A Fairy Story for the Festive Season

A Fairy Story for the Festive Season

Recently, demonstrations have taken place across the country protesting the fact that Parliament is finally addressing the issue of illegal immigration. Certain people are angry that the UK might actually want to protect it own borders, might make it harder to sneak into this country and, once here, make it harder as an illegal immigrant to stay indefinitely. Let me see if I correctly understand the thinking behind these protests.

Let us say I break into your house. Then, when you discover me in your house, you insist that I leave, but I say, I've made all the beds and washed the dishes and done the laundry and swept the floors. In fact, I have done all the things you do not like to do. I am hard working and honest. Well, except for when I broke into your house.

According to the protesters, not only must you let me stay, you must also add me to your family's insurance plan, educate my children, pay for all my family's medical and other health care needs, and provide many other benefits to me and to my family. My husband will do your gardening and general odd jobs because he, too, is hard-working and honest. Well, except for when we broke into your house.

If you try to call the police or force me out, I will call my friends, who will picket your house carrying signs that proclaim my illegal right to be there. It is only fair, after all, because you have a nicer house than I do, and I am just trying to better myself. I am hardworking and honest. Well, except for the . . . . um, you know. . . . . the breaking in part.

And what a great deal it is for me! I live in your house, contributing only a fraction of the cost of my keep, and there is nothing you can do about it without being accused of selfishness and prejudice against house breakers. I want you to learn my language, so you can communicate with me, because English is too hard for me to learn. Also, you must change the rules in our schools so that my children can wear the clothes I want them to wear, rather than the uniform your children have to wear. Your schools must also provide special foods to my children and your children must eat these foods, too, because I do not want my children eating many of the foods you and your children eat. Otherwise, you must build schools that are especially for my children, and others like them, where they can wear the clothes of my choice, speak the language of my choice, eat the food of my choice and are taught the subjects of my choice.

If you are of a different religion to me, you and your children must also learn all about my family's religion, although the schools you build for my children will not teach them about the religion of you and your family. As I am living in your house, you and your family must stop celebrating your own religious festivals but allow me always to celebrate mine. If I break the rules of your house, I should not be subject to the same punishments as your own family because my rules may be different from yours. You should also allow me to vote in my own language because I live in your house.

Only in the UK could all this happen. Why cannot people see how ridiculous this is? If you agree, why not make a New Year's resolution that in 2008 you will do something about it rather than just sit back and let it happen.

http://www.bnp.org.uk/

A Great British Tradition - Fox Hunting

I thought I might start my blog today by suggesting that if you consider the current law banning fox-hunting with hounds is a legitimate law resulting from concerns over animal welfare then think also about the situation existing in this country with regard to the increasing occurrence of halal slaughter, the ritual killing of animals as a result of allowing animals to bleed to death after slitting their throats. Fox-hunting by comparison is harmless in that, yes, the odd fox might be killed, but fox-hunting does not pose a threat to the society in which we live, in fact, unless you have made the effort to do so, you have probably never even seen a hunt taking place, whereas the increase in halal slaughter is indicative of the creeping islamification of the British nation. The banning of fox-hunting has nothing to do with animal welfare, it has everything to do with class war and the attempts of a corrupt Labour government to destroy those who live and work in the countryside, why else would they order their police force to take so much of an interest (here) in what goes on when they would be better utilised fighting real crime.

My earlier blog on Sunday 4th November marked the start of the hunting season and today I returned to South Herefordshire to support the hunt on their Boxing Day meet. It is always quite bleak there at this time of year and was a little on the cold side, to say the least, so this made it all the more pleasing to see so many people out in support. The number this year was up in comparison to last year and must have been several hundred strong. As said in my earlier blog it is certainly an exhilarating experience to see the hounds

together with so many horses and riders dressed in traditional hunting attire charging across open fields following the trail, carefully laid to avoid a real fox being hunted, and the sound of the hunting horn in the distance.

I know some readers will be well on their high horses by now, so here’s another picture of the hounds as a reminder that if fox-hunting disappears altogether then these animals will be destroyed as they are specifically bred to carry out this work.

Also remember that there are hundreds of staff associated with hunts who will lose their jobs. Additionally there are the farmers who rely on the hunts to pick up fallen stock and they will have to look elsewhere for volunteers, so who would do it? If you are angered by what I have written then direct your anger by protesting about real animal welfare issues like the halal slaughter as mentioned above and also remember that this is part of the Labour governments big plan to destroy all that is traditional in this once great land of ours, nothing more, nothing less!

BNP Go To Glastonbury

This time of year is an exciting time for most people as families gather to celebrate Christmas. The traditional Christmas meal, the carols and the exchange of presents tend to be highlights of the day. The only negative aspect of the period is the fact that it occurs in the “bleak mid-winter” and although snow seems to be longed for at this time for the perfect Christmas scenery, it can also present problems not least for our mental state when longing for some warmth.

I don’t, however, think I would like the Australian version of Christmas, where they eat their Christmas dinner on the beach, but it would be pleasant to think of warmer and more summery times. Consequently to help conjure up that summery feeling I thought I would hark back to the lazy, hazy days of summer when the BNP went to Glastonbury.

Back in June, as I have been doing for many a long year now, I packed my ruck-sack, tent and sleeping bag and trundled off to the Glastonbury festival. The festival is much different to what it was when I first went back in 1979, when only several days prior to the festival taking place I decided to attend. I thought I would initially check to see if there were any tickets available and my first port of call was to check the telephone directory to see if there was a number listed for Worthy Farm in Pilton, the site for the festival. Fortunately there was and I rang the number. The phone was actually answered by Michael Eavis, the owner of the farm and the organiser of the festival, who advised me to just turn up and get a ticket on the gate. In more recent times the ticketing arrangements have been handled by an agency with a highly convoluted system for obtaining tickets. Despite all of this we managed to obtain tickets this year and managed as always to see some great bands, highlights over the years are many and have included The Only Ones, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, The Darkness and this year, The Who.

The festival is about more than just the music though, you can actually attend the festival and have plenty to do without even seeing a band, some of the events taking place in the open air and others under cover. This year more time was spent under cover than not as the weather was actually not summery at all as it pretty much poured with rain the whole weekend. I think the picture below, taken from inside a tent illustrates this quite well!

At the festival one of the areas I make a point of visiting every year is the Left Field, this is actually a very big tent with a stage in one end and many politically orientated and trade union stalls arranged along the sides. The name of the tent actually gives away the leanings of those that are to be found within, but my particular interest is to see how much anti-BNP activity goes on to provide some indication of how much of a threat to their cosy little world they see us to be. This year I was pleased then to see that they found us to be a very big threat indeed! The next picture shows me having a good look at one of the stalls, I think this was the Unite against Fascism one, as I seem to recall that fine example of British man-hood, Weyman Bennett being present (at the back in the corner) and I was pleased to see he was spittle -free. I am the one at the front of the stall incidentally, though you may have deduced that already. You might think, from this photo, that they were doing great business but remember that the weekend was notable for the amount of rain that fell.

Despite this however, and the fact that a tent would be a good place to shelter in the circumstances, together with the added bonus that there was a band on as well, you might think the tent would have been bursting at the seams. Well, there you would be quite wrong and to illustrate what a spent-force UAF and all of the other pitiful anti-BNP organisations are, just have a look at the picture below – not exactly heaving is it?

Well, there you go, there should be nothing stopping us should there?

So, on that note, I will wish all readers a very happy Christmas and ask that you spare a thought at this time for those of us who are less fortunate than others and also remember those here who are no longer with us. Merry Christmas!

Any Christians Out There?

It looks like I am back on the blogging scene on a regular basis, having taken advantage of a buy now pay later offer from a well-known retailer. In a way I feel that I have to apologise for inflicting you all with my ramblings but in another I am quite pleased to have the freedom to write and publish as and when I wish. It certainly allows me the option of near instant publishing which is quite satisfying. So, I can publicly thank Father Christmas, but I won't be needing a PC now so he can now give the one he had set aside for me to another lucky person, at least I won’t have to sit on his knee. Ho Ho Ho!

I read today that the apparently once very straight-laced Women’s Institute is urging members to ban prayers from carol concerts. Jane Harris, one of their regional chairmen, has said that prayers were “not appropriate” because many WI members are not Christian. Now, I wouldn’t say I was a religious person but I was brought up in the Christian tradition when we took part in morning assembly at school when prayers and hymns were sung and the traditional carol service at Christmas when carols and prayers were part and parcel of the event. Additionally there was the nativity play held at all schools. Incidentally, I must say how pleased I was, when driving through Calne last weekend to see an open air nativity play complete with real donkey. Whoever was responsible should be congratulated for maintaining this tradition in such a format and lets hope it continues for many years to come. Despite my lack of religion, these events always gave those involved a certain feeling of togetherness and created some structure and order in the day. It seems that changing these events has removed the feelings of belonging and the sense of order and has replaced them with a selfish over-indulgence and the shallow celebrity worship. It is also interesting to note that Nick Clegg, the new Tony Blair/Dave Cameron clone replacement Lib Dem leader has publicly stated that he does not believe in God. Fair enough, I suppose, if he doesn’t, but I’m sure he has alienated many of his supporters by saying so. Great start Nicky boy, keep it up, let’s see if we can make it 4 leaders in as many years shall we?

