tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78247845941431480182024-02-18T20:58:01.798-08:00The Party's OverAlan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824784594143148018.post-42404452273210377212010-04-03T13:13:00.000-07:002010-04-03T13:15:18.166-07:00Another Poster We Won't See<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhroPF1qyhTdbUVHvGyj6NsAeLWodGkX7Q6rZazeILi4xWv4xi1xFhyphenhyphenDJ7USpz1IZHDiBw5fw057JEq4c7KbEsSLYOVpo09Zi6K9i5fqUq7YZOXWMJZUObEnSOlw0xS3o3nHgkcs2qFn_s/s1600/FutureFullOfFear.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhroPF1qyhTdbUVHvGyj6NsAeLWodGkX7Q6rZazeILi4xWv4xi1xFhyphenhyphenDJ7USpz1IZHDiBw5fw057JEq4c7KbEsSLYOVpo09Zi6K9i5fqUq7YZOXWMJZUObEnSOlw0xS3o3nHgkcs2qFn_s/s400/FutureFullOfFear.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456007230863302562" border="0" /></a>Alan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824784594143148018.post-1285214187572686432010-03-27T03:11:00.000-07:002010-03-27T03:39:57.415-07:00Labour's Soviet Britain<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkPopknvER9x5d5nb10XWKJxYBHcKys6oSk7ZGr5FkXf-nZn296v2CAms6LkZ5gnGHI8f_fIkltxboPZcwaStVRkWZPG_zV1XLuA62_0P6nD_PLI7sC0zsqc8JtIi9wxuerQm0PUT51NI/s1600/babushka.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkPopknvER9x5d5nb10XWKJxYBHcKys6oSk7ZGr5FkXf-nZn296v2CAms6LkZ5gnGHI8f_fIkltxboPZcwaStVRkWZPG_zV1XLuA62_0P6nD_PLI7sC0zsqc8JtIi9wxuerQm0PUT51NI/s400/babushka.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453259438718274162" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">A New Labour Anti-Social Behaviour Victim's Champion</span><br /></div><br />Labour are wittering about their latest "pledge card" which will detail the promises they're most likely to break if they ever get a sniff at power again. It's the usual airy-fairy meaningless stuff that no one will ever be able to prove one way or another. But one aspect caught my eye -<br /><br /><p></p><blockquote><p>In an attempt to empower victims of antisocial behaviour, the prime minister says they will be entitled to take out civil injunctions, funded by the local public authority, if the police are not taking action within a set time.</p><p>"People have got to know if they have a real complaint they will get a fast response, and ultimately if they feel they have not been given satisfaction, they will be able to take a civil injunction themselves and that will be paid for by the authority."<br /></p></blockquote><p></p><br />Right, so let me see if I've got that right. Some local neds pan your window in and you report it to the police. They come round, investigate it, compile a report for the CPS or the Procurator Fiscal who evaluate it and decide if a conviction is likely etc etc. But, if you get bored of waiting, you can launch a civil case paid for by council tax payers. Or if the police point out that you never saw who broke your window and they can't arrest the ned across the road just because "he looks well shifty innit" you can launch your own prosecution.<br /><br />Lovely. Expect the courts to be stuffed full of "He said, but she said and I said" cases in no time. Which will result in greater backlogs of cases, more people getting fed up and launching civil cases. All paid for by Council Tax Payers.<br /><br />Then there's this little gem -<br /><blockquote>Labour is also planning to install champions for victims of antisocial behaviour in every local authority.</blockquote>What? Is that like Block Wardens then? Is this a fancy pc term for the old babushkas who kept an eye on tenement blocks in Soviet Russia, reporting anti-party behaviour to the State?<br /><br />Tell you what, here's a better idea Gordon. Use the police we have. Let them do their jobs of patrolling the streets and deterring by their presence, instead of being used as personal bodyguards by politicians terrified of their own constituents and keeping a permanent thin blue line around Westminster.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/mar/26/gordon-brown-election-interview">Link</a><br /><br /><br />Jury Team are calling for the public to be given a referendum on introducing army-style punishments for offenders. I daresay that will have far more of an effect on anti social behaviour than Gordon's intention to bankrupt councils and logjam the courts.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.juryteam.org/p05-army-style-punishment.php">Referendum Link</a>Alan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824784594143148018.post-82794102634150973952010-03-20T01:42:00.000-07:002010-03-20T02:00:54.125-07:00Salmond - a national embarrassment<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NXtkXkOMgoAS8_3VB0gkSobI25EkLmtJRgFcOoynC3biOPvadYvLtdi1N5I-rLoqBfWYZPhIZ8Ykowmw0X4nBWHdedVOFAa-WcnOiV_cuN1Y6GCB7mzoTSKiQ_JW4BJKQLvUMohhs6M/s1600-h/Mean-scot.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 305px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NXtkXkOMgoAS8_3VB0gkSobI25EkLmtJRgFcOoynC3biOPvadYvLtdi1N5I-rLoqBfWYZPhIZ8Ykowmw0X4nBWHdedVOFAa-WcnOiV_cuN1Y6GCB7mzoTSKiQ_JW4BJKQLvUMohhs6M/s400/Mean-scot.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450634098716219234" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: times new roman; font-weight: bold;">Ye can tak oor dignity, but ye canna tak oor subsidies</span><br /><br /><br />I see Alex Salmond has been shooting off at the lip prior to the SNP conference in Aviemore. The forthcoming General Election does indeed offer opportunities for Scotland. A hung parliament means a disproportionate amount of influence falls to smaller parties. As the Ulster Unionists demonstrated, such power can reap great rewards for constituents.<br /><br />So it really made me cringe to see what Salmond intends to do in selling Scotland's influence. He wants MORE public funding and geegaws. For a pocketful of gold he'll bend in the wind to his English paymaster and ever perpetuate the image in English eyes of Scots being grasping, avaricious and shallow. It's not a nation stepping forward to grasp independence that Salmond wants, (the SNP have shown they are unable to motivate enough Scots to support the cause), he wants to stir up resentment and disgust of Scots in England to the point that Scotland is repelled into Independence, a pariah state on the British mainland.<br /><br />At a time of belt-tightening and cutbacks, when all but the most moronic socialist simpleton knows spending must be cut, it is truly abhorrent to see a Scottish First Minister with the begging bowl out demanding "MORE".<br /><br /><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8577423.stm">BBC LINK</a>Alan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824784594143148018.post-21926046571268759452010-03-09T11:05:00.000-08:002010-03-09T11:06:19.432-08:00Jury Team - The Immigration Question<p>One of the anomalies of having something great is that you may want everyone to know you’ve got it, but if everyone knows about it then they may want a part of it. And if this happens too much then the real value can become rather seriously diluted.</p> <p>Such is the case with the enormous privileges granted to us by our being British citizens. It is worth being proud about what this affords us. Little wonder that such privilege has attracted the attention of the rest of the world. Advertise a bargain sale on the television and the queues stretch around the corner for that store the next day. And so it is becoming with the offer of British Citizenship for immigrants entering Britain. Result: services get stretched to their limit and what was once valued and valuable to the 60 million or so people of this country, now cannot cope with the excessive demands placed upon its diminishing resources.</p> <p>With that in mind, and considering that official figures show that immigrants being granted British Citizenship has increased by a colossal 200,000 in the past year under this Labour government, has the prized possession of citizenship and all it affords in this country become tarnished and poorer because of this?</p> <p>In light of this pressure on diminishing resources, the Jury Team proposes the amount of time adult immigrants must be resident in the UK before they can claim an entitlement to full British citizenship (and therein those rights granted to every citizen) should increase from the 3-5 year as it is now, up to 10 years. Rather than being an easy result, an applicant with a genuine wish to achieve British citizenship would be tested to properly ascertain the required education and be required to prove their record is void of any crimes (http://tinyurl.com/Citizenship-10).