Government Access
• Members of Parliament split their time
between the House of Commons, working in
their constituency and working for their
party
• Any member of the public can contact their
representative MP either by writing to them,
by e-mail or meeting with them at a
“surgery” in the local constituency
• All MPs hold periodic surgery hours at
various locations around their district
• Surgery hours and locations are advertized
in the local newspapers and in public
libraries
Government Access
• Local town councils have a wide range of
powers and duties.
• National policy is set by the central
government but local councils are
responsible for all day-to-day services and
local matters
• Citizens can attend council meetings and
raise issues or ask questions
• If any member of the public has a complaint
about a government department it can be
taken to the Parliamentary Ombudsman
Freedoms & Rights
Citizens freedoms and rights in Britain
are provided by the Magna Carta and the
English Bill of Rights Act of 1689 and
any “corrections” that have been
established under the Common Law of
the land
Freedoms & Rights
• These adequate provisions have
been clouded by the adoption of the
European union Human Rights Act.
• This act takes away the business of
law making from the people
(parliament) and places it in the
hands of the judges
The Basic Freedoms
As in any democracy the residents of
Britain are granted four basic freedoms
• Freedom of speech and expression
• Freedom of religion
• Freedom from want
• Freedom from fear
Basic Rights
• In addition there are basic rights guaranteed for
all regardless of station, race or belief. These
include the right to work, the right to a living
wage, right to a decent dwelling, the right to
education, the right to good health and medical
care
• In Britain the right to bear arms is a privilege
granted only to those can demonstrate both a
need and responsibility
• It is a criminal offence to own or possess
handguns in the United Kingdom. There is also
a ban on automatic or self loading weapons
other than for the armed services or the police
Freedom of Speech
• Although freedom of speech and
expression is identified as a basic
freedom, more and more “political
correctness” is encroaching on such
rights
• Similarly, the freedom of expression
is being limited by a growing plethora
of Health and Safety laws that make
the performance of many traditional
activities impractical
Freedoms & Rights
• Unfortunately there are both abuses
and uneven application of the rights
• Minority groups have been free to
demonstrate in the streets calling for
the destruction of Christianity and
death to unbelievers
• Counter demonstrations by Christians
have been suppressed and participant
arrested
Restrictions of Rights
• Previously mentioned are local
government laws that encroach on the
rights of citizenry and which include
punishment for violations
• Enforcement can include forcible
entry into a home or business
• Britain has more CCTV cameras than
all of the rest of Europe
• Police now have unrestricted right to
stop and question any person
Voting
• All citizens of the United Kingdom, the
Commonwealth and the Republic of
Ireland over 18 year of age on polling
day and whose names are on the
electoral register are eligible to vote
• Members of the House of Lords,
Bishops, convicted prisoners and
anyone found guilty of electoral
malpractice or corruption within the
past five years are not eligible to vote
Voting
• In a general election every area of
the country votes for one member of
Parliament to represent them in the
House of Commons
• There are 646 geographical areas or
constituencies
• There has to be an election at least
every 5 years, the next must be held
by 2010
• The prime minister decides when to
call an election
Voting
• Unfortunately there are no checks
on nationality or immigration status
when registering for inclusion on
the Electoral Roll
• There is currently an effort being
made to confine the right to vote to
British citizens and citizens of those
countries that offer reciprocal
voting rights
• These are the Republic of Ireland
and some West Indian nations
Society, Immigration & Crime
• Until the Commonwealth Immigration
Act of 1962, all Commonwealth
citizens could enter and stay in the
UK without any restriction
• By 1972 only holders of work permits
or those with parents or grandparents
born in the UK could gain entry
• One of the Four Freedoms of the EU is
the right of the free movement of
people
Immigration
• Since 1997 there has been a massive
influx of asylum seekers and illegal
immigrants into the UK
• In addition there are more than half a
million foreigners legally entering the
country every year
• The problems of large numbers of
immigrants entering the country are
compounded by a government policy
of multi-culturism rather than
encouraging integration into British
society
Immigration
• Multi-culturism and diversity policies
have led to the formation of ghettoes
in many British towns where no
