E-Letters
 Getting
caught out - Burns respondsDear Constituent Please forgive the impersonal nature of this message, but I wanted to reply to all those who have contacted me about today’s Debate in the House before the vote at 10pm tonight. Because of the number who have approached me, the only way I can do this is by sending the same reply to everyone. If you have further comments after tonight which you would like to put to me, please get in touch. I have been approached by constituents on both sides of the argument who believe strongly that I should support or oppose the Motion. I entirely accept that some people in the constituency think now is the time for a referendum. Despite what the press is saying, however, today’s Motion will not deliver it because there is currently no crafted issue to put to the people. The Motion reads as follows: That this House calls upon the Government to introduce a Bill in the next session of Parliament to provide for the holding of a national referendum on whether the United Kingdom should (a) remain a member of the European Union on the current terms; (b) leave the European Union; or (c) re-negotiate the terms of its membership in order to create a new relationship based on trade and co-operation. I fundamentally disagree with the Motion because it proposes three choices for the referendum. A referendum only works if it offers just two alternatives, so that people can give an unambiguous decision – a Yes/No or an In/Out. What has been called the “In/Out/Shake It All About” proposal cannot do that. If 34% vote to keep the relationship with the EU as it is, that would rule out the possibility of the UK renegotiating its position or leaving Europe. The referendum would be a wasted opportunity. The Labour Leader, Ed Miliband, said on the BBC Politics Show on Sunday 23 October that by imposing a 3-line Whip on his own Party “I am saying to the Prime Minster ... I am guaranteeing you are going to win the vote”. He is right. The Motion has absolutely no chance of success. I met the Prime Minister in his room at the House of Commons at lunch time today, and told him that if I thought for one minute that the Motion before Parliament would bring the repatriation of powers from Brussels back to Westminster any closer, I would be the first to resign and vote for it. I do not believe it does. We are however in a position where we have a Labour Leader opposed in principle to any powers being returned from the European Union to the United Kingdom, in contrast to a Party that has delivered on its manifesto pledge to legislate to ensure that no future government can hand over areas of power to the EU or join the Euro without a referendum of the British people. Like many constituents, I remain bitterly disappointed that Blair and Brown reneged on their promise to give the British people a say on the Lisbon Treaty. The Conservative Manifesto on which I stood for Parliament did not, as some suggest, commit to a referendum on Europe. I have set out the text of three key paragraphs at the end of this message, but you may want to read it in more detail via the following link: The Party’s current policy is for Britain to be in Europe, not run by Europe. This means renegotiating the UK’s relationship with the EU, repatriating many or all of the powers that have been taken away from Westminster. The time for a Referendum is after that renegotiation. I am convinced that the Eurozone in its aspiration to lock its economies and financial regulations, central banks and treasuries into one unit fundamentally changes the entity that is the Eurozone, and thereby alters the relationship between the UK and the Eurozone. I believe that this means that it will require our acquiescence in the form of a treaty change. This offers the UK an opportunity start renegotiating and repatriating powers. The new relationship could then be put to the people in a Referendum. Speaking personally, I am convinced that we are heading towards a major crisis in Europe and that the demise of the Euro is inevitable. My own view is that Europe will reach a tipping point where reform will be inevitable and powers will be returned to national parliaments. The common market, rather than political union, might survive. That moment has not yet arrived because of the need for international stability in the face of the worst economic climate since the Depression. In conclusion, I am in no doubt that Britain should have its say on Europe in a Referendum. Support for a Single Market, for which my parents and grandparents voted in 1975, has grown out of all proportion into a pervasive encroachment into our daily lives by unelected and unaccountable officials in Brussels. It has moved from a common market via an economic community to something that closely resembles a country. I passionately believe that the majority of the British people want to renegotiate the relationship between the UK and Europe. I shall continue to work for that in the months ahead. Yours sincerely Conor  Mouchel
