Wednesday, 2 February 2011
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
Police hit by flood of EU arrest warrants as officers process 20 times the number of foreign extradition requests as they make
Police in Britain are being forced to arrest more criminals on behalf of other EU countries than any other nation.
Under the hugely controversial European Arrest Warrant, officers had to chase down 4,100 people accused of committing even very minor crimes last year.
That is 20 times the number of extradition requests made by the British authorities. The next country in the list was Spain, with 1,629.
The number of suspects eventually handed over by Britain was 699.
British police, meanwhile, issued 203 requests, with 71 people being ‘surrendered’.
Campaigners said the figures showed the EAW, which was signed in the aftermath of 9/11 to combat terrorism, was hugely imbalanced.
The warrant is based on justice systems across the EU being equally fair. As a result, the UK authorities do not seek to verify the claims on the warrants.
This is despite huge differences in the way other EU countries view minor offending, and the provision of bail.
The Mail has long highlighted the way the EAW was being deployed in huge numbers by Poland.
Last year, we told how the number of Eastern European fugitives captured in Britain has increased so much that the flights have become a regular fortnightly event at Biggin Hill air base.
The administration cost to the British taxpayer is around £25million a year. The flights have been dubbed ‘con air’.
One recent extradition case before magistrates was against a Polish man who moved to Britain to set up his own decorating business.
Five years ago, on his way to a party in his home town in western Poland, the man shoplifted about 20 Milka bars.
Other cases include a carpenter who fitted wardrobe doors and then removed them when the client refused to pay him, and a person suspected of ‘theft of a dessert’.
The Home Office is reviewing both the arrest warrant and the hugely controversial Extradition Act with the U.S.
The Mail has demanded change in the wake of the attempts to extradite computer hacker Gary McKinnon to America for crimes allegedly committed from his north London bedroom.
Campaigners say he should be placed on trial in the UK. Medical experts say the vulnerable Asperger’s sufferer could take his own life if extradited.
Under the hugely controversial European Arrest Warrant, officers had to chase down 4,100 people accused of committing even very minor crimes last year.
That is 20 times the number of extradition requests made by the British authorities. The next country in the list was Spain, with 1,629.
Under the European Arrest Warrant, police officers had to chase down 4,100 people accused of committing even very minor crimes last year
British police, meanwhile, issued 203 requests, with 71 people being ‘surrendered’.
Campaigners said the figures showed the EAW, which was signed in the aftermath of 9/11 to combat terrorism, was hugely imbalanced.
The warrant is based on justice systems across the EU being equally fair. As a result, the UK authorities do not seek to verify the claims on the warrants.
This is despite huge differences in the way other EU countries view minor offending, and the provision of bail.
The Mail has long highlighted the way the EAW was being deployed in huge numbers by Poland.
Last year, we told how the number of Eastern European fugitives captured in Britain has increased so much that the flights have become a regular fortnightly event at Biggin Hill air base.
The administration cost to the British taxpayer is around £25million a year. The flights have been dubbed ‘con air’.
One recent extradition case before magistrates was against a Polish man who moved to Britain to set up his own decorating business.
Five years ago, on his way to a party in his home town in western Poland, the man shoplifted about 20 Milka bars.
Other cases include a carpenter who fitted wardrobe doors and then removed them when the client refused to pay him, and a person suspected of ‘theft of a dessert’.
The Home Office is reviewing both the arrest warrant and the hugely controversial Extradition Act with the U.S.
The Mail has demanded change in the wake of the attempts to extradite computer hacker Gary McKinnon to America for crimes allegedly committed from his north London bedroom.
Campaigners say he should be placed on trial in the UK. Medical experts say the vulnerable Asperger’s sufferer could take his own life if extradited.
Monday, 31 January 2011
We've never had it so bad! Bank of England chief warns of biggest income squeeze on families since the 1920s
- Wages in 2011 to be no higher than in 2005
- As household bills rocketed, average salary rose by just 7.6% since 2007
- Cost of living 'likely' to keep on rising this year
- King: 'Bank of England can't wave a magic wand'
Mervyn King painted a picture of the nightmare facing millions of workers because of the toxic combination of soaring inflation and pay freezes or paltry pay rises.
In his first speech of the year, Britain’s most powerful banker admits many households are suffering misery, saying: ‘It is hardly surprising that unhappiness describes the reaction of many.’
Over the past four years, he added, inflation has ballooned by about 12 per cent but wages have failed to keep up.
His warning piled on the woe after shock figures showed the economy contracted by 0.5 per cent in the final quarter of 2010, ending 12 months of growth.
The unexpected plunge renewed fears of a double dip recession but George Osborne and Vince Cable joined forces to insist: 'There is no alternative.'
They blamed the Big Freeze and the Chancellor declared he would not allow his plans for fiscal tightening to be 'blown off course by the bad weather'.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show the average salary has increased by only 7.6 per cent since 2007, from £24,043 to £25,879.
In the meantime, however, rocketing household bills have more than wiped out such wage rises.
In addition to those granted meagre, below-inflation pay rises, millions have had their wage levels frozen while some have had their pay cut.
Mr King said the wage squeeze is likely to continue this year, with inflation currently at 3.7 per cent but an average predicted pay rise of only 2.1 per cent.
Speaking in Newcastle, he said: ‘As a result, in 2011 real wages are likely to be no higher than they were in 2005. One has to go back to the 1920s to find a time when real wages fell over a period of six years.’
A ‘real wage’ is wages after inflation has been taken into account.
Mr King piled on the gloom by declaring that the cost of living is set to keep on rising, making a situation which he described as ‘uncomfortable’ even worse.