I am sure all of the politically-correct fascists are very happy at all of this as they can rest easy in the knowledge that no-one will be offended at Christmas as a result of Christians worshiping in the way they have for hundreds of years. It’s just a shame they do not seem to realise that Christmas is a Christian festival and the majority of people in this country are, in fact, Christian, well they are for now anyway. I trust those responsible for this political correct attitude will be spending their Christmas Day doing nothing different from that which they do every other day. I would hate to think they were enjoying themselves on the most important day of the year in the Christian calendar!

I’m pleased to say that I am almost ready for Christmas despite a bit of a late start. I have grand plans to get organised much earlier next year and hopefully have all the presents and preparations well in hand long before the winter. We’ll see how it goes!

Reaction To BNP Activity In Calne Is Remarkable

The reaction to our activity in Calne has been quite remarkable. As well as the coverage reported on Monday, an item has also now appeared in Swindon’s local paper, The Swindon Advertiser this week. Swindon is almost twenty miles from Calne yet it is still considered newsworthy there, see the link here.

One thing I find interesting about these reports are the comments made by those members of the public that are actually allowed to register with the site to make comments. It seems that those written in support of the BNP are quite rational on the whole, whilst those that are against us feel they have to go off on a rant and become abusive. I wonder how many of those who are against us have ever looked at any literature or the party web-site or have ever spoken to any of our members and how many are just uninformed bigots. I would imagine that the majority of negative comments made originate from the latter. All very brave when they are anonymous, I wonder how they would cope in open debate.

Anyway, both of the leaflets currently being distributed in Calne are being received by the public very well indeed, except of course, by those who feel it useful to waste police time in reporting the fact. Just to avoid confusion I have copied below the text of the local leaflet we have been distributing, which contains reference to our local PO Box number which is

PO Box 3275, CALNE, Wiltshire, SN11 8WJ.

Page 1

Calne Patriot
Defending British Freedom, Security, Identity and Democracy

A BELATED THANK YOU!

The May local elections now seem to be a dim and distant memory but we haven’t forgotten the support we received in those elections and would like to say a big thank you to those of you who voted for us and those of you who contacted us from the wards for which we had no candidates and offered us your support.

We achieved a total of 378 votes in the three wards, (Abberd, Quemerford and Lickhill), where we stood for Calne Town Council and 91 votes, 13% of the total, for the Abberd Ward of North Wilts District Council. This was the first time we had stood in Quemerford and Lickhill and the third time in Abberd (including a by-election). In Abberd the vote percentage increased by 38% over that received in 2003, which was very encouraging.

Next time we intend to stand even more candidates and are planning our campaign already so all Calne voters will have the opportunity to vote BNP.

It may be of interest that we now have more than 75 Councillors across the country and this total is increasing regularly as we contest by-elections as they arise. The BNP will be contesting the Wiltshire Council elections and also both the General Election and the Euro-elections when they take place so there will be plenty of opportunities to show your support for the party.

Much needs to be done, so if you believe, as we do, that we need to once more see Britain as a great nation and preserve our traditions, heritage and culture for our children then please complete the coupon overleaf and join with us.

You will be very welcome.

Autumn 2007 Edition

Calne Patriot is printed, published and promoted by the
British National Party, PO Box 3275, CALNE, Wiltshire, SN11 8WJ

Page 2

British National Party
The Voice of the Silent Majority

1,000s of forward-thinking and decent British people in Britain are helping to build the BNP. The stronger we are the more likely it will be that Gordon Brown and his cronies will have to stop talking about the problems faced by this country and actually start doing something.

If the main parties put as much energy and finance into addressing the real concerns, issues and problems of local communities, as they do into international and minority issues, there would be no need for the BNP!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Join the British National Party today and
give the people of Calne and Britain a voice.

Why not list your concerns below, send them to us and see if we can help you?



 Please send me a free information pack from the BNP
 Please add me to the local BNP Voice of Freedom newspaper round
 I would like to help my local BNP
 I would like to join the BNP, please send me details

Name:……………………………………………………………………………

Address:…………………………………………………………………………

Telephone No.:…………………….. Email: ……………..………..………..

Please send to:
The Secretary, PO Box 3275, CALNE, Wiltshire, SN11 8WJ

Page 3

Introducing:-

The BNP Helping Hands Team

We are here and prepared to help our community.

If you are having problems or concerns in your area that others seem unable to help you with then contact the

British National Party Helping Hands Team

by calling us on

07747 628051

(if we are busy then please leave your name and number and someone will call you back later in the day)

or alternatively write to

Helping Hands Team (Calne)
C/o PO Box 3275,
CALNE,
Wiltshire,
SN11 8WJ

We may not be able to sort out the problem for you but we will do our best to help.

The British National Party is the Voice of the Silent Majority so if you would like to use that voice both locally and nationally, consider a change, consider a party that WILL listen to you and WILL address your concerns without fear of being constrained by the curse of political correctness.

The British National Party is here for you!

Page 4

Where We Stand
– British National Party policy

Crime: A crack-down on crime with more ‘Bobbies on the Beat’. Tougher treatment of criminals, including the return of the death penalty for child killers and terrorists. Zero tolerance for drug-dealers and violent thugs.


Violent crime in Wiltshire has risen by 23% in the past year a Home Office survey has revealed. The British Crime Survey found there were 8,369 violent offences, including 580 sexual offences in Wiltshire in 2005-2006.

Despite this, Wiltshire Police said the county remained one of the safest places to live in England, the second safest, in fact.

The British National Party believes that your average “Bobby” wants to do a good job but despite

The Wiltshire Police Authority element of your council
tax increasing by 4.9% this year (5% last year),

they are being hampered by

Home Office farcical attempts to restructure of police forces
– (now abandoned!)

Difficulties in accessing the police – different contacts for
reporting “minor” crime.

Politically-correct management and excessive red tape.

Seemingly increasing petty crime in Calne.

The British National Party believe that Brown and his politically-correct cronies should stop tinkering with existing perfectly adequate laws and make sure they are properly enforced and criminals properly punished. Let the police get on and do what they are there to do. This Government need to get their priorities right and put the victims of crime first!

END

I know there are people in areas we have not yet visited, who are requesting the leaflets and other literature, so if anyone reading this falls into that category just let me know your location and we will see this area is covered.

Robert Baggs Blogspot = Source of News

I have been inundated with messages of support this week as a result of various items that have appeared in the local press, so as I am unable to thank everyone via the Wiltshire Gazette comments section, I will do so here. Thank you for your support, it has been very welcome and very encouraging to know there are so many of you that believe in what we are doing.

As said I would have put this message on the comments section in the Gazette, but along with many other local BNP members and activists we are blocked from registering on the site. Free press? You’ve got to be joking, what are they afraid of?

Anyway, it seems my blogspot is now a source of news for the local press, so at least someone is reading it. Some of you may have read my story about the rapidly developing soap opera starring local UKIP supporters here in Calne. On Thursday 6th December, I reported here about the resignation of my Aunt, Mercy Baggs, from UKIP and lo and behold in the Wiltshire Gazette on Thursday 13th the following article appeared, here. Nice to see I have an acknowledgement. It’s also nice to see that local UKIP’ers are panicking about the situation. Local organiser John Ireland is less than pleasant in his remarks, which I suppose you could expect considering he was instrumental in the departure of Mercy. Additionally, denials of any spat abound from other party members, funny that as they were actually present during the incident.

Another mention in the press was reported to me by a local supporter. This time the Wiltshire Times are responsible with their report “Police reassure public over BNP leaflet claims”. Unfortunately the report isn’t available on the paper’s web-site so I can’t link it but it starts “The British National Party has been posting leaflets canvassing for members in Calne over the past week. The leaflet claims that robberies, muggings and sexual assaults have increased in the town.” It later adds “Wiltshire police is a non-political organisation. However, we are aware of certain information which has been circulating within Calne”. There is more but these two selections are interesting. The first because the leaflet we have been putting out, over a lot more than a week (!) is this one crime leaflet (here). Now, I might not be the sharpest nail in the toolbox but can’t see the word “Calne” anywhere in the leaflet. If anyone else can please let me know. The second point is that the police, although a “non-political organisation” have been made aware of the leaflet. I wonder if they are also made aware of all other leaflets that circulate within Calne.

This story developed further when on Friday the local Calne reporter on the Wiltshire Gazette rang me as she had had calls from several locals complaining about the leaflet. After a chat with her the following report appeared on the paper’s web-site here. Again, several interesting points arise. Firstly, “…furious residents complained to police after the BNP pushed propaganda through their door”. Furious??? As a result of the above leaflet? I’d hate to think how they would react if they received something offensive…. but then with no Labour party in the town I suppose that is unlikely! Next, we see a local landlord, picked at random (?), suggesting we “are not showing our true colours”. Presumably the landlord has seen our web-site and realises we have a whole raft of policies about every issue that every other party has and feels we are under-selling ourselves – just have a look at http://www.bnp.org.uk/ to see what I mean. (The membership application is in the post Richard).

