I am willing to publish critical views and different opinions to my own. I have not been willing to publish one correspondent who every day writes in to explain how a couple of billionaires run the world. If they changed their minds global government would still be pushing the same net zero and WHO agenda.It is vexatious  to have to delete the same old refrains every day.Some billionaires are attracted to following the fashionable follies of the world establishment.
I have allowed people to state some disagreement with covid vaccination. This too is not what I wish to pursue as I do not have a sufficient grounding in medicine and the vaccination programmes are now behind us. I was critical of the length and severity of covid lockdowns at the time. Their past wrongs cannot be altered. Astra Zeneca is currently in court proceedings over side effects of its vaccine, where there will be a judgement in due course.
You and I will get more out of these exchanges if you engage with the campaigns I run and the issues I raise. By all means tip the site off about new mistakes and disasters. When responding it helps to build bridges with others rather than just expressing anger about most things.
Several of you want a box None of the above on ballot papers. That is a cop out. Democratic politics is about choosing between what is on offer. If you don’t like what is on offer join the party nearest to what you want and battle to change their offer, or start your own party. If you think all the candidates are bad persuade a better one  to stand  or stand yourself. If you decline to stand or start a party you are admitting your idea of what is needed is not sufficiently widely  shared to take off  in an election.
April 29, 2024
None of the above isn’t a cop out. There should be a 50% of votes “fence” which the winner must achieve to be elected. If none achieve that, the election must be re-run. Obviously the candidates will have to alter their policies to seek to jump the fence ie they will respond to what the electorate want.
Of course, much better would ge the Swiss direct democracy model.
April 29, 2024
âDemocratic politics is about choosing between what is on offer. â
What is on offer is often completely useless. I suppose voters could spoil their ballot or vote Monster Raving Looney – but that does not get them anywhere.
Democratic politics is just not working these days.
The Conservative Party candidates are now imposed centrally and tend to be of a certain type. It is a long haul trying to change the way the party operates so not many will attempt to.
First past the post is another big hurdle to overcome. Millions of votes may not result in a single successful candidate.
So many are completely fed up with the system and have no faith in it. The elite hope and expect that the general public will just have a grumble and put up with things. They gamble on the phlegmatic nature of the British people and discount demographic change and its effect.
I believe the consequence will be more politically driven violence. Not from the sort of people that post here. Younger individuals with no stake in the status quo will probably rebel more. It has happened in the past and happens in other countries. Broken Britain will experience it soon. The police and armed forces will be incapable of dealing with it.
April 29, 2024
As regards Sir Johnâs penultimate paragraph, multiple posts or lengthy by individuals never seem to get moderated – despite repeated statements that action will be taken.
Then you get others saying they never get published as their posts are crowded out.
A bit more variety on here would be welcome. Certain posters could almost be replaced by AI now.
April 29, 2024
Yes, we should at least look at the Swiss model seriously, but we won’t because the 2 main parties are established and live on the existing funding structure, which makes viable new parties, an alternative suggested by our host, a near impossibility, just ask Richard Tice. I’ll be voting to be rid of both Labour and Tory, and hope the many will do the same to upset the status-quo.
April 29, 2024
More direct democracy – yes please – we would have avoided the ERM, the Millennium dome, Blairâs wars, HS2, Cameronâs Libya bombings, net zero, the absurdly high tax levels and have got sensible immigration levels, police who tackle real crime and councils who fix potholes and do not block the roads perhaps!
April 29, 2024
mickc:
âNone of the Aboveâ does reveal a voterâs willingness to support a candidate if one were considered worthy.
Numerous people do not vote because they do not care, cannot be bothered, feel that all parties are the same, that a local majority is beyond touch, or that their personal vote would cause no change for better.
Many folk may lack the ability, determination or youth to drum up a campaign to stand and win an election personally, especially in the âFirst past the postâ count.
Many others may feel that the candidates are a mish mash of items they favour and items they reject, with nothing prominent enough for distinction worth making a fuss about.
Some assess the notion of paying ÂŁ1000 more in tax as less of a burden than making political efforts themselves. âNone of the Aboveâ does at least register their opinion.