– Outsourcing debacleReference: Mouchel – Outsourcing debacle – Suspension of Stephen Parker – Email leading to his suspension. I am formally and politely asking as a member of the public – and because this debacle is now fully in the public domain for a copy of the e-mail that Mr Parker sent to all Councillors which led to his suspension. [See 1 Echo front page - Friday 14th October 2011] The Local Echo have printed limited extracts of the e-mail in question [See 2 Echo page 10– Tuesday 18th October 2011] – but have had the benefit of seeing the “lengthy e-mail”; while the public who are ultimately the funders from where all monies come from have been “kept in the dark”. Therefore in the public interest – I require full disclosure of the e-mail in question. In the alternative of a refusal to disclose – I put it that certain individuals must therefore have something to hide – not only in respect of the e-mail but in respect of possible fraud and or criminality / wrongdoing / abuse of office – and bullying etc originating from the original contract to outsource 4 departments, recently increased to 6. Furthermore – I require the name of the QC who has allegedly been brought in to cast his eye over this unfolding debacle and I do wonder who ends up funding his fee? (Anonymous source)  "Nomniks"The UK Civil Servants were once 'servants of the people' and accountable to our elected representatives. They are now 'masters of the people' and no longer accountable to the people they are meant to serve. They are essentially 'Nomenklatura' (Nomniks). The unaccountable bureaucracy of the Soviet Union, on excessively generous conditions of employment, used to implement to decisions of the unelected Polit Bureau. The new UK Nomenklatura are also on generous conditions of employment, with excessive salaries and index linked pensions, who are now implementing the Directives of the unelected European Commission. Will our 'Brokeback Coalition' do anything to return them back to being 'servants of the people'? Don't hold your breath. Mick of Orpington  Dear William,I Hope you will excuse the informal style of address but I feel we have been through a lot together since my son Michael was first extradited to Hungary. I am presently sat here with my other son Paul who you have of course met. We are searching for words that could express our gratitude to you for your fearless and relentless campaign to secure the release of Michael from that former KGB prison in Budapest. Clearly words will never be enough to express or explain our gratitude. Our government and it's judicial system appeared powerless to intervene in my sons case, even when it became clear that he was being subjected to psychological torture. As a family we didn't know where to turn. As the only British political party to oppose the European Arrest Warrant legislation we contacted UKIP. Your response has been overwhelming and your personal endeavours well beyond the call of duty. You were the only British politician to take the bull by the horns and travel to Budapest, meeting the Hungarian authorities face to face and demanding justice for your constituents. A task which displayed incredible courage and fortitude in this overbearing post Communist regime. You took their case to the European Parliament, you brought the injustice to the attention of the press, you reassured our family and Michael's friends...... The rest is history, Michael is now back with us amongst his friends and family. A wonderful conclusion to a formidable campaign. Standing firm on the steps of the Hungarian Embassy in London, confronting the Hungarian authorities in Budapest or debating the matter on the floor of the European parliament, you never faltered in your fight for justice. As dark clouds appear to gather over European politics there will always be light as long as men as brave as you are prepared to carry the torch. Your efforts have clearly gone beyond politics and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts, we hope that one day will be our guest of honour at The Castle Inn and Michael will be able to serve you a pint of traditional local ale. You will always be remembered in our hearts and prayers. Yours Sincerely, Mark Turner, on behalf of The Turner family, and the village of Corfe Castle, Dorset.  True
LoyaltiesDear Sir, Had the Conservatives taken up Lord Pearson’s offer to give them a clear run at the next general election, in return for an unequivocal promise of an in-or-out referendum, they would have converted a probable Conservative victory into a certain Conservative landslide. That they chose not to do so reveals where their true loyalties lie: not to Britain, but to the European Project. Lord Pearson was perfectly well aware of this when he made his offer; now we all are. He has done the British electorate a great service, and I am proud to be a member of the party he leads. Yours faithfully, Joseph B. Fox Don't
vote for a broken promiseSir, Now the main parties' conference season is over their offerings to the electorate are laid out, prior to next year's general election, to help us all decide which candidates to vote for. What not one of the main parties has told us is that, if the Treaty of Lisbon is ratified, as seems inevitable, they will not have the power to implement their promises. As it is our elected ministers are powerless to protect our farmers or fishermen, our rural Post Offices, our hospital doctors from the Working Time Directive, our boat builders from the Recreation Craft Directive and on and on. After Lisbon we will be subjected to a totally alien form of justice, sweeping away our thousand year protections of Habeas Corpus and Trial by Jury. Our seat at the UN will be given to the European Union