Now to a very interesting bit – remember above, the police stated they are “a non-political organisation”, well, the Gazette report says “Police sent the leaflet, which has a form to fill in and send off to know more about the party, to the town council”. Why? Why would a non-political organisation send a copy of a totally legal leaflet to the town council? Would it be they agree with it? Are the local police to be counted amongst our many members within the police force who have to remain anonymous for fear of losing their jobs? Probably not. As this seems to be happening in other parts of the country I can only assume that the police have received orders from above such that the BNP have to be obstructed from carrying out perfectly legal activities as one would expect from a perfectly legally registered political party. The thing is that the more they do this the more the public can see we are right and come to join us.

If this blog appears to be knocking the police then believe me we are fully behind the hard-working average copper. The ones we have a gripe with are the ones at the top who seem to be more concerned with acting in the interests of political correctness and this fascist Labour government than dealing with anti-social behaviour – their response to this leaflet proves my point.

Finally, a comment found on the Gazette item from “kathy27” summed it all up really and certainly caused me to laugh out loud, she commented “HELP! I need to call the police, I’ve just had a Somerfields leaflet through my door”.

Enough said really.

Provisional Plans For Calne By-election

Sorry I haven’t blogged for a few days, the absence of a computer is one problem but I have also been biting my tongue with regard to another that some readers will understand and others will not. So, for now it is business as usual and “no comment”.

Provisional plans are in hand for fighting the Lickhill Ward by-election in Calne, should we decide to do so. The nomination papers are due on Friday 4th January so by Monday 7th we will know who is contesting the election, which will take place on Thursday 31st January. As those involved in politics know, and probably those who aren’t could hazard a guess, but this isn’t the best time of year to have an election as there is the once very popular Christian festival known as Christmas due any day now. For those readers who aren’t sure what Christmas is, you may know it as Winterval, Winter Holiday or some other non-threatening, all inclusive title apparently created to appease all colours, creeds etc., etc., but primarily introduced to upset those British people who value their true heritage, customs and traditions. At infant’s school I was Joseph in the nativity play, when this actually meant something and every school held one. This year I was asked if I knew where I could borrow a flat cap as “my son is in the Christmas play”. Don’t recall a flat cap being required in my day, a dressing gown, towel and piece of cord were all that was required. It just makes me wonder what my grandparents and their contemporaries, who fought two World Wars in order to retain the freedoms that those who can remember we once held dear, would think of the once Great Britain they knew and loved. With our once great country spiralling deeper each day down into, what, only twenty or thirty years ago would have been classed a Third World country, I am sure they would have been ashamed at what politicians have done to destroy this nation. Not only are they destroying the very fabric of our society with standards of healthcare, education and law and order falling, the true British race itself is in decline, don’t just take my word for it read the report from the government’s national statistics office here.

As I forecast in an earlier blog, the way things are going I foresee massive civil unrest occurring by way of a backlash to what is happening. If anyone doubts the words of the late and great Enoch Powell in his famous “Rivers of Blood” speech, then they are surely not living in the real world. It may already be too late to save what is left but I would like to think that in the next 30 years we could at lease give it a go and salvage most of what could be good about this country again. 30 years may seem like a great deal of time, but, believe me, at my age with time passing as quickly as it does, it will soon come around and when it does and if nothing has been done, the consequences are not worth thinking about. Remember, that you and I may have passed on by then but our children and grand-children will be the ones who have to deal with it. When you are enjoying your Christmas festivities with family and friends, just look at the younger members of your family and imagine what the future may hold for them and if you feel like I do, make a New Year’s resolution to actually do something about it here.

UKIP In Turmoil

Calne isn’t a particularly well known town outside of North Wiltshire and to outsiders is probably seen as a fairly sleepy market town. It does, however, have its fair share of political upset. Today I learned that the local UKIP organisation is in turmoil as Mercy Baggs, who holds a seat on the Town Council has resigned from the party to become an Independent. Apparently she has done so in disgust at being verbally abused by a member of her own party. Mrs Baggs (yes, my Aunt), has been a Town Councillor for many years and was responsible for starting and running the towns successful drop-in centre for school-age children and consequently is well respected in the town as a councillor who is prepared to actually do something about the problems in the town rather than just talk about them, so I am sure UKIP will be devastated with her decision.

I have never really understood what UKIP are all about and feel that despite having a fair few MEPs, elected in 2004, they have made no impact in bringing the failures of the EU into the public arena, in the same way that the BNP have, for example, brought the immigration issue to the forefront of political debate, with all parties now actively making noises about their concerns, but actually doing nothing about the situation. I am sure everyone is now aware of the allegations regarding the illegal donations accepted by the Labour party but who is aware of the problems UKIP are having?

If ever I have had any control over finances I have always ensured transparency where it is required so find it extraordinary that UKIP apparently refuses to publish details of their MEP’s EU expenses and allowance claims, sums that can potentially be in the order of £100,000 to £200,000! It seems they are no different from Labour, the Lib-Dems and the Conservatives and perhaps worse as I seem to recall they used to make quite a thing about “openness” and “accountability” in public life. I understand there to be a growing demand from the party’s grassroots members, not only to know how much money has been claimed since 2004, but also to know how it has been spent. Additionally members want to know the connection, if any, between the claiming of EU allowances and expenses, said to amount to several million pounds, and the threat of an OLAF, (no I’d never heard of that either, but see here) investigation into UKIP’s financial affairs that the media claimed earlier this year was hanging over the party here. It is also alleged that UKIP are using their allowances to pay the salaries of UKIP officials and organisers which is apparently illegal. Perhaps that is why the MEPs are having no effect, as they are aware OLAF is watching them and they are frightened to upset the EU applecart for fear of OLAF pouncing. We shall see and if true oh shall we laugh!

UKIP - There They Were Again!

There they were again! UKIP representatives popping up in the national media yet again. This time the fluffed up, pompous buffoon Nigel Farage, UKIP leader pops up on the November 29th edition of BBC’s Question Time on which there was much debate about the visit by British National Party Leader Nick Griffin to Oxford University and it’s impact on freedom of speech issues.

On Thursday 8th November, Nigel Farage was also a guest on BBC Five Live’s “major debate on ‘Immigration’”. Apparently the same issue was debated on BBC2’s Newsnight at the same time.

Over the last month UKIP representatives seem to have been quite in demand, strange really for a party that is essentially just a hollow shell. Peter Roberts, UKIP’s PPC for Telford recently appeared on Channel 4’s Dispatches programme which examined the causes of congestion and the governments proposals for a road pricing scheme. Talk 107fm interviewed UKIP Treasurer Marta Andreasen on 18th November, following the publication of the EU accounts and 25th November saw Peter Wyatt, Chairman of UKIP’s Fishing Policy Review Group discussing the dumping of dead fish in the sea as a result of EU quota’s. Previous interviewees have included Nigel Farage, David Lamb (Pensions and Benefits Policy Review Group), Paul Henke (UKIP Scotland Chairman), Gerald Batten (UKIP MEP and candidate for London Mayor) and Richard Heslip (Defence Policy Review Group). Further UKIP guests are also in the pipeline.

Admittedly UKIP have several MEPs so the media outlets would presumably argue this to be the reason why they are given a platform, but recent history needs to be examined, as the MEPs were elected in 2004 and no significant elections have been won by them since. Recent local council by-elections have been absolute disasters. On the 15th November, for example, in Lincolnshire ’s Heighington and Washingborough Ward, UKIP achieved just 52 votes or 3.6% of the poll, down almost 8% on the 11.3% achieved in last May’s election. The full result was:-

Conservatives 877
Labour 206
Lib-Dems 137
BNP 126
UKIP 52
Independent 21

Since then UKIP has shown they can at least beat the Labour Party, the full results for the by-election in Winchester ’s Wickham Ward being:-

Lib Dems 634
Conservatives 359
UKIP 40
Labour 15

It seems that in the 30-plus elections held since last May, the EU-funded, “anti-EU” party have only reached double figures, in percentage terms, on a couple of occasions and failed to beat the BNP anywhere. No wonder, UKIP members are telling me they are so disillusioned with what is happening to their party. The internal party wrangles continue to cause much unrest, (more of this to come), and with such abysmal election results I am surprised Nigel Farage has the gall to appear in public at all, but do not despair, we can rely on the media to puff them up – though I doubt there is any substance in the rumour that the list of has-beens to be approached as participants for the next series of “I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here” includes our Nigel, although it is alleged he has been using that phrase of late….!

Short and Sweet and a Teddy Called Mo

A short and sweet offering today I am afraid, as the non-availability of a computer is beginning to prove a real problem. I have just written out my Christmas list and hopefully Santa will bring me a nice shiny new one… or perhaps he won’t!

