I don't want this to be a rant but........

Isn't it time we all had a say on the EU? now before you go yawn and think about turning away......please just give me 2 mins

Whether you are Eurosceptic or Europhile.....or whatever 'camps' and labels they have been given........shouldn't we open up the debate on this huge issue. I don't mean a huge political debate in the Westminster Village but by ordinary citizens. The whole EU project has gone beyond ordinary folk understanding. Most people know it is out there but think of it in some sort of parrallel universe. The debate then gets hi-jacked by either the political elite who speak spin-bollocks-complicated languages or by people from both sides  with such strong views on either side of the argument, it becomes too much to take on.

But seeing as we are entering an age of massive austerity cuts, price hikes, and 'every one tighten your belts' era, surely we should rethink how we go about our business. Our relationship with the EU affects everyone in the UK. The news coming out of the Eurozone isn't great. Things aren't going to get any better in 2011. We know that the relationship with the EU costs billions of £'s. Now whether this is good value for money or not, the sheer scale of the relationship means we need to re-evaluate the situation (just as everything else - so we are being told by the politicians). I think the debate needs to come out into the open - information (that everyone understands) needs to be shared and then the people of the UK should be given a vote to decide, once and for all, what we want.

Personally, I think we would be better off out of the political EU and free to form our own relationships with countries around the world. I would prefer to see us forming closer relationships with the commonwealth. I think it is time to leave the EU and move forward into something new......something better. If we left the EU, I wouldn't want to go 'back' to anything ie back to where we we were before we signed up to the original deal back in the ealry 70's.....yes, have the free-trade agreement but have that with the rest of the world. If we left the EU, the Germans won't stop buying British goods. We won't stop buying French cheese - shit, I want the French to be French and the Germans to be Germans.....and the Spanish to be Spanish...yadda yadda.

Anyway, that is why I run the EU Referendum Campaign. We want the man on the street to understand. That is why we haven't targeted our campaign at the Westminster Village - we keep all our literature free from party politics, left-wing or right-wing bullshit, or rabid rants. We already have the largest active database amongst all eurosceptic campaigns in the UK. The campaign HQ is staffed by professional campaigners, our spokesperson is an ex-LBC radio DJ who speaks to the British public in the language they all understand. We have unrivalled resources, completely independent and won't back down from political pressure from any of the Westminster Village.

But the most important campaign we are running is The Pledge. It is a completely neutral campaign calling for a Referendum. We welcome people from all sides (pro-EU and anti-EU) to join to call for a national referendum so the issue can be brought out in the open, discussed and voted on. We want to organise meetings in universities, town halls, pubs, work places etc where the whole EU project can be debated and arguments put across.
We have written to every MP to see where they stand on the issue. We are now receiving all the answers from them. The MP's that don't agree with our call fro a referendum will be targeted by our campaign. We will go to their constituency office (when they are there) and make our voice heard. We will ask everyone on our database in the constituency to write to the local media, attend protests outside the offices, take part in town hall debates in the constituency, hand out leaflets in the area, etc etc. We will work with the local media to get the exposure. We will work with all the local pubs and local groups to organise events to raise the campaign. Once the sitting MP sees with his/her own eyes how the people really feel, then they will take note. You can have 10,000 people outside the Houses of Parliament and the politicians won't take a blind bit of notice.....but if they see a few hundred people in their own constituancy kicking up a fuss, they will surely take note.

The politcians are hoping this issue will go away.....but it won't.

I know that I havent covered all the areas on this page.....but like I said, it is too complicated a subject to go on and on.

The only way we can win, is for the people to get involved. I hope the attached advert can appear on this posting (thanks Ed :-)) but it is ad from the New Statesman this week and also on the back cover (outside facing) of he House magazine which goes out to all MP's and Peers tomorrow.

Please join up to our campaign on www.eureferendumcampaign.com and don't forget to sign The Pledge - thanks

Save the Gurkha Regiment Campaign

The campaign continues to grow but we still need so many more to back the issue.  We are using the Internet well, but it is critical that the campaign gets your help to get new followers too. So please spread the campaign website address to all your friends, colleagues and family and get them to complete the on-line form at the website:  www.savethegurkhas.co.uk. 