as will our seat at the International Monetary Fund. We will no longer make our own foreign policy or defence decisions. In a word our government at Westminster will have its power reduced, to use the words of Kenneth Clarke, to "That of a County Council". As we will under Lisbon be no more than a series of Regions directly ruled from Brussels this is a fair analogy. When in future we vote for a party we will be voting for an elected Assembly whose only real power will be to, in their turn, elect our representatives to the EU Council of Ministers, in effect the Cabinet of the new EU government, and he or she will be charged with a prime commitment to the EU. We will have lost our Constitution and any pretence of self government. If you are disturbed with such a future there is one chance left at the next general election and that is to refuse to vote for any party that does not honour their original promise of giving us a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. This referendum will have to be retrospective but remember the ONLY referendum we have ever been given way back in 1975 on our freedom to govern ourselves was a retrospective referendum. We were told the results would be binding so a precedent has been set. Bill Woodhouse, Mappowder, Dorset  Nigel
stepping down as leaderDear Sir, I was disappointed to learn that Nigel Farage is to step down as Party Leader. He is a brilliant orator, and leaves Brown, Cameron and Clegg standing. I have also found him to be very approachable. As the General Election approaches, I consider this to be a severe loss to the Party nationally as his act will be a very hard one for his successor to follow. Personally, I would have preferred Nigel to have stepped down as an MEP and to have put all of his efforts into helping the Party win as many House of Commons seats as possible as the General Election approaches. Also for himself, and the Party, as the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Buckingham, into ousting the incumbent MP, House of Commons Speaker John Bercow. I would support Nigel as leader of the Parliamentary United Kingdom Independence Party, which will be in effect the Party Leader's job. Philip Glover Bournemouth  Watts
Up?Dear Sir, Has anyone stopped to consider the dangers inherent in the re-labelling of light bulbs in Lumens rather than Watts?. All fittings, shades etc have a maximum bulb WATTAGE on them, i.e. max 40w, max 60w etc. This is to prevent the risk of fire from overheating shades, or heat - damaged electrical insulation, which again can lead to the risk of fire or electric shock. If this comes about, and the labelling system is to be applied to standard incandescent bulbs (which will remain on sale until 2012 in some wattages) and halogen lamps, again which are really still incandescent, just with the filament operating at a higher temperature for more light output, therefore they still run hot, making the light output in Lumens the dominant labelling system is likely to confuse consumers, especially the elderly and lead to the wrong bulbs being put into the wrong fittings. Standby for more house fires. Steve Mott Bournemouth  Havens
above!Sir, Useful things, havens. They can shelter you in a storm, protect you from danger and keep what you hold dear safe. Without havens there'd be no escape route. Dependency is power and the politicians on whose watch economic meltdown happened see it as a beneficial crisis, making us more reliant on their largesse. As a famous politician once said, the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money, but at the G20 summit this didn't stop yet another stimulus package being passed to the tune of $1.1 trillion. We'll all be working for the state for a very long time to pay off Gordon's credit card bill. Soon, the only productive part of the economy will be the printing presses as 'quantitative easing' gets going and the value of people's hard earned savings melts like a politician's promise. How will we be able to escape the 'New World Disorder' they are building for us and find a haven from the politicians? Rod Trelease, Chairman UKIP Bournemouth West  The
two faces of the Lib DemsThe Liberal Democrats were praised for criticising the EU's new European Arrest Warrant measure. So, why in early September did the Lib Dem group of MEPs in the European parliament vote for this proposal, which means that British citizens convicted in their absence by foreign courts can be extradited automatically under fast-track procedures? The European Criminal Bar Association opposed the plans, saying that they are "a violation of the fundamental procedural rights of the accused". Chris Huhne is criticising a measure that his colleagues have voted to strengthen. Yours faithfully, Gill Chant, Handsworth, Birmingham  Faking