I have several updates on previous blogs, the first and most important of which is to the story in my blog for Tuesday 27th November which advised of the story regarding the arrest of British teacher Gillian Gibbons for naming a teddy bear Mohammed (I think I spelt it Muhammad previously – which is correct?). Mrs Gibbons appeared in court in Khartoum today to face charges of inciting religious hatred. It is reported that 54 year old Mrs Gibbons looked tired and distressed but was not hand-cuffed and was escorted into the court by around 20 police officers. The prosecutor-general said Mrs Gibbons could expect a swift and fair trial under Sudanese law. The sentence, if found guilty, could be 6 months imprisonment, a fine and/or 40 lashes. The more extreme members of Islam were demanding her execution!Journalists were unable to enter the court, prevented from doing so by riot police, embassy officials nor her legal team were also initially prevented from entering although they were later allowed in. There has been international condemnation of the arrest and it remains to be seen as to what the outcome will be. It should be remembered thought that we are talking about a middle-aged female teacher being put on trial for naming a teddy bear Mohammed. Anyone want Islamic Law here?

Fortunately there are a couple of items I can add here that are less ridiculous although the first of these is none the less very interesting. My blog entry for Thursday 15th November mentioned the problems experienced with the selective reporting of the Wiltshire Gazette, the local weekly newspaper we see in Calne. It seems it is not only the BNP that suffer from this. At a meeting of Calne Town Council on Monday, concern was also expressed about this unbalanced reporting, if interested the minutes can be seen HERE – item 66.1 refers!

Finally on a more pleasant note, in my blog of Tuesday 16th October I mentioned what a wonderful village Lacock is. Some readers may already know, but if not, have a look at the splendid BBC series Cranford, based on the Elizabeth Gaskell novels, as Lacock is where it was filmed.

Threats To Democracy

I had to check that it wasn't April Fools Day as I read the story of a British school teacher being arrested in Sudan accused of insulting those who follow Islam for allowing pupils to name a teddy bear Muhammad. Perhaps the bear should have been named Jesus and then the pathetic but very serious situation she now finds herself in could have been avoided. Gillian Gibbons apparently made an innocent mistake in letting her infant pupils name the bear. Why, it’s just a name and it’s just a bear, for Christ’s sake!

I am sure boxer, Muhammad Ali, is thanking the Lord that he never went to Sudan to box. He would never have left the country alive. As it is seen as an insult to attempt to make an image of the prophet, Ms Gibbons could be sent to prison for six months, suffer 40 lashes or be fined for charges under article 125 of their criminal law which covers insults against faith and religion. The school at which she taught is now closed until January for fear of reprisals. Of the 23 children in the class 20 chose the name Muhammad. I think this is what is called democracy.

Why do these people continue to go to Islamic countries knowing how intolerant they are and with this misguided vision of converting these people to our way of life? It’s not going to happen, we should leave the Muslims to live their own way of life in their own country and stop interfering.

Talking of democracy and free speech, it is interesting to see the type of people trying to prevent Nick Griffin from addressing students at Oxford last night.




Pictures I have seen, where faces weren’t covered, have been mainly of young students. Oh and the well-know TV celebrity cat, Respect politician and honorary Muslim, George Galloway was also present. It’s always been the student’s way to protest but I wonder how many of them live in the real world and how many are from privileged backgrounds with no real understanding of what the hard-working Brit has to put up with when faced with the pressures of modern life that result from the failed attempt at creating a multi-cultural utopia. I wonder how many of those protesting have actually looked at the BNP web-site or have even read any leaflets or BNP publications. Don’t you call people who make up their minds about something without any evidence “bigots”?

If anyone has heard Nick Griffin speak they would understand that he actually says nothing that could be considered offensive and is usually quite mild, in fact, when compared to what you can hear in pubs, clubs, in the street and even from those who consider the BNP racist and offensive. It seems that the so called anti-fascists cry for no platform for the BNP has failed. In the words of Simon Darby “No platform is no more”.

Goodbye Alan

The centre of Calne was at it's busiest last night as thousands of people filled the Strand and surrounding streets for the annual lantern parade and pre-Christmas festivities. Children from local schools and community groups have spent recent weeks creating their lanterns in readiness for the parade which was led by Father Christmas closely followed by a coach and horses which could have been taken straight from a Dicken's novel. Bringing up the rear was the local samba band - where the local silver band playing traditional Christmas carols got to I don't know, perhaps we'll see them next year. Many stalls selling food and mulled wine lined the streets with and the shops stayed open late. I spent the evening with friends bumping into old friends and very much enjoying the community atmosphere which, seems these days to be a bit of a rarity. I even saw some police officers, one of whom advised me I should not be drinking alcohol on the streets, as there is a ban in force! I don't know whether it was just me he spoke to or whether he also spoke to the hundreds of other people drinking mulled wine but it was all in good humour. I met and chatted with many local councillors and learnt a few things about the forthcoming by-election, bought a hot dog from one councillor, (my Aunt actually and I still didn't get any discount), and was criticised by another for the amount of mustard on it.

Talking of family reminded me to mention the situation regarding driving licences for the over 70s. Recently a relative discovered that her driving licence had expired and on passing this information on discovered a friends also had, subsequently we discovered another relatives had also expired. It seems likely this is a common occurrence so if any readers know any drivers aged over 70, ask them to check their driving licence. Once a driver reaches 70 they need to renew their licence every 3 years. It seems that no reminders are sent out by our caring government which again shows they are either incompetent or just do not care if the over 70s have a valid driving licence or not. If the driver with no licence wanted to make an insurance claim I presume the insurance company would have every right to refuse. Might be worth a check!

I was also discussing today, the weeks appalling football match as mentioned in an earlier blog. One of the methods for improving footballing standards amongst our young, you might think would be through the football academies introduced in recent years. Apparently however, unless you live within 90 miles of one of these you are not eligible to sign up. As a consequence of this not all places are being filled so what is happening? Well, you might have guessed that these places are being filled with foreign players to the extent that British players at these academies are in the minority. If anyone thinks the standard of football amongst our own people is going to improve and we are going to win the next world cup then I suggest you think again. We are in a qualifying group with Croatia by the way, so it will at least be interesting.

Finally, yesterday morning saw the lying to rest of our friend and comrade Alan Lill. Despite the cold and remoteness of the crematorium there was a good turnout to see Alan off. With his coffin draped in a cross of St George flag and stirring patriotic music I can’t help feeling Alan would have been watching and feeling that he had had a good send off. The service itself was very emotional with a particularly moving tribute from Chris Deacon, with whom Alan had spent his last days and also one by Mike Howson, our Regional Organiser. Fittingly we ended by singing Jerusalem despite the emotion.

Goodbye Alan, rest assured we’ll keep the flag flying.

England Had A Good Football Team Once

Apparently there was a football match on Wednesday…..

You may have heard….

If not, England played their last game in the qualifying group for the Euro 2008 football tournament and lost 3 goals to 2 to Croatia. As a result we failed to qualify for the finals next year and were third in a table of seven that included such reknowned footballing nations as Israel, FYR Macedonia, Estonia and Andorra and of course Croatia and Russia. England should have been top of this table and beaten all of these teams easily, but no, they failed to do so and have brought shame on our country and embarrassment for all of those that like to follow the national team. If the group had contained teams like France, Germany and Italy it might be excusable but I don’t even know where Macedonia or Estonia are and isn’t Andorra a county pretending to be a country?

The FA is looking very seriously at this situation and has already sacked Mr. McLaren the team coach. Will they actually do anything else or are they just blustering their way through a very difficult period to cover up the fact that they are as much to blame as anyone else for letting the situation get to this in the first place.

If they do not look seriously at the following suggestions and take some positive action then they also should be sacked:-

Point 1 – All footballers deemed good enough to play for England should be told they may only play for the pride of being selected for and representing England. Payment will be made on results – if they win they get a bonus.

Point 2 – The coach / manager of the England team should be English. It’s difficult to bring to mind anyone that is up to the job but there must be someone somewhere who is!

Point 3 – Limit the number of foreign players in English league football clubs, how can Chelsea or Arsenal, for example call themselves English teams if their English players are a small minority of the total squad?

Point 4 – The Government should pressurise the FA to bring back the Home International tournament. All British teams could then get some practice in! Would we, however, have to adjust the tournament to include Poland…?

Then once the Home Internationals were back in place, why stop there? Bring back the Royal Tournament and all other events that this Government have deemed no longer have a place in the modern Britain.

You never know, they may, with a bit of luck, bring back competitive sports in schools, national service and capital punishment. Now who would be brave enough…..?

Oh Ken, What Do You Look Like?

It’s dismal in Calne, it’s pouring with rain, it’s dark and it’s cold. There isn’t a great deal in the news to cheer anyone up either.

What would the general public think if a VIP from an Asian or African country visiting this country donned an outfit in the belief that it was out of some misguided show of respect? An example perhaps could have been the wearing of a top hat and the carrying of a briefcase and a brolly by the Saudi king during his recent visit. I think the vast majority of us would find it at least mildly amusing, so why do VIPs from this country feel that they have to do this when on visits abroad? I can only assume Ken Livingstone is following in the steps of the Beatles. I suggest you look for yourselves here.

