Gordon Brown will not leave Downing St until the last permitted date, which is June 2010, and then will leave his fingernails in the carpet. It is no good petitioning him to resign.
It is becoming plain that all the political parties are clinging on to the speeding gravy train together and have reached a mutual agreement not to call for any of their number to resign as an MP, even if they give up the odd apointment.
This parliament has to go. We have to work with the unwritten constitution we have. The only person who can dissolve a parliament is the Queen.
The UK constitution constantly evolves. There is no recent precedent for the current total loss of public confidence in parliament. The constitution now needs to evolve to cope with the age of new media. Such a request if strongly supported would become an important political fact in itself.
This is not about whether or not you are a monarchist. (I am not). This is about channeling the unfocused public anger with Parliament into action.
http://www.gopetition.co.uk/online/27778.html
(The language of the petition is respectful towards the Queen but not traditional. There is no language which would suit all shades of opinion on the monarchy. I know the Queen personally, enough to know she is not going to be insulted).
I have signed your petition.
Thank you so very much Mr Craig.
Signed… now where do I collect my AK47?
Signed. But I’m honestly doubtful whether HM would dissolve parliament. I suspect that what will force an election in the end will be a lost vote of confidence.
Mohammed Ali once said, they can run, but they can’t hide.
This debacle will not be forgotten come the ballet box and come the reckoning, it will only be worse for the big three parties if the corruption goes unpunished.
There’s an upside to everything and patience has its rewards. The government is finally afraid of the people. As it should be!
These events are not bad for democracy. I see positive effects. The stranglehold of the big three parties may be broken, introducing more accountability and representation. Deadwood MPs will be swept away along with many of the careerists
This is all bad for big government but potentially good for us.
The sheep have awoken!
In other places such a failure of democracy would result in a military takeover. Given the removal of civil liberties, detention without trial, an executive happy to ride roughshod over the wishes of the majority, a population generally more interested in Peter Andre and Jordon’s marriage and a press happy to do what it is told a conspiracy theorist would now be getting very worried.
I can’t stand your writing as a rule but I was shocked by QT last night and I think your assessment of the situation is correct. Good on you.
http://cassiuswrites.blogspot.com/2009/05/why-beckett-co-will-never-regain-trust.html
I have this picture in my mind’s eye of a protesting Mr Speaker being dragged AWAY from his chair,
which alternates with a picture of E R taking Gordon quietly to one side and kneeing him in the goolies.
Talking of Gordon, why isn’t he in Greece this weekend, wasn’t he invited?
Signed, and good luck.
I still think it is worth signing the resign petition to show him how we feel, if nothing else:
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/please-go/
That is now well over 58,000!
Signed. Come on people! This blog gets thousand of hits. Don’t be lurking and DO something.
Done. 🙂
Just wondering: who actually wields the royal prerogative? Is it really the monarch, or is it in fact the prime minister in the monarch’s name?
Here’s a recent example of the use of the royal prerogative
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7683726.stm
It basically declared legal the dispossession of the Chagos Islanders.
It doesn’t look like the kind of precedent one would hope for. In fact it stinks worse than the current spectacle of elected officials using public money to enrich themselves, which after all is endemic to politics anywhere. Much worse.
I can dissolve parliament. Yes I can. I mean why if Herr mudjesty kween Elizardbeth Regina can, then I can too right. Why not?
Ob boy I’d love to dissolve parliament. Where’s the oleum?
Interesting development Craig…
But i’m too scared to actually fill in the form ‘cos They may well torture,disappear,harass,persecute me for doing so.
I aint joking.
They know where we all live.
It’s frightening,seriously.
what is the point? the whole systmem is rotten to the core.the anglosaxon have always been about parasitic greedy exploitation of people -so which party comes makes no difference.
this is how the anglosaxons work and they are the same people who are destroying democracy in India now like in many places.
just to give an example-
sooon after the ople closed(after one month marathan) in India the american ambassador to delhi went out of his way to meet the opponent partyes leader to talk about govt formation and what their policy wopudl be vis a vis usa. in other words even before the poeple;s verdict is in the anglosaxon are out to brweibe and threaten the people who are going to be Pm and fincnace misnters and what not.
this is exactly what the anglosaxons did after 4004 general election in India. the people had kicked out BJP because of its pro rich and pro west policies to the detriment of Indians.
