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#ThirdWednesday drinks – Wednesday 15th February

Come and meet-up with likeminded freedom lovers, at our #ThirdWednesday drinks at The George, Croydon on Wednesday 15th February, from 7pm. 

We will hold these in association with Dick Delingpole’s #ThirdWednesday Libertarian drinks club. 

Join us at The George. 17–21 George Street, Croydon. CR0 1LA on Wednesday 15th February, from 7pm.

Facebook: https://fb.me/e/2ANOnUiN5

Interview with Paul Oakley

Former UKIP General Secretary Paul Oakley, worked at senior local then national levels during the rise and fall of the party. Paul has been a long-term campaigner for the UK’s departure from the EU, ripping up a copy of the Maastricht Treaty at a Young Conservative conference. Paul wrote the book “No One Likes Us, We Don’t Care: A UKIP Memoir” and we caught up with him to speak about this, politics and the state of Brexit.

“Then of course there was that dreadful Gina Miller who was effectively seeking the right for herself to cast the deciding vote on the referendum through the courts”

Paul thanks for your time:

Most of your time in politics centred around one issue, the UK’s independence from the EU. What were your feelings the day we voted to leave, and what are your feelings on where we are now?

I expected the powers-that-be to try to frustrate Brexit and that is precisely what happened. Theresa May and her henchmen spent two-and-a-half years trying to derail the process. Then of course there was that dreadful Gina Miller who was effectively seeking the right for herself to cast the deciding vote on the referendum through the courts. Boris Johnson wasn’t much better, formalising a half-cock Brexit because he couldn’t be bothered putting any real effort in. As things stand now, the federalists are keen to blame all Britain’s economic woes on the decision to leave the EU. As far as they are concerned, the looming depression is nothing to do with its true causes, namely the insanity of the lockdowns and the idiocy of “net zero”. The push for regional and global governance looks set to continue and it might yet be necessary for us to retrieve our claymores from the roof thatch once again.

Now we are at least partially out of the EU, what do you think we should do with our restored sovereign powers?

Vested interests will try to stop us doing very much at all. Prime Minister Truss and Chancellor Kwarteng had the excellent idea of lifting the EU-imposed cap on bankers’ bonuses. That would have resulted in financiers rushing away from the EU to work in the City of London with an associated boost in tax receipts for the Treasury (for those who think that sort of thing is important). Unfortunately, the Sunak coup put an end to that. On the positive side, it seems that the Tory government are considering withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights. It was not possible for us to do this while an EU member state. This must be replaced with an updated British Bill of Rights for British citizens. It’s absurd that aliens currently enjoy the same fundamental rights as nationals. Perhaps that sensible idea will be allowed to fizzle out too however.

“Question everything; accept nothing. Brexit would not have happened without that attitude”

UKIP made a bag of cats look like a calm reasoned environment. What was it that made UKIP so ungovernable?

This was our strength. Question everything; accept nothing. Brexit would not have happened without that attitude, no matter how annoying it may sometimes have proved for the course of party governance.

You’ve written a book about your time in UKIP. What made you write the book, and what has the reception been like?

I wrote it as I went along while keeping contemporaneous notes because I thought it was worth recording this modern peasants’ revolt from the ground level. Those who have read it seem to have enjoyed it. Unfortunately, it was published at the time of the unexpected 2019 EU elections which meant that it received zero media interest because of electoral law. Never mind. I now plan to write the Great Romantic Novel which will doubtless have a better reception.

Is there any standout memory from your time in UKIP that covers the essence of your time in the party?

Three similar things. At the time of the 2014 EU elections, the Electoral Commission allowed counterfeit UKIP parties to stand calling themselves “UKEPP” and “UK Independence Now”. That cost us two MEPs and was precisely the kind of deceit that the Electoral Commission had been set up to tackle. Then there was the 2015 general election when the SNP polled 1.4 million votes and won 56 seats yet UKIP, with 3.8 million votes, returned only a single MP. Finally, there was Nigel Farage’s campaign in Thanet South during that same election. There has still been no real explanation as to why ballot boxes went missing for several hours on the night of the count and it still seems odd that UKIP won control of the council yet Farage did not win the constituency. Nonetheless, the media has assured us that there was no evidence of electoral fraud so that’s alright then.