The cost of living is ‘likely’ to rise by ‘somewhere between 4 per cent and 5 per cent’ over the next few months, although it will drop back next year, he said.
This is far above the target set by the Government for inflation, measured by the consumer prices index, of 2 per cent.
Source: ONS
Mr King's bleak speech was in sharp contrast to Prime Minister Harold Macmillan's in 1957 when he told Britons 'most of our people have never had it so good'.
The PM then painted a positive picture of the economy with booming manufacturing and rising wages thanks to the post-war boom.
The address by the Bank of England governor comes at a time when the finances of millions of Britons are under chronic pressure.
Petrol prices have rocketed to hit new records, with an average bill of nearly £80 to fill up a 60-litre car.
Between November and December, the cost of food jumped by 1.6 per cent, the biggest hike ever recorded at this time of year.
Added into the equation is the ever-spiralling cost of keeping our homes warm. Many of the ‘Big Six’ energy giants have recently hiked their prices, with an average dual fuel bill costing £1,250 a year, close to one month’s take-home pay for an average worker.
He admitted the squeeze on workers was ‘unpleasant’, and said half the blame lies with higher prices and the other half is due to pay rises being below normal levels.
Mr King also expressed his sadness for savers, who have been savaged by his institution’s decision to keep the base rate rooted at 0.5 per cent, the lowest since the Bank was founded in 1694.
He said: ‘I sympathise completely with savers, and those who behaved prudently who now find themselves among the biggest losers from this crisis.’
Savers – whose accounts outnumber those of borrowers by a ratio of seven to one – are being hit by paltry interest rates of as low as 0.01 per cent.
Anybody wanting to live off the income from their savings, which used to be possible, is now finding that it is impossible.
Dr Ros Altmann, director general of Saga Group, said: ‘The decision to keep rock-bottom rates has had devastating consequences for pensioners.
‘They are being sacrificed to the Government’s economic policies. This really cannot go on.’
The last time wages were similarly squeezed was the 1920s when recession and deflation followed the Great War
Woman sexually assaulted in Dothill, Wellington, Telford
Monday 24th January 2011, 3:30PM GMT.
It happened as she was walking along the nearby footpath, St Agathas Way.
One resident, Graham Pinches, 55, said: “Everyone is quite surprised – there has never been anything like this around here before.
“Apparently a couple of people heard screams, but that’s not unusual around that time of night when the kids come back from the pubs at night.”
Forensic teams scoured the area for clues yesterday and carried out door-to-door inquiries.
Detective Sergeant Mark Jones, from Telford CID, said: “The man we are looking for is described as white with a tanned complexion, aged in his 30s and at least 5ft 9ins tall.
“He is described as being of stocky build with a round face and broad neck.
“He was wearing a heavy dark coloured jacket and dark coloured trousers or jeans. He was riding what is believed to be a dark coloured mountain bike.
“We are hoping that somebody will recognise the suspect from this description and will come forward and speak to us.
“The woman is clearly upset and is being comforted by family and friends.”
He added: “Thankfully incidents of this nature in Telford are rare.
“Police are following up a number of lines of inquiry and are determined to leave no stone unturned in investigating this and bringing the offender to justice,” said Mr Jones.
“This was a nasty attack on a young woman and the offender needs to be caught.”
Police investigate a sexual assault near St Agathas Close, Wellington.
A young woman was subjected to a midnight sexual assault by a man riding a bicycle as she walked along a footpath in Wellington, police said today.
Residents living in Agathas Close in Dothill, went to her rescue after the attack at about midnight on Saturday.It happened as she was walking along the nearby footpath, St Agathas Way.
One resident, Graham Pinches, 55, said: “Everyone is quite surprised – there has never been anything like this around here before.
“Apparently a couple of people heard screams, but that’s not unusual around that time of night when the kids come back from the pubs at night.”
Forensic teams scoured the area for clues yesterday and carried out door-to-door inquiries.
Detective Sergeant Mark Jones, from Telford CID, said: “The man we are looking for is described as white with a tanned complexion, aged in his 30s and at least 5ft 9ins tall.
“He is described as being of stocky build with a round face and broad neck.
“He was wearing a heavy dark coloured jacket and dark coloured trousers or jeans. He was riding what is believed to be a dark coloured mountain bike.
“We are hoping that somebody will recognise the suspect from this description and will come forward and speak to us.
“The woman is clearly upset and is being comforted by family and friends.”
He added: “Thankfully incidents of this nature in Telford are rare.
“Police are following up a number of lines of inquiry and are determined to leave no stone unturned in investigating this and bringing the offender to justice,” said Mr Jones.
“This was a nasty attack on a young woman and the offender needs to be caught.”
Sunday, 30 January 2011
Grooming of girls by Asian gangs fuelled by unhappy arranged marriages to cousins claims Muslim peer
A senior Muslim politician has blamed unhappy arranged marriages to cousins for leading some Pakistani men to prey on vulnerable young white girls to fulfil their sexual needs.
Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, Britain’s first Muslim peer, is the first politician to make a link between first-cousin marriages and sex crimes by Pakistani men.
He has spoken out after a spate of high-profile court cases where groups of Asian men have been sentenced for grooming white girls as young as 12 in Derby, Blackburn and Lord Ahmed’s home town of Rotherham.
Lord Ahmed, who wants an end to cousin marriages, said: ‘They are forced into marriages and they are not happy. They are married to girls from overseas who they don’t have anything in common with, and they have children and a family.
‘But they are looking for fun in their sexual activities and seek out vulnerable girls.’
He said Asian men resort to abusing young white girls because they do not want meaningful relationships with adult white women.
‘An adult woman – if you are having an affair – would want your time, money and for you to break up your marriage,’ the peer added.