</p> <p>According to Migration Watch, a respected calculator of these numbers, the levels of migration have increased by a colossal 58% from the previous year (http://www.migrationwatchuk.org/)!</p> <p>The Jury team believes this ‘open-door immigration’ policy has become a revolving door of issues under the current Labour government, scared to address an issue until it (typically) becomes too late to do anything about it. The Jury Team consider this as another form of Westminster ignorance, failing to acknowledge the incumbent issue of immigrants viewing the short-term qualification (as little as just 24 months) as a platform to live in Britain as they choose and receive automatic government benefits. The UK is the only EU country providing automatic, free medical healthcare; our European counterparts present a cogent policy of acquiring sufficient medical insurance before entry. This seems wholly sensible and therefore the Jury Team suggests making private medical insurance mandatory for non-EU citizens obtaining visas intending to be in the UK for a period of more than three months (http://tinyurl.com/Non-EU-Medical). The resultant saving to the NHS of £4billion a year could be spent better on those who are already the good citizens of Britain, and the value returned to that cherished position that it provides everyone.</p>Alan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824784594143148018.post-14360157162137815302010-02-13T08:50:00.000-08:002010-02-13T10:53:55.999-08:00UK Afghan Troop Deaths Are 12 times European NATO AlliesOne of Jury Team’s key policies is that British troops should not be put in harms way more than the the troops of other NATO countries. NATO “remains the cornerstone of UK defence policy” according to the Ministry of Defence. However NATO is meant to be a co-operative endeavour among its 28 members and if the UK is not specifically threatened then there should be no reason for it to play more than its fair part and to put its troops in greater danger.<br /><br />An analysis being published today shows that British troops have been dragged into the Afghan war far more than any other NATO country. We have more troops there, compared with population, than any other NATO country including America.<br /><br />Compared with the size of the UK, we have had 12 times more deaths than our European NATO allies since 2006 when the army was redeployed to Afghanistan and John Reid, the Defence Secretary at the time, famously said that “our boys” might leave in three years “without a shot being fired”.<br /><br />In fact during 2006-9, Britain had 240 troops killed but Germany had only 19 deaths and Italy only 16. The total deaths of troops from Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Spain and Portugal, with a combined population of 273 million, more than 4 times the UK, has been only 76, less than a third of the number of UK fatal casualties. This means that per head of population, Britain has suffered 12 times fatalities more than its supposed NATO allies and has suffered nearly double the U.S.A.<br /><br />This new analysis is taken from the latest troop numbers posted last week on the website of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan which is run by NATO on behalf of the United Nations.<br /><br />The Jury Team policy is to “Limit the number of British troops sent to Afghanistan to the average number sent by other NATO countries (relative to their population)”. This would mean that instead of 9,500 troops in Afghanistan, the UK would have only about 4,000. We would still be fulfilling all of our NATO obligations but would also be saving at least £2 billion a year.<br /><br />Jury Team policies are based on what the British people want. The political class have become out of touch with the electorate. As a result of vested interests and electoral cowardice, the current party system does not deliver the policies that people want. The traditional political parties do not even properly debate the issues. Using its own review substantiated by a series of YouGov opinion polls, the Jury Team has researched the areas where the political class and the public have clearly different views. Jury Team will legislate for those policies and then have an authorising referendum before they become law.<br /><br />The Jury Team policy on Afghanistan was shown in a YouGov poll to be supported by 67% of the electorate to 14% against. There was particularly strong support from females (71%) and from those aged 55+ (75%).<br /><br />The following table shows the latest available (1st February 2010) number of troops deployed in Afghanistan by all 28 countries of NATO as shown on the website of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) which is run by NATO on behalf of the United Nations:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><table class="msonormaltable" style="width: 399.65pt; margin-left: 5.4pt; border-collapse: collapse;" width="533" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr style="height: 27.9pt;"><td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 27.9pt;" width="114" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 27.9pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b><u><span style="">Troops<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 27.9pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b><u><span style="">Population<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 27.9pt;" width="93" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b><u><span style="">Troops Per Million<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 27.9pt;" width="67" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b><u><span style="">Deaths<span style=""> </span>2006-9<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 27.9pt;" width="96" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b><u><span style="">Deaths Per Million<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 0.25in;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 0.25in;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >United Kingdom</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 0.25in;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >9,500<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 0.25in;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >61,634,599<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 0.25in;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >154.1<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 0.25in;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >240<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 0.25in;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >3.9<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >United States</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >47,085<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >308,181,734<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >152.8<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >689<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >2.2<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Denmark</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >750<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >5,511,451<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >136.1<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >26<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >4.7<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Netherlands</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >1,950<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >16,486,587<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >118.3<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >21<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >1.3<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Estonia</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >150<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >1,340,415<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >111.9<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >7<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >5.2<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Norway</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >500<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >4,799,252<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >104.2<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >3<