Referenda

As you know, a core Jury Team principle is that a referendum should be called whenever 5% of the electorate call for one. We see this as a way for citizens to have a voice in the running of the country and by-passing the party political machine.

What do you think? In a referendum on referenda, I've added a poll at the top right of this blog. Please vote and encourage others to do so to. You could have a very real effect on a core policy of Jury Team.

Fancy a drink - think again.

Next stop - prohibition. The Wee Frees at the Pretendy Parliament are after your wee hauf.

From the Edinburgh Evening News

BAR staff in Edinburgh have been banned from asking customers if they would like the "same again" – and told to offer a glass of water instead.

The move, which was today branded "ludicrous", has been introduced as part of the Licensing (Scotland) Act which comes into force next week, aimed at tackling binge drinking.

Go on, read it again. You're probably not drunk. But it gets better. The Plastic Politicians of Holyrood have more for you -

Some publicans say they have even been told to keep a note of how much each individual customer had consumed.

I suppose pub crawls down Rose Street are pretty much an endangered species now. Unless we have "Water Bars" set up between the pubs.

When are we going to wise up to the fact that Holyrood is stuffed full of third rate councillors who are never happier than when they're banning something?

Incidentally, I've been told that that overblown talking shop has got about 15 years more useful life in it. An architect involved in the construction reckons that the cracks are already showing. The trouble is, it's a work of art not a working building. It was designed as an art installation, a monument for Dewar.

I wonder how much the next one will cost?

Prohibition of Deception Bill

Intro Elected Representatives (Prohibition of Deception) Bill v2

Hat Tip - the Ministry of Truth

My main aim in standing as an Independent under the Jury Team banner is to begin the process of really unearthing the dirt at Westminster. I believe that the party system itself contributes significantly to corrupt and anti-Democratic practices. The above Bill attracted the support of some thirty MPs, proving that for every decent MP there are twenty self-serving crooks. How can any MP object to being held accountable, to facing punishment if found to have knowingly lied?

This is a Bill that I hope to see enacted. The next election will see a new broom sweep into Westminster, let's see them promise us this Bill.

Forget writing to your MP. With half of them standing down or not being re-selected because they can't stand the strain of being honest, they're a waste of time. Instead, look to see who your candidates are in your area and write to them. Ask them if they'll support this Bill if elected. If they refuse or (more likely) ignore you, you'll have your answer.

Vote for a candidate who will criminalise lying MPs.

A wee giftie for the Nats

Given that the Nationalists will be saving all their pennies for the Holyrood elections and running the Westminster campaign on the cheap (rather like their Euro campaign), here's a wee present for their Party Broadcast. All they need to do is paste in a few minutes of Fat Eck grinning and there you have it - the Nat Manifesto.

The Acceptable Ism

Scotland's Joker - Falkirk's Shame

Trainspotting at Westminster

Choose something else.

Labour Halfwit

Now, I'm probably not the one to hark on about media skills. My strong accent counts against me in interviews. Comments on my media appearances from reasonably independent sources did though include "passionate" and "knowledgeable". Neither of which could be applied to the hapless Naz Sarkar who is the Labour candidate for Reading West.

Oh dear. It really is a throwaway election for Labour and they've resorted to on the job training for the Labour "yoof". Give him another 12 years and perhaps he'll make a decent fist of a local radio interview, but can we really bear another three term monopoly by any party in Westminster?

I'm actually pretty disgusted by Labour for putting this rookie up as a seemingly serious candidate. Compare his performances with the young Libertarian candidate in Norwich, Thomas Burridge
It's nothing to do with age, it's to do with ability. Surely Labour could have found a better candidate than Naz? Or is this what happens when a party abandons roots, raison d'etre and principles, choosing to pursue power for its' own sake?

Where are the real Socialists? They've abandoned Labour and all I see in the rag-tag splinters such as No2EU, the Scottish Socialists and others are extremists and fantasists. Is Socialism dead? Is Naz Sarkar the pall-bearer?

Hat Tip - Cllr Dave Luckett

Sing A Song Of Parliament

Sing a song of Parliament,

Pockets full of cash.
Fraudulently claiming
then adding to their stash.
With their ploy discovered
They said they'll give it back,
If you or I had done the same
We'd promptly get the sack.