Taking all these together, it is plain that the establishment and the system itself were united in stopping UKIP from achieving the heights it deserved. That makes our victory in the 2016 referendum even more impressive. We should be proud of ourselves.

“resist all authorities which seek to control the United Kingdom without democratic oversight”

We’ve had lockdowns, have restrictions on free speech, tech giants operating seemingly with impunity, rising fuel costs, identity politics and have a PM not selected by either his party or the country. If Brexit was the panoptic battle of the last 30 years, what’s the battle for the next 30 years?

Recent events have shown that the battle remains the same: to resist all authorities which seek to control the United Kingdom without democratic oversight. That will involve resigning from the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol; leaving the World Health Organisation and, indeed, the UN itself. We also need to give real thought to the question of whether the UK should remain in NATO. Save for funding the military industrial complex, it’s hard to understand why NATO did not disband after the collapse of the Soviet Union. For so long as Erdogan’s Turkey remains a member, the concept of collective defence under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty is a worry, not a reassurance. Further, it is not in the interests of the British people at all to be dragged into any future conflict with Russia and China in order to assist new or prospective NATO members.

Paul’s book “No One Likes Us, We Don’t Care: A UKIP Memoir” is available from Amazon at https://www.amazon.co.uk/No-One-Likes-Dont-Care-ebook/dp/B07PPV5HBC/

Help stop ULEZ expansion – street stalls

The Mayor of London plans to expand the ULEZ zone to include all Greater London in August this year.  Vehicles not meeting the compliance standards will be charged £12.50 a day if driven inside the zone.

Croydon, Sutton, Hillingdon, Harrow, and Bexley councils have all come out against the plan.  We are planning to hold 2 street stalls on Saturday 4th February in Coulsdon, and Saturday 25th February in Sutton to raise awareness and direct people to campaigns against the scheme.

We will be distributing leaflets directing people to our Stop ULEZ Expansion page, which has links to Petitions, and more information. 

If you’re free, please come and join us raising awareness of the important issue.  Help stop ULEZ which will cost many thousands, will hurt small business and the poorest hardest. 

Join us:

Saturday 4th February in Coulsdon
10:30am – 1pm
Outside Aldi / Tesco – 159 Brighton Rd, Coulsdon CR5 2XR
Google Maps
Facebook event

Saturday 25th February in Sutton
10:30am – 1pm
Outside Waterstones – Trinity Square, Sutton SM1 1DU
Google Maps
Facebook event

Businesses and Service Providers are using technology to thwart contact and impose control of our lives

On January 10th the Coulsdon and Purley Debating Society debated the motion “Businesses and Service Providers are using technology to thwart contact and impose control of our lives”.

Maureen Levy proposed the debate, and below is her speech delivered to the society.  As always with this friendly group the debate was good natured, very well opposed and drew out some great views from the audience.

“I am sure many of you remember when people could, to a great extent, make their own individual decisions on the direction of their lives and what to say and think and whom to deal with?”

Although the debate is entitled Businesses and Service Providers are using technology to thwart contact and impose control of our lives insidious control is much greater than just through business and service providers.  I am afraid it goes much wider than this and, although some may say this is a conspiracy theory, governments and worldwide organisations are as guilty – if not more so – than businesses and service providers, unfortunately accepted as fact by many.  One such example is underlined by Germany’s proposal to change presumption of innocent into presumption of guilt. The gradual withdrawal of the use of cash to digital. Our ’masters’ have become much less recognisable and rule by consent is being eroded.

I am sure many of you remember when people could, to a great extent, make their own individual decisions on the direction of their lives and what to say and think and whom to deal with? There were certainly a number of constraints back then but nowhere near the insidious restrictions and limitations there are now so that one is forced into taking a route chosen by others and the use of technology to impose control. Our manufacturing base has gone and slipped quietly away to be owned abroad which must have been with the connivance – or stupidity – of our government.

Back then there was no internet, mobile phones and other electronic methods of control such as social media and data harvesting of an individuals’ details to be used to control our lives. Once The World Wide Web, emails, social media, data harvesting and such like were invented and implemented, we were lost. Unscrupulous, people, organisations and governments find more and more ways to manipulate our lives and give power to those in control to keep citizens under increasingly constant surveillance and control their lives.