English is spoken and those from
outside the community are unwelcome
• A majority of British citizens are of
the opinion that these policies are
diluting the native culture and leading
to a breakdown in society
• Half of all immigrants say they have
no intention of becoming a UK citizen
Illegal Immigrants
• A major issue of the British public is
the treatment of illegal immigrants
who claim to be asylum seekers when
caught
• Government policy is to then provide
them with a complete range of
benefits – housing, health care, legal
support, income support and all other
welfare benefits available to the
British citizens
Illegal Immigrants
• Even, if after several years of litigation,
the asylum claim is rejected the
claimant is usually allowed to remain in
the country. Having lived in the country
for several years the courts feel that
deportation would be a violation of their
human rights
• Even convicted murderers and known
terrorists have been allowed to stay
because they may face the death
penalty in their own country
Immigrant Communities
• Ethnic minority groups have the highest
levels of children living in poverty and
families on welfare
• In London, some 73 percent of Pakistani
and Bangladeshi children and 55 percent
of black children, mostly from subSahara Africa, are living in poverty
• Instead of contributing to the economy
as claimed by the government, third
world immigration has exacerbated
poverty in many areas of the country
Muslim Communities
• Of concern is the growth of Muslim
communities centered around the
mosque where radical Imams are
regularly telling their followers to
support the Jihad and to kill infidels
whenever possible
• Evidence shows that the terrorist
group responsible for the Mumbai
attacks was funded by cash raised in
British Mosques
Gangs and Crime
• In major cities with large Muslim and West
Indian populations gangs battle over “turf”,
drugs and prostitution
• However, gang issues are not limited to ethnic
minorities. In large social housing estates
large numbers of the population are
unemployed and live on welfare.
• Many are single mothers with several
children by different fathers
• The children lack any discipline and gangs of
feral youths run wild, creating havoc, damaging
property, stealing and battling neighboring
gangs to defend territory
Feral Youths & Violent Crime
• It is an almost daily event to read in
the British press about an adult being
severely beaten by a gang of youths
for telling them off about their
behavior
• Knifings of opposing gang members
are a daily event
• Under the benign policies of liberal
judges, most young offenders caught
carrying out crimes with a knife are
fined as little as £1 and set free
Binge Drinking
• In 2005 the government introduced 24 hour
licensing laws.
• This has resulted in a large increase in binge
drinking and the associated loutish behavior
and violence
• Drink induced violence is now the most
common crime among young women and
girls
• Drink induced brawls are now a common
feature of town centers late at night and
hospital emergency rooms deal with
numerous knife and bottle wounds on
most days of the week
Family Breakdown
• Labour welfare policies favor the
single parent family and encourage
the absentee father
• Boundaries between acceptable and
unacceptable behavior is no longer
taught to young children
• Children are no longer disciplined by
a disinterested parent and the
disciplining of badly behaved children
is prohibited in schools
Education & Behavior
• Children are taught in school that
actions depend on one’s feelings,
rather than a clear moral code
• Children are told they have the
right to make “informed choices”
instead of being told what is right
or wrong
Socialist Education &
Consequences
• With punishment forbidden, children
get the message that they can skip
lessons, misbehave, or get poor exam
results and the system will compensate
them
• Simplified exams so that all win prizes
together with open access to the next
level of education, whether or not
acceptable standards have been
obtained, means that good behavior
and a grasp of basics no longer matter
What of Britain?
• Britain’s identity is in danger of being lost for
ever, swept aside by a tidal wave of change,
political correctness and enforcement of health
and safety regulations
• Carol singing is banned in many communities
as it might offend minorities. Flower baskets
that have been displayed in village streets for
decades are banned as being safety hazards.
Traditional bonfires and parades with centuries
of history all fall to the political correctness of
minor government officials
This is the grey life under Socialism,
where all should be socially equal,
educated to the same level of
indifference and receiving equal
incomes. As the poor and the socially
limited cannot reach the achievements
of those from better social environments
then all must be brought down to the
lowest common denominator. Britain
will eventually become a nation of ill
mannered, poorly educated, socially
inept laborers.