Sing a song of freebies
Snouts all in the trough,
Giving back their ill-got gains
Is just not good enough.
Sponging off our earnings
With a likely tale,
If working folk had done the same
They'd soon end up in jail.


Sing a song of fraudsters
Counting out their money.
They smile and look quite unashamed
As though they think it's funny.
Sitting in a secret place
Counting our their dosh,
Spent on baths and cleaning moats -
Or crisps and orange squash.


Sing a song of MPs
Who took us for a ride,
It's up to us election time
Their futures to decide.
It's gone too far to bring back trust
Of anyone in power,
To most of us they'll always be

A shifty, crooked shower.

Now, where can I find a choir to record this?

Hat Tip - Subrosa

This Guy is a Candidate?

Meet the Labour candidate for Reading West

Oh well, Labour have obviously given up. What an utter insult to the voters of Reading that this is the standard of candidate on offer. How the hell must Labour supporters feel; people who believe in Labour values, that have supported the party through thick and thin, that feel only Labour come close to representing their views, when this shambolic excuse is supposedly going to fight their corner in Westminster. Third-rate lobby fodder.

There is an alternative. If you feel you could do a better job than Naz, stand with Jury Team. No whips, no party orders. If you want to stand on a platform of traditional Labour values, you can. If you're more Labour than New Labour, take the opportunity that Jury Team offers and stand up to be counted.

Vote For Your Favourite Blogs

It's that time of year again, when Total Politics asks you to vote for your Top 10 favourite blogs. The votes will be compiled and included in the forthcoming book, the Total Politics Guide to Blogging 2009-10, which will be published in September. This year the poll is being promoted/sponsored by LabourList and LibDemVoice as well as our publisher Iain Dale's blog.

The rules are simple.

1. You must vote for your ten favourite blogs and ranks them from 1 (your favourite) to 10 (your tenth favourite).
2. Your votes must be ranked from 1 to 10. Any votes which do not have rankings will not be counted.
3. You MUST include ten blogs. If you include fewer than ten your vote will not count.
2. Email your vote to toptenblogs@totalpolitics.com
3. Only vote once.
4. Only blogs based in the UK, run by UK residents are eligible or based on UK politics are eligible.
5. Anonymous votes left in the comments will not count. You must give a name
6. All votes must be received by midnight on 31 July 2009. Any votes received after that date will not count.

If you have your own blog, please do encourage your readers to take part. Last year, more than 80 blogs did so. We hope this year it will be far more than that. BUT, DO NOT list ten blogs you think your readers should vote for. Any duplicate voting of this nature will be disallowed. If you do not wish for your blog to be voted for please email katy.scholes@totalpolitics.com. You will see a list of the blogs who have chosen not to be included in the comments shortly.

There are many ways of measuring a blog's popularity. Wikio and Technorati have complicated logarithms which measure the importance of incoming links and traffic. Google Analytics does it by measuring how many people visit. But our poll gives blog readers the opportunity to vote for the ones they like and visit most often. It's not scientific. It's impossible to achieve 100% balance and we don't pretend it's perfect.

The results of the poll will be published in the forthcoming book the TOTAL POLITICS GUIDE TO POLITICAL BLOGGING IN THE UK which will be published in mid September in association with APCO Worldwide.

So, go to it. Email us your Top Ten Favourite Blogs

Don't Let Jacqui Smith Get Away With It

Let's nail Jacqui Smith

Copied from Old Holborn's place...

£100,000 needed to nail Jacqui Smith

I am a member of the Sunlight Centre for Open Politics and we have decided to nail Jacqui Smith for being a little free and easy with the truth.

Any contribution you might be able to make would be greatly appreciated. Sorry to bother you if you have already donated to the campaign. You can donate via PayPal through the link above (click on the picture). If we can successfully prosecute the former Home Secretary this would be a major step toward cleaning up Westminster and proving to our law makers that they are not above the law.

So put YOUR hands in your pocket for a change, instead of Darling and let's teach them a lesson. Do it. Do something. Put the fear of 60,000,000 of us into the 646 who run every minutae of our lives for their own benefit.

All it would take is one high profile politician being dragged through the courts by the public for the rest of them to get the message. We're not allowed to hang crooked politicians any more, but we can hang them out to dry in the courts.

Hat Tip - half the blogosphere