My blog on Wednesday 31st October discussed potential problems with the quantities of data now being stored on computers. Today I hear that confidential details of 15 million child benefit recipients contained on computer discs have been lost by HM Revenue and Customs, already prompting the resignation of chairman Paul Gray. The records contain names, addresses and bank account details so this is not a trivial affair. It will be interesting to hear what Alistair Darling says in his emergency Commons statement this afternoon. Will he resign, particularly as ministers have apparently known about this for over a week? If, as is possible, the data on the discs are used for identity fraud, the potential for making large amounts of money is apparent. Having yesterday made another emergency statement in the commons regarding the Northern Rock fiasco perhaps it’s time to bring back Gordon Brown, at least his eyebrows were the same colour as his hair….

The number of Polish people in this country, is, the Government keep telling us, not as many as we think. If that is the case, then why is an average of 13-14 Polish babies born here every day? With the NHS unable to maintain cleanliness in hospitals and 25% of children leaving primary schools unable to read or write then how on earth are we ever going to relieve the pressure on our schools, hospitals, and benefits system by burdening it with foreigners. The news most definitely undermines Government claims about the exact scale of East European migration, with official records indicating the number of Poles registered to live and work in Britain being 230,000, but with actual numbers estimated at up to a million.

I know who I believe has the only solution to the problems in this country but unfortunately there is massive opposition to that solution – see details of the mass demonstration of those not wishing to allow the BNP their right to free speech at their Blackpool Conference – blog entry for Sunday 18th November refers here!

BNP Annual Conference

The British National Party Annual Conference took place in Blackpool over this last weekend, not that you would have known so if you had to rely on the mass media. Their gagging by the “powers that be” becomes more and more pathetic as they refuse to report anything about the party for fear of helping increase their popularity even further. Fortunately this seems to be having the opposite effect as membership is up and hits to the party web-site ensure the site is the most popular political website in the country.

Reports from the left-wing anti-BNP types suggest that the conference was a flop. To see what really happened have a look HERE. I was unable to attend for various reasons, so Calne was not represented, although Wiltshire was and I am looking forward to hearing all about it. The fact that the mass media didn’t report on the conference is simply irksome but does re-affirm the belief that we do not have a free press in this country. The conferences of the big three parties were reported, as you would expect, but I also saw reports regarding those of the Green Party, UKIP and Respect, the latter two of who’s conferences are likely to be their last. UKIP is struggling, an email I recently received from a UKIP insider said

“….. every UKIP meeting I have been to is stuffed with old duffers - they are simply not a credible party that is linked to the wider electorate. I have asked our local UKIP branch on a number of occasions to give up and join the BNP, but they refused. Instead, they left UKIP and are now a free-floating association who doesn't have a party to vote for. Most strange.….”.

Most strange indeed! Respect is even worse having squabbled amongst themselves and essentially split in two. The reason why the BNP are given no coverage is obvious to me in that, they are seen as a major threat to the comfy, stable political scene that this country has put up with for so long and there are many politicians who fear that this comfortable life they now experience is threatened. Too right, they have had it too easy for too long!

Whilst the BBC do not report on the BNP they are increasingly reporting on the injustices that occur in the Middle East . The last paragraph in my blog of Thursday 1st November showed my unhappiness with how this country had welcomed the Saudi king here and allowed him to lecture to us on terrorism, whilst we did not take the opportunity to lecture to him on his country’s human rights record. I wonder if the story on the BBC website on Friday would have made any difference to our cowardly politicians. The BBC reported that a Saudi woman was punished as a result of her violating laws on segregating of the sexes after she was gang-raped. Her lawyer was sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in jail as a result. As a result of her appeal her initial sentence of 90 lashes was doubled and her lawyer was suspended. Hard to believe isn’t it? See Saudi Rape if you doubt me. If that’s what Islamic Law is all about then any right-minded woman (and man, for that matter) must find it abhorrent and something we most certainly do not want in this land of ours.

Children In Need, Indeed!

Here in Calne yesterday, I didn’t notice too much Children in Need activity although I am quite sure there was some. I think all of us feel the need to give a little to those less fortunate than ourselves and I am sure the majority of causes are very worthy in their own way. However, it came as something of a surprise to receive an email advising of certain alleged lucky recipients of funds contributed during the 2004 Children in Need event. I like to check my facts before I simply pass on information I receive so I contacted the Children in Need charity via their web-site to ask for details of those charities benefiting from the 2004 event. Being a charity you would think that they would be only to willing to respond with the information requested. However this is the response I received:-

Dear Robert,

Thank you for your e-mail. Unfortunately, this information is not currently in the public domain, and as such, unfortunately we are unable to provide you with the information. I am sorry if this comes as a disappointment to you, but the previous two years' grant details are available on our website, as previously stated.

Kind regards, Kate Database Information Assistant
BBC Children in Need Appeal

Very odd, I thought. If I had donated money I would like to know where it went, so I am a little suspicious as to why the information is not forthcoming. Consequently I forwarded the email to those responsible for administering the Freedom of Information Act. Apparently, according to their web-site, charities are largely exempt from the Act and therefore do not have to provide the information so we may never know. A formal response has not yet been received but when it is I will post it.

Anyway, here are a couple of the charities together with funds received, that were referred to in the email I received, whether or not they were those benefiting from the 2004 event remains to be seen.

Albanian Youth Action £41,040
Somali Teaching Group £5,670
Anjali Dance Company £5,800
Hounslow Asian & African Youth Association £15,300
Central African Youth in Enfield £4,680
Kurdish Children and Youth Centre £5,000
Greenwich Vietnam Community Youth Art Group £2,350
Oneg Shabbos Youth Club £6,200
Sudanese Children Centre £9,000
Afghan Youth Association £5,000

There were many more but I couldn’t be sure they were related to children hence possible doubts that I have that they were related to the Children in Need event. Nevertheless, I am sure they are all worthy causes but not causes that do anything to nurture this all-inclusiveness multi-cultural society we are so often told is a wonderful thing.

Now, I am happy to donate to charity if I know where my money is going and how it is going to be spent so when I am well off I will do my bit and contribute to a charity of my choice not someone elses.

I do find it a little hard to swallow, with all these well-publicised national charity events, which so many extremely rich celebrities spout off about the importance of digging deep and giving money. I work hard and am not well off so if I give any money to anyone it comes with a bit of pain. If these celebrities feel as strongly as they seem to do then would it give them much pain by donating money? When you hear multi-millionaires asking for my money I am sure that I would be more inclined to give if I knew they had given a substantial sum themselves. After all, when you earn millions, the odd million wouldn’t be missed surely. So, message to all the people that have made it big as a result of the public buying their records, watching their films and supporting their sports - prove you really do care and donate just one months earnings and let’s see what a difference that makes, just to disprove the fact that, perish the thought, you are really involved for your own publicity.

Reporting Standards of the Wiltshire Gazette

It seems the Wiltshire Gazette have already lost out on a new subscriber! I suggested in my blog on 13th November, that if they reported fairly on the Calne Town Council Lickhill Ward by-election due to take place on Thursday 31st January, I would take out a subscription.

With their past track record I shouldn’t have expected anything different than the contents of the column headed “BNP will fight for town seat” in today’s edition. I suppose that’s why their reporters work for them and not the Daily Mail or Telegraph.

Although the quotes are attributed to me it is worth noting the context in which they were made rather than taking them out of context for effect. If anyone doubts what I am saying then ask me for the recording of the conversation I had with reporter Lucy Buckland.

Point 1 - “BNP has vowed to fight for town seat”. I said that all elections we are aware of are considered as possibilities for contending. Until nominations are in and verified on the 4th January nothing is certain.

Point 2 – “Robert Baggs ran in last election and lost”. Usual NUJ spin on this as to be expected and ok, yes, I did receive the least number of votes but see HERE for what really happened.

Point 3 – “Calne has had some problems in the past with a lot of problem families being placed in a certain area. Calne is dumping ground for problem families”. I was asked what I would concentrate on if I was campaigning. Law and order is one issue I mentioned which wasn’t reported on but locals will see our leaflets and know where we stand on this. I also mentioned that Calne has grown rapidly in the last few years and I would like to see the provision of an adequate infrastructure to support this growth. Calne is known for having problem areas and I said it would be helpful if the appropriate level of support was available for those with problems.

Point 4 – “Rumoured to be in the running are Peter Dolman Liberal Democrat and UKIP supporter Ellie Bland”. I have heard this also, I thought incidentally you had to be a party member not a supporter. I have also heard that there is likely to be a Conservative candidate together with a possible Labour and Green candidate, the latter being represented by a local celebrity known as “The Mad Hatter”. If both Labour and the Green stand then the BNP would have no worries about coming last this time having beaten them in the past in Calne!

Talking about mis-information it has been brought to my attention that apparently I was the one who arranged for the election to be called! I have been reliably informed by 2 independent people that John Ireland, the local UKIP organiser, announced that it was me. Sorry folks, not guilty. I think that it is likely that John himself arranged for the election to be called but was loathe to admit as much due to the fact that the seat became vacant in the first place as a result of the UKIP councillor who held it being unable to stay the course.