His comments come weeks after former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw provoked national outrage by saying that some Pakistani men look at white girls as ‘easy meat’ for sexual abuse.
Labour peer Lord Ahmed said: ‘I get a lot of criticism from Asian people who ask, “How can you say this about Asian men?” But they must wake up and realise there is a problem.
‘I am deeply worried about this as it has happened in my own backyard, and in Rochdale and Bradford.
‘This didn’t happen in my or my father’s generation. This is happening among young Asians. While I respect individual choice, I think the community needs to look at marriages in the UK rather than cousin marriages or economic marriages from abroad.’
Studies have shown that 55 per cent of British Pakistanis marry their first cousins, usually from abroad. In Bradford, the figure is as high as 75 per cent.
Although marriages between first cousins is lawful in Britain, it is frowned upon by many who see it as a form of incest. In America, the practice is illegal in 30 states.
First-cousin marriages among other British Muslim groups such as Bangladeshis or Indians are less prevalent.
Earlier this month, two ringleaders of a Pakistani gang in Derby were given indeterminate jail terms for grooming 26 white girls aged between 12 and 18 after plying them with alcohol and drugs.
Mohammed Liaqat, 28, and Abid Saddique, 27, were jailed for a minimum of 11 and eight years respectively for charges which included rape.
Both had wives through arranged marriages and had young children with them. In Rotherham, a gang of five Asian men were jailed in November for grooming white girls as young as 12.
Since 1997, 56 people with an average age of 28 have been convicted of offences related to on-street grooming of girls aged 11 to 16. Of these, three were white and the rest Asian, of whom 50 were Muslim, with the majority British Pakistani.
A Home Office spokesman said: ‘We should not jump to form conclusions about national patterns of offending without further analysis.’
Health experts have previously warned British Pakistanis to reduce the number of cousin marriages as it is leading to a high number of genetic birth defects in the community.
Lord Ahmed was briefly expelled from Labour after he served 16 days in prison in 2009 for sending text messages at the wheel before a fatal crash.
Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, Britain’s first Muslim peer, is the first politician to make a link between first-cousin marriages and sex crimes by Pakistani men.
He has spoken out after a spate of high-profile court cases where groups of Asian men have been sentenced for grooming white girls as young as 12 in Derby, Blackburn and Lord Ahmed’s home town of Rotherham.
Speaking out: Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, Britain's first Muslim peer, believes there is a link between first-cousin marriages and sex crimes by Pakistani men
‘But they are looking for fun in their sexual activities and seek out vulnerable girls.’
He said Asian men resort to abusing young white girls because they do not want meaningful relationships with adult white women.
‘An adult woman – if you are having an affair – would want your time, money and for you to break up your marriage,’ the peer added.
His comments come weeks after former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw provoked national outrage by saying that some Pakistani men look at white girls as ‘easy meat’ for sexual abuse.
Labour peer Lord Ahmed said: ‘I get a lot of criticism from Asian people who ask, “How can you say this about Asian men?” But they must wake up and realise there is a problem.
‘I am deeply worried about this as it has happened in my own backyard, and in Rochdale and Bradford.
‘This didn’t happen in my or my father’s generation. This is happening among young Asians. While I respect individual choice, I think the community needs to look at marriages in the UK rather than cousin marriages or economic marriages from abroad.’
Studies have shown that 55 per cent of British Pakistanis marry their first cousins, usually from abroad. In Bradford, the figure is as high as 75 per cent.
Although marriages between first cousins is lawful in Britain, it is frowned upon by many who see it as a form of incest. In America, the practice is illegal in 30 states.
First-cousin marriages among other British Muslim groups such as Bangladeshis or Indians are less prevalent.
Earlier this month, two ringleaders of a Pakistani gang in Derby were given indeterminate jail terms for grooming 26 white girls aged between 12 and 18 after plying them with alcohol and drugs.
Mohammed Liaqat, 28, and Abid Saddique, 27, were jailed for a minimum of 11 and eight years respectively for charges which included rape.
Both had wives through arranged marriages and had young children with them. In Rotherham, a gang of five Asian men were jailed in November for grooming white girls as young as 12.
Since 1997, 56 people with an average age of 28 have been convicted of offences related to on-street grooming of girls aged 11 to 16. Of these, three were white and the rest Asian, of whom 50 were Muslim, with the majority British Pakistani.
A Home Office spokesman said: ‘We should not jump to form conclusions about national patterns of offending without further analysis.’
Health experts have previously warned British Pakistanis to reduce the number of cousin marriages as it is leading to a high number of genetic birth defects in the community.
Lord Ahmed was briefly expelled from Labour after he served 16 days in prison in 2009 for sending text messages at the wheel before a fatal crash.
Saturday, 29 January 2011
The 10 families who are costing us an astonishing £1m a year between them just in housing benefits
Waste of taxpayers' money: Several families have been given thousands in annual housing benefit like Abdi Nur (pictured)
The huge sums being lavished on the families by the taxpayer are allowing them to live in streets normally reserved for millionaires.
Five of the families are receiving the maximum payment of £2,000 per week.
It is the first proof that George Osborne was correct when he claimed some households were receiving sums in excess of £100,000 a year.
Last night, the Chancellor told the Daily Mail: ‘It is precisely this kind of shocking waste of public money under the previous Labour government that led to Britain’s debt problems.
‘We are bringing an end to this by putting a cap on the total amount of benefit that a family can receive so the days of £100,000 housing benefit claims are gone.’
The Coalition triggered a furious reaction last year when it unveiled plans to cut the top rate of housing benefit to £400 a week. Chris Bryant, the Labour justice spokesman, said the cuts would lead to ‘social cleansing’, with 200,000 people forced out of the capital.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, also spoke of a ‘Kosovo-style’ exodus.
