time for change, residents have had enough of the rule of the Conservatives in Spelthorne’.
Meanwhile ‘False News’ on TV maintains a steady drip feed of negativity about Brexit. A typical example is ‘Supermarkets: Brexit and Your Shrinking Shop’ (C4 Dispatches, 20th Feb), making great play on the falling £ (higher import costs) since 23rd June. Apart from the illogic of blaming rising food prices on ‘Brexit’; something that hasn’t actually happened yet, what it failed to say was that the £ was falling before 23rd June, and it’s for reasons that have nothing to do with Brexit.
Firstly, the consequences of the government printing extra money (’Quantitative Easing’) are starting to be felt. It may temporarily have propped up consumer spending, but printing more money won’t make you richer in the long run; it only devalues what’s already in circulation so you’ll eventually need more of it in order to buy the same amount of goods.
Secondly, the government now appears to have given up ’closing the deficit’. They never had much success with that idea anyway, but now they’re piling on the national debt, continuing to write open cheques for overseas aid; vanity projects such as HS2 and white elephants such as Hinkley Point, while cutting essential Council services to the bone. Mrs May‘s government are spending far more than they‘re bringing in and they show no signs of stopping. International financial traders are drawing the appropriate conclusions.
‘Basket of Deplorables’ …. It’s said that you learn the most about peoples character in their reaction to adversity or defeat. If so, we’ve learnt a great deal about some of our supposed ‘national treasures’ in the last few months. The culture war against ’Brexit’ by ‘Luvvies Against Democracy’ has revealed astonishing degrees of childish petulance, snobbery, arrogance, intolerance and self-righteousness. Bad losers. If they’d put half as much effort into helping the ‘Remain’ campaign last June as they have since, in trying to de-legitimise the result, they might not have lost.
We’re also expected to tolerate those lefty ’comedians’ who populate the slew of supposedly comic current affairs/news panel shows that seem to be everywhere on TV, giving them free rein to spout half-baked views on ‘Brexit’ without the risk of challenge by someone who actually does know what they‘re talking about. Truly, in Hilary Clinton’s deadly phrase: ‘a basket of deplorables’. Switch ‘em off. Remove the oxygen of public adulation; the sales and viewing figures that feed their egotism and you’ll hit them where it hurts.
‘The BBC is an unaccountable oligarchy, funded like the medieval church by demanding a tithe payment. We need to bring it to account….’ (Douglas Carswell UKIP MP)
If all the media and celebrity-driven hostility to ‘Brexit’ is meant to wear down and demoralise the British people, it clearly isn’t working. A series of YouGov polls found that between a third and half of ‘Remain’ voters now accept that Britain will be leaving the EU, whereas hardly any ’Leave’ voters have regretted their choice. A recent ICM poll found that nearly 70% of the public agree that the government ’should get on with’ implementing the referendum result without further delay. More Remain voters agree than disagree with this, 42% to 33%. An EU referendum held today would be more like a 70% – 30% win than 52% – 48%.
Leaving the EU is now the settled view of the large majority of the British people. The patience, tolerance and good humour shown by most of those who voted ‘Leave’ is now being rewarded, as Britons slowly rebuild their trust in one another and abandon the poisonous narratives of ’Project Fear’
(For those still living on ‘Planet Blair’, a further ICM poll found that 74% now view Tony Blair unfavourably, against just 14% who like him. Most former ’Remain’ voters are also anti- Blair)
What Now ……..? UKIP must be the Revolutionary Guard of ‘Brexit‘. UKIP must ensure Mrs May’s government stays on the straight and narrow path towards independence. We must judge her government by their actions not their words. We’ve had many fine words from Mrs May, but as yet no action. Unfortunately that has been the story of her political career so far.