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >0.6<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Canada</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >2,830<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >33,880,270<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >83.5<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >130<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >3.8<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Latvia</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >175<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >2,261,294<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >77.4<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >3<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >1.3<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Bulgaria</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >540<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >7,606,551<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >71.0<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p> </span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p> </span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Albania</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >255<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >3,639,453<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >70.1<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p> </span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p> </span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Croatia</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >295<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >4,435,056<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >66.5<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p> </span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p> </span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >France</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >3,750<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >64,351,000<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >58.3<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >31<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >0.5<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Belgium</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >575<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >10,665,867<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >53.9<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >1<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >0.1<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Germany</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >4,415<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >82,002,356<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >53.8<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >16<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >0.2<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Italy</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >3,150<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >60,053,442<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >52.5<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >19<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >0.3<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Poland</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >1,955<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >38,135,876<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >51.3<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >16<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >0.4<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Lithuania</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >165<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >3,349,872<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >49.3<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >1<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >0.3<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Slovakia</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >240<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >5,412,254<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >44.3<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p> </span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p> </span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Romania</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >945<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >21,498,616<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >44.0<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >8<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >0.4<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:place></st1:place><st1:placename></st1:placename></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Czech</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" > </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:placetype></st1:placetype></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Republic</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >440<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >10,467,542<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >42.0<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >3<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >0.3<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Slovenia</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >70<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >2,032,362<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >34.4<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p> </span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p> </span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Hungary</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >315<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >10,030,975<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >31.4<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >2<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >0.2<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Turkey</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >1,755<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >71,517,100<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >24.5<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >2<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >0.0<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Spain</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >1,070<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >46,661,950<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >22.9<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >8<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >0.2<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Luxembourg</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >9<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >493,500<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >18.2<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p> </span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p> </span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Portugal</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >105<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >10,627,250<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >9.9<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >1<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >0.1<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Iceland</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >3<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >319,368<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >9.4<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p> </span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p> </span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:country-region></st1:country-region><st1:place></st1:place></span><span style=";font-size:85%;" >Greece</span><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >15<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >11,260,402<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >1.3<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p> </span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p> </span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b><span style="">TOTAL<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> </td> <td style="border-style: solid none double; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >83,007<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="border-style: solid none double; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >898,656,394<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="border-style: solid none double; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b><span style="">92.4<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> </td> <td style="border-style: solid none double; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style=";font-size:85%;" >1,227<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="border-style: solid none double; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b><span style="">1.4<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.1pt;"> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 85.4pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="114" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b><span style="">AVERAGE<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.25pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p> </span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style=";font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p> </span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 69.65pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="93" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b><span style="">62.4<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt; height: 10.1pt;" width="67" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b><span style=""><o:p></o:p> </span></b></span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td> <td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 1in; height: 10.1pt;" width="96" nowrap="nowrap" valign="bottom"> <p class="msonormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b><span style="">0.9</span></b></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><br />The table is in the order of the number of troops per million of population. It can be seen that the UK has the highest number, 154 per million, of any NATO country. In contrast France, Germany and Italy have a ratio of only 58, 52 and 52 per million respectively. The average of this ratio for all NATO countries is 62.4 and if the UK moves to this ratio then it will lead to a 60% reduction, about 6,000, in the number of UK troops deployed, saving around £2 billion from the defence contingency budget. These 6,000 would amount to about 7% of the current total NATO forces deployed. This could be made up by further troops from other countries or by reducing the area covered or the rate of training of the Afghan army. Professor Malcolm Chalmers of the Royal United Services Institute, the military think-tank, has already said it would be feasible for 'the total size of the commitment to go down to around 5,000 by 2012'.<br /><br />The table also shows the number of deaths in Afghanistan up to the end of 2009 for troops of the various countries since 2006 when NATO was redeployed. Tom Coghlan said in The Times in January 2010: 'The force levels now being deployed show the catastrophic miscalculation that was made before the original deployment of 3,300 British soldiers in 2006; with the famous hope of John Reid, the Defence Secretary at the time, that they might leave in three years 'without a shot being fired' '. It can be seen that at 3.9 deaths per million population, the UK has a death rate slightly higher than Canada and much greater than the US. The UK death rate per million population is the highest with the exception of Denmark and Estonia, whose forces both suffered from serious isolated incidents, and is more than 10 times that for the troops from Germany, France and Italy.<br /><br />If there is a threat to the West then every country of NATO should be deploying its troops similarly. However there seems no reason why the UK should provide more than its fair share of troops to the NATO campaign in Afghanistan. This Proposal will limit the number of UK troops to the NATO average (relative to population) although for operational reasons during handover periods the government would be allowed to exceed this limit by 10% for up to three months.Alan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824784594143148018.post-56358223146470445112009-11-06T15:01:00.000-08:002009-11-06T15:50:24.635-08:00Why Smeaton?It's a common question. Why Smeaton? What gives John Smeaton the right to think he can stand as an MP? How does his role in the events at Glasgow Airport equip him to represent 80,000 people? <br /><br />The answer's obvious really. It's not so much his actions - I don't think John did any more than most of us would have done given the opportunity, it was the voice he gave to a nation the morning after when a camera crew grabbed him for a quick interview.<br /><br />Let's not forget the sense of shock in Scotland at the time. We pride ourselves in being different from the rest of Britain, that we are a happy-go-lucky nation comprised of people loved the world over. Terrorism is something that happens everywhere else, not in Scotland. But as those images of a burning car at the airport filled the news-stands and the flames flickered repeatedly on tellys in shop windows it hit home that maybe the world doesn't really love us. Maybe Jocks are as vulnerable as anyone else and any one of us could have been engulfed in tragedy just by going to an airport to fly out on holiday.<br /><br />As we collectively held our breath, up stepped a glaikit ginger Weegie babbling excitedly and swinging his arms in the air, descibing what he did and more importantly coming out with a line that caught the imagination - "This is Glasgow - we'll set aboot ye".<br /><br />The relief in us all was tangible. Across the nation people laughed and said "Good for you son". Suddenly, we were back in our rightful place. Jocks are different after all. The terrible evil that was almost perpetrated by religious fanatics intent on burning holidaymakers to death had been thwarted by Scots. A tale of heroism was being told to us by a baggage handler - who was quick to downplay his own role and point out that others did as much, if not more. <br /><br />That's why John Smeaton deserved his medal. Not for saving Glasgow Airport but for saving a nation from doubt and self-pity. He took away our fears and made us smile again. The immediate fear amongst the Muslim Community in Glasgow was that there would be an unfair backlash against them. That there wasn't can largely be put down to John Smeaton puncturing the pontificating terror "experts" who flooded our tv screens with dire warnings about the "enemy within". All nonsense of course and a nonsense that we Scots instinctively knew, but it took the excited tones of John Smeaton to help us see through that. <br /><br />John Smeaton is the everyman for our times. His Sun column regularly strikes a chord with the public in a way that more highbrow, more educated, more academic tomes fail to. He doesn't make any claim to being better than anyone else, he just tells it as he sees it, just as he did outside the airport in July 2007. It's that refreshing straightforwardness that endears him to thousands of his readers and so infuriates rival newspapers. <br /><br />And it's that same welcome gauche approach that makes him an ideal candidate for Westminster. We know that if we send John Smeaton to Westminster, we're going to get some more straight talking answers. Somebody wrote that John wouldn't be smart enough to fiddle his expenses - well he's smart enough to know that taking money that isn't yours is theft, something that a few hundred MPs failed to recognise so he's ahead of 50% of them right away. <br /><br />Sending John Smeaton to Westminster might be the smartest thing Glasgow has done in ages. Who can doubt that the media circus will descend upon Glasgow North East if Smeaton leads them. As an Independent untainted by the machinations of Scottish politics he can point to Labour and SNP failures equally and cry "enough". He can embarass the sitting governments in Holyrood and Westminster into finally doing something in the constituency. And be sure of this, after such a slap in the face, if Labour regain the seat in the future they will <span style="font-weight:bold;">never</span> neglect it again.