itDear Editor On this, my last day as a serving MEP for the SW, I would like to say farewell with 2 final points. Firstly, the sham consultation process over local government reorganisation has now closed and we are to await the careful decision of Hazel Blears as to what form of local government is to be accepted – as though the decision was really all ours ! Some of the councils have let the cat out of the bag by saying that they did not seek reorganisation, but it was imposed on them by central government. Why was that the case ? As I have written many times before, this imperative was due to the commitment made by governments, Tory and New Labour, under the terms of the Maastricht and Nice Treaties, to deliver a system of elected regional government to suit the EU system of regional government. The EU governs through the regions as it’s full name indicates – The European Union of the Cities and Regions, and Westminster is gradually relinquishing its power and responsibility in parallel with this process. The original plan had been to develop elected regional assemblies to meet that commitment, but John Prescott « pooped » on that one, and now Hazel Blears has been passed the poisoned chalice. Ben Bradshaw has been made the SW Regional Minister and in due course, we will have a system of elected unitary authorities which will deemed to be the de facto regional governments - fait accompli !! I can see nothing to stop this happening, but it is important that people understand why it is happening and remember that at the EU elections next June. Voting for UKIP will demonstrate that these un-necessary and hugely expensive impositions are a disgrace. Secondly, may I thank all those who have supported my and UKIP’s efforts to keep the electorate informed as to the truths behind the EU, and wish my successor, Trevor Colman, every success as he takes over the baton. Yours faithfully Graham Booth MEP  Planned velodrome at Slade's park farm.Dear Sir, I attended the Planning Board on Monday 21st July to give a deputation in the above matter. The Chair pointed out at the beginning of the meeting that the Board would make their decision on planning grounds only. It was clear that this statement only applied to those who opposed the application. The supporters, from the cycling fraternity, based their arguments on the fact that they were teaching children to cycle and as admirable as this may be it is not a planning issue. They also tried to dispute the fact that the development was a velodrome. I was surprised that Cllr Smith led support for this monstrosity, when a couple of years ago he was vociferous in his opposition. His arguments for allowing the application focussed on the need for people to become involved in more exercise as there are a “high percentage of children who are obese.” The velodrome was originally going to be built in close proximity to where Councillor Smith lives and he clearly opposed the application. Thank goodness when they decided to move it away from his property he remembered the state of the health of our nation and gave it his support. If this is not a case of self interest I do not know what is!! How can someone change their opinion so drastically on this basis and retain their integrity. It was clearly a case of not in my back yard. Which planning criteria does this come under? Councillor Whittaker did not want to discuss the fact that the velodrome could be built at Hicks Farm because when this was mentioned by Councillor Rod Cooper, he stated that he had other plans for Hicks Farm. I agree that Muscliffe is not a suitable area any more than Slade's Farm but again this argument is not based on planning grounds. Cllr West who represents Redhill professes to care about the Slade's Farm area and by his own admission often visits and makes representations to the Council about neglect etc. even though not in his patch. He voted in favour of the application as obviously he did not want the building on Redhill Common. I was surprised and appalled at how some of the Councillors conducted themselves at the Planning Board. It was quite clear that the decision was a fait accompli as those Councillors who formed the planning board had intimated to several people that the application would go ahead and this was before they had heard the deputations in opposition. This was compounded by the fact that during the deputations, two of them in particular, talked throughout which was at the very least discourteous. The hearing appeared to be a source of amusement with inappropriate remarks being made by the Councillors. For instance, when one of the residents left the room to use the toilet, Cllr Smith shouted across the room "you may not like what I am saying Sir but". This was the type of behaviour that I would expect from a lager lout on a Saturday night rather than from a man who, at the will and expense of the public, is there to serve and promote a democratic process. When Cllr Whittaker mentioned that he had visited Slade's Farm but had fallen off his bicycle on the way home, Cllr Smith again shouted, "on the way back from the Hollies I bet" (this is a local hostelry). Cllr Whittaker responded, "I only had one pint". The behaviour exhibited by these Councillors shows a complete disregard for the residents attending the meeting or indeed the gravitas of the issues being discussed. What should have been a respectful meeting, to discuss an important issue, turned into a sideshow driven by the egos of those who showed a complete lack of professionalism? Turning to The Head of Tourism and Leisure Mr Roger Brown it is obvious that he has a great deal of influence over decisions. The reasons for this are not immediately apparent, other than he must be a cyclist otherwise why would he be so determined to build this velodrome, at all costs, with no thought at all for the local residents who are going to be the most affected. His main interest is in the needs of the cyclists, most of who do