but soon within a week the americans and british pressuried the sonia gandhi to abdicate in favour of a briitsh agent called manmoahn singh who is basically a cia and mi5 agent in India, they installed that idiot as pM after makinf hugh a nd cry about stokc market going down in case other is selected. now this manmohan singh has been twice rejected byt eh popultaion in direct election so this unellctable man was isntalled after manipulating the rules.
ofocurse this manomniohan singh proved to be loyal servant of usa andengland. he said about bush in septemebtr 2008 that bush a=is a very nicve man and real freind of india and that Indians love him!
such is the caliber of peole who are not ellcted by idnian pepole but helicotpred by the anglosaxon agents inisde India. and ofocurse the enlgish media never mention that itis mocek=ruy of democracy.
the Indian public is very wise and always reject such types but unfortunately despite the result being opposite to what the anglosaoxn ant tna ttheir agents in elite in India want-the effect is to continiue with same anglosaoxn inspirted liberal policies even selling indian nuclear capability for sake of a fewbobs earned incall servce centre revenue.
since 1972 Indian people have never reteruned the party again to the parliamnet to rule twice so=consequently. but since 91 the result has been the same-in words the elelction doe snot matter -the fianncial and defence policy woudl be the same which anglosaoxn deterine for the indians.
this is how democracy is killed by anglosaxon agents in outr country India..
when the BJP govt of neaolieralism type was sounbdly defeated in 2004 the media immediately started saying that economic policy must remain the same-though it wasclear that e Indian public had given verdict aghasint so called glaoblization. but the media propaganda made sure that n UNELCTAED PERSON WHO ENTERED PARLAIMENT THROUGH BACK DOOR IS SELECTED AS PRIME MINSITER. THAT MAN MOHAN SINGH HAS BEEN AN AMERICAN AGENT DID HELP A LOT.
NOW WE KNOW HOW THE AGENDA OF THIS TRAITOR MANMOHAN SINGH HAS BEEN FOLLOWED TO THE LETTER THOUGH HE IS NOT A LEADER OF PARTY OR COUNTRY AOR OF MEN.
THE SaME WAY WGHILE THE CONGRESS HAD BEEN DEFEATED IN AN ELELCTION 10 YEARS AGO-THE BJP WHICH CAME ON PLATFORM OF ANTI GLAOBALIZATION HAD TO CHANGE TACK WITHIN 5 DAYS.
THE MEDIA SAID THAT FICANNCE MISNTER SHOUDL BE THE SAME PRO WEST PRO GLAOBALIZATION MAN,
THE iNDIA N PUBLIC HAS BEEN BOOTING OUT THWE GOVT AFTER TERM EXPIRES BECAUSE INDIA N PUBLIC DOE SNOT WANT SO CALLED LIBERALIZATION AND PRIATE CAPITALIST SSUYTEM BUT THE POLITICANS INT EH PAY PACKET OF BUSIENSS MEN AND MEDIA BEING PIMPS OF CAPITAL HAVE BEEN NULLYIFYING TH EELCTAION RESUTL FOR LAST 15 YEARS.
THIS SYSTEM WAS BROUTH TO iNDIA BY THE AMERICAN AGENT MANOHANS SINGH WHO BRIBED THE MPS TO KEEP THE NEAO LIBERAL AGENDA OF HIS UNCLELCTABLE GOVT. IN 1993 and 2008.
such people swear a lot by democracy aswell.!!
and what that has done to the indian elelction process is that it has made the result of Indian elelction as farce as of anty american or british elelction result. during 60s and 70s and even 80s the Indian masses used to celebrate elcetion time as a festival of choice -the poeple power to take account of the polictiicans -therefore there was a large turn out of people in voting. but having seen that even after toppling the govt. the new govt from oppositon is made to act just like previous one-looking after interest of beusiness class and corrupt traders-the Indian public is getting tired of voting and the voting tally is going down from 85% to 65 %. this is exactly what the corrupot business class want-the people to be depoliticised.
and that is the tactics the Indian corrupt busienssclass has imported from britian and usa.
7th october, 2008
even after the obvious faliure of free markeeters in america this americna gen manmonan singh ( a person who is not only unlelected but unelectable-he sttod for lower house of parliament but was throughly defeated by the elctorate-then he entered parliament through uppwer house-like house of lords from where he is not supposed to become prime minsiter at all-but law was circumvented for him) such is the democracy we are talking about) not been killed frhh treason but also not chastised
this manmhan singh is a charlaton whose theory fits with fit with Milton Friedman’s “greed is good” Chicago School mumbo jumbo. Both Friedman and Kemp believe that what is good for the stock market is good for America, ignoring the shocking economic polarization that has divided the nation. Now, more and more people are beginning to see that Friedman was a charlatan who provided ideological cover for obscenely rich financiers and their dodgy investment scams.
may 9th , 2007.