Whatever happens from here on I hope everyone remembers that the purpose of this by-election is to elect a councillor who will do his best for the people of Calne.

Calne's Lull Before Its Storm

All is quiet in Calne today as regards the Lickhill Ward by-election due in the New Year. I am sure it is just the lull before the storm however I am sure things are going to get a lot more interesting.

On the national political scene there is always something of interest happening. I don’t know how this country would survive without the leadership of Gordon Brown. The Prime Minster has warned that Britain could be hit by terrorist attacks anywhere from any place. Perhaps his parents should have called him Sherlock instead of Gordon. Sherlock was speaking in advance of two major security reviews which, as far as I understand, highlight what must be done to protect the public from possible attacks in crowded locations. Short of banning gatherings of more than half a dozen people I am not sure what proposals are likely to come out of the report. I think that physical protection, similar to the bollards and concrete blocks placed around entrances to busy places may be on the cards but these don’t actually stop suicide bombers. One of the reports, I understand, will give more details of the new uniformed border patrols that will unite the Home Office Border and immigration Agency, Customs and the UK Visas overseas operation. Excellent idea, perhaps this force will be manned by unvetted security personnel and everyone will feel so much safer.

Sherlock also cited the July 7th London bomb attacks where the terrorists, I seem to recall they were Muslim (see yesterday’s blog), did so much damage here and suggested the battle we will have to fight we will be street by street, community by community and year by year. This sounds more like a serious civil uprising than the occasional terrorist attack. What is he saying? Again, if there are serious disturbances I am sure we will rest easy in our beds knowing he is in charge and those that are charged with our protection are equipped in the same way our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq are, or perhaps he will just employ more powerless PCSO’s to maintain order.

Talking of the “nearly” police, I was not totally surprised to hear that there were almost 29,000 complaints made about the “real” police to the Independent Police Complaints Commission in England and Wales last year. This compares to 15,800 in the year prior to it being set up. 29,000 per year equates to just over 79 per day or 1 every 20 minutes! Of these only 1 in 10 of the complaints that was investigated was upheld. The most common complaint was categorised as “neglect or failure in duty”, accounting for 24% of the total closely followed by “incivility, impoliteness or intolerance” at 21%. I know that your average bobby is conscientious and very keen to do the job signed up for but is constantly being hampered by the politically correct leadership they have to work under. These figures indicate to me that they are becoming increasingly frustrated by having their hands tied by the rules and regulations that they have to deal with and are unable to fulfil their traditional role of walking the beat and maintaining law and order. Having to deal with those that have no respect for authority, together with the failure of the judges to sentence criminals appropriately must also be a great demoraliser. For proof of this look at one of the many blogs written anonymously by disgruntled police officers, an example is HERE.

Anyway that’s me done for today, evenin’ all!

Democracy Is Served

Well it looks like democracy has been served and the electorate in the Lickhill Ward of Calne will get their say on who replaces the Calne Town Council seat left vacant by the resignation of UKIP councillor Jill Martin. The time isn’t a good one for elections as we have Christmas to cope with and unless our wonderful government decide to ban it in the next couple of weeks for fear it may offend someone, most people will be pre-occupied with that rather than local politics. Nevertheless, an election is going ahead on Thursday 31st January 2008. The announcement has been made in good time to meet publication deadlines for the local rag, The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald, so there may well be some comment about the election within its pages, as a by-election tends to attract a disproportionate amount of attention when compared with standard election coverage. Let’s hope that they retain impartiality and do not do what many papers do in picking their own particular favourites and reporting adversely on those not favoured. If they do report fairly I might even take out a subscription!

I am particularly looking forward to discovering which candidates will come forward, as when a by-election is rumoured to be likely, local politicians become rather coy suggesting they are not interested. Nominations aren’t due until Friday 4th January so there is plenty of time for things to develop. I can see I will have ample comment for my blogs as a result of this, certainly up to the middle of February anyway.

Having watched highlights of the National Service of Remembrance on BBC2 on Sunday evening I noticed that representatives from all religious denominations were present including a man who looked very much like Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, head of the Muslim Council of Britain. It may not have been him and I sincerely hope it wasn’t. It was Dr Bari who made comments on Saturday, likening Britain to Nazi Germany because of the way in which Muslims are being treated. Why Dr Bari chose to make these comments on the day before Remembrance Sunday is beyond me and he inevitably upset many war widows and veterans who fought the Nazis so this country could be free to allow the likes of Dr Bari to speak freely. It seems to me that Dr Bari’s grasp of history is somewhat confused and that he is seemingly wishing to cloud the issues regarding Muslims here. Yes, the Nazi’s did poison their society resulting in the hatred and totally obscene treatment subsequently received by the Jewish community but I don’t seem to recall the Jews took part in many terrorist atrocities that could have been used by the Nazi’s as an excuse for this treatment. I would like to be corrected if I am wrong, but since the demise of the IRA, haven’t pretty much all terrorist acts in the past few years been perpetrated by Muslims? Perhaps Dr Bari would be happier if we censored the news so that such activities were not reported. Dr Bari would be better engaged in preaching to his own community about the evils of terrorism rather than to us about how we report on the activities of Muslims. If Dr Bari feels persecuted then there is nothing stopping him travelling to a country like Pakistan where Islam is the main religion and the press are free to report about the benefits of Islam, oh, sorry I just remembered the press aren't free at the moment. I think he ought to remember that he is able to live here because Nazism was defeated, if he doesn’t like it he should leave.

Incidentally, if Dr Bari is head of the Muslim Council of Britain, who is the head of the Christian Council of Pakistan……?

We Want A By-election In Calne - I'm Told

Why is it that the older you get the faster time seems to pass? Is there a cure? Perhaps it’s just something that happens to Calne folk. It’s also quite sad that you wish your working week away but wish the weekend to last forever.

This weekend started with lots of phone calls regarding the situation in the potential by-election in Lickhill Ward, Calne. It seems several people are very keen for there to be an election and are sounding out the opposition. You can never be quite sure about the motives of those wishing to stand but I know that as a Calne man, my aim, irrespective of party politics has always been to do my best for the people of Calne. I like Calne and it has been my home for 35 of my 47 years. I went away aged 24 and came back aged 36 and for the 12 years I was away I always knew that I would return. Despite its problems Calne isn’t that bad a place to live, it could be better, but, having experienced life in other communities, I know it could be a great deal worse!

So, come midnight tonight we will know if the required 10 letters have been received to request a by-election and then presumably the gloves will be off. Whatever happens I would like to think that the contest will be a fair one and there will be no disruptive external influence that I have experienced in previous years. It is up to Calne people to decide what is best for them not these quasi-politicians from elsewhere.

Saturday was interesting, my girlfriend and I went down to the coast for the day and ended up in Mudeford. If you’ve never been it’s a splendid little seaside place not far from Bournemouth and despite it’s name isn’t actually muddy. The weather was pleasant, cold and sunny but at least it was dry and it helped that there weren’t too many people about. A highlight of my day at least, (although my girlfriend wasn’t that impressed), was that in the Haven Café on the seafront whilst drinking tea I noticed a familiar face. I’m sure we’ve all done it, seen someone we are sure is a celebrity, but never quite had the certainty to approach them in case it isn’t who you think it might be and you end up looking a plank. Fortunately there was no chance of me looking a plank, no, honest…. as I wouldn’t have intruded on the man’s privacy, but on the table opposite was none other than Ron Harris. No, not the Australian painter with a didgeridoo, but the ex-Chelsea footballer from the sixties and seventies who most males of my generation would be familiar with. I wasn’t a great football fan but I did know a lot of the players then. I suppose it was because, in those days, all of the players that played in Britain were actually British and had pronounceable names. I even googled “Ron Harris” on my mobile phone to check and yes, Chopper (as he was affectionately known, for some reason) Harris it was as I checked him against the photo on my phone. Apparently he has published an auto-biography that has a picture on the cover that left me in no doubt it was he. What with fresh cockles from the seafood stall and fish and chips a bit later on, a splendidly old-fashioned day out was quite perfect.

Talking of footballers, our local vicar, related to the sport in his Sunday sermon at the Remembrance service yesterday. He spoke about the tragic loss of life and of certain qualities that all individuals could have contributed to society, caused by armed conflicts in the past and that sadly continue today. It certainly provoked thoughts of what our society would have been like today should there not have been the wars that we are all too familiar with. Despite the rain there seemed to be more people present at the service and at the wreath–laying than in previous years. This seemed to be borne out by a comment made on the BBCs coverage of the national service of remembrance, that there were more veterans present for the march-past this year than there have been for several years despite nature reducing the numbers from World War II. Let’s hope this continues so that for once a year this country can be united for one cause at least.

To Blog Or Not To Blog?

I have been wondering if blogs are useful or not. I try to update my blog as often as possible but no more than once a day. Even this is a problem until I save up enough pennies to get a new PC, as imposing on friends to use theirs becomes a bit of a pain the longer it goes on. Perhaps Santa will favour me this year with a shiny new one!