not live in the Borough or County let alone Ensbury Park. I may be accused of not in my back yard but it is so inappropriate and insensitive to use such a beautiful area for this development, when it is obvious it could and should be built at Kings Park, where it will be in keeping with the football stadium, the athletics track and the indoor bowls building. To do so is contrary to the Green Strategy adopted by Bournemouth Borough Council. It also flies in the face of PPG 17 as no alternative land has been offered to the local residents who are losing an amenity. The structure is not in keeping with the surrounding area and will, without doubt, be the dominant feature in the area. Furthermore, the Councillors were not prepared to take into consideration the extra traffic that would be generated by the velodrome but then went on to say how Ensbury Avenue had been the scene of three major accidents and needed to be the subject of traffic calming measures. They completely disregarded the needs of the local community and ignored the fact that there was much more local opposition than support for this venture. It was pointed out that the only support had come from as far a field as Cheshire Brighton and Surrey. The residents voiced strong concerns as to the validity of the audit assessment that had been carried out and they raised the fact that the public had been misled as to the size of the development. One of the Councillors suggested that perhaps the concrete track could be dyed green to lessen its detrimental impact on the environment!! In disregarding the issues raised including those from English Nature the Local Authority has clearly acted ultra vires and this decision should be the subject of a judicial review. If this is the way Council business is conducted then it is time for a drastic change and for the Councillors to regain control of the Council. Perhaps at the next local elections someone with integrity and backbone will come forward and be instrumental in these changes. Yours faithfully, Jean Scovell, Chairman Ensbury Park Residents Association. |
 Fisking
HagueComment left by 'peterooo' on Telegraph article by William Hague: "On Monday, the House of Commons will vote on a motion for a referendum on whether Britain should remain a member of the European Union." On Monday, the British political elite will collude in rejecting an attempt by the British people to vote on the merger of Britain with an illegitimate, undemocratic, foreign power called the EU." "Our policy is very clear: we believe that Britain should be in Europe, not run by Europe. We believe that Europe needs fundamental reform. As a Conservative, I want to bring powers back from Europe, as we set out in our election manifesto. But a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU, especially at this time of profound economic uncertainty, is not the answer." "Our policy is very clear: we believe Britain should be merged with the EU but not merged with the EU. As a Conservative, I want to unmerge Britain from that which it is my intent to merge it with. Giving the British people a democratic vote on EU merger is an answer I reject - especially at this time of profound economic chaos... caused by our attempt at EU merger." "The eurozone crisis is the epicentre of global economic difficulties. Monetary union without greater fiscal integration has not worked. But the countries of the eurozone are our closest neighbours; more than 40 per cent of our trade is with them. Nothing would do more to help our economic recovery than a resolution of the eurozone’s difficulties, while its disorderly break-up would have a very serious impact on our economy." "The EU merger is at the epicentre of global economic collapse. Partial-merger has not worked. Britain cannot have real trading partnerships with Europe - where each country retains its political independence. Nothing would do more help to our dire economic situation than pursuing Britain's merger with the mess that has caused it in the first place." "But despite these many burdens and nuisances, the EU brings advantages that are enjoyed daily by people and businesses across the country and that are important for our prosperity: nearly untrammelled free trade across 27 countries, enforceable legal rights to work in all those nations, and combined clout in trade talks to open new markets for our goods and services." "But despite the impossibility of EU merger (and the inevitability of the war it will cause), merging Britain with the EU brings many advantages to people across the country - we can trade in exactly the same way as we could as an independent sovereign state." "The ability to lead European countries to a united position, as with sanctions on Iran and Syria... directive 2009/147/EC prevents the slaughter of our garden birds as they migrate over the Mediterranean" "A merged EU will be able to bully far-flung tinpot countries in the same way it does the peoples in its own territory... and it can save sparrows too!" "A decade ago, many thought that we could settle our position on Europe as “thus far and no further”. That is no longer adequate. There may be debates about means and timing, but the Conservative Party is united around the goal of bringing powers back from Brussels to Britain. That is what we stand for, that is our aim now and that is what we will campaign for in future elections." "A decade ago I thought we should stop the merger of Britain with the EU. That is no longer adequate for my sense of self importance. The Conservative Party is now united in fobbing off voters with empty guarantees to unmerge the country from the EU mechanism it is intent on merging Britain with. That deceit is what the modern Conservative Party stands for, EU merger is our aim and we will not let a small obstacle like the British electorate get in our way."  A
