January
2017
Greetings!
The nonsense of the recent silly
season has passed and the question on my lips is now: Where to begin the New
Year? In the words of the unnamed Irishman when asked for directions to Dublin,
he replied: It might be better if you
didn’t start from here. That’s
roughly how I feel about January 2017.
Everybody knows that there
have been only two major stories worth following during the month of January.
The first was the American Presidential election and the second was the High
Court ruling in London concerning EU Article 50 – and I’m heartily sick of
hearing about both of them. (And that’s from an avid ‘Leaver’!)
While we were distracted
by Christmas and New Year celebrations, the world continued to turn.
Politicians of all persuasions and nations continued to peddle their self-interested
and party-interested policies; across the planet people murdered other people
or destroyed their mind and spirit if not the body; the hungry died of hunger,
same as they do every day; nation continued to bomb nation; charities asked for
charity: to feed a donkey, to support a tiger, to keep a dog, to provide a
blanket; and the UK government made its case for its new Commonwealth
Development Corporation (CDC) Bill which is designed to permit government to
raise the limit of support for this Corporation; while the NHS is allegedly
falling apart; while schools need to be involved with the depressed minds of
young children; while the government presses on with muzzling our media which
we know already doesn’t tell us the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the
truth. But who cares about all that?
In my humble opinion,
nearly all of it is avoidable and overcome-able if WE, THE PEOPLE would only think, look at things as they are
presented to us and not believe everything we see, hear and read. That would be a good start. Better yet if we could look, see and DO things differently.
~~~~
I thoroughly enjoyed our family and
friends Christmas gatherings and I happily welcomed 2017 fast asleep, as befits
someone of my age. The New Year, however, didn’t get off to a good start. I
wrecked our family car right here in Newport Pagnell High Street and suffered
body shock as a consequence. No blood or broken bones, thankfully, but swollen
and painful feet, which my GP diagnosed as shock induced gout. For what it’s
worth, my blood-sugars went haywire, too.
During the run-up to Christmas and
afterwards I gave some thought to the ideas of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness, as you do in times of melancholy, or even in retirement, or when a
Presidential election is imminent. That
event must have been the trigger, I think. Whatever, I focussed on the American
Declaration of Independence. Perhaps ‘thought’ might be too strong a word;
nothing deep or spiritual, please understand. Just quiet
thoughts/reflection/contemplation/rumination/deliberation – you know what I
mean.
It is a remarkable document and it
begins:
IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to
dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to
assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which
the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the
opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel
them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created equal, that
they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among
these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit
of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted
among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That
whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the
Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government,
laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such
form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and
Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long
established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and
accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer,
while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to
which they are accustomed.
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the
same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is
their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new
Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of
these Colonies; and
such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former
Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a
history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the
establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let
Facts be submitted to a candid world.
Did you see what I saw in this
document? All men are created
Equal and we have rights, including
the right to change government when the need arises – not just when the
government of the day says it is time. When this equality is undermined (abuses
and usurpations) men have a right to do something about it. We are endowed with
Rights (I’ve touched on that subject before now) and that among these Rights
are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
For all men. For some people
that can be a big ask. My January question is:- How are we (in UK) doing so
far?
WE would do well to observe that the
American declaration, written after a bitter war with King George and his
troops, has its roots in our own Magna Carta 1215, which was the product of
another unjust King, King John. The people (barons) resisted King John’s tyranny
and settled the matter with that document which King John affirmed should exist
in perpetuity. QUESTION:
Why, do you suppose, our lawmakers today would argue that King John’s gift
isn’t applicable today? (Tony Blair was notable in this regard). ANSWER: Because if it is acknowledged
it automatically curtails some of the powers that Parliament, the legislators
and the lawyers have assumed for themselves.
Back to January 2017. I have just listened to the Supreme Court
ruling (not unanimous) expressed by Lord Neuberger as head honcho. More than
that, I’ve listened to newspaper, V-V and radio political pundits repeating two
lies which, for the most part, went unchallenged.
The first lie is to claim that we
have no written Constitution. Four copies of the original Magna Carta 1215
exist and, as I’ve noted already, formed the basis of the American Declaration
and Constitution, as well as the basis for the constitutions of Canada,
Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, amongst others. The Magna Carta wasn’t
just a gift to the people of England by their King. It was also an echo of the existing
customs and practices of many of the peoples of northern Europe.
The second lie is to claim that
Parliament is sovereign. It isn’t true and it behoves us – you and me – to
examine why so many Parliamentarians insist that Parliament IS sovereign. Think
about it.
Could the Freedoms and Rights
bestowed on English people by their tyrannical King, have become the property
of a tyrannical Parliament because of our own carelessness? It seems so. At
least, that is what some Parliamentarians seem to think.
We, the People, grant to elected
members of Parliament (the legislators) the right to publish laws and
regulations. But we reserve the right to change Parliament when its members
fail in their service TO US. Additionally, we have been given the right
in perpetuity to annul inappropriate
laws by means of Trial by Jury. This
right is the essence of Democracy. And I emphasise that Parliament is
supposed to serve the people, not the people serve Parliament.
Understand, if you will, that suffrage (the right to vote) is not
democracy. Dictators across the world permit citizens to vote and then overturn
the results when it suits them. Just as they do in EU.