Will this be any different ? So far, it all sounds great. Her Lancaster House speech and the Government White Paper contained most of the things that UKIP has been saying for years (apart from fishing). But when Article 50 is triggered, it won’t be up to Britain to decide what terms are offered for withdrawal; it will be up to the EU and they will have at least two years in which to decide, maybe even more. Meantime, all the negative consequences that flow from EU membership will continue unchecked.
The Article 50 negotiations will be like a game of poker. The EU stands to lose its second biggest source of funds and has liabilities of more than £1.1 trillion. Living within one‘s means is a wholly alien concept to the EU so publicly they will take a very tough line, demanding money with menaces to leave; ‘sabre rattling’ rhetoric to frighten the British public and discourage anyone else from thinking of leaving. Their aim will be to stall and frustrate negotiations to foster a mood of uncertainty and anxiety in Britain; undermining business confidence in the hope that opposition to the government will grow and force a General Election. The Conservative party at Westminster will need to show real nerve, moral courage and strong backbone through all of this; not qualities they’ve been noted for in the past.
Meanwhile, the ground will be burning beneath the EU as popular resentment against their political elite is channelled into effective political opposition. After two years the EU may have disintegrated entirely and hopefully, gone the same way as the former USSR. Britain will find that the larger EU member states such as France and Germany will be keen for a quick free trade agreement, as they will have the most to lose; this will cause friction between their national governments and Brussels, which could speed up the disintegration process. The most uncooperative nations may well be the smallest; any one of the 27 members states may decide to reject the deal. We should also be very wary of any sudden, last ditch ‘agreement’ which might give us some of what we voted for, but the devil will be found in the detail.
It could also be voted down at Westminster or in Brussels, or even blocked by further legal intervention from the so-called Supreme Court. Mrs May has said she’ll walk away from a ’bad deal’ after 2 years. But this position only makes sense if she is serious about repealing in Parliament the 1972 European Communities Act which gives the EU legal supremacy over the UK. So UKIP must be there to say:
‘We leave the EU by repealing the 1972 EC Act – do it now and then as an independent country, we’ll sit down and talk to the EU about what arrangements to have’
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Tales From Europe ……..
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Germany ..… ‘Angela Merkel will offer cash handouts worth £millions for migrants to leave Germany, in an effort to silence critics of her open door border policy. The Chancellor agreed a package of measures to speed up the deportation process for an estimated 450,000 migrants who have been rejected asylum. The plan includes a £76m scheme that will offer migrants cash incentives to leave the country voluntarily ..’ (Daily Mail, 11th Feb)
Sweden ….. ‘One man who knows the bitter experience of life in Rinkeby is Hanif Azizi, the police officer responsible for the area … As police faced the rioters, he told a colleague ’perhaps Trump was right after all’. At his office, a mile from the flashpoint, he admitted that regardless of claims by the Swedish government, many areas are firmly in control of foreign criminal gangs. ’They are laughing at our society because they can do whatever they want. They use fear and violence to stop the police from doing their job. There are so many you can’t handle them. They have tactics and are very clever … the people here don’t think they’re part of Swedish society. These criminals are in control … the good people leave’. Rinkeby is not an isolated example. Migrant gangs are said to control several other areas of Stockholm. In a recent report, police admitted there are 53 ’no-go zones’ in the capital where it is unsafe to patrol’ (Andrew Malone, Daily Mail, 25th Feb)
Hungary ….. ‘The government has spelled out details of proposals to detain all migrants in container camps until their asylum claims are settled. Those without documents will be automatically deported. The most obvious manifestation of the new policy is the forbidding wire fence now that stretches 110 miles along the border with Serbia. The fence, built by Hungarian prisoners, is topped with razor wire and fitted with sophisticated monitoring devices. ’No migrants, not even those who have already issued their request for asylum, can move freely whether they are entitled to political asylum, refugee status or anything else’ said Zoltan Kovacs, a government minister ..’ (Daily Mail, 11th Feb)
Greece ….. ‘A million jobs have been lost and a quarter of adults are unemployed, as well as 44% of under 25s. Hospital budgets are down by a third while VAT has soared to 24%. The Greek economy shrunk in the final three months of last year; its debts are now a terrifying 177% of GDP. Some studies suggest that as much as 89% of the country’s tax receipts go uncollected (Germany 2%). Greek bond rates have shot above 10% amid growing fears of another European financial crisis. German finance minister Wolfgang Schauble said cutting Greek debt would lead to ‘Grexit’. This followed a report by the IMF claiming that Greece’s fragile economy would soon become ‘explosive’ and called for the EU to send even more money to cut Greece’s ‘highly unsustainable’ debt’ (Daily Express 10th Feb).