Critics even questioned whether Mr Osborne could back his claim that some families were in receipt of six-figure annual sums.
But Freedom of Information replies received by this newspaper show there are at least ten families in London sharing a £1million housing benefit bill between them.
All are being housed in Westminster, Kensington or Chelsea – the wealthiest parts of the country.
Five families are receiving the maximum of £2,000 a week, the equivalent to a working family’s mortgage on a £1.5million house.
It will re-ignite the row over the housing benefit bill, which has spiralled from £14billion ten years ago to £21billion. It is more than the country spends on policing and universities combined.
The identity of the ten families is being kept secret because of privacy rules.
Some previous cases, when the claimaints have been identified, involved even larger sums.
Toorpakai Saiedi, a jobless Afghan immigrant with seven children, had rent of £2,875 per week on a large house in Acton, West London, paid by Ealing Council. The total benefits bill was £170,000 a year.
Outrage at the 2008 case led to Labour introducing the £2,000 per week limit.
In another case, Abdi Nur, along with his wife and their seven children, was given a £2.1million townhouse at the expense of the taxpayer. The 42-year-old, from Somalia, moved into the three-storey property in Notting Hill after he objected to the ‘poor’ area of North-West London they were living in.
David Cameron said his case was ‘an outrage’.
Coalition ministers insist that, while tackling abuse at the top end of the scale, their proposals will not cause the feared ‘social cleansing’.
Figures seen by the Mail show that 96 per cent of 642,200 claimants whose handouts will be reduced will face rent shortfalls of £20 a week or less, and 79 per cent of £10 or less.
The Government expects the vast majority of landlords to cover the shortfall by making a small cut in their rents.
Thursday, 27 January 2011
Tongue In Cheek - Breaking News
Breaking News
Simon Darby's Heroic Ancestry Revealed!
After an extensive investigation, the British National Party's North Shropshire Organiser can reveal that long term Party activist Simon Darby is the re-incarnation of an historical Royal Welch Fusilier soldier, as the above image clearly shows.
Mr. Darby, who is often heard saying he is proud of his Black Country roots, will now likely be helping out during forthcoming Welsh Assembly elections after this stunning revelation.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Serious Political Campaigning
Shropshire British National Party are keen to promote unity across the border between England and Wales, and recognise that our present struggle against globalism can be achieved together whilst being proud of our own individual nationalities.
We encourage all our English nationalist friends to offer their help in a serious political campaign, namely the Welsh Assembly elections to be held this coming May.
Welsh Heroes
For those wishing to find out more about the Royal Welch Fusiliers, an excellent first port of call is their museum located in Caernarfon Castle which can be found by clicking here.
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
A Day In The Life
With the political, social and economic climate in Britain moving at an ever increasing pace towards slavery for the indigenous population, more and more of our people are sympathising with the British National Party.
Due to media lies, however, there is a great misconception regarding what nationalism is all about, and what the role of a local organiser of the British National Party is.
This short article aims to shed some light on the subject and encourage others to step up to the mark and ultimately to help us provide a safe and secure future for our people.
A Day In The Life Of A Local Organiser
04:30 - Get up. I'm lucky enough to have a job and I don't take politics to work.
14:30 - Finish work, check PO Box for new enquiries and head home for lunch.
15:00 - Check emails, both personal and Party, and check Party mobile 'phone for any enquiry texts or answer 'phone messages. Then I get to work on any current projects. Today I'm designing a new 'Local Patriot' leaflet. It's important to limit time spent on the internet as this can swallow up half a day in the blink of an eye, so I try to limit myself to a maximum of two hours.
16:00 - Print off some maps of local area to help in co-ordinating leafleting.
16:30 - An hours leafleting by myself, using last few glossy recruitment leaflets. One person can put out 200 leaflets in an hour, and it's certainly worth while. I expect an enquiry or two from todays activities, but as these leaflets include our blog website address, I know a number of people will be curious enough to look online. It's all about slowly awakening our people, bit by bit.
17:45 - Back home for a shower and prepare tea for my family. Family life is what nationalism is all about, and it's important to spend quality time with my wife and young son.
20:00 - Watch a little television and open a bottle of beer while scribbling notes for ideas on a future meeting. Our Christmas social went well in a new venue and I plan on ensuring even more people attend the next meeting. This will be achieved by telephoning new enquirers and ensuring members and supporters are kept up to date with what's going on. I'm also thinking of some 'Days of Action', where I will continue to build my small but dedicated leafleting team.
21:30 - Time for bed and my good lady is fast asleep the moment her head touches the pillow. Being a mother is hard work, but she'd take motherhood over a glittering career any day of the week. I read for 15mins before nodding off. A number of books sit on my bedside table, from a couple of Terry Partchet novels all the way through to heavier stuff like 'Gods of the North' by Brian Branston, so there's always something to suit my mood.
Nationalism - A Complete Ideology
Political nationalism is tremendously important, but nationalism as an ideology is all about living life with an understanding of who we truly are, understanding nature, understanding our ancestors and and striving to be the best we can be. It's about family, and providing that eternal line of successors who also must learn to understand where they came from and where they're going. Despite the lies pushed forth by traitor politicians and the 'Orwellian' mass media machine, our people are here to stay and we won't be bullied into non-existence.
Due to media lies, however, there is a great misconception regarding what nationalism is all about, and what the role of a local organiser of the British National Party is.
This short article aims to shed some light on the subject and encourage others to step up to the mark and ultimately to help us provide a safe and secure future for our people.
A Day In The Life Of A Local Organiser
04:30 - Get up. I'm lucky enough to have a job and I don't take politics to work.
14:30 - Finish work, check PO Box for new enquiries and head home for lunch.