This ( rejected thrice by the public in general election) prime minister(installed at american behest) manmaohan singh is trying to enter parliament again through vack door-he filled nomination through assam with help of sonai gandhi congress(of whoioch he is not a leader or person of any singificance).
such is the democracy we live in.
i thought democracy meansd people electing the party and primeminister to be elected through that elelctable persons.
but as for american definigitn of democracy like in stooge s in afggansitana nd iraq we have an americana tooge who doe snot need to boyther wabout indian opinion because he has not been s-chosen by the indian people for the post but isntalled by a foreing country to make idnia run for foreing.es nbenefit.
and we are celebrating 150 yrs of what?
return of the company and corporate again?(not called ast or west india company this time but same nevertheless)..
the media now decries that the polling rate in india is rapdly going down that in india where the people have always been enthusiatic to vote. doe sit not occur to media that pepel are now refusing to rubber stamp the primeminsiter sna his cabinet when the people have already rejected such lots and still unelectable person gets chosen as prime minister of foren minister(jaswant singh) with no popular support anbut only because angloamerican agents in india want that to be. For several general elections the people have rejected the so called loiberalization and wasnhington consensus policy of govet. of india but each time new govt is elected the media astrats telling that economic and foreing policy msut not change even though people have overwhelmingly voted agasint that.
media brings irraneous cause for defeat of incumbent govt liek communalism and all russbih but never mentions that people have thrwon that american dictated policy.
tsuch is the genesisi of indian eelctorate disilluionment with voting -all due to corruption of media and jourtnalists along with the biusisness class of india(thse days traitor FICI is organising more conferences than the govt. of india for interministerial meetings!.
How india is being treacherously enslaved by angloamerican agents likes of (unelectable and defeated in democratic election ) this pm manmohan singh and the english media inside india.
a great misconception is that so caled liberalization and globalization was brought to india by this manmohan singh. In fact soon after victory in iraq war in febraury 1991 the bush no. first declared a new world order in which he explicitly said that he will open up the world for american business. In fact his trade seccratary immeditealy annomnuced that she will make sure that america open up the thighs of thrid world countries as a slwoly and surely to american business(true analogy to a rape)-that was given the name liberalization and globalization for which the british and americans had been working since 1986. What was left for america to do was install maleable stooges inside the thrirld world countries. escpeally those types who are unelctable and have no mass base of their own– in other words who are not elelctable democratically but installed from above through media and other manipulations.
this manmohan singh in india fulffiled that criteria of being unliked and unelctable insignificant person who was willing to act on arder of his american masters -if they had asked him to turn communist he would have done that.it isa sad refletion on india that since 1986 we have has only weaklings as our prime minsiters and fincnace minsiters not to speak of non mentionable defence misnters who made sure that indians nuclear and missle programme got stuck at 1986.
Rubin, Summers and Geithner are credited with managing the global economy through the turbulent nineties, including the Mexican, East Asian, Russian and Latin American financial crises. This narrative glosses over the role they played in forcing countries, particularly in Asia, to liberalize financial flows.
A New York Times account from February 1999 noted: “It was American officials who pushed for the financial liberalization that nurtured the speculation (even if developing nations themselves welcomed it). And it was American bankers and money managers who poured billions of dollars into those emerging markets. Then, when the crisis hit, American officials insisted on tough measures like budget cuts and high interest rates, which many economists argue made things worse.”
Summers and Rubin were the point men for liberalization, which led to the rise of oligarchic billionaires and financial panics that saw huge outflows of funds, currency devaluations, mass impoverishment and Western capital sweeping in to cherry-pick industries at fire-sale prices.
march, 2007
–this unelectable (and three times defeated in democratic elections ) so called prime minieter manmohan singh is a blot on the face of democratic india. he is there aonbly because the anglosaxon powers wanted him there instead of sonia gandhi(who wouldnot have been that maelelable to english speaking world-master race as this stooge manmohan is). this manmohan singh has been very unpopular in democratic election losing even when there was a wave in favour of congress. he has not even let pujab select his d=congress pqarty for assembley election in 2007 so mucn unpol;ular he is. but he is very popular amnost the anglosaxon media and govert. therefore he is popular amonst the english media and all the angloamerican stooges theat you find in any thirld world aka allwi,Ahmed Chalabi(of iraqi traitor fame) mubarak types.