April 29, 2024
Why do our politicians, fear the insertion of that little line ânone-of-the-aboveâ so much âŠ.maybe because it gives power to the voter
April 29, 2024
mickc :
I agree. We should have voted for AV when we had the chance. AV maintains the good FPTP idea that there is a single elected representative for the constituency but ensures that the winning candidate obtains 50% or more of the vote. AV also prevents a constituency electing a candidate who does not represent their views through a split vote.
We definitely need referendums as Brexit showed.
April 29, 2024
The biggest change needed to the UK political system is a reform of the way political parties select their candidates. By the time the names are on the ballot paper it is too late, voters are mostly left with a choice between a few people with similar backgrounds, world views, education, prejudices, etc. We need to do far better at selecting political candidates, far far better.
April 29, 2024
I’m sorry, John, but I agree with Mickc. ‘None of the above’ means we don’t support the people your parties have chosen for us to elect; you must be aware that good candidates are ignored for Head Office place people who are often not even Conservative to such a degree they turn and bite your party time and time again: Rory Stewart, Antoinette Sandbach, Anna Soubry, Dan Poulter, David Cameron’s former aid blasts the ‘Tories are an English Nationalist Party’ if it were we would have our own parliament, we would have better voice and less rubbish thrown our way, what on earth is English nationalistic about the Tories, with your government in charge Brits can’t even celebrate St George’s Day in London without being stampeded by horses and kettled, nothing enjoyable and fun was organised for them at all? Why not?
As a candidate, you must be in a big party, or your time and money are wasted. A friend told me that the independent mayor applicant in Manchester, for example, isn’t invited to the hustings by the newspapers and TV media. Do you think that is what should happen, John? If so, why?
But what do you do when those big parties no longer represent you? When if you support the Tories, you’re called Scum, and the Tories do nothing to stop that. There is no fightback at all, no facts or figures to detail how much above what you are collecting in taxes is spent on the NHS.
I could go on, but like most people this year, with a Tory party that seems to have already given up and given in, I thought, you know what, I give up too. We are doomed to getting a highly taxing Labour government to probably overturn Brexit in a Brino, which is what all the so-called ‘conspiracy’ people are saying.
Reply Democratic politics is about seeking majority support. If your views are those of a small minority then your time and money standing would be wasted but if there a more popular offering than the main parties then not so,
April 29, 2024
Totally disagree!
You are saying you can do the job of am MP in your spare time and vote maybe 3 times a day? You would be conversant with all the issues? Wow – you should be in Parliament.
April 29, 2024
Starmer, Sturgeon and many MPs (of all the main parties) and MSPs etc. have lots of other Conspiracy theories about climate, human gender changing abilities and even the percentages of females he thinks may have male sex organs. Starmer even believes (or pretends to) that VAT on school fees and abolition Non Dom status will raise net funds. Conspiracies and total delusion all over the place.
April 29, 2024
Good morning.
Well I’m glad you have got that off your chest :o)
Money attracts power like a moth to flame. Those Prospective candidates for whatever they are standing for cannot elect themselves, otherwise we would all be like Haiti.
But certain persons and their activities are not of conspiracy, there is real evidence as they do not hide like some evil Bond villain, rather they are very open with the societies they like to see.
But one of my bugs here are those who do not keep on topic. Our kind host goes to no small lengths to provide us with a place to make our views know and to share information on said topic. Each post and links to each site has to be checked as he, as publisher, is liable.
As I said to someone on another site, in the UK we have very draconian libel laws. In the US he/she has the First Amendment. Please remember that when posting from abroad and even the UK.
April 29, 2024
Evil libel laws and absurd judgements and judges too, as we surely saw with Lawrence Fox recently.
April 29, 2024
we should have proper free speech laws in the UK similar to those in the US. scrap all the compromise agreements, super injunctions, liable, NDA’s, media regulation, and all the rest of it. let people say what they want, and let people make their own minds up.
April 29, 2024
Prospective candidates donât elect themselves, they swarm around the party machines to get on the candidates list.
Sometimes there is a very important and urgent issue. Raising it off topic draws JRâs attention to it. He might agree that itâs important or ignore the post, thatâs his prerogative. I agree, it should be the exception.
April 29, 2024
There are rarely more than 2 off-topic comments, usually rather newsworthy!
If we want to inform Sir John, who is rather busy, via brief hot-off-the-press why not?
Also these O/T may well be useful to others who are engaged enough to read this excellent site.
