The battle for Great Britain is over: ‘War’ with the EU has begun.

In the heady period since the Conservative party pulled off their unexpected but much-needed victory in the British General Election on May 9^th 2015, the political scene has undergone significant changes at the cost of one or two key scalps; in other words certain well-known MP’s lost their seats perhaps never to be seen again. 

The natural party of fiscal competence and managerial ability, now unencumbered by their former coalition partners the weak, left-leaning Lib Dems, are now able to govern the country without the handbrake being randomly yanked upwards by way of intervention. More crucially, we can now progress towards that which has been denied the British Electorate by successive governments, a referendum on continued membership of the accursed European Union. This column will join others in aggressively supporting the OUT campaign.

The Labour party whose former leader (for want of a more accurate expression) Ed Milliband is now dining alone on his favoured bacon sandwiches, whilst the party machine busies itself in the task of finding a replacement. Veteran hard-Left Wing Jeremy Corbyn has thrown his red hat into the ring at the 11^th hour just to add a further entertainment factor into this circus, for not one of the candidates are even remotely statesman-like nor competent. This is good news for the Tories who, if they perform well over the next five years, will renew the tenancy and retain the leys to Number 10 Downing Street for the foreseeable future. 

The Liberal Democrats however are now extinct, something that this column predicted would be the case many times during the past year or so. UKIP despite having polled millions of votes were victims of our electoral system but hey ho, we needed a Tory government and thankfully we got one. We now need to further stabilise the economy and also to hopefully prepare for life unfettered from governance by an unelected foreign entity, the EU.

Across the straits of Dover beyond Calais, which itself is clogged by the worlds unwashed and unwanted -the economic migrants who view Great Britain as the land flowing with milk and honey and who will do anything to set foot here- the EU hierarchy are reeling at the prospect of the inevitable debt default that will be perpetrated by Greece. The EU, in particular France and Germany who were key at ushering Greece into the EEC in 1981, only have themselves to blame.

 

They knew that the then government in Athens had cooked what passes for their books to enter the EU, but the aforementioned nations were keen to supply military hardware to Greece who at that time and probably still now, harbour thoughts of competing militarily with Turkey. Witness that in 1974, Greek and Greek Cypriot Coalition militia were virtually destroyed by the Turkish Intervention forces in respect of Cyprus, the defeated Greeks were still smarting in the early ‘80’s. Similar perfidy applied when Greece entered the Euro Zone and they have been basically proffering their many and various begging bowls ever since. 

Ironically, the much-vaunted Grexit once it has happened will play into Britain’s hands for Germany in particular does not want to lose the UK as EU members nor the net contribution that we make. If cards are played cannily, treaty change is a strong possibility. That said, Prime Minister Cameron is intuitively pro-EU and his EU counter-parts know this very well. This reality could be our ‘Achilles heel’ to make use deliberately, of a Greek analogy.

Back in Britain, with a guaranteed fixed term of government, the ruling party has much to do. They do not enjoy that much of a majority and the SNP hooligans who have invaded former Labour benches are more than just an invasion of rabble-rousing; they will use their 50+ votes cannily, of that there should be no doubt. Nevertheless, the Tories have already suggested ways to strengthen their position by preventing the Unions from financing the Labour Party. This column would go far further by way of a windfall tax on all union assets to the tune of say 40%, the proceeds of which once collected could be transferred to the NHS.

Surely the union grandees could hardly object given that they are constantly bleating on that the NHS is under threat under a Tory government, whilst conveniently forgetting the enthusiastic manner that PFI was introduced to run our hospitals under the Bliar/Brown era under Nu-Labour. In the perhaps unlikely event that these initiatives were to be introduced, both the unions and Labour would have their functionality nullified. Furthermore, if Mr Corbyn prevails in the Labour leadership campaign, we can expect a Tory government to remain in power for two or three terms, perhaps more.

In conclusion and as we have seen, the pollsters got it badly wrong in respect of predicting the outcome of the recent General Election. They are currently suggesting the OUT campaign will not poll well in the referendum. Well, we shall see, will we not! The signing of the Treaty of Lisbon and ceding the governance of our nation to an unelected foreign entity without a mandate was an act of High Treason. It is therefore our patriotic duty to vote OUT in 2017; to do otherwise is also treason.

By

Chris Green 

Beşparmak Media Services

Memories of VE Day (2015)

One Sunday morning recently, walking into the vestry of my local church, St Luke’s, Headless Cross (Redditch) in Worcestershire, a close friend and fellow member of our choir invited the writer to view that which she had published in our monthly magazine. So moving were her words, this column now shares them with the wider circle this column touches internationally.

Mrs Dorothy Marriott has become a close friend during the past 4 years or so, within the context of our local church and we have shared many thoughts, memories and reflections based on our mutual love of our church, our faith and liturgical music. We have had a few laughs too…

In a review of the monumental events of the recent VE Day memorial events, which moved so many of us, given the input of the diminishing ranks of those who were contemporary to the times, Dot has these lines to share…

Whilst I was watching V.E. Day 70 years celebrations on the television I was at times moved to tears and when the programme ended, I felt the need to write down what it has all meant to me.

 I was seventeen when I started working in a military hospital. After some initial training my boss decided to take me on his ward rounds to train me further in my chosen career. I shall never forget entering a ward of badly wounded service men who had been in tanks blown up by enemy fire. It was a very hot August that year and flies were crawling over their wired faces, as many had suffered fractured jaws and they were unable to flick the flies away.

Their arms were encased in bags of saline because of the burns caused by the blazing tanks. The smell of burnt flesh is also something that I shall never forget. In other wards there were wounded men so covered in bandages it was a problem to find some where to get a blood sample. Some wards men were there with horrific injuries and in other wards there were paralysed men with no hope of getting mobility back.

 Nevertheless their only thought was to get healed and return to the front and re-join their comrades. Many would laugh and joke with you. War is not glorious, which I fear is a mistaken impression some people feel when watching the parades. I view November Remembrance Sunday with mixed feelings and when we are asked to 'Remember them'- I do. Peace and love, Dot.

Reading and re-reading these anecdotes of events so long ago, but nevertheless seared into Dot’s lovely heart, one could be moved to tears. Apparently some people have been so moved and understandably so. Mrs Marriott (Dot) is surrounded by a close-knit family and furthermore is the current ‘head honcho’ of the local Mothers Union. 

For obvious reasons, one cannot publish a lady’s age, but she is a week or two older than this columnist! She works indefatigably in all she does in a myriad of activities that she pursues, not least singing Soprano in our Church choir. (Yours truly at 57 is the youngest of all of the regular members!... So humbling)

Knowledge is nothing if it is not shared: Dot has shared, in the most succinct and concise sense, strong emotions that mean a lot to her. Deeply moving emotions that must at times trouble her mind: Suffering and strife are not mutually exclusive to World War II of course, nor to earlier conflicts. For example, the only year in the 20^th century when a British Soldier was not lost to attrition was 1968. 

We continue to be hugely extended militarily now, thanks to arguably the paucity of political leadership that prevails, ad nausea. Our troops simply do not have the budget commitments that even the appeasement government of 1938 allowed the MOD. Scandalous!

God bless you Dot darling… and thank you….

By

Chris Green 

Beşparmak Media Services