The Campaign is on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. And, if you have an account with the key Social Networks, please link, follow and comment on the campaign from your own accounts. These additional connections will help drive your followers to support the Campaign.

Please note though, only 1 signature per person on the on-line petition. You can also download a petition form to get hand written signatures at your office, business, shop, school and anywhere suitable and where those supporters without Internet access can support the campaign too. The form can be downloaded from the website www.savethegurkhas.co.uk.

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Here are the campaign connection details to send to all your contacts, friends, family, colleagues.

1. Petition Website:  www.savethegurkhas.co.uk  to lodge support on-line
2. Join the Facebook Group called: Campaign to Save the Brigade of Gurkhas from being axed  and also -Follow the profile- Peter D Carroll
3. Follow the Campaign on Twitter. The Twitter profile is called: savethegurkhas
4. Visit YouTube videos of Peter Carroll being Interviewed by BBC and SKY: http://www.youtube.com/user/GurkhasCampaign
5. LinkedIn Group: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=3376053  -Save the Gurkha Regiment Campaign-
6. Email Contact: savethegurkhas@whynotcampaign.co.uk 

Asking friends to watch Forever Young A song for Wootton Bassett is an important way to raise awareness and recruit more people to National Airplay for Forever Young: A song for Wootton Bassett so keep up the great work and invite more friends to watch!

"Click Here to Support the Original Link"

Originally Performed by: Peter, Paul & Mary.

 

Lyric:

 

May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you.

May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
And may you stay forever young.

Chorus:
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young

May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the light surrounding you.

May you always be courageous
Stand up right and be as strong
And may you stay forever young.

(chorus x2)

May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift.

May your heart always be joyful
May your song always be sung
And may you stay forever young.

(chorus x2)

May you grow up righteous and true,
See the light surrounding you
May you grow up righteous and true,
See the light surrounding you
May you ...(repeating) with (chorus)

A man who angered veterans by sporting an "impossible" array of medals has had his conviction overturned – after it emerged that the offence he admitted no longer exists.

Roger Day, 62, posed as a retired member of the SAS, wearing 17 medals as he marched in a Poppy parade on November 11, last year.

But veterans in Bedworth became suspicious that any one individual could win so many medals and contacted the police.

In January, Mr Day, of Earl Shilton, was sentenced to 60 hours community service and ordered to pay £40 costs after he pleaded guilty to a charge of military deception. But yesterday his conviction was overturned after it emerged the act under which he was prosecuted was scrapped 11 days before the march.

Mr Day had pleaded guilty to "unlawfully using decoration" under Section (1b) the Army Act 1955. But the Act was repealed by the Armed Forces Act 2006 – just days before Day joined hundreds of war veterans on November 11 – making it obsolete.

Warwickshire Crown Prosecution Service admitted the mistake.

A spokesman said: "On January 15, the CPS was contacted by Mr Day's defence solicitors querying the original charge. In the light of this query and the subsequent review, the CPS can confirm that Mr Day should not have been charged under the Army Act 1955, as this Act had been repealed 11 days prior to the offence being committed and had been replaced by the Armed Forces Act 2006.

"As soon as this error was discovered, we contacted the court and Mr Day's defence solicitors.

"Having reviewed the file and re-applied the Code for Crown Prosecutors, a decision was made to discontinue the prosecution."

He added the decision was also made to discontinue the prosecution on the basis that there was insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.

Mr Day returned to Nuneaton Magistrates Court two weeks after his conviction and had the it overturned.

The CPS was ordered to pay £200 legal costs.

Yesterday, Mr Day's wife Maxine, 38, said: "We are absolutely delighted with the result. My husband said all along that he did nothing illegal.

"Morally, he might have lied but in the eyes of the law he is innocent."

Mr Day added: "I am vindicated.

"I am now considering taking legal action against all those who muddied my name."

At the court case on January 12, Mr Day admitted pretending to be a decorated war hero in order to impress Maxine after they met at an opera club in 2000.

The court heard that he "got carried away with the fantasy" to keep Maxine interested in him.

He told Maxine he lost the medals in action or sold them so she set about replacing them one by one.

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