<br /><br />In July 2007, John Smeaton made us proud to be Scots. On November 12th, he can make Scots proud of Glasgow.Alan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824784594143148018.post-57332919778528614752009-11-05T03:23:00.000-08:002009-11-05T03:48:19.921-08:00The Questions Wee Willie Bain Isn't Even Being AskedIt's amazing how compliant the media in Glasgow have been with the Labour Party and their poodle candidate, Willie Bain. They quite happily regurgitate spin-doctor's blurb about how Bain has lived in Springburn all his life whilst somehow managing to work in London. Good trick that. <br /><br />Here's some more questions the Scottish Press won't ask wee Willie.<br /><br />- how long has he worked in London at London South Bank University?<br /> <br />- how many hours is he contracted to work in London each week?<br /> <br />- how much is he paid?<br /> <br />- does he have a home in London, and if not where does he stay and with who?<br /> <br />- does he have a partner or any children?<br /> <br />- what did he do between graduating in 1995 and going back to Strathclyde for his Masters in 2003-4? Who did he work for?<br /> <br />- has he ever been employed by Michael Martin or by Parliament or the UK or Scottish Government?<br /><br /><br />It's amazing how little we know about Wee Willie Bain.<br /><br />Maybe Labour are hoping no-one will ask.Alan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824784594143148018.post-68702684380814114002009-11-01T04:46:00.000-08:002009-11-01T05:10:37.455-08:00Public Money means Public Accountability, Harriet.Harriet Harman is bleating that MPs should continue to be allowed to employ family members. Like <a href="http://bastardoldholborn.blogspot.com/2009/11/keeping-it-in-family.html">Nadine Dorries and her £28k a year daughter</a> I suppose?<br /><br />Wrong.<br /><br />MPs should have assistants appointed to them by the Civil Service, who will recruit, interview and assess their suitability. This is public money. How would Ms Harman react if the PM made his fragrant wife his Deputy? Would she be upset at not even being offered an interview?<br /><br />When will politicians get it? This isn't a "grace and favour" society any more. They don't get to lord it over the rest of us any more.<br /><br />Here in Glasgow North East, Labour think they can dump a party hack off on the constituency. The London South Bank law lecturer Willie Bain seems to be a bit confused. He's claiming that he's always lived in the constituency. Either his neighbours are liars or Willie must have the biggest loudhailer in the world to teach in London and live in Springburn.<br /><br />Why don't they just get real? We know Willie is just showing up cos his bosses have ordered him to. He got out of Glasgow years ago and settled in London. David Kerr will stand wherever his bosses point him too. First Falkirk was his one true love, now it's Glasgow. In a few months it'll be Falkirk again when he goes for three defeats in a row. Is that what they mean by "Taking one for the team"?<br /><br />And through it all, we've got Harman the huggable harpie bleating that life's not fair.<br /><br />Tough. Maybe when we clear the liars, crooks and party lickspittles out of Westminster we'll start to see real representative democracy. Remember that? When MPs represented their constituents? Seems to me they look after themselves and their mates at all times.<br /><br />John Smeaton in Glasgow North East is doing things differently. He helped an ex-serviceman set up a football team to keep youths off the streets. As Jamie Robertson said -<br /><br /><blockquote>No councillors or politicians listened to us - John is the only person who has. We approached him and he helped. He's already better than any other MP as far as I'm concerned. The rest of them say they are going to do this or that, but John actually does it</blockquote> Sunday Post 1/11/09Alan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824784594143148018.post-63694503837703587552009-11-01T01:20:00.000-07:002009-11-01T01:37:44.614-08:00Parties refuse to trust votersI see Tavish Scott of the Lib Dems has whipped his members back into line. No doubt harsh words were exchanged at anybody daring to speak their minds. The issue at question was that of giving the people of Scotland a referendum on a constitutional matter. The Nationalists have maintained for years that Scots want Independence, despite the evidence of opinion polls. <br /><br />Why don't we just hold the referendum? Now. Next month. Do it and get it done with. <br /><br />What are politicians so scared of? Why do the Nationalists want to rig the question and hold a referendum at an exact time of their choosing? Why do the other parties fight so hard to make sure that Scots do not have a say in the future of their country?<br /><br />This is the 21st Century. The days of sending off some member of the landed gentry to far-off London to take care of our interests are long gone. We are better educated, better informed, better capable of reaching a rational decision on our own than at any time in our history.<br /><br />We've seen what comes of trusting politicians - they screw us for every penny they can get, then give themselves ermine & grand titles. Politicians are intrinsically untrustworthy, or so it seems. Given all the evidence, isn't it outrageous that THEY don't trust US?<br /><br />Jury Team believes in putting the whip back in the hands of the people. Politicians work for US. They've managed to twist democracy into some perverted feudal system which sets them up as our lords & masters.<br /><br />No more.<br /><br />A vote for Jury Team is a vote for freedom.Alan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824784594143148018.post-39983577089015433052009-10-31T06:35:00.000-07:002009-10-31T13:19:43.989-07:00If we can't send gunpowder, let's send Smeato<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYiYonqCIk2VZt1vv-pCPA1vnfEyAmMgGaEwLb1yFCMZeLEJKs95kPmI5p41MxsbfT2glXn9cHtFAt3EsiXKIBfP2H0AUBybXFedHwAbVUCSgZ1gD0eZjMs_KZcqz2ejxMPrKR1af7HWE/s1600-h/guys.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYiYonqCIk2VZt1vv-pCPA1vnfEyAmMgGaEwLb1yFCMZeLEJKs95kPmI5p41MxsbfT2glXn9cHtFAt3EsiXKIBfP2H0AUBybXFedHwAbVUCSgZ1gD0eZjMs_KZcqz2ejxMPrKR1af7HWE/s400/guys.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398757811344741858" /></a><br />Three beautiful Guy Fawkes' turned up in Duke Street today to support Jury Team & John Smeaton in the Glasgow North East By-Election. They certainly put the soor-faced activists of the parties' gas at a peep.Alan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824784594143148018.post-85444841885425518002009-10-29T23:56:00.000-07:002009-10-31T13:24:45.916-07:00BBC Playing With PoliticsAway from the canvassing, the shaking hands and the snogging of babies by wannabe politicians in Glasgow North East, there's an important battle going on that affects the basic democratic nature of this country. Last week, the BBC held a hustings on a radio show. A hustings is always understood to be an event where all the candidates have a chance to address an audience and answer questions. Well, the BBC version is different because the BBC pick & choose which candidates they will allow on the stand. Whereas the Electoral Commission treats every candidate equally, the BBC feel they are above such equanimity.<br /><br />Back at the Euro Elections, the BBC made an important policy decision. They decided to award airtime to political parties on the basis of past electoral performance. Because of this, the BNP were given the same airtime as the Greens. UKIP were given the airtime befitting a party that did well at the Euros last time round, totally ignoring the fact that their vote had collapsed in the interim. We saw the result. UKIP went from around 6% in the polls to a resounding success at the ballot box and the BNP gained their first seats.<br /><br />It's as if the BBC don't understand the effect of the media.<br /><br />They meddled in politics again last week with a botched hatchet job at Question Time. Whilst I personally agree that the BNP had earned the right at the ballot box (with BBC assistance) to appear on QT, they hadn't earned the right to have the show turned into a soapbox for their policies. And the result? The BNP bounced to 22% in one opinion poll.