Customer service is often no more or on the way out. If self-service tills, credit card and mobile phone payments were not used and encouraged by those who use such tills and such like manufacturers would not be encouraged to install more and more such tills and the gradually disappearance and reduction of serviced tills and the use of cash and picking up more information on everyone on the way.

“Going cashless is one of the first steps to total digital control. Businesses, services and government – Bank of England – can stop you from using your money to buy certain goods”

Going cashless is one of the first steps to total digital control. Businesses, services and government – Bank of England – can stop you from using your money to buy certain goods; Your accounts can be programmed to complete control over you personally and over your finances.

  • not allowing purchase of sugar drinks, burgers, meat and such like; 
  • Not allowing purchase of goods from certain countries
  • On what you can watch on TV
  • Where you can go (see Oxford and Cambridge diktats)
  • What transport you can use
  • Websites you can visit and so on.

Going cashless should be everybody’s concern.

Customers are acting how governments and companies chose. manipulating/coercing the population into compliance / acceptance of Government, business and service providers in readiness for what is to come. We must resist and at least use staffed tills

Through these methods, Big brother is indeed watching you and is indeed obtaining more and more control over our lives. George Orwell was right with his dystopian vision in his books and were a forecast of what is happening in the here and now.  The thought police are interfering, intruding, prying, snooping, meddling in everyday lives and it will get worse.  They are inhibiting, hindering and obstructing your daily movements, thoughts and actions. The concept of freedom and individualism will be abolished under the pretext of protecting you and you will be told ‘we will make your decision for you’.  The norms of the past are being deliberately eroded and the deliberate twisting of reality. It is altering the known structure of society.

“businesses and such like have conveniently – or deliberately – forgotten they serve the public and not the other way around.”

The culture is shifting and governments, businesses and such like have conveniently – or deliberately – forgotten they serve the public and not the other way around.  There has been a significant change in the structure of society. The insidious altering of the perception of things which have become ideologically offensive to a few, often to just a very small organised minority view, are taken up as fact and imposed by those in control who are afraid of upsetting the politically correct brigade. Imposed upon the majority who do not hold such, often bizarre views of the world.  It appears these kind of views are often taught and disseminated through our school and infect our young.  I am afraid, we are, to a great extent allowing them to do so and sleep walking to another type of slavery.

There is attack on Christian faith and the English Language. Brighton University banning the word Christmas.

Men and women being redefined.

Allowance of very small minorities to dictate policy and take control of thought – very like Napoleon in Animal Farm!

Cambridge dictionary redefining what a woman is and it is not a female woman.

Disabling the capacity for critical thought. They decide what should be preserved. What removed or altered or falsified. Abbreviated jargon to text speak which is becoming ingrained in our children. An invigilator found a student writing her English Literature exam paper in text speak. When pointed out, the girl hadn’t even realised what she was doing it has become so ingrained.  The student asked for extra time to re-write but was denied.

The constraints on individualism and the one size fits all to group think.

  • Constraining of freedom of speech
  • Constraining the freedom of the press
  • Constraining the freedom of assembly
  • Constraining thought
  • Constraining the right to withdraw one’s labour

Social bonds are being broken down. Destabilising the family units and undermining love and pity and family ties. Cutting people away from their family roots to being of little or no importance. Encouraging conflict of interest between old and young.

“We saw the need for grieving with the pageant and outpouring of grief at the Queen’s funeral and laying in state, much of it from ‘ordinary people’.  Why should such outpouring and relieving of grief be reserved or retained just for the rich?”

One example of this is the current push to send family members – often presented in adverts as the useless old – away to be cremated when they die with no members of the family or friends being present. Just throw them on the rubbish dump with no ceremony to remember their lives. Just forget they lived.  The ashes are returned for people to celebrate the dead persons lives’ as they want’, if at all. (If they are actually the persons ashes!!)  We saw the need for grieving with the pageant and outpouring of grief at the Queen’s funeral and laying in state, much of it from ‘ordinary people’.  Why should such outpouring and relieving of grief be reserved or retained just for the rich? Erosion of the rights of the poor.

In this time of increasing costs and expenses Do any of you remember the Soylent Green film about the special ingredients that go into the making of the peoples’ dietary staple because real food costs so much that no one can afford it, the government provides the people with a synthetic substitute biscuit, supposedly made from plankton. –  a synthetic substitute Soylent Green which is actually made from the bodies of dead humans. Something to think about.!!