15:00 - Check emails, both personal and Party, and check Party mobile 'phone for any enquiry texts or answer 'phone messages. Then I get to work on any current projects. Today I'm designing a new 'Local Patriot' leaflet. It's important to limit time spent on the internet as this can swallow up half a day in the blink of an eye, so I try to limit myself to a maximum of two hours.
16:00 - Print off some maps of local area to help in co-ordinating leafleting.
16:30 - An hours leafleting by myself, using last few glossy recruitment leaflets. One person can put out 200 leaflets in an hour, and it's certainly worth while. I expect an enquiry or two from todays activities, but as these leaflets include our blog website address, I know a number of people will be curious enough to look online. It's all about slowly awakening our people, bit by bit.
17:45 - Back home for a shower and prepare tea for my family. Family life is what nationalism is all about, and it's important to spend quality time with my wife and young son.
20:00 - Watch a little television and open a bottle of beer while scribbling notes for ideas on a future meeting. Our Christmas social went well in a new venue and I plan on ensuring even more people attend the next meeting. This will be achieved by telephoning new enquirers and ensuring members and supporters are kept up to date with what's going on. I'm also thinking of some 'Days of Action', where I will continue to build my small but dedicated leafleting team.
21:30 - Time for bed and my good lady is fast asleep the moment her head touches the pillow. Being a mother is hard work, but she'd take motherhood over a glittering career any day of the week. I read for 15mins before nodding off. A number of books sit on my bedside table, from a couple of Terry Partchet novels all the way through to heavier stuff like 'Gods of the North' by Brian Branston, so there's always something to suit my mood.
Nationalism - A Complete Ideology
Political nationalism is tremendously important, but nationalism as an ideology is all about living life with an understanding of who we truly are, understanding nature, understanding our ancestors and and striving to be the best we can be. It's about family, and providing that eternal line of successors who also must learn to understand where they came from and where they're going. Despite the lies pushed forth by traitor politicians and the 'Orwellian' mass media machine, our people are here to stay and we won't be bullied into non-existence.
The United States of Europe
A formal proposal to rename the European Union the United States of Europe is clear evidence that a superstate is on the way, Eurosceptics warned last night.
They said that along with plans for EU citizenship and the running of common foreign, security and defence policies 'on a federal basis', it would give the EU 'all the attributes of a state'.
The name change is part of a 'preliminary draft constitutional treaty' published by former French president Valery Giscard d'Estaing, chairman of a year-long Convention on Europe's future.
The aim is to give the EU a written constitution - a move which sceptics claim is a key part of the development of a single state.
The 18-page draft also suggests giving all residents dual citizenship and sets out the rights of each EU citizen, such as movement, residence and the right to vote and stand in European Parliament and local elections.
Other major proposals are:
The creation of the post of an elected president of the Council. The powers of the European Commission, European Parliament and European Council of member states would also be defined;
A Congress of the Peoples of Europe that would include members of the European Parliament and national legislatures;
EU institutions should be as open as possible, with legislative debates by the Parliament and Council open to the public;
The constitution would also establish the procedure for a country to leave the bloc and the consequences this would have.
The draft blueprint is only a summary of the convention debate so far and final proposals are not due before next summer.
But it provides a wealth of ammunition for Eurosceptics who fear Britain is being sucked into a federal superstate.
A government source admitted it was a 'major negative' that the list of the alternative names for the EU included United States of Europe and United Europe.
There was 'not a cat in hell's chance' of the EU being called a United States of Europe, he said, and United Europe - M Giscard d'Estaing's personal favourite - also risked losing the notion of the nation state.
Peter Hain, the newly appointed Welsh Secretary, is representing the Government at the convention. He will insist the EU does not change its name.
The draft describes the EU as 'a Union of European states which, while retaining their national identities, closely coordinate their policies at the European level, and administer certain common competencies on a federal basis'.
Government officials say the 'f ' word is being used in its proper context, and holds no danger for the UK's sovereignty - but its appearance in an EU ' constitution' is bound to attract hostility.
The other major bugbear for Britain is M Giscard d'Estaing's call for dual citizenship, which would give all EU nationals both national and European citizenship, with the freedom to use either.
The idea of placing EU citizenship above national citizenship is unacceptable to the Government.
The Tory member of the Convention, former minister David Heathcoat-Amory, condemned M Giscard d'Estaing's draft as 'a blueprint for integration'.
He warned: 'The draft constitution published today would endow the European Union with all the attributes of a state.
'The EU will have a single legal personality and will operate on "a federal basis". People will have "dual citizenship", which itself elevates the EU to statehood.
'The British Government must make clear its total opposition to this federal advance.'
But yesterday in the Commons the Prime Minister welcomed the 18-page document, saying it made clear that the EU 'should cooperate as a Union of the European states, not a federal superstate'.
Mr Blair told MPs: 'We are wellplaced in this vital debate.'
They said that along with plans for EU citizenship and the running of common foreign, security and defence policies 'on a federal basis', it would give the EU 'all the attributes of a state'.
The name change is part of a 'preliminary draft constitutional treaty' published by former French president Valery Giscard d'Estaing, chairman of a year-long Convention on Europe's future.
The aim is to give the EU a written constitution - a move which sceptics claim is a key part of the development of a single state.
The 18-page draft also suggests giving all residents dual citizenship and sets out the rights of each EU citizen, such as movement, residence and the right to vote and stand in European Parliament and local elections.
Other major proposals are:
The creation of the post of an elected president of the Council. The powers of the European Commission, European Parliament and European Council of member states would also be defined;
A Congress of the Peoples of Europe that would include members of the European Parliament and national legislatures;
EU institutions should be as open as possible, with legislative debates by the Parliament and Council open to the public;
The constitution would also establish the procedure for a country to leave the bloc and the consequences this would have.