<br /><br />Back with the John Smeaton campaign in Glasgow, the BBC continue to play favourites. At their "hustings", they invited Labour, SNP, Conservative & Lib Dem candidates. When Jury Team questioned the omission of our candidate, we were told "Only the top parties were invited". By what measure do they arrive at "top"? John Smeaton has been a comfortable third in the polls since his hat was thrown in the ring. The BBC say they base such decisions on "Past Electoral Performance". Well, because this was the Speaker's seat and convention says parties don't contest against the Speaker, it's 12 years since the Conservatives or the Lib Dems had a candidate here. And when they did contest it over a decade ago, they were utterly trounced. <br /><br />If we were allocating airtime according to the last electoral test, the Euros, the BNP with the same number of MEPs as the SNP would have to be given equal airtime. Indeed, if only four candidates were to appear on the BBC on the basis of past performance, last week's Brian Taylor "Big" Debate would have featured Labour, Conservatives, Lib Dems and the Greens. <br /><br />The truth is, all this chicanery shouldn't be happening. It isn't for the BBC to pick & choose who the public gets to hear, it's the Electoral Commission. Chatting with the Returning Officer, I remarked how his office were scrupulously fair in ensuring that every candidate gets exactly the same treatment. Be it an Independent or the ruling Party, every candidate is equal in the eyes of the law. <br /><br />We've seen how the BBC can throw elections and lead the public by the nose. The BNP & UKIP owe much of their success to the BBC. This is something that Jury Team is arguing vehemently against with the BBC and it's an argument we will pursue doggedly for the sake of this country.<br /><br />Jury Team is about better governance. We cannot hope to succeed whilst the State Broadcaster is allowed to meddle in politics and influence elections.Alan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824784594143148018.post-39796786669111995352009-10-25T12:15:00.000-07:002009-10-25T12:24:27.537-07:00The Opposition?<object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kpje9WvkWRE&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kpje9WvkWRE&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>Alan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824784594143148018.post-9198477530527117082009-10-04T14:21:00.001-07:002009-10-04T15:57:41.587-07:00Support Smeato<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim104fDhU3sNJiQVhoGtu_Nbu-uD8Y1L1ooC0bE4Ud6dvahx-SIF_MPlQIMb1Cf0Tj7ht1u1HTJbhT_5xHbUXgU6zUbnt0KhaRM9Xh4DyADVGlnouqJ5jtBES4iWaM791uO1WEr3V6nNY/s1600-h/smeato1.bmp"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 367px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim104fDhU3sNJiQVhoGtu_Nbu-uD8Y1L1ooC0bE4Ud6dvahx-SIF_MPlQIMb1Cf0Tj7ht1u1HTJbhT_5xHbUXgU6zUbnt0KhaRM9Xh4DyADVGlnouqJ5jtBES4iWaM791uO1WEr3V6nNY/s400/smeato1.bmp" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388858376067495090" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />When terrorists attacked Glasgow Airport in 2007, John Smeaton was one of those whose actions helped prevent catastrophe and mayhem. The next day when his words to the media echoed around the world, he made every Brit smile and walk a little taller.<br /><br />John, together with other bystanders, acted instinctively that day. Whilst others run away from terrorism, the British confront it. It's that attitude that brought Britain status, respect and an Empire. When Gordon Brown indulged in his fruitless search for a PC "Britishness", he really needed look no further than John Smeaton, a man who automatically did the right thing at the right time, putting himself in danger for the sake of others. How many other Brits wouldn't have done the same? How many other Brits secretly wish for the opportunity to emulate John?<br /><br />Now John's doing it again. He's standing up for what's right. He's standing in Michael Martin's seat in Glasgow North East. Now a Lord, would you believe, Michael Martin grew to become a wealthy and powerful man whilst he represented his constituents. It's a pity that they did not share his good fortune. They have been betrayed by party politicians who weep crocodile tears at the poverty and deprivation, before returning to their comfortable, all expenses paid lifestyles.<br /><br />No more.<br /><br />John Smeaton is an ordinary man doing an extraordinary thing. He is taking on the assembled might of Labour and the SNP, with their hundreds of activists and their media machines of lies, spin and intrigue. Pet journalists strain like attack dogs at the leash, ready to savage any with the temerity to challenge them. With the same instinctive courage that he showed on the day terrorists struck at Glasgow Airport, John is taking them on in an attempt to put an honest man in Parliament.<br /><br />But he needs your help. The big parties have millions to spend on campaigns whilst John is on a shoestring budget. He needs people to donate time or money. If you're reading this and you're in easy reach of Glasgow, come along and volunteer. Help us to leaflet, canvas and spread the word. If you can't come, then donate what you can to help. Either use the "Donate" button on this page, or go to JuryTeam.org.<br /><br />Every penny goes to help John Smeaton stand tall against the political machine that has betrayed Glasgow North East.<br /><br />And ... if John Smeaton wins, how can Gordon Brown remain as Prime Minister?<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >If Smeaton wins, a Government could fall.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >How much would you pay to be a part of that?</span><br /></div><br />Spread the word. Give a donation, then e-mail this to your friends. Bloggers, feel free to copy this or write your own but please, support John Smeaton. Help him get the message out -<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >A vote for John is a kick in the balls to Party Politics.</span></div>Alan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824784594143148018.post-66804191382717732522009-09-25T05:23:00.000-07:002009-09-25T05:24:28.064-07:00Vote for change or stop complaining.POLITICS WITHOUT PARTIES<br /><br />POLITICS WITH PRINCIPLES<br /><br />POLITICS FOR THE PEOPLE<br /><br /><br /><br />Alan Wallace<br /><br />Glasgow North East Campaign Launch Speech<br /><br />25th September 2009<br /><br />City Inn, Glasgow<br /><br /><br />Good morning. I am Alan Wallace and I am the Scottish Chairman of the Jury Team. It is my great pleasure to introduce to you today a fantastic candidate to become the next MP for this constituency of Glasgow North East.<br /><br />Scotland led the world when we announced through the Declaration of Arbroath that our rulers answered to the people. The principle of ordinary people having a say in important matters has worked through the centuries in the Jury system. We trust a random selection of people that is representative of the community to deliver justice and make wise decisions. <br /><br />This is how Parliament was intended to work. A cross section of common society represented in the House of Commons was a Jury on a grand scale. But Parliament has gone awry and we believe it is because the Jury in Westminster is no longer representative of wider society. The Party system has created a narrow clique professional politicians.<br /><br />We believe that politicians should serve their constituents and the country, not themselves or a political party.<br /><br />The Parties do not even have any real popular support. Less than 1% of the UK population belongs to a political party. Only about one-fifth of the electorate actually voted for the current government.<br /><br />Our parties are now just glorified employment bureaux for career politicians. These careerists depend on being politicians for their income and status. Many of them would find it hard to get so much money in any other job. That is why they milk the expenses system while they are there. <br /><br />If they want to get ahead they have to obey the party whip. They become lobby fodder and patsies. They stop representing you and start representing their party and themselves. <br /><br />The government always has the majority of MPs. So the whips can coerce their lobby fodder to vote for war or identity cards or countless regulations and taxes. <br /><br />This is not the Parliament the Scottish people deserve. <br /><br />The Jury Team was set up to get real change. As our first action we had an open online primary to select candidates for the recent European elections. People registered their interest on our website. Then we had a vote by the general public. I won the vote in Scotland.