‘Someone’ – we know not who – makes a decision of what the official line is and proceeds to shut down any different view with a false view of the world so we do not know what is true and what is not. We will make your decision for you. There is loss of independence and independent thought.

“The asking of what you are spending your money on. How long will it remain your money?  We should try to keep cash and our physical High Streets.”

Choice is being take away. Bank branches are closing and people are being directed to use on-line banking as with other businesses, services and government departments. The asking of what you are spending your money on. How long will it remain your money?  We should try to keep cash and our physical High Streets.

The current drive to stop people eating meat or of farmers being encouraged to stop animals farming to plantbased production. Liberals in charge of the systems.

Control proposals – such as

  • Oxford proposal of dividing driving zones and with residents only allowed to drive outside of the defined zone a certain number of times a year or having fines imposed.
  • Canterbury’s ‘Local Plan to 2045’, proposes splitting the city into 5 districts, with drivers unable to cross between districts by private car – even if they live there. Those who break the rules will face fines enforced by number-plate recognition cameras and won’t be able to make simple journeys around the City
  • Or Islington restriction of heating and hot water to a few hours a day.  
  • The gallop to the Green agenda and net zero does not take into consideration – or care – on the collateral damage to poorer people.

All these plans are part of the Net Zero 2030 Agenda.

It is not about saving the planet – which is undeliverable in the way proposed – but about control – and profits for some.

Smart Meters and ability to monitor usage and times of usage and Electric current shut off is possible. Encouragement to install Smart Meters with £100 off if use less between certain hours – which, of course, cannot be done without the ability for monitoring – which, of course,  it is claimed cannot happen. Smart and electric cars, Smart Phones, Smart Cities credit cards, paying by Smart mobile phones, all ways of knowing where you are and what you are doing all with the ability to monitor and control. They are even developing Smart Socks which can detect neurological and other illnesses which will be passed to Doctors and Insurance Companies for their use and manipulation and not likely to be to the benefit of the person.  Notice the word SMART is used to insidiously imply people are smart to use.  No-one wants to be considered stupid, do they?  

Digital currency and discouraging the use of cash. All presented as safety and convenience but actually about tracking and surveillance. Remember the Canadian Government stopped the bank accounts of the truckers who would not listen to the diktats and direction of the government and refused to follow the controls of Covid inoculations.

Speaking of Covid restrictions – where were the Human Rights lobbies then and the deafening silence.  If they spoke up they were shut down or not reported.

“All this means YOU are paying for the phone call and someone – usually the company or government department – are reaping the profit through pay back contracts with the telephone companies.”

Have you noticed that the use of the telephone to companies and government department and the time taken, often half an hour or more – messages letting you know that you can use on-line systems and the button pushing before you can get to a human assistance if at all – often taking 5 minutes in itself. All this means YOU are paying for the phone call and someone – usually the company or government department – are reaping the profit through pay back contracts with the telephone companies.

Few face to face meeting where you can read the body language of those in the room.  Where you can only see a few of those taking part and only allowed to speak should the ‘controller’ of the meeting allow. Zoom meetings introduced with claims to protect you during covid lockdown.  Have you noticed how many organisations continue to only zoom meetings now the danger has passed?

Self-appointment does not make it lawful. The curtailing of the freedoms of law-abiding people is not lawful. It is not about health. It is not about saving the planet. It is justifying unreasonable emergency measures and an inexcusable fraud. Covid Lockdown was based on guess work and not science.   It is now emerging that Pfizer mislead the public. The scientist who did not agree were shut down.  Several scientific studies have emerged that call into question the safety and effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines, raising alarm bells about the potential harm they may have caused and their ability to prevent infection and transmission. It was, and is, Control.

We are slowly and acceleratingly losing our freedoms.  Propaganda through the Main media disbursing misinformation and suppressing news which does not fit into their and controllers’ version of reality. Destroying the fundamentals of the glue of society. Particularly the traditional family. Of mum and dad bringing up their own children. We are becoming the swallower of slogans and propaganda. Vague rumors taken as fact

It is all designed to teach us to obey.  All institutions are being infiltrated. Money making scheme for the usual suspects.