Romania……. ‘Numerous Romanian websites offer work in the UK, but the pay rarely exceeds £50 for at least an 8 hour day (below minimum wage). One advert calls on ‘hard-working’ people to work 10 hour days for £35 for 7 days a week, minus £100 commission for ‘arranging’ the job. Interpreter Mirela Wilson, who has accompanied the police on raids has found workers earning a little as £10 a day and living in ‘sordid’ accommodation ….. at a car wash in Kent, one worker summed it up ‘We are being treated worse than slaves. At least the rats are free …..’ Daily Mail, 4th March)
Italy … …‘The government have agreed a £17bn bailout to save the world’s oldest bank, Monte dei Paschi di Siena, founded in 1472. The taxpayer funded handout was implemented when bank bosses failed to raise £4.26bn to stave off collapse. There are now fears that the entire Itailian banking system is on the brink, with a collective unsecured debt of £236bn. If it did go under, the crisis in the Euro zone would dwarf the worldwide economic disaster of 2008’ (Global Britain, 28th Dec)
Austria …. ‘Trump’s new ambassador to Austria is a concert pianist with no diplomatic experience, but has seen ‘The Sound of Music’ 75 times’ (so he should understand why Austrians aren’t Germans, ed.) (Daily Mail, 18th Feb)
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Out of the EU; Into the World ……
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‘The Royal Commonwealth Society is planning to open a branch in New York with a view to bringing the US into the fold as an associate member. The project said to be backed by the Queen, has come about as a result of Donald Trump’s fondness for Britain and the Royal Family. It follows efforts to develop the Commonwealth as a tool for building relationships on foreign policy and trade following Britain’s exit from the EU. ‘The UK left this treasure in the attic and rather forgot about it because people were so glued to Brussels’ said Michael Lake, the Director of the RCS. In December, Mr Lake wrote a letter to Mr Trump, which was passed on by Nigel Farage, and was told that the response from the White House was ‘very positive’. It is part of an effort to raise the profile of the Commonwealth to promote ‘mutually advantageous relationships with ‘reliable friends around the world …. it works, because companies find it easier and more congenial to work with Commonwealth countries.’ A new branch of the RCS has recently opened in Helsinki, acting as a Baltic/Scandinavian hub to facilitate ties with Commonwealth nations’ (DailyTelegraph, 24th Feb)
‘The City of London’s top lobby group has made a dramatic U-turn on Brexit, scrapping its previous support for ‘Remain’, instead hailing the vote to leave as ‘an unprecedented opportunity for the UK to develop a powerful new set of trade and investment policies’. TheCityUK, which represents banks, finance firms and professional services industry, now believes that Britain’s departure is ‘a once in a generation’ opportunity for a strategic re-think of commercial relationships with the rest of the world. It calls for a wholesale review of trade policy to focus on the service sectors which make up the bulk of the UK economy. ‘The CityUK is a strong believer in the potential opportunities that Brexit will offer’ (Daily Telegraph, 31st Jan)
‘Boeing is to open its first European factory in Sheffield, delivering a significant vote of confidence in post-Brexit Britain. The £20m plant will manufacture parts and systems used on wings for the aerospace giants best selling 737 and 777 passenger planes. It comes two weeks after supercar manufacturer McLaren announced plans to build a £50m chassis factory in the same area of Sheffield. Other multi-national firms including Nissan, Apple, Honda, Amazon and Airbus have also announced expansion plans since the June referendum, confounding warnings that a Leave vote would scare off big business‘ (Daily Mail, 25th Feb)