hung parliament would show democracy is workingSir, Every election the same thing happens. Frighten your political tribe into toeing the line in case the other tribe gets in. Many voters are now thankfully seeing through this and with a far greater choice of political products than ever before they can pick and choose the party that is closest to representing their views. Polls are showing that many people would prefer no single party to win a majority in the coming election. A hung parliament would be very healthy for democracy and signal the end of the two party stranglehold which is what both Labour and the Tories are scared of most. Rod Trelease, Chairman UKIP Bournemouth West  The
European arrest warrant - Beware the knock on the doorThe following is an exchange of emails with Lib Dem MEP Graham Watson concerning the case of local businessmen Michael Turner and Jason McGoldrick. Dear Mr Watson, As an MEP for the South West and author of the European Arrest Warrant, can you comment on the fact that one of your constituents, Mr Michael Turner has been summarily extradited to Hungary without any objection from you? I expect your reply soonest. Thank you Avril King - Poole Dear Avril King, As you may know, the UK has the power to decline to extradite. If the court chose not to, it must be because they had no concerns in this case. This is not "summary extradition", as you claim: there is a legal process involved. As you may also know, it is thanks to the EAW that the UK managed to bring the London bomber Hussain Osman to justice and bring justice to Hugo Quinks, the murderer of one of my constituents. Would you prefer these people to remain at large? The EAW recognises that since criminals cross borders, justice must also. Yours sincerely, Graham Watson MEP Dear Mr Watson, I would hardly equate bombing and murder with Mr Turner's alleged crime. If he is to be held in a Hungarian prison until his case is heard, would that not be a negation of habeus corpus which, do I need to remind you, is the basis of British law? Or perhaps you believe that centuries of democratic legal process can simply be overturned? Avril King Dear Avril King, Mr Turner has been arrested under Hungarian Laws, the law in force in the country in which he offended. His extradition results from co-operation between legal authorities, which helps us bring to justice those guilty of serious crimes. Yours sincerely, Graham Watson Dear Mr Watson Thank you for your replies. I was working under a misapprehension, thinking that you were elected by the people of the South West to represent them in the EU. I didn't realise that you were elected to represent the EU in the South West. Clearly I shall have to check my dictionary for the meaning of the words elected and democracy. Sorry to have bothered you. Avril King  EU
Über Alles?Has the end of our great nation come to this? Not by war, invasion and conquering armies; but a clique of unelected bureaucrats with the willing participation of British politicians. These traitors may have won the battle, but November 3rd 2009 will be the turning point when they lost the war. Rod Trelease, Chairman UKIP Bournemouth West  Thanks!Dear All On behalf of Glenn Tingle, UKIP candidate in Norwich North, I must thank everyone who rallied around to support the recent campaign. Some were unable to come but sent their best wishes. Some sent donations. Others travelled to Norwich to help with leafleting, sometimes coming from afar at their own expense. Many, many thanks to everyone. We simply couldn’t have done it without you, and I’m personally proud to have been associated with such a great team of wonderful, hard-working people. There is no doubt that the BBC’s decision to give the Greens “4th Party status” meant that we were lumped in with “Others” and suffered for it. For example we were excluded from the local “Look East” BBC Question-Time style debate held on the Monday before polling. But despite all that extra media hype, the Greens came fifth behind us and looked a dejected bunch when the result was announced. After all the high-profile media attention they had received, the Greens simply could not believe that the people of Norwich had pretty much rejected them. The UKIP result in Norwich North was our best ever in a by-election (11.83% I believe) and with another 800 votes we would even have beaten the Liberal Democrats. With a fairer media coverage I believe that we could have done that. Glenn Tingle was a superb candidate and will do very well at the general election (probably May 6th 2010), but I would also like to congratulate Peter Reeve, Eastern Regional Organiser, who fought two seats in Ramsey on the same day and won, driving off strong challenges from the Conservatives. He had great support from local activists too. As a result Peter is now a District Councillor and also a County Councillor. It is fair to say that 23rd July 2009 was a very good day for the UK Independence Party. Once again, salutations to all those who helped. And for those who didn’t, please help out next time the call goes out, because we can’t do this without your help. David Challice - Norwich North Campaign Officer  Joe