Back to the original question, however. To set aside an hour a day to write up a blog is not a great burden and with the correct amount of discipline any of us could find the time to do it. I have mixed feelings about them in as much as they can provide a useful insight into a bloggers thoughts and activities and potentially inspire others to think more about events that occur in their lives. By highlighting issues that people were previously unaware of or didn’t think of in the same way may provoke discussion and debate and stir some to become actively involved with various issues. It seems likely that the more high profile an individual is the greater the potential impact his or her blog may have and can therefore be a very powerful tool indeed. This can be offset however by the fact that the number of “keyboard activists” are many and often very vocal and I wonder what the outcome would be if they spent as much time being physically active as they do on the keyboard.

The other point is that a blogger may not be aware whether his audience is large or small. There seems little point in spending the time blogging if the only person reading the blog is the blogger. With my blog I do have an analytical package that tells me how many viewers I have and roughly where they are from, amongst other things. It is quite encouraging that the number of viewers is steadily increasing but also interesting discovering the approximate whereabouts of the viewer. Obviously the majority of my readership is in the UK but I am very pleased to note that I have readers in the USA, France, Germany, Portugal, Denmark, Canada, Hong Kong, Algeria and Kuwait, although the latter two do give me some cause for concern!

Additionally there is also the concern about whether or not a blogger will find something fresh and interesting to write about on a regular basis, the last thing we want is to suffer from “bloggers block”. However, as this country continues to slide down the slippery slope to oblivion then there should always be something to write about. Whilst there are still those of us who feel as strongly as we do about the changes that are being imposed upon us, we will continue to blog in the hope that others will join us in this struggle we have to try our best to prevent this country from ending up in a position that is beyond help.

I am fortunate as I have done and continue to do my bit here, others are not so fortunate or inclined but so long as I have the opportunity to contribute to saving what I hold dear I will continue to do so. I know that when I am too old and frail to do anything about the situation I will at least be able to look back and feel that I have done my bit. I hope those reading this who feel similarly to me will be able to do the same.

I was going to end here but I think it well worth noting for those locals who read this, that local MP James Gray is in the wars again as disgruntled members of the North Wiltshire Conservative Association have organised a special meeting on Monday, November 19, to again debate the MP's future. More on this over the next few weeks.

Dirty Hospitals - Let's Cut Back On Cleaners

My blog entry on Friday 12th October concerned the infections that occurred in hospitals as a result of poor standards of hygiene and cleanliness. As often happens with these issues they are headline news one day and then disappear only to re-appear some time later when the media deem it newsworthy again because of a different slant that can be given to the story.

Well, that has now happened here. On the local television news last night there was a report, as there was in the local paper, about the local hospital, the Great Western Hospital in Swindon, taking the decision to cut back on cleaners. The story is that the Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust which runs the GWH has declared it’s intention to make savings in the order of £600,000 by cutting down on staff who cook and clean for the hospital. Apparently the bosses at the hospital believe there will be no change in the levels of cleanliness as the remaining staff will work in a more efficient way and some cleaning will be brought back under the control of nurses. I may not understand the processes involved here but I cannot really see that the logic adds up. Less cleaners working more efficiently, nurses cleaning and not nursing! No, sorry, it really doesn’t look like a workable solution, rather another of those plans created solely to save money, not always a bad thing but not if it as the expense of a reduced service.

It doesn’t end here though as apparently infection rates are of concern at the hospital:-

MRSA – the GWH has a target to ensure they have no more than 12 cases for the year. So far this year there have been 14. Target exceeded!

Clostridium Difficile (C Diff) – the GWH has a target of 217 cases for the year. 250 cases have been reported since April. Target exceeded! This “achievement” is apparently slightly worse than average compared to the rest of the country.

I am sure the hospital know that the national publicity has generated a great deal of anxiety about cleanliness and healthcare acquired infections and more people are coming forward when they see something they believe is not being done correctly.

Let’s hope that they now come forward and express their concerns about the proposed cutbacks in cleaning at the GWH. How can the Trust even consider cutting back on the budget for cleaning staff when they still obviously have a problem with the infections that result from an unclean environment?

As is usual with all NHS establishments I am sure the management are always very interested to hear views on what more can be done to improve conditions. So here’s one to start with – think again about cutting back on your cleaning budget at least until you have managed to reduce your infection rate to the targets imposed on you.

It will certainly be interesting to see how the infection rates change if the cuts go ahead.

A By-election in Lickhill Ward, Calne or not?

Will there be a by-election in Lickhill Ward, Calne or not? I popped in to the Calne Town Council offices yesterday and asked in passing if they had heard anything about whether the ten letters needed to force a by-election had been received or not. Of course as loyal council employees they could divulge nothing but we did discuss and agree on the fact that it was unlikely the vast majority of the electorate in the ward even knew anything about it and if they did would be unlikely to put pen to paper to request that an election be held for a new councillor in preference to one being co-opted.

I find this absolutely astounding as I do when analysing election results and discovering that very rarely, certainly at local elections, do more than 35% of the electorate bother even to stir themselves to vote. Yet, every day you hear stories from people who are unhappy with this issue or that issue but seem not to want to do anything about it. Why is it that there is so much apathy and what will it take to stir this sleeping beast of a British public? It seems to me that only when things have gone too far will they rise up in a vain attempt to do something about it. Perhaps it has something to do with the fear they have of the powers that be, whoever they may be. There was an example of this earlier this week involving Nigel Hastilow, the Conservative party candidate for the Halesowen and Rowley Regis parliamentary constituency, who refused to apologise for declaring that Enoch Powell was right to make his famous Rivers of Blood speech in 1968. As a result of this he was summoned to a private meeting with his party chairman Caroline Spellman to explain his comments that had been reported in the Express and Star newspaper in Wolverhampton, but in refusing to withdraw his remarks he was subsequently forced to resign.

I am sure many people will agree that it is an absolute disgrace when it is apparently acceptable for David Cameron to now bang on about immigration having previously considered it an issue not to be touched. He then disciplines one of his merry men for adding his voice to the debate in suggesting that the issue was the one that the majority of the electorate were concerned about more than any other. If DC seriously thinks he is going to win the next election he needs to either swing one way or the other, not both.

DC will not find it hard to replace Nigel Hastilow, who should be commended for sticking to his guns, as a quick skim down the names on his A-list might throw something up for the good people of Halesowen and Rowley Regis. After all we were lucky enough in this area, to be blessed with the likes of The Black Farmer, Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones! (Private note for later - how well would a range of meat products go if I started up a company and called it The White Farmer?)

Anyway, back to my initial point. Perhaps there is so much apathy as a result of the fear instilled in people by such acts as the forced resignation of Nigel Hastilow. The thought that whatever they say or do may be picked up on by those that would report them must be enough to ensure they just sit back and do nothing about their concerns. I seem to recall that this is how the authorities used to operate in Nazi Germany and look how that ended up. I still have faith that the sleeping giant will one day have had enough and rise up to destroy this politically correct monster that is denying us the freedom of speech that our country once fought so hard to protect - however time is running out.

Alan Lill RIP

Alan Lill RIP



Just a quick posting today as I've just been informed by Chris D that our good friend and comrade Alan passed away at 9.55 this morning.



Please read or re-read my blog entry for Monday 22nd October.



Rest In Peace Alan mate.

Tally Ho! A Hunting We Will Go!

Tally Ho! A hunting we will go! The new hunting season has opened and I am sure that whilst this country is rapidly being reduced to third world status, the great and good will be spending a grossly disproportionate amount of time campaigning against hunting. I can imagine the conversation in Downing Street now – "Yes, the health service is falling apart, education is worse than 30 years ago, immigration is out of control and our soldiers are dying in foreign wars, but let’s first discuss that very important issue of fox-hunting".

I’m looking forward to following the Avon Vale Hunt this season as it moves around the countryside in North Wiltshire where I live, and also my occasional visits to support the South Herefordshire Hunt where I have connections. It is certainly a real thrill to see so many horses and riders, some wearing the traditional hunting attire and the eager hounds all charging across open fields in pursuit of the fox, oh sorry, I meant to say trail, accompanied by the distant sound of the hunting horn. The hunt itself is a great British tradition but much much more takes place behind the scenes with the running of pony clubs to the removal of dead stock from local farms.

If you are against hunting then that’s your choice but it would be interesting to analyse why that decision has been made. Most people that are anti-hunt consider it cruel to chase, catch and tear a fox to pieces. Of course, as a result of the legislation imposed by the Labour government that doesn’t now happen. Even if it were allowed, the truth of the matter is that, of all the hunts I have witnessed, I have never seen a fox caught. I have seen foxes but they haven’t earned the reputation of being wily for nothing. I particularly remember the Boxing Day outing at Lacock a couple of years ago when there were hundreds of supporters present. The hounds were pacing up and down a hedgerow in the knowledge foxes were close by, when two foxes appeared from the hedgerow and ran in opposite directions from each other across the fields whilst the hounds were still looking. The foxes were young and healthy and of course, got away. That’s part of the story really as the fit and healthy foxes were not the ones that got caught, the unlucky ones were usually the old, diseased and decrepit ones whose useful life was pretty much over. To farmers and land-owners all foxes are vermin. They hunt for food and will kill chickens and young lambs for food but they don’t just kill enough to eat, they will destroy many others in the process just for fun. They are a nuisance and need to be controlled. The fox is a pleasant looking creature, if it looked like a rat the anti-hunt movement would not exist. You only have to look at this Labour government to see that appearances can be very deceptive.