‘A National Institute for Economic Research study shows the UK economy grew by 0.7% in 3 months to the end of January, mainly due to a surge in industrial production, manufacturing, exports and construction in December. The FTSE 250 index, often seen as a better barometer of the economy than the FTSE 100 as many of its firms are British rather than global, saw a 0.5% rise to 18,715.36; a record high. The research group’s Scott Bowman said: ’UK Growth is becoming more balanced. The future looks more promising than it has done for some time’. (Daily Mail, 2nd Feb)
‘A conservative estimate of the benefits of leaving the EU are £24bn a year, according to a report from campaign group Change Britain. ‘Clean Brexit’, which involves leaving the EU single market and customs union, is likely to give annual savings of £10.4bn from contributions to the EU budget. It will free up £1.2bn by scrapping ‘burdensome’ regulations’ and allow the UK to forge new trade deals worth £12.3bn. A trade deal with south-east Asian economies could boost GDP by £4.3bn a year; similar agreements with the US would add £3.8bn and £3.2bn each with Japan and South Korea…’ (Daily Express 27th Dec).
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MDNP Branch Diary ……..
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11th Feb: Our Branch AGM has elected a new Committee for 2017/18: Chairman: John Butler, Vice-Chairman: Dave Evans, Treasurer: John Kent, Secretary: Diana Butler, Members: David Mattocks, John DeRitter, Zac Stanworth. Sadly our guest speaker from Young Independence was called to front line duty in the Stoke election, so members had to listen to your Chairman going on for a bit longer than usual, but nonetheless a good time was had by all. The raffle, merchandise table and tea/cakes raised £145 for branch funds.
Books: We still have a few signed copies (£10) of Suzanne Evans’s ‘Why Vote UKIP ?’ a superb guide for the layman as to what UKIP is about and why we‘re all doing this. We also have some copies (£6) of Mick Hume’s excellent new book ‘Revolting’, which details how and why supposedly ‘liberal’ establishment elites are undermining national democracy and what they’re so afraid of. Contact John Butler (details below)
UKIP Mid-Dorset & North Poole Branch Website (www.ukipmiddorset.org) is attracting good support, with over 850 Twitter followers, including MEP’s Gerard Batten, Patrick O’Flynn, Bill Etheridge and Education Spokesman, David Kurten.
UK Fisheries will be the ‘acid test’ of Brexit. Already(in shades of 1973) there are worrying signs that the government is preparing to sacrifice our fishermen to appease the EU. To join the campaign to save Britain‘s fishing, log onto ‘Fishing for Leave‘, www.ffl.org.uk
Saturday June 24th (pm): Mid-Dorset & North Poole Garden Party (final details to be confirmed). Put this date in your diary now, to celebrate the first anniversary of the historic ‘Leave’ vote. There will be tea, cakes, a guest speaker and much more besides !
UKIP‘s Parliamentary Resource Unit has produced an excellent discussion paper on the appalling state of higher education in the UK and what can be done about it. ‘Opening the British Mind’ is essential reading for anyone who knows any students or who is considering sending their children to university. A PDF copy is available via e-mail from the Chairman.
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‘You’ve won it once, now go out and win it again ……’ (Sir Alf Ramsey, World Cup Final 1966)
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Don’t forget to check the monthly Dorset Digest (obtainable via e-mail) for up to date bulletins of ‘What’s On’ locally, as well as checking our branch website www.ukipmiddorset.org
Items for next Edition by 31st May to:
John Butler, 20 Nightjar Close, Poole BH17 7YN
e-mail: john.butler@ukipmiddorset.org All items in this newsletter are personal views only and do not necessarily represent the views of the UK Independence Party Mid-Dorset & North Poole