Saunt - A true gentlemanJoe Saunt passed away peacefully at home from an embolism on Monday 15th December. Joe was 92 years of age, one of life's gentlemen and a long-time stalwart of Exeter Branch. He and his wife Rona were always there to help at Lexdrum House and raising morale with their positive and cheerful attitude. Joe put his longevity down to regular doses of ginko biloba. He joined the RAF in 1933 and flew Ansons, Wellesleys, and Liberators, seeing active service in World War II. In 1945 he worked in Technical Training Command and helped establish the Indian Air Force. He then went into engineering and design in 1951. In retirement Joe became a composer and then a gifted wood-turner. Aged 82 he took up ballroom dancing where he met Rona, his future wife, with whom he shared “ten lovely years”. Even till the day he died, Joe continued piloting his big red Jaguar around Devon as if it were a Liberator bomber, banking through improbably small gaps in the traffic even as his passengers clung on for the white-knuckle ride. But his wife Rona always remained a serene co-pilot at his side, trusting his skills. Joe is lost to us now, in body at least, but for those privileged to have known him, he will never be forgotten. Our thoughts and prayers are with Rona. God Bless you Joe.  To save the Post Office, go to
the polls - or AustraliaSir - The emasculation of Royal Mail undoubtedly has its main origin in EU directives, as Jeff Randall argues (Comment, May 9). The resulting huge loss of profit, together with EU antagonism to state subsidy, are responsible for the imminent closure of 2,500 post offices. On the page opposite was a letter from a resident of Spelsbury (pop. 189) wanting to have a vote to break away from West Oxfordshire to preserve its post office. I can suggest a more practical method. In the south-west, the UK Independence Party is rolling out a scheme to help communities legally demand that their local council run an official parish poll with the question: Do you accept closure or demand that the Government continue to subsidise this vital service, ignoring the EU if necessary? Such polls will soon be held in Devon, Dorset and Cornwall and no doubt the idea will spread. Sir George Earle, Crediton, Devon  On their bikesSir Needless to say, we have just failed to save our village post office, and, almost simultaneously, the Transport Department has announced that £94 million is to be spent on more cycle tracks. I wonder when Ruth Kelly and her fellow Cabinet ministers last queued at a post office. Do they not realise that we all use post offices while only a minority of the population will ever use an increasing network of cycle tracks? How detached from the real world can a government get? G C Napier, Millbay Marina Village, Devon  Sad but trueSir The stories in the papers are sad but true. The Telegraph picked it up from the Sun but a more accurate version is in the Daily Mail who did take the trouble to check out the facts. It was also featured on ITV West Country news. I attach a briefing note, lengthy but factual. All our local MP's and MEP's are aware but seem to be up against a brick wall and helpless to change it. We have had several meetings with Ministers at Westminster and still no further forward. I was contacted by the European Commission yesterday about this, I understand a few feathers have been ruffled over this at Brussels and indeed in Downing Street. Not before time, I might add as the consultation over the introduction of this was at best appalling and at worst non-existent. We were clearly told this measure was designed for Long distance truckers not local bus services but the legislation managed to get written in such away that buses were sucked in, and many areas of the UK are now losing their vital rural local bus services because we as bus operators are having the rug pulled from under us and are unable to get round the law to operate them any more. My understanding is that certain other member states are just ignoring it because its so farcical but of course good old UK sets the enforcement agencies on us to make sure we are complying! It turns Government's pro-public transport policy completely on its head, something that the Minister was worried about when we met him before Christmas.... Mark Howarth Western Greyhound  Health WarningSir, A large part of what passes for news bulletins these days consists of daily doses of the latest risk assessment to our health from the quangocracy that passes for government. Stakeholders in this brave new world can't be too fat or too thin, can't smoke, and you're now out of luck if you need a drink to swallow this medicine. Should you need treatment for these modern ailments you may risk death in a NHS hospital. If this wasn't bad enough ideal citizens are expected to simultaneously increase their tax footprint and shrink their expectation of public services. To coin a phrase, something must be done. Perhaps another warning label? Big government ingredients: Hazardous to your health, wealth and well being and definitely contains nuts. Rod Trelease, Chairman UKIP Bournemouth West  