Voting for a party is not indicative
of a democracy. The party system permits vested interests to determine a
so-called manifesto to which members of the party - locally and nationally -
might (or might not) subscribe. This, too, is true all over the world. The party system doesn’t permit non-members
to stand for election in a constituency. Those people are described as Independent and, by definition, not a
participant in party-based politics.
So, think about this, if you will. If
the constituency electorate becomes disaffected with a party-sponsored elected Member
of Parliament, to who will that party-sponsored MP be answerable? Certainly not
to non-party members.
I’m fully aware that we can’t
overturn years of smoke-and-mirrors political illusion overnight, but we won’t ever
force the changes if a start isn’t made NOW.
~ ~ ~ ~
When I look through my window to the
big wide world outside, what evidence is there that people have Life, or Liberty,
or are pursuing Happiness? Not much, I suggest. Too often I see those with jobs
are living a life of drudgery. Not always, but definitely too often. (drudgery
is defined as: menial, distasteful, dull or hard work). Liberty appears to be a
figment of our imagination. (Liberty is defined as: 1. freedom from arbitrary
or despotic government or control. 2. freedom from external or foreign rule;
independence. 3. freedom from
control, interference,
obligation, restriction, hampering
conditions, etc.; power or
right of doing, thinking, speaking,
etc., according to choice.
4. freedom from captivity, confinement,
or physical restraint).
And Happiness? How are we doing with
happiness? In the minds of many, too many, happiness seems to be about
acquiring things or struggling to acquire things. Where did that idea come
from/from where did that idea come? We weren’t born with it, were we? Yet the
tiniest babies show all the signs of wanting freedom in its various guises.
Watch them and tell me I’m wrong. After essential well-being (food/shelter/etc)
has been addressed the idea, the desire for freedom, never goes away. (OK. So
maybe the baby is just looking for instant gratification and maybe all of us
are babies.)
Most people will acknowledge that THIS
DECLARATION is based upon our own Magna Carta 1215 – King John’s gift to the
people in perpetuity. Having been given, willingly or unwillingly, I put it to
you that no man or organisation has the right to determine that the people may
not have it. King George III’s efforts to stifle the freedom and pursuit of
happiness that colonials at the time sought, through his use of punitive
legislation and taxes, brought about the exercise of King John’s gift.
I put it to you, dear reader, that if
we treat this gift lightly and without proper consideration of what it is, we
do so AT OUR PERIL.
THINK ABOUT IT! PLEASE!
and if the ideas expressed here
resonate with you, get in touch with
me, please.
~~~~~
I’m so pleased that I had written
(above) before hearing Barack Obama’s farewell speech last night (10th
Jan). Speaking in Chicago, he said: “This
is where I learned that change only happens when ordinary people get involved,
get engaged, and come together to demand it.
"After eight years as your President,
I still believe that. And it’s not just my belief. It’s the beating heart of
our American idea – our bold experiment in self-government."It’s the conviction that we are all created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
"It’s the insistence that these rights, while self-evident, have never been self-executing; that We, the People, through the instrument of our democracy, can form a more perfect union.
"This is the great gift our Founders gave us. The freedom to chase our individual dreams through our sweat, toil, and imagination – and the imperative to strive together as well, to achieve a greater good.”
Oh! My word! When, I wonder, will our own Prime Minister refer to, defer to and reflect upon our own Constitution in this way? Might it happen before her own farewell speech, do you think? Don’t hold your breath. And, by the way, keep in mind that our Prime Minister wasn’t elected to that office by THE PEOPLE. She was elected by the Parliamentary party to be THE PARTY LEADER. How tenuous is our grip on democracy?
Here is another thought: What might happen if she decides the whole struggle for Brexit is more than she can stomach? What if, secretly, she has a different agenda? What if she does a David Cameron and resigns? What if President Trump puts a rhetorical flea in her ear when they meet? What if her own government continues to take steps to ally our UK military with EU military, as they are in the process of doing right now? (An indication, I suggest, of less than ardent commitment to exiting EU). How much uncertainty about what might happen next do the bleaters need - those who say they don’t know and want to be assured that the sun will rise tomorrow – how much more do they need to convince them that something just isn’t right in the state of Denmark?
How much more time or evidence do you
NEED before you are persuaded to join me and others in trying to change these
things?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
MK Column
There is a
two-headed organisation in Plymouth which publishes under the names of the
British Constitution Group – BCG - (www.britishconstitutiongroup.com)
and as UK Column (www.ukcolumn.org ). UK
column broadcasts daily via the internet and publishes news articles that have
a different perspective to main stream media (MSM). BCG publishes articles
relevant to the British Constitution and conducts occasional
meetings-cum-conferences. The first major conference was held last year in
Winchester where the ‘Winchester Declaration’ was first published. The next conference
is scheduled to be held in Nottingham on 22 April.
In Milton
Keynes area there is a fledgling group of people with diverse interests and
concerns who have joined together and have chosen to call ourselves ‘the MK
Column’. We subscribe to the two
Plymouth organisations.
If you would
like to identify with UK Column or BCG, simply go to their respective web
pages. If you would like to identify with MK Column (and you don’t have to live
locally to do that, please call me on 07599 295225 or send an email to mkcolumn@gmail.com. We will be pleased to
hear from you.