<br /><br />The Jury Team is about encouraging new people to go into politics to become MPs. We support normal people with normal lives and normal jobs. There are lots of them and what they have in common is that they are fed up with the fraud and spin of the current political class. <br /><br />They are brave. They stand up to be counted and to make a real difference. They are a feisty group. They are on your side. They can make Parliament representative again. They can form a great jury. <br /><br />We believe in three principles:<br />• championing independent MPs<br />• improving the running of government <br />• allowing the people to decide major issues through referendums.<br /><br />We firstly want to get more independent MPs into the House of Commons to hold the government to account. The expenses scandal has accelerated the idea of a new style of politicians going into parliament. Esther Rantzen has confirmed her candidature for Luton South. In Totnes the Conservatives used an open selection process which chose the politically inexperienced Dr Sarah Wollaston as their candidate. <br /><br />Secondly we want government departments to be run for the people they are meant to be serving: the patients, pupils, students, pensioners, soldiers and the community. At the moment ministers are moved far too often for party political reasons and not for the national interest.<br /><br />Thirdly we want to let people have a real say in the big issues of the day. We promise to ask the voters through a series of annual referendums. In addition, we know that people want to be able to choose subjects for referendums so we shall allow referendums to take place whenever 5% of the people ask for them.<br /><br />We have already identified the following eight policy areas where we pledge to have a referendum to find out whether the electorate agree with the following:<br /><br />- Giving courts the ability to sentence violent criminals to “army style” punishment and training courses.<br />- Preventing banks that are benefiting from government guarantees from using depositors’ funds to support their own market trading.<br />- Limiting the number of British troops sent to Afghanistan to the average number sent by other NATO countries (relative to their size).<br />- Setting up an English Parliament to decide matters that relate solely to England.<br />- Changing the voting system in the House of Commons to direct proportional representation <br />- Limiting the amount the government can borrow each year to no more than 10% of its total expenditure.<br />- Allowing state schools the option of becoming independent state funded charities outside the control of the local education authority if a majority of parents agree.<br />- Complete withdrawal of the UK from the European Union.<br /><br />We have a programme to clean up politics. We want to replace the current political class with people who will look after their constituents.<br /><br />The good news is that despite all the sleaze in our parliaments, we still live in a democracy. We have the opportunity here in Glasgow North East to send a message to Westminster that we are fed up with the sleaze and expenses.<br /><br />The Labour government in London has so far refused to let the people of Glasgow North East have a by-election. Gordon Brown has made the people of this constituency wait at least five months before they are allowed to have a new MP after Michael Martin’s resignation over the expenses scandal. He resigned in June but the by-election will probably only be held in mid-November. <br /><br />Then the people of this constituency can send the Westminster Parliament a message. Tell them you are fed up with them. Make it clear how disgusted you are. Generate a landslide. Don’t let the politicians get away with it again.<br /><br />Who should you vote for? In Scotland it’s Labour or the SNP. Voting for either only encourages the politicians to carry on the same. <br /><br />Take Labour. Michael Martin protected MPs’ expenses and then had to resign. He was at the very epicentre of the sleaze and corruption. A good man. A nice man. But a man who became blinded by the baubles around him. To take his place Labour have selected Willie Bain as their candidate. Willie was Michael Martin’s agent. He must have known what was going on. He was also secretary of the consituency Labour Party but Labour cares so little about the people of Glasgow North East that he had not updated the website since 2006. Anyway he has already given up on Glasgow as he moved down to London several years ago and works as a lecturer at London South Bank University. <br /><br />What about the SNP? The SNP have selected David Kerr. He was the SNP’s fourth choice as candidate. He has been in trouble for rubbishing Glasgow Caledonian University and Paisley College of Technology - now the West of Scotland University. His views on abortion and other sensitive issues are not ones held by most of this constituency. Only last week the SNP stuck the knife into Glasgow when they cancelled the rail link to the airport which they had pledged as part of the Commonwealth Games. They are still an East Coast party for the wealthy and the priviledged. And they are guilty of expenses fraud. The SNP showed that they are as endemically corrupt as any party. Given a whiff of the gravy train, they were in like Flynn.<br /><br />These actions are unacceptable. They would be condemmed for people in any other walk of life. If you tried to fiddle your social security or expenses like that you could end up in prison.<br /><br />It has to stop. <br /><br />With opponents like those and with the hatred of old style politics, we therefore believe that we can win this by-election. <br /><br />A vote for an existing tainted party will be a vote for more of the same. The only way to get a general election is for the traditional parties to be humiliated in this by-election. <br /><br />We get the politicians we deserve. We deserve better. Vote for change or stop complaining. <br /><br />So I am now very pleased to welcome the Jury team’s candidate. A Scottish icon. A Scottish hero. A man who showed the truth of “no messing”. A man of the people. A man who will stand up for Glasgow North East. A man who understands what it is like to be poor and unemployed. A man who cares. Please welcome the hero of Glasgow: John Smeaton. <br /><br />Thank you.<br /><br />Please visit the Jury Team website www.juryteam.org.Alan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824784594143148018.post-71302120729830990002009-09-24T12:30:00.001-07:002009-09-24T12:30:51.583-07:00Here We Go<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3_1mz--jG7Q&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3_1mz--jG7Q&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Alan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824784594143148018.post-85191549553861961932009-09-24T11:56:00.000-07:002009-09-24T12:06:01.635-07:00The Eve of ChangeIn around 12 hours, we reveal our candidate for Glasgow North East. It is no exaggeration to say that when I introduce the candidate to the press tomorrow, the news will go around the world. As we have worked to put things together over the last few weeks, the small circle of those in the know has grown and I have seen people change from surprise and a little disbelief, to a quiet conviction that this really is the right candidate in the right place at the right time.<br /><br />Tomorrow Jury Team take the first real step in changing the political map of Britain. That is no idle boast. I'm intensely proud to be playing a small part in history and I invite you all to join me in helping to sweep the wastrels and scoundrels out of Westminster, replacing them with people who really are representative of us all.<br /><br />You can all play your part in ways that will be clear shortly after 10.30 am tomorrow morning.Alan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824784594143148018.post-12846089235161657072009-09-19T22:56:00.001-07:002009-09-19T22:58:25.563-07:00Five Days<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCgQwQ4uzMfSqgTvR4syWUe28VVso7FRDvhNWb3A5Fx1UGmuS22wVzJuA4CBiK4XMpbJRwCMhOvivIyAxkAf0f7KbObt9ON2sRBc4lhe7qzmEnSxkPuP_bO_r7bXaTf2g9iin5KUOAOt8/s1600-h/five.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 135px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCgQwQ4uzMfSqgTvR4syWUe28VVso7FRDvhNWb3A5Fx1UGmuS22wVzJuA4CBiK4XMpbJRwCMhOvivIyAxkAf0f7KbObt9ON2sRBc4lhe7qzmEnSxkPuP_bO_r7bXaTf2g9iin5KUOAOt8/s400/five.