Peter Lilley sticks up for Britain

Last week Peter Lilley stood up and spoke in the House of Commons. Hansard for Tuesday 3 June at 3.35pm, will give you the details, if you want them.

Mr Lilley said that 80 per cent of our laws are now made in Brussels, and Parliament has no power to reject or amend them.

Post Offices closing - it's thanks to an EU directive.
Data Protection Act - it's thanks to an EU directive.
Home Improvement Packs - it's thanks to an EU directive.
Expensive directory enquiries - it's thanks to an EU directive.
Fortnightly rubbish collections - it's thanks to an EU directive.

Mr Lilley suggested that MPs’ pay should be cut each time they hand over authority to others. "Few voters, or even members of this house, fully realise how many powers have been, or are about to be, transferred elsewhere," he said. "There are three reasons for this. The first is that governments of all persuasions deny that any significant powers are being transferred.

"The second is that, once powers have been transferred, Ministers engage in a charade of pretence that they still retain those powers. Even when introducing measures that they are obliged to bring in as a result of an EU directive they behave as though the initiative were their own.

"Indeed, Ministers often end up nobly accepting responsibility for laws that they actually opposed when they were being negotiated in Brussels."

Get us out of the EU... now!

Gordon can't listen - the EU won't let him

Last Thursday the country gave Gordon Brown a good kicking. At the weekend the Prime Minister went on telly to admit that mistakes had been made and that he would listen and lessons would be learned.

Is he going to do a U-turn on the abolition of the 10p tax rate? No.
Is he going to forget the ridiculous ID Cards plan? No.
Is he going to cut stealth taxes? No.
Will he restore the great pension grab which wrecked Britain's pension system? No.
Would he drop his plan for 42-days' detention without trial? No.
Is he going to abandon his plans for taxing people who have too much rubbish? Yes.

Then, Downing Street announced that actually no he wasn't abandoning the rubbish plan. What they didn't tell you was the reason why - the EU. This new law is the result of an EU directive and Britain always implements EU directives - even those that harm the country.

Makes you proud to be British. Vote Labour.

More rubbish ideas

The government has decided in its infinite dumbness to halve rubbish collections in much of the country.

Unsurprisingly, people have started arranging their own rubbish removals. Until today, I was unaware of the existence of environmental crime officers. But apparently, they exist.

The Environment Agency is setting up a special intelligence unit to tackle the illegal rubbish disposal gangs.

Graham Holdsworth, an environmental crime officer with the agency, said: "This is becoming a key issue. We are experiencing increasing problems and we need more people on the scene. There is a huge difference between local sporadic fly-tipping, which is directly related to the rubbish collection, and organised environmental crime which is similar to drugs trafficking."

Similar to drugs trafficking? No, it isn't. You simply cannot compare someone dumping rubbish illegally to a person who brings illegal drugs into the country.

Once again, a massive overreaction by some buffoon who works for the state.

You can wipe out these illegal dumpers with one easy move (unlike drug trafficking): reinstate weekly rubbish collections.