One other major reason for choosing the anti-hunt side is that it’s a pursuit enjoyed by the upper class. Admittedly you have to have a few bob to own a horse and land but for every "toff" there are probably ten or more working class people as well. Someone has to look after the hounds, muck out the horses and so on, no one can truly believe his Lordship would do that. But that’s pretty much the crux of the argument. The anti-hunt movement exists and is fuelled by liberal lefties simply to wipe out the hunt community and the livelihoods of country folk. They believe they have taken over the urban communities, now they want to take over the countryside. Judging by the ever-increasing support I have witnessed at hunts and the very strong anti-left message heard amongst this support the left certainly have a fight on their hands that they will not win!

When A Democracy Is Not A Democracy

When is a democracy not a democracy? Calne Town Council recently lost a town councillor from it’s Lickhill Ward due to the resignation of Mrs Jill Martin of the UK Independence Party. As a result there is currently a vacant seat on the council. The resignation was reported in our old favourite The Wiltshire Gazette, but within a news item about another subject, it wasn’t a news item in itself.

So the fact that there is a vacancy on Calne Town Council is in the public domain you might think, but does that mean that the electorate in general are aware of this situation? Who can say for sure, the one thing for certain is that it is in the interests of democracy for a by-election to be held. This will ensure that those who wish to put themselves forward as candidates and those wishing to exercise their democratic right to vote for the candidate they feel is best suited to serve the local population, can do so. Unfortunately it isn’t quite as simple as this and I am convinced the vast majority of the electorate do not know the facts, which I will explain in a while. First, however, I will mention the case of BNP Councillor Mick Simpkins, who holds a seat for the Rudloe Ward on Corsham Town Council, just down the road from Calne. Councillor Simpkins stood for election back in May of this year and was one of several candidates for one of the several vacant seats. The number of candidates equalled the number of seats vacant so consequently no election took place. As a result there was uproar from those liberal lefties who were most upset that a BNP candidate had become a councillor. So upset were they, in fact, that they called for a demonstration outside of the Town Hall when Councillor Simpkins took his seat, making a big noise about the fact he was essentially unelected and that democracy had not been served. Yes, from far and wide came the demonstrators but Corsham residents were conspicuous by their absence.

So what has this to do with the issue in Calne you may ask. Well, simply this. A by-election is not called automatically should a vacancy arise. A notice is posted, where I am not sure, but I seem to recall seeing them on lampposts, which advises that a vacancy exists. The notice advises members of the electorate, in Lickhill ward, that a by-election will be held, but only if the Town Council receives 10 requests to hold one, from those on the electoral roll, before midnight on Monday 12th November 2007. If, as I suspect and as mentioned earlier, that the majority of the electorate do not appreciate that this is what is required to ensure a by-election is held, then the council may well not get the 10 letters they require. If that is the case the Town Council can then co-opt a new councillor. No election is required, just an agreement amongst existing councillors on who they consider best suited for the job. In many respects, therefore, it is in the interests of the existing councillors, specifically those where several from the same party already hold a substantial share of the seats, to keep quiet about the possibility of a by-election, in the hope that they can then co-opt one of their own. I know exactly what will happen if this is allowed to take place and it is therefore in the interests of the electorate that they are advised of the 10-letter rule to force a by-election. So, there you have it, the parallel that exists. Do you think we will see a demonstration outside of Calne Town Hall should a new councillor be co-opted rather than elected, as this is certainly not serving democracy? I somehow think we will see no demonstration and I think the electorate may not even notice. It’s up to those of us who value their democracy to ensure the 10 letters are forthcoming.

Christmas To Be Down-graded - God Bless You All!

Christmas to be down-graded! Around this time of year we have become accustomed to hearing stories of various political and non-political bodies suggesting that we tone down our Christmas celebrations in order not to offend those non-Christians in our society. This year is apparently no different as a Government think-tank (presumably their phrase, certainly not mine) has suggested that Christmas be down-graded unless other religious festivals are marked on an even footing. The Institute of Public Policy Research has suggested, in a report to be published next week, ways to make this once great nation of ours even more multicultural. It essentially says that if we are going to continue marking Christmas then other major religious festivals should also be marked. Well, I’m quite happy with that, I’ve always thought that Easter was very much under-played. Apparently in 2006 three out of four employers did not put up Christmas decorations for fear of offending staff of other cultures. Humbug, I say! Stories like this make me even more determined to make the most of Christmas and although I am not a particularly religious person I grew up in the Christian tradition with assembly every morning at school and carol services at Christmas. This is supposed to be a Christian country, if non-Christians want to celebrate their own festivals then fine, carry on, but I would suggest they are playing with fire if they want to reduce Christmas to the level of their minority religions.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

I imagine that Rufford Primary School in Lye in the West Midlands will be one of schools that are not going to celebrate a traditional Christmas this year. Sally Bloomer, the head mistress, is involving the school in a diversity project to promote multiculturalism. As part of this project teachers and pupils at the school have been ordered to dress up as Muslims in a belated celebration of the Muslim festival of Eid (the festival to mark the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting). All 257 pupils, most of whom are Christian and 41 teachers, 2 of whom are Muslim, dressed up. A morning assembly was held to mark the event and an afternoon party was strictly for women only, because Muslim husbands object to their wives mixing with other men. Not all staff were happy with the event but felt that they were at risk of upsetting those obsessed with politically correctness. There is believed to be no truth in rumours that a goat was ritually slaughtered by the school cook whilst the pupils watched, nor any truth that one child who attempted to post Christmas cards through the slot in the veil of a teachers head-dress mistaking it for a post-box, was buried up to her chest in the sports field and stoned to death. To all at Rufford Primary School may I say HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

One Muslim has just left our country after a state visit. King Abdullah, the king of Saudi Arabia, has now gone back to where he belongs. Despite lecturing us on its failures in dealing with terrorism, King Abdullah did not discuss the issue of human rights, even though it was on the agenda for the visit. Prince Saud al Faisal, the Saudi Arabian foreign minister, admitted that the issue had not come up during the visit. Consequently the Saudi Arabians will continue to hold public executions, torture prisoners and treat women as second class citizens. I would like to wish all in Saudi Arabia a very HAPPY CHRISTMAS. God bless you all.

What Wonderful Things Computers Are!

What wonderful things computers are! In this modern day and age we cannot live without them. Once you become accustomed to their availability and then reliant on them to carry out all sorts of tasks should the facility be removed or break down it can feel like you have lost a limb. That’s why I am feeling less than happy that my home PC has crashed and is unlikely to recover and I have to find time and friends that have computers I can borrow, not least for composing a regular blog! (It's not the computers that are the problem, it's the friends...)

There is a more serious issue here, however, in that, irrespective of whatever back up processes there are in place to protect data, it isn’t much use if you haven’t got a functioning computer, network, system or whatever to utilise that data for the purpose intended.

Two scenarios spring to mind, firstly, banking. Many people now rely on computers and the internet for accessing details of their bank accounts and businesses rely on them for accounting purposes. Should we lose those facilities where does that leave us? Well, I don’t get paid and the bank can’t tell me what money I have. Ok, so this is only a short-term problem as there is the option to resort to cash and cheques eventually, that is, if the bank is prepared to do so. This would cause knock on problems with, for example, mortgages and other bills not being honoured through the standing order or direct debit process. Again, this could be overcome, but what if such a large-scale IT crash resulted in the potential for lives to be lost. It is a possibility and one with an increasing likelihood, so on to the second scenario.

How many people who have visited their doctors or hospitals in the last few years have waited at reception desks whilst they have been checked in on the computer? Most, I would suggest. It doesn’t end there though, as it is government policy to ensure that all patient records are held on computer within a certain timeframe, the details of which escape me for the moment. So what happens when patients are seriously ill and need help but reference to the medical record held on computer is required to ensure appropriate treatment is provided? What if the computer system is down, does the patient die? Would the death certificate record the cause of death as being “Computer Mal-function”?

Perhaps these are extreme scenarios and I would like to think that there are adequate back-up systems in place to take over, but what if they aren’t? If you’ve seen the film Die Hard IV then you will appreciate the problems such scenarios could cause.

There is also the issue of privacy too, how much information about individuals is available on-line? All you need to do is Google a name and you can potentially obtain a great deal of
information. If you have the specialist IT knowledge and the inclination how much more information could you obtain if you wanted it?

All of this doesn’t really help my situation though and I have to find a friendly computer, but it’s not your worry. When you go to sleep tonight you will have forgotten all about my plight but remember that you have a new and increasingly more powerful family member who knows a lot about you. Remember your new Big Brother…..