We should not accept this. They are playing us for fools. We need to protect our own identities as much as we can. We should say ‘No’ and ignore as much as we can.

It’s all interconnected. Largely by design. The ultimate aim is digital, social and financial control through: Central Banking Digital Currencies and as many ways as they can find.

Like all inventions, one has to attempt to make sure they do not end up controlling you.

I believe the genie is out of the bottle or another Pandora’s box has been opened and there is no way of putting it back in.

“Covid Lockdown was based on guess work and not science.  The scientist who did not agree on the need for mass inoculation and lockdown were shut down”

Summation

Self-appointment does not make it lawful. The curtailing of the freedoms of law-abiding people is not lawful – but what do they care, they have the upper hand and are well on the way to complete control. It is not about health. It is not about saving the planet. It is justifying unreasonable emergency measures and an inexcusable fraud. Covid Lockdown was based on guess work and not science.  The scientist who did not agree on the need for mass inoculation and lockdown were shut down.

Climate lockdowns will be disguised as ’15 minute cities’ coming to a city near you and about control and extortion. Note how easily the word Lockdown slipped into our everyday conversations! Our government is fully signed up to Net Zero 2030 Policy. There will be digital ID, programmable credit score Control of money, food, movement and all services with central bank digital currency. It’s all interconnected. Largely by design. The ultimate aim is digital, social and financial control.

In fact, an open-air prison to most. Of course, a very rosy picture will be presented to the public

We are slowly and acceleratingly losing our freedoms.  Propaganda through the Main media disbursing misinformation and suppressing news which does not fit into their and controllers’ version of reality and narrative. Destroying the fundamentals of the glue of society. Particularly the traditional family. Of mum and dad bringing up their own children. We are becoming the swallower of slogans and propaganda. Vague rumors taken as fact

It is all designed to teach us to obey.  All institutions are being infiltrated. Money making scheme for the usual suspects.

We should say ‘No’ and ignore as much as we can. One has to attempt/try to resist as much as possible to make sure they do not end up controlling you through: –

  • Thought police
  • Changing things which had become ideologically offensive to those in control.
  • They decide what should be preserved. What removed or altered or falsified.
  • Faking of photographs – Instagram.
  • Swallowers of slogan and propaganda
  • Constraining freedom of speech
  • Constraining the freedom of the press
  • Constraining freedom of assembly
  • Constraining thought
  • Constraining the right to withdraw one’s labour
  • Ridicule
  • Destruction of words and language getting smaller with the aim of narrowing the range of thought with fewer words and expressions.
  • Insidiously pushing its way into our everyday lives and overpowering and erosion of our individuality.
  • Internet purchases with more and more individual shops being closed down so that physical choice and movement is restricted.
  • Cutting off channels of communication

The genie is out of the bottle or another Pandora’s box has been opened and there is no way of putting it back in.

“I stopped DD the and replaced with a Standing Order of the amount I wanted to pay.”

Service problems

Bank closure – Coulsdon did have 6 banks and 3 Building Societies. Now it has none even though residents and RA’s asked at least one was left. 

Gas and Electric company I used transferred/sold to another company.  I had happily paid by direct debit for at least 20/30 years.  If I went into credit, they happily automatically paid credit back to my bank account.  I was not informed of the transfer until a year after this had taken place.  Once officially told the new company wrote and told me they had increased each of my DD payments by over 100%.  Told them to put back whilst also increasing to amount paid (but not 100%).  Told them not to do again.  Had to argue for re-payment of credit which had accrued as a result of their increase of DD to over £400. By the time I argued on repayment and reduction of DD this had gone to more than £550. Their accounts department rejected request for repayment.  I stopped DD the and replaced with a Standing Order of the amount I wanted to pay.

Plans for 2023

With a politically tumultuous 2022 coming to an end, we asked you, ‘What do you hope your organisation will be doing in 2023?’

Hilary Judge, TOGETHER Croydon

“I hope that they take the Cash Fridays campaign on-board, and it goes nationwide. Businesses should be encouraged to actively promote taking cash.”

My hopes for Together are that they become more democratic with greater member input.  We would have ideas coming from meetup groups and individuals and adopting participatory democracy, which is a program where recipients answer questions where they completely agree, somewhat agree etc.