The other amendmentSir Unremarked by the media, the final Commons division on March 5th related to a proposed New Clause 9 - an amendment to protect the legal supremacy of Parliament. Shockingly, only 48 MPs could be bothered to vote for this amendment, while 380 voted against it. Although those 380 MPs swore the Oath of Allegiance before they took their seats, they have now shown that their primary loyalty is not to this country and its people, but to the EU. Yours faithfully Dr D R Cooper  Jobs for British workers?During the time our MP Denis MacShane was the Minister for Europe, he rammed it down our throats how beneficial it would be for us to get further into the EU. He agreed with Gordon Brown that we did not need a referendum on signing the latest treaty against a vast majority demanding public consultation. I now read that this man is telling employers in Rotherham to give jobs to local people first before migrants, even though this is against EU law. For Denis MacShane to promote British jobs for British workers with his track record is the worst case of political hypocrisy even for New Labour I have ever heard. Mrs Marlene Guest  Brown on the euroSir - The draft EU treaty contains a commitment by all signatories to the currency of the EU being the euro. But when I asked Gordon Brown whether Britain would thus be given a referendum, the PM denied that this goal would apply to the UK, although I cited the relevant articles in the treaty. What does the Prime Minister know that the rest of us don't? With qualified majority voting becoming the mechanism for decision-making, and the European Court of Justice defending the ever closer union objective, what chance would the pound have when colleagues decide that we must join the euro? Graham Booth UKIP MEP, Paignton, Devon  Open letter to Poole councillorsSir, To those Councillors who knew of and approved the plan to use Stasi tactics to spy on residents, I have this to say; who the hell do you think you are? What sort of people do you think the British are and do you seriously imagine that we will put up with this sort of police state? To those Councillors who knew of and disapproved of this plan, but failed to stop it being put into effect; why did you not blow the whistle before now and get it stopped? To those Councillors who did not know of this plan until it had been put into effect and hit the headlines; well now you do, and we must expect you to condemn what has been done. I trust that you and the local media will make damn sure that the electors of Poole know the councillors responsible and fire them from public office! Idris Francis Lava Loss?Sir, Re: the latest ridiculous proposal to ban incandescent filament bulbs in favour of Compact Fluorescent lamps. 1). If this comes to pass, without exemptions for decorative lighting, etc, then a local company, and local jobs are under threat. Mathmos, formerly Crestworth, in Sterte Ave, Poole, are the original inventor and manufacturer of the Lava Lamp, consisting of an illuminated glass vase containing a wax and water mixture, which when heated by the bulb, causes the wax to melt and circulate in "blobs". Obviously, these won't work without filament bulbs. (I have no connection with Mathmos). 2). The use of CFL's in hallways or stairwells defies the conventional home safety advice to ensure that such areas are well lit, especially if an elderly or infirm person is present, as CFL's take several minutes to come up to full brightness, meaning that people are using the stairs under very poor lighting conditions. (I have been rather concerned that these lamps are given out free by several organisations to the elderly, without any form of warning to this effect). 3). The instructions for many CFL's say "do not use in electronically switched fittings", this means that standard incandescent bulbs are still needed for automatic porch lanterns, circuits with dimmer switches, etc. Regards, Steve Mott  Open letter to the leader of the Liberal DemocratsDear Mr Clegg, You probably recall, when Brown assumed office, that he said he was going to restore trust and respond to the people. We all sighed with relief that the days of lies and spin were over. Then the next day Brown told the country that the new Reform Treaty was not the same as the rejected Constitution, and he would not allow a referendum. All trust in him vanished under this gross deceit; he was exposed as a blatant liar. I see you have learned from his mistake and can repeat it perfectly: except that your attempt to deceive is a bit more shifty. Shame on you and all who sail under you. Yours sincerely Rollo Reid, Chairman UKIP Christchurch  Take a hike?Sir, I was both astonished and disgusted to read of the planned 36% pay rise for Bournemouth Borough Council Cabinet members. All any councillor should receive is an attendance allowance to cover loss of earnings plus any reasonable out-of-pocket expenses. Apparently one Cabinet member will receive around £36,000 per annum. Very few council employees earn anywhere near this, and council tax payers, (many of whom cannot afford it), are facing a 4.9% hike. This is grossly unfair and should be stopped! Conservative councillors are no less wasteful of public money than the Liberal Democrats or Labour, especially when it comes to spending it on themselves! Yours faithfully, Philip Glover UKIP PPC for Bournemouth West |