The draft blueprint is only a summary of the convention debate so far and final proposals are not due before next summer.
But it provides a wealth of ammunition for Eurosceptics who fear Britain is being sucked into a federal superstate.
A government source admitted it was a 'major negative' that the list of the alternative names for the EU included United States of Europe and United Europe.
There was 'not a cat in hell's chance' of the EU being called a United States of Europe, he said, and United Europe - M Giscard d'Estaing's personal favourite - also risked losing the notion of the nation state.
Peter Hain, the newly appointed Welsh Secretary, is representing the Government at the convention. He will insist the EU does not change its name.
The draft describes the EU as 'a Union of European states which, while retaining their national identities, closely coordinate their policies at the European level, and administer certain common competencies on a federal basis'.
Government officials say the 'f ' word is being used in its proper context, and holds no danger for the UK's sovereignty - but its appearance in an EU ' constitution' is bound to attract hostility.
The other major bugbear for Britain is M Giscard d'Estaing's call for dual citizenship, which would give all EU nationals both national and European citizenship, with the freedom to use either.
The idea of placing EU citizenship above national citizenship is unacceptable to the Government.
The Tory member of the Convention, former minister David Heathcoat-Amory, condemned M Giscard d'Estaing's draft as 'a blueprint for integration'.
He warned: 'The draft constitution published today would endow the European Union with all the attributes of a state.
'The EU will have a single legal personality and will operate on "a federal basis". People will have "dual citizenship", which itself elevates the EU to statehood.
'The British Government must make clear its total opposition to this federal advance.'
But yesterday in the Commons the Prime Minister welcomed the 18-page document, saying it made clear that the EU 'should cooperate as a Union of the European states, not a federal superstate'.
Mr Blair told MPs: 'We are wellplaced in this vital debate.'
Tuesday, 25 January 2011
Immigrant “Fake Car Crash” Gangs Cause Motor Insurance Premiums to Jump by 30%
Motor car insurance premiums have jumped by an average of 30 percent a year after a massive upsurge in fraud and faked car crash claims which have been blamed by police and insurance crime investigators on Pakistani, Afghan and Bangladeshi immigrants.
The increase in insurance premiums is yet another financial punishment inflicted upon the British public as a result of the massive Third World immigration invasion supported by both Tory and Labour governments.According to the Automobile Association (AA), car insurance policies have increased by an average of £215 per year. Drivers will now be forced to pay an average of £845 for their annual policy, up 34 percent from last year’s average of £630.
According to Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance, as quoted in a recent media report, almost half of the average insurance policy now goes to cover the cost of whiplash claims, fraud, legal fees and tax.
The number of whiplash claims has risen by 25 per cent in six years and £44 from every motorist’s policy goes to cover fraudulent staged accidents.
According to the media, these “crash for cash” claims are so common in certain areas that drivers in some parts of the country either cannot buy insurance at all or have to pay massively inflated premiums.
These areas are often located in wealthier areas where victims are most likely to have full comprehensive insurance.
For example, one company, Esure, reported a 300 percent increase in personal injury claims in the B31 postcode in Birmingham. Towns in this postcode include Longbridge and Northfield, some of the better-off areas of the West Midlands.
Parliament’s Transport Select Committee was told last week by Chief Supt Geraint Anwyl of the Association of Chief Police Officers’ roads policing section that the frauds were “highly organised and clearly very profitable.
“Induced collisions and staged collisions were taking place along with fictitious collisions,” Supt, Anwyl told the committee, adding that this was directly raising premiums.
According to the Insurance Fraud Bureau, there were about 30,000 “staged car crashes” last year which cost insurers about £350 million and added £44 to the premium of every driver.
In September 2009, London police inspector Nick Chalmers told BBC Asian Radio that “Pakistani, Afghan and Bangladeshi criminal gangs in Britain are staging deliberate car accidents in order to claim their victims’ car insurance money.”
Inspector Chalmers said that the gangs operate primarily in Yorkshire, Lancashire and the suburbs of London.
“The modus operandi of the gangs appears to be to move closely in a convoy of two cars. The first car suddenly brakes very hard, as does the second, forcing the targeted victim’s car to crash into the rear of the second car,” he said.
“The perpetrators then make a fraudulent car crash claim to their victim’s insurance company for damages to their vehicle and for personal injuries, such as whiplash, real or not,” he continued.
“Some fraudsters have claimed for injuries to persons not even present in the vehicle.
“Ten such gangs operate in northwest London alone, and the daily count of staged accidents could be up to 20,” Insp. Chalmers said.
An article in the Financial Times from 2008 dealing with the topic quoted the Insurance Fraud Bureau’s (IFB) head, Sue Jones, as saying that the proceeds from the ‘crash for cash’ cases were’ linked to other serious crimes and countries associated with Islamic extremism, such as Afghanistan.’
Ms Jones was quoted as saying that the IFB was specifically targeting these gangs, many of which were linked with "all sorts of other criminality.
“This is not just a crime where greedy people are lining their own pockets and driving around in flash cars and buying nice houses. It's the more sinister uses to which the money is being put,” she said.
Ms Jones added that “the crime was linked to drugs, immigration frauds and other financial offences, perhaps even including the financing of Muslim extremist groups.
"Of concern to us is the volume of money that's going out of the country through places like Dubai and into places like Pakistan and Afghanistan. Once the money is out there, it does become particularly difficult to get a handle on it,” she said.
Muslim father accused of 'running down and killing daughter, 20, because she was becoming too Westernised'
A Muslim father ran over and killed his 20-year-old daughter because he was enraged by her failure to obey him and her increasingly Westernised values, a prosecutor has claimed.