manmohan singh is a yeltsin of india-very pouilar amonst enemies of india exactly because he has sold india cheap to thse amngloamericn interests.
now the idito indian elites are pro=jecting this imbecile manmohan singh as some intelecutal -whoever heard of e=an economist as a scintist or intellectual espceaccilly the economist who foolws voddo ecnomy of chaicago school?
even granted someone is educated what thse iditot elites of india are saying is that a geek with =zero personality and nil oratory power with no public fowwlloping should become a leader of 1.2billion people without being unecleted or despite losing elelction in genral elelctions. three times.
ofcourse with no personality and a rote knowledge of chicago peudo-economics this imposter on indian poilctical scene is a cancer to the very name of democracy and decency.he is very very dishonet-he lies at he drop of hat (indo american nuyclear pact, indians defence procurements, agricultrual disaster inside india -which caters to 75% of indian population0.), this manamohsn singh has papuperized india and weakned the idnian defence forces.
During the period from 1992 onwards the indian defence forces has weakened to one third of its ablity during this traitors helm at finance minsitry and primeministreship.
this fellow has made indian air force virtually a camel air force.manmohan singh is responsible for tracherous indo nuclear pact and for dragging his feet over delay procumrent to indian air force jsut to please his real masters the angloamerican interests.
lwtc247 @ 4:51
Careful you mix them in the right order: oleum into parliament or parliament into oleum? I guess it depends which is wettest.
… or should that be slimiest?
Well, I’ve signed it but I suspect it’s pointless. The queen will do nothing – when has she ever intervened?
Avatar singh – try and stay with the plot.
To those that bemoan the futility of the gesture, do not despair.
No placard ever won a revolution DIRECTLY; but without demonstration and slogan, could any revolt happen?
These gestures work indirectly, by helping those find common ground and synchronizing their efforts. It risks appearing ‘fascist’ in kind, getting people to synchronize in revolt; but it takes fire to fight fire; and our cause has a specific aim, therefore is only temporary fascism, until we win a liberal result.
This expenses media-circus has run far longer than i thought…it’s good that they’re being called to account..however..
I still feel this has all been engineered by the serious level fatcats,bankers and their media baron buddies to take the heat off them for their truly disastrous fucking ofthe economy.The MP’s expenses story pales into insignificance compared to their abysmal greed,lies and incompetence…
And,as the wheel turns downward,it wouldn’t surprise me if this Godawful Govt manufacture yet another fake terrorist story to deflect attention from the expenses stories…expect ALL parties to toe the line on this fake terror narrative…it’s win-win for them..it gets ALL of them out the spotlight…
Ahhh..we all know how it works now eh,sadly..?
The present state of turmoil is the result of abandoning Justice in the name of liberalism. In the same way that Divorce Law abandoned the discussion of blame in 1977, International Law abandoned the discussion of blame in 2001 at 9/11. From this point on everything we do is right and everything you do is wrong.
We have to defend our values and we don’t care how we do it. I’m sorry but Liberalism is part of the problem, not part of the solution. It’s not that freedom is wrong, but that it can be abused. Rules, properly enforced are a much harder discipline, but they benefit weak creatures called human beings.
Without liberal values, we would not have a rich diversity of Ethnic and Religious values in the UK. We would not have moral debate. We would not have new first world economies emerging from the third world. My point is that this freedom, while fruitful, also comes with abuse. It is the responsibility of the advocates of freedom to keep abreast of its dangers. I’m sorry, but I don’t see how an appeal to the authority of the Crown is going to help.
The M.P. who have broken the rules should face the Law. The international leaders Bush and Blair MUST be handed over to the courts of International Law. Just as with every other criminal, surely the exercise of individual freedom is always on the proviso that one keeps within the Law. Give the Judiciary the authority to decide. One metaphorical corpse hanging on the gibbet will deter thousands of others. Discipline must be enforced.
Avatar, the Indian election of 4004 sounds cosmic. What are you on? I want some! Nonetheless, I think you make some very valid and accurate points about fundamentalist capitalism and imperialism and the global effects of this toxic brew.
I disagree anon,
We should aim for less values and less legislation, whatever government we end up with.