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383424528336892738" /></a><br /><br />Touch wood, five days to the Press Launch of the Jury Team campaign in Glasgow North East.Alan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824784594143148018.post-34658546161948528902009-09-17T05:56:00.000-07:002009-09-17T06:04:17.545-07:00Kicking Up A Racket !Jury Team are putting together a campaign to win the Glasgow North East Bye-Election - the seat vacated by the Speaker, Michael Martin. We will be announcing our candidate next week and expect it to make the news around the world. Once the candidate is known, we will be looking to manage the hundreds of people who will, I am sure, want to volunteer to help. But before that, we're looking for two full-time assistants on a modest wage. Local knowledge would be an advantage.<br /><br />Please, fellow bloggers, pass this plea out on teh interweb. Interested parties should contact me at awallace (at) emailaccount (dot) com.<br /><br />I need to have a list by Saturday.Alan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824784594143148018.post-5240467337629950032009-09-14T09:59:00.000-07:002009-09-14T10:03:54.705-07:00Family Guy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj894am-rNrnZCDSfk5uBBOWJYBdUZ2_GDRt6KIxqcuz9PmaTE_KIgxDMmzBSFJzFFpmYAzWb618hu4qnY0e6gIIFONbfeUNScuCb-TI5K3sudyhmFVa3gWpWAJ3sOWX0Zo3JQzOucqURg/s1600-h/rossposter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 282px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj894am-rNrnZCDSfk5uBBOWJYBdUZ2_GDRt6KIxqcuz9PmaTE_KIgxDMmzBSFJzFFpmYAzWb618hu4qnY0e6gIIFONbfeUNScuCb-TI5K3sudyhmFVa3gWpWAJ3sOWX0Zo3JQzOucqURg/s400/rossposter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381369087809429154" border="0" /></a><br />Can you see a resemblance?<br /><br /><blockquote><p class="first"><b>A County Tyrone councillor's alleged resemblance to Family Guy character Peter Griffin could soon be appearing on election posters.</b></p><p>Omagh councillor Ross Hussey said he was told about his cartoon lookalike by his nephew and a young party colleague. </p><p>The Ulster Unionist said he was not flattered but it did amuse him. </p><p>"Personally I can see no resemblance, but I have watched it and we would have certain similar traits - that's all I'm prepared to admit to," he said. </p></blockquote><br /><br />From the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8254894.stm">BBC</a><br /><br />I'm sorry, but that's a scream. I think he should be encouraged and the Parties should be beating a path to his door. A few cartoon characters in Westminster has got to be better than the shower of clowns & crooks there now.Alan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824784594143148018.post-88050943673718390802009-09-14T08:45:00.000-07:002009-09-14T08:54:18.702-07:00Babylon's Burning<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwyvcZHKp97h5kSCr7JummhHOAQQLG_lxTFIH5xNHEJOEs8IWwJR0jhpUsNq8cPsEa_0DHcxb-VDEzTW8A0pg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Alan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824784594143148018.post-9781163325928245502009-09-13T12:40:00.001-07:002009-09-13T12:41:39.938-07:00Ten<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaT34pr1_HGiassVD-bDNtwbm9I3XnQihjs4wjBEVBym3_EleuCagkAI65YZsD1zr3xYhpE_2idhsOuRWT6XPfla2A9gXwHmCu8ZggNh-av-XUA58_nNBL5LfAzMT3ofQQnDrdWV3ZhXs/s1600-h/10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 380px; height: 380px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaT34pr1_HGiassVD-bDNtwbm9I3XnQihjs4wjBEVBym3_EleuCagkAI65YZsD1zr3xYhpE_2idhsOuRWT6XPfla2A9gXwHmCu8ZggNh-av-XUA58_nNBL5LfAzMT3ofQQnDrdWV3ZhXs/s400/10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381039431374338066" border="0" /></a>Alan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824784594143148018.post-47079277372910517402009-09-05T14:40:00.000-07:002009-09-05T16:06:56.477-07:00Sunday's bumper set of quotes<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" >"When the politicians complain that TV turns the proceedings into a circus, it should be made clear that the circus was already there, and that TV has merely demonstrated that not all the performers are well trained."</span> Edward R. Murrow<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 102);font-size:130%;" ><br />"Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are good is like expecting the bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian."</span> Dennis Wholey<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);font-size:130%;" >"Those who cling to the untrue doctrine that violence never settles anything would be advised to conjure up the ghosts of Napoleon Bonaparte and of the Duke of Wellington and let them debate it. The ghost of Hitler could referee, and the jury might well be the Dodo, the Great Auk, and the Passenger Pigeon. Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor, and the contrary opinion is wishful thinking at its worst. Nations and peoples who forget this basic truth have always paid for it with their lives and freedoms."</span> Robert A Heinlein<br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);font-size:130%;" ><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">"The great inter-war slumps were not acts of God or of blind forces. They were the sure and certain result of the concentration of too much economic power in the hands of too few men. These men had only learned how to act in the interest of their own bureaucratically-run private monopolies which may be likened to totalitarian oligarchies within our democratic State. They had and they felt no responsibility to the nation."</span></span> Labour Party Manifesto - 1945<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">"The armed forces are an armed, military organisation, not an NGO."</span></span> Carme Chacon, Spanish Defence Minister<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" ><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">"You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."</span></span> Adrian RogersAlan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824784594143148018.post-28033296975428052982009-09-05T00:27:00.000-07:002009-09-05T14:38:08.856-07:00Quotes of the day for today<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >"The Public say they are getting cynical about politicians. They should hear how politicians talk about them."</span> George Walden<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">"Politicians are interested in people in the same way that dogs are interested in fleas."</span></span> P.J. O'Rourke<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);font-size:130%;" ><br />"The government solution to any problem is usually at least as bad as the problem."</span> Milton FriedmanAlan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824784594143148018.post-37441814404165964812009-09-04T11:11:00.000-07:002009-09-04T11:20:53.255-07:00Quotes For Today<div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">"If you mess up the finances of the country, it's ordinary people that end up paying."</span></span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Tony Blair</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">"A low success economy is a high tax one."</span></span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Tony Blair (again)</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">And one from me, adapted from Ronald Reagan -</span> <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Recession is when your neighbour loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours. Recovery is when Gordon Brown loses his"</span></span><br /></blockquote></div><br /><br />Let's see if I can make this a regular thing.Alan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7824784594143148018.post-47738073485406895822009-09-01T05:46:00.001-07:002009-09-01T05:47:40.525-07:00GravyTrainSpotting<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOXLsRTrZjVEGAUu12TCnRRmJlIPSwD2DZsID527cMKOAq51Zb0dhEh9izCzsMBXpZUUzEP7-UZD5LL0HSp5KZP8If_kqNkjYYJdwjLtCeqKqjMWWynBtpxIFdiSKCwM5u_ftY-VDVRQ/s1600-h/gravytrainspotting---small.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 241px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOXLsRTrZjVEGAUu12TCnRRmJlIPSwD2DZsID527cMKOAq51Zb0dhEh9izCzsMBXpZUUzEP7-UZD5LL0HSp5KZP8If_kqNkjYYJdwjLtCeqKqjMWWynBtpxIFdiSKCwM5u_ftY-VDVRQ/s400/gravytrainspotting---small.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376479610544143522" border="0" /></a>Alan Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07312720178879290398noreply@blogger.com2