Faleh Almaleki allegedly accelerated his Jeep in a car park in Phoenix, Arizona, hitting Noor as well as her boyfriend's mother, before fleeing the scene - and the country.
The mother survived but Noor died after two weeks in a coma.
In a case that has gripped America, the jury will now have to decide whether or not Almaleki, an Iraqi immigrant, should be charged with murder, attempted murder or whether it was an accident, as his defence lawyers contest.
The 50-year-old faces life behind bars if he is convicted of murder.
Prosecutor Laura Reckart told the 16-strong jury that Almaleki was increasingly incensed at his daughter's failure to obey him.
In her opening statement, she told jurors that he believed she had dishonoured the family by becoming too Westernised.
And, when he saw her by chance while visiting a state Department of Economic security office in Peoria on October 20, 2009, his rage overflowed, she has claimed.
Almaleki left the office, got in his Jeep and waited for his daughter to emerge as he seethed, Mrs Reckart said.
'He revved and raced that car right out of the parking spot in a premeditated act and ran them over,' she continued.
However, according to his defence team, led by Elizabeth Mullins, what happened was accidental.
She claimed that when Almaleki saw the older woman walking across the parking lot he made a 'catastrophic' decision to show his disdain.
As he accelerated to about 20 mph (32 kph), a startled Amal Khalaf - the mother of Miss Almaleki's boyfriend - jumped in front of the Jeep.
Almaleki swerved but couldn't avoid hitting the woman, who thankfully survived.
But the Jeep then jumped a curb and ran over his daughter, causing severe injuries that would kill her 13 days later.
Almaleki's lawyer claims it was an accident and that although he should be held responsible, he is not guilty of premeditated murder.
The case caused outrage after prosecutors deemed Miss Almaleki's death an 'honour killing'.
Almaleki is from a small Southern Iraqi town near Basra.
He and his family were relocated by the U.S. military to Saudi Arabia and then the U.S. in the mid-1990s.
Almaleki later got a job as a truck driver in the Phoenix area and his wife worked for the military.
He wanted his daughter to adhere to Iraqi traditions, but she wanted to be a typical American girl, the court heard.
When she was 17, she refused to enter an arranged marriage in Iraq - a move that enraged her father - the court records showed.
She moved into her own apartment aged 19 and began working at a fast-food restaurant but quit after her parents kept showing up at her workplace, insisting she return home.
Later in 2009, she moved in with her boyfriend and his parents, Reikan and Amal Khalaf, after saying her parents had hit her.
'The relationship between Noor and her father had become very strained,' Mrs Reckart, for the prosecution, said.
'Noor wanted to live her life like those her own age, but the defendant would not allow it.'
That may be true, Mrs Mullins said from the defence bench, but Mr Almaleki would never intentionally harm his first born.
'For a real (Iraqi) man, for a real father, having that child is the most important thing in his world,' she told jurors.
But the prosecutor said Almaleki's actions after he fled the scene - which included travelling to Mexico and then on to London, where he was caught - show he was running away and knew what he had done was wrong.
Mrs Mullins said he simply panicked and left at the urging of his family.
When he was caught, he tried to explain to police that what had happened was an accident, telling them, 'If my daughter dies, I kill myself', she said.
When Miss Almaleki eventually died, her father was marked for suicide watch in the jail, she added.
Prosecutors plan to begin calling witnesses in the case today and the trial could take several weeks.
Almaleki has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault and leaving the scene of a serious injury accident.
Faleh Almaleki allegedly accelerated his Jeep in a car park in Phoenix, Arizona, hitting Noor as well as her boyfriend's mother, before fleeing the scene - and the country.
The mother survived but Noor died after two weeks in a coma.
Accused: Faleh Hassan Almaleki, left, is charged with murdering his 20-year-old daughter Noor, after she died when he ran over her in his Jeep in October 2009. It is alleged he was angry that she was 'too Westernised'
The 50-year-old faces life behind bars if he is convicted of murder.
Prosecutor Laura Reckart told the 16-strong jury that Almaleki was increasingly incensed at his daughter's failure to obey him.
In her opening statement, she told jurors that he believed she had dishonoured the family by becoming too Westernised.
And, when he saw her by chance while visiting a state Department of Economic security office in Peoria on October 20, 2009, his rage overflowed, she has claimed.
Almaleki left the office, got in his Jeep and waited for his daughter to emerge as he seethed, Mrs Reckart said.
'He revved and raced that car right out of the parking spot in a premeditated act and ran them over,' she continued.
However, according to his defence team, led by Elizabeth Mullins, what happened was accidental.
As he accelerated to about 20 mph (32 kph), a startled Amal Khalaf - the mother of Miss Almaleki's boyfriend - jumped in front of the Jeep.
Almaleki swerved but couldn't avoid hitting the woman, who thankfully survived.
But the Jeep then jumped a curb and ran over his daughter, causing severe injuries that would kill her 13 days later.
Almaleki's lawyer claims it was an accident and that although he should be held responsible, he is not guilty of premeditated murder.
The case caused outrage after prosecutors deemed Miss Almaleki's death an 'honour killing'.
Almaleki is from a small Southern Iraqi town near Basra.
He and his family were relocated by the U.S. military to Saudi Arabia and then the U.S. in the mid-1990s.
Almaleki later got a job as a truck driver in the Phoenix area and his wife worked for the military.
He wanted his daughter to adhere to Iraqi traditions, but she wanted to be a typical American girl, the court heard.
When she was 17, she refused to enter an arranged marriage in Iraq - a move that enraged her father - the court records showed.