I hope that they take the Cash Fridays campaign on-board, and it goes nationwide (Cash Friday’s is a campaign to on a Friday, spend cash to pay for goods / services rather than use cards). Businesses should be encouraged to actively promote taking cash. Expand the campaign to younger people by giving cash to dependent teenagers, rather than bank transfers.

I would like bigger debates with participants from all over the political spectrum and I’m thinking of organising our future meetings as open debates.

Together Croydon are meeting on Tuesday 7th February in Croydon and Thursday 9th February in Beckenham, contact [email protected] for further details.

Martin Day/Andrew Withers, Libertarian Party

“Small business owners are increasingly aware of the bias towards huge corporations that this current administration has. They know that we support initiative and entrepreneurism.”

The Year ahead.

2023 will finally see a new website produced, featuring more interaction with the members. Hopefully, that and the data system behind it will enable us to run increasing numbers of candidates in the local elections this May.

We are also speaking to university students to get the message of self-sufficiency and individualism into the younger generation. So far, it is generating more interest than previous years.

We continue to highlight the appalling corruption of this current government, whist pointing out that the other side are unlikely to be any better. Just different coloured snouts in the trough. Sadly, too many voters are shackled to the two-party system.

Locally, a whole new initiative is being discussed along the lines of London Libertarians. Small business owners are increasingly aware of the bias towards huge corporations that this current administration has. They know that we support initiative and entrepreneurism.

We are now faced with the Prince Harry farago dominating the headlines, while this unelected Prime Minister, without the mandate of the voting public, enacting a surveillance authoritarian state.

Serious policies are no longer subject to the scrutiny by the voter, nor by MP’s more concerned with climbing the preferment greasy pole and raking in expenses and part time appointments.

Centralisation of power amongst the few is root cause of political crisis. The Libertarian Party has a fully thought-out Constitutional Reform package.

What you tolerate will continue.

Back to Part 2

Podcast Episode 79 – Dominic Frisby

We have a chat with Dominic about the state of the nation, taxation and the fight for liberty. We also discuss his latest project “Kisses on a Postcard” a musical based on his father’s experiences as an evacuee in World War 2.

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For more info on Kisses on a Postcard including YouTube, Podcasts and CDs, go to https://kissesonapostcard.com/.

Clips

Dominic Frisby – Taxation. The author of Daylight Robbery: How Tax Shaped Our Past and Will Change Our Future chats with us about national and local taxation. (5 mins)

Dominic Frisby – The Fight for Freedom. The author of “Life After the State: Why We Don’t Need Government” chats with us about the fight for freedom in today’s world. (7 mins)

Dominic Frisby – The State of the Nation. The author of “Life After the State: Why We Don’t Need Government” chats with us about the state of the nation. (5 mins)

We discuss Dominic’s latest project “Kisses on a Postcard” a musical based on his father’s experiences as an evacuee in World War 2. (19 mins)
https://kissesonapostcard.com/

Plans for 2023

With a politically tumultuous 2022 coming to an end, we asked you, ‘What do you hope your organisation will be doing in 2023?’

Cllr Mary Lawes, The Foundation Party

“I will be pushing is devolving power down to our communities from government. A modern society ought to revolve more around your choices rather than those politician’s in ivory towers”

We will enhance your freedom to choose.

I work closely with the community I live in. One of our policies I will be pushing is devolving power down to our communities from government. A modern society ought to revolve more around your choices rather than those politician’s in ivory towers. My community is changing beyond all recognition and is expanding at such a fast rate. The community have had very little say of what has been designed by political partiesin power not communities. Some parties want elected Mayors others want citizen panels. We say no more layers, no one knows how our three layers of town/parish, district/city or county councils work. This takes even more democracy away from the people. There would be costs attached to more layers, taking it away from being utilised in the community. 

Make homes more affordable to working class and low-income families. Stop driving these people out of their hometowns.

There has been a massive housing drive all over the country. The question is who are these for? Developers have been allowed to lead the housing policies. They hold government and councils to ransom and no one dares to stop this. I don’t have a problem with developers making money. I do, if they are only building high-end homes for the largest profits. 

There needs to be a radical overhaul to meet needs of the working class and low income families who’ve lived and contributed to the towns they come from. The local council builds very few homes and have on many occasions moved families from the town they’ve lived all their lives to places like Durham at the other end of the country. Moving them from their jobs, family and medical networks. 