There are no policemen in nature, and nature works.
@ JimmyG
slimiest
Have signed. Thanks Craig.
Have received this from Rodney Hobson:
“High on the Hogg.
“I doubt very much if Douglas Hogg will feel any embarrassment over the moat in his eye but I relate the following story in case any readers bump into him. Please spread it around.
In his younger days Hogg did stints as night lawyer at The Times, where I was a subeditor. This was in the 1970s and The Times, in common with several other national newspapers, paid a legal eagle to sit in the office all evening reading through the following day’s stories to spot potential libels.
All the lawyers on the rota, with one exception, were regarded with respect. One, called Angus, was even treated with some affection. The one who was held in ridicule was Hogg. He would come leaping out of his office and attempt to make editorial decisions that were not in his remit.
Some ten years later Hogg was a junior minister in the Thatcher Government and was seen, erroneously, as a rising star. I happened to bump into him at a party and, finding myself next to him at the buffet table, remarked that I had known him in his previous existence. He immediately shot across the room and soon departed the gathering.
I can only guess why he was so anxious to avoid reminders of his nights at The Times but if you see him, do ask him.”
….. In the spirit of ‘spread it around’, the following is in the same circular and I thought was interesting considering all the talk now of prosecutions.
Attempts at prosecutions might be more effective than petitions.
“With wonderful, though presumably unintentional, timing Harrow council has decided to prosecute a woman who used her mother’s address to apply for a better school for her son. MPs should watch this case with interest.
According to Harrow council, it constitutes fraud to pretend that somewhere is your home when it isn’t. What would Harrow make of the revelations that MPs pretend that they live where they don’t?
Since the police show an understandable reluctance to investigate, knowing as we all do that there is one law for us and another for MPs, could Harrow council please be put in charge of the case? If it thinks that doing your best for your child is a crime, what would it make of those MPs who have lined their pockets?
Let us be clear about this. Some MPs have undoubtedly committed fraud. There are three layers to all this.
At the top there are MPs who have behaved perfectly honourably and made reasonable claims. After all, some MPs travel considerable distances to attend a parliament that is sited in one corner of the UK and it is right and proper that they should not bear the extra costs.
In the middle are those MPs who milked the system but stayed within the now discredited rules. One may feel that they behaved to lower standards than we would like but we all fall from grace at times.
However, to take money you are not entitled to by claiming that you live at one address when you really live elsewhere is fraud. Those MPs who subsequently sold their ‘second home’ and told the taxman that it was their primary residence to avoid capital gains tax have lied to one authority or the other.
The rules state that expenses must be incurred in the carrying out of an MP’s duties. A great many claims come nowhere near to meeting this criterion. These, too, are fraudulent. What is worrying is that the people who have committed these frauds sit in parliament voting on the laws of the land.”
Thanks for starting the petition. I’ve signed it, and emailed it to others. I hope it gathers some momentum.
Thank you for phrasing what so many people are thinking.
With the utmost respect to Her Majesty, her ministers are leading this country to hell in a hand cart. I hope to goodness, the Queen can take this step on behalf of her people.
A.Who elected the Queen?
B.How can this great democracy be presided over by someone who does not have the sanction of the people?
C. When you change the Labour Party – don’t you always just get another bunch of wankers who are more to the ‘right’ of the correct side of politics – any way!
What a toss…
You may not be a monarchist, but I, in my Tory way, am. However, given our present constitution I agree that this is probably the way to go.
I hope HM responds by dismissing parliament and calling an immediate election – we have reached a constitutional crisis of a new nature, and this is part of the solution to it.
I’m sure all those thieves in Westminster will whine and bleat that the Queen shouldn’t interfere in politics, despite it being part of her constitutional role, and whimper about K Charles I. There’s a Constitutional Crisis looming whether or not she acts.
She has been reluctant to play a direct and open part in things since 1952, but times have changed – and so have the inhabitants of the Palace of Westminster. She needs to break with her established habit, even if it is only this once.
David – what legitimate right does Elizabeth 1 have to be there – who elected her?
Charles 1 got his and the Petition really should be about getting back to basics of true constitutional representation. A murderous bunch as a family having the power of head of state ( i.e. was Diana clairvoyant when she issued the “Mischon letter” or did they carry out precisely what she said they were plotting?). This is the reality staring you in the face mate! The thieves are not just in Westminster, there are seem some murderers on the loose too!
The rot runs deeper than people are willing to admit!