She moved into her own apartment aged 19 and began working at a fast-food restaurant but quit after her parents kept showing up at her workplace, insisting she return home.
Later in 2009, she moved in with her boyfriend and his parents, Reikan and Amal Khalaf, after saying her parents had hit her.
'The relationship between Noor and her father had become very strained,' Mrs Reckart, for the prosecution, said.
'Noor wanted to live her life like those her own age, but the defendant would not allow it.'
That may be true, Mrs Mullins said from the defence bench, but Mr Almaleki would never intentionally harm his first born.
'For a real (Iraqi) man, for a real father, having that child is the most important thing in his world,' she told jurors.
But the prosecutor said Almaleki's actions after he fled the scene - which included travelling to Mexico and then on to London, where he was caught - show he was running away and knew what he had done was wrong.
Mrs Mullins said he simply panicked and left at the urging of his family.
When he was caught, he tried to explain to police that what had happened was an accident, telling them, 'If my daughter dies, I kill myself', she said.
When Miss Almaleki eventually died, her father was marked for suicide watch in the jail, she added.
Prosecutors plan to begin calling witnesses in the case today and the trial could take several weeks.
Almaleki has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault and leaving the scene of a serious injury accident.
Monday, 24 January 2011
White children in Birmingham 'a minority' this year because of immigration
Children from white families are in the minority in both Birmingham and Leicester, according to researchers.
More than half of those under 16 in the cities are now from black, Asian and other ethnic communities, they believe.
White children make up 47 per cent of the population in both cities, the researchers estimate.
The figures, which are expected to be confirmed by this year’s census, mean that for the first time white children are a minority group, although they are the biggest single ethnic group.
A report on Birmingham suggests that the figures could be explained by a younger population, more white families moving out of the city and immigration.
The report estimates that in 2006 53 per cent of children under 16 in Birmingham, Britain’s second biggest city, were from white families.
It also forecast that the proportion of children aged under 16 who are from ethnic minorities will rise to about 64 per cent by 2026, while the proportion of children from white families will be 36 per cent.
In Leicester it is predicted that children from white families will make up 31.8 per cent of under 16s by 2026.
The predictions are contained in reports by the Cathie Marsh Institute at the University of Manchester. The Birmingham report was commissioned by Birmingham City Council while the Leicester estimates are from a student’s dissertation.
At the time of the last census in 2001, 70.4 per cent of Birmingham’s population of all age ranges was white and 29.6 per cent from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, dominated by those with Asian, Caribbean and African origins.
It is predicted that by 2024 no ethnic group will form a majority. At present the total population of the city is just over one million.
In Leicester, white British people made up 60.54 per cent of the population at the time of the 2001 census.
According to the University of Manchester predictions, Leicester will become Britain’s first city where no ethnic group forms a majority in about 2019. Leicester’s population at present is more than 300,000.
Professor Ludi Simpson, who led the research team, said: ‘In Leicester and Birmingham, the white group will remain the largest by far – though it will not account for a majority of the population as a whole.
‘These and most other cities are already diverse with many different ethnic minorities.
‘Indeed it is indisputable that whether the whole of Britain or its city districts are considered, there will be more cultures represented in more equal numbers than in the past.’
The findings for Birmingham chime with Department for Education figures released last January.
They showed that 43 per cent of children at Birmingham’s primary and secondary schools were white. Out of 148,900 pupils attending council-run schools, 63,800 were white.
The 2011 census is being conducted in March, when 25million households across England and Wales will be required by law to answer a range of questions including who is registered as living at a property, their age, their education and their ethnicity.
The results, the first official figures since 2001, will be announced later this year.
More than half of those under 16 in the cities are now from black, Asian and other ethnic communities, they believe.
White children make up 47 per cent of the population in both cities, the researchers estimate.
The figures, which are expected to be confirmed by this year’s census, mean that for the first time white children are a minority group, although they are the biggest single ethnic group.
Education authorities say many different languages are being spoken in Birmingham schools (Picture posed by models)
The report estimates that in 2006 53 per cent of children under 16 in Birmingham, Britain’s second biggest city, were from white families.
It also forecast that the proportion of children aged under 16 who are from ethnic minorities will rise to about 64 per cent by 2026, while the proportion of children from white families will be 36 per cent.
In Leicester it is predicted that children from white families will make up 31.8 per cent of under 16s by 2026.
The predictions are contained in reports by the Cathie Marsh Institute at the University of Manchester. The Birmingham report was commissioned by Birmingham City Council while the Leicester estimates are from a student’s dissertation.
At the time of the last census in 2001, 70.4 per cent of Birmingham’s population of all age ranges was white and 29.6 per cent from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, dominated by those with Asian, Caribbean and African origins.
It is predicted that by 2024 no ethnic group will form a majority. At present the total population of the city is just over one million.
In Leicester, white British people made up 60.54 per cent of the population at the time of the 2001 census.
More than half of children in Birmingham will be from black and Asian communities, making white families a minority group, a report said today
Professor Ludi Simpson, who led the research team, said: ‘In Leicester and Birmingham, the white group will remain the largest by far – though it will not account for a majority of the population as a whole.
‘These and most other cities are already diverse with many different ethnic minorities.
‘Indeed it is indisputable that whether the whole of Britain or its city districts are considered, there will be more cultures represented in more equal numbers than in the past.’
The findings for Birmingham chime with Department for Education figures released last January.
They showed that 43 per cent of children at Birmingham’s primary and secondary schools were white. Out of 148,900 pupils attending council-run schools, 63,800 were white.
The 2011 census is being conducted in March, when 25million households across England and Wales will be required by law to answer a range of questions including who is registered as living at a property, their age, their education and their ethnicity.
The results, the first official figures since 2001, will be announced later this year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)