I will be looking into modular housing as a cheaper alternative option and look to ID council land to do this. We also need to stop developers getting away with not meeting their requirements under planning law to include 22% affordable housing, in their developments. The developers do a viability assessment which always concludes the development is not sustainable. 

The Police must work more closely with their communities not remove it. 

PCSO’s have been cut from Kent Police/Country Council. They were our communities direct contact. I had a really good PCSO who was very visible and worked closely with myself and our community. PCSO’s dealt with drug issues on our streets and had a lot of great success, held local PCSO and Councillor meetings on a regular basis, walked the streets, dealing with crime, care in the community and many other things. Most of us knew our PCSO, she use to give everyone her contact details. 

We are being promised by Kent’s new Chief Constable he will continue to work closely with our communities. I hope that is the case as I will hold him to his commitment. 

Local Elections are on 4 May 2023. 

I’m looking to get my District Council seat back. It is interesting to note the changes that have been made to EU citizens voting rights and others, as well as Photo ID being introduced in 2023 elections. 

My District Council recently asked Cllr’s their opinions on the new law that Photo ID is required from 4 May 2023 local elections. Below is a list of what are acceptable forms of ID. 

However  a concern I have is, If a voter has none of these ID’s they can apply for a ‘Voter Authority Certificate’. I have replied asking what this involves? What criteria do they need to meet to have a VAC? 

Nigel Jacklin, Founder of the Democratic Network

“We will be working with members of this group to help them get re-elected and to expand their numbers providing a counter-balance to the Westminster parties.”

In 2023 The Democratic Network will be supporting candidates in the May 2023 elections.  We are looking for people to help candidates in their campaigns.  Once the May 2023 elections are over we will be looking towards 2024 when there will be PCC (Police and Crime Commissioner) elections.

In October I attended the LGA Independent Group annual conference.  The group represents just over 3,000 Councillors. The majority (just over 2,500) are Independent or Resident Association Councillors with the balance made up by Green Party, Plaid Cymru and smaller party Councillors. In the absence of a party whip they can actually do the job of representing residents.  We will be working with members of this group to help them get re-elected and to expand their numbers providing a counter-balance to the Westminster parties.  For more information visit www.TheDemocraticNetwork.org where you can take part in our Network Survey… let us know what matters to you and sign up to receive more information if you want to.

We will be involved a series of local meetings, the first of which will be in Hove on Tuesday 24th January.  Feel free to join us at 7.00 pm in The Sussex pub, St Catherine’s Terrace, Hove BH3 2RH.  The more people get involved the better chance we have of improving local decision making.

Our interest in the PCC elections is rooted in our own experiences.  Five years ago, between Christmas and New Year my wife and I were invited in for separate interviews with Sussex Police.  These resulted in us getting Community Protection Warning Letters ostensibly preventing us from going to the beach near our house or from being perceived to be looking into any property in the village where we lived.  The orders were so ridiculous they gained widespread media attention with the help of the Manifesto Club, the BBC Victoria Derbyshire Show and the Daily Mail.  They were withdrawn after we launched a legal challenge and had a second set of police interviews which found we were doing no wrong. 

Our legal challenge confirmed the advice we had received from online cop expert Crimebodge, which was that we could ignore them providing we were doing no wrong.  Subsequent developments showed that the interview transcripts were not a fair or accurate representation of our police interview and that an off duty Met Cop had provided false testimony alongside the main complainants.  Subsequent transgressions are too long to list here but include a police raid on our house in 2020.  Research we have conducted suggests many people lack confidence in the police, whether that be if they are calling on them for help or the subject of police attention.  Views on the effectiveness of PCC’s suggest an independent challenge could be worth launching.

Back to Part 1 | On to Part 3

No Passport Required – Wednesday 18th January #ThirdWednesday

Come and meet-up with likeminded freedom lovers, at our No Passport Required #ThirdWednesday drinks at The George, Croydon on Wednesday 18th January, from 7pm. 

We will hold these in association with Dick Delingpole’s #ThirdWednesday Libertarian drinks club. 

Join us at The George. 17–21 George Street, Croydon. CR0 1LA on Wednesday 18th January, from 7pm.

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