I often add O/T – if Sir John prefers I cease, he can reply saying so!
April 29, 2024
JR,
Your last paragraph is utter rubbish. Your party no longer allows local associations to choose their candidates, CCHQ provides three clones, from anywhere in the country, for the association to choose! Look at your party selecting people for safe seats, come on get real.
April 29, 2024
We all appreciate Mr Redwood’s efforts in providing a platform and we use it for many different purposes. I use it to express my anger and loathing at the rise of a race, sexuality and gender based ideology we haven’t seen since 1917-1945 and whose purpose is sinister, totalitarian and vicious. This poison has been aided and abetted by John’s party. He shouldn’t be to surprised then that there’s anger abound.
It feels we’re under attack by a force we can see or sense.
And let’s be real here. We now live in a country in which those who oppose will be destroyed, silence and sidelined by the political state and woke agents of the state in their various forms. Who would want to be demonised and destroyed? I don’t wish to.
John’s party was given a mandate to unleash freedom and destroy woke fascism. They failed because they never had any intentions of carrying out our wishes. Now we will have to suffer the barbarity and viciousness of a party that truly believes in woke and are disciples of it, the rancid Labour party
April 29, 2024
Whilst I can understand your frustration at many of the things you have listed, I think a possible by product of one is worthy of your pursuing. The excess death rate is very disturbing following Covid and it is reasonable to expect (as would normally happen0 a proper investigation which most people want. The fear/conspiracy bit is that Government think it is the vaccine so either aren’t having it, or already have. Either way this is of great public interest.
April 29, 2024
I can understand your vexation on these issues. I was once a (low level) politician, and had to grit my teeth when people said “just do” this or that. If only you could get what you wished for that simply!
It was a long hard slog and after two terms I gave it up, as the effort was huge and the returns (in terms of getting what I thought was good for my community) were minimal. The pay was risible – I lost a heck of a lot more money from turning down work (self employed landscaper) than I ever got back in the Members’ allowance for the time I had to put into it.
However, I do think you misjudge the effect of a high deposit for standing in elections. I can understand one wants to deter “raving loonies” from flooding the ballot paper. But ÂŁ5000 (eg. police commissioner elections currently) is far too much for the ordinary working guy to risk, who is serious about getting involved in the public sphere but wants to do it as an independent. The public are then denied choice, and potentially talented but independently-minded people (if they are poor) are denied the possibility to run for public office.
April 29, 2024
Whenever Sunak appears on the media, my immediate concern is whether the apparition in front of me is in fact an A1 generated “deep fake” video produced by CCHQ. This is an individual who has no grasp of UK politics whatsoever, who printed more fiat than any Chancellor in history – selling off the last of the British taxpayer’s gold on the way – and who has repeatedly refused to support Conservative candidates in person at the recent by-elections.
During the lockdowns, on his watch the Treasury authorised and paid out ÂŁ10bn+ to furlough fraudsters. Even now, he is refusing to pass the details to the City of London police so that the guilty can be brought to justice.
Little wonder that the party is on track to lose thousands of councillors, mayors and indeed councils on Thursday as the electorate, which is clearly enamoured of EVs and the huge savings possible with net zero, votes Labour
April 29, 2024
A “none of the above” option would allow voters to record the fact that no party’s manifesto or candidate was attractive. Currently an alienated voter’s choice are limited to abstaining, which can be dismissed as apathy, or spoiling the ballot paper, which can be dismissed as an inability to follow a simple instruction.
April 29, 2024
Sir John, I particularly support your sound advice to vote for the party that has policies they advise will make life better and thus they’re the right choice on the ballot paper.
Sadly, as we have seen in recent manifestos what is offered to the voters as policy, is not actually what government advances once in power.
More tens of thousands of migrants as call me Lord Dave once offered us anyone?
No,
Well how about leaving the EU which the nation voted for, but has yet to be delivered? Five PMs later and we’re still in the ECHR still subservient to the ECJ and the dreaded European Arrest Warrant and still wedded to every piece of EU legislation we voted to leave back in 2016.
April 29, 2024
Interesting that on the same day SJR writes of his reluctance to engage in what he calls ‘conspiracy theories’, but also asks the question why migration to the UK is being pushed by the ‘international rules-based system’. Well, if there’s a system, and it’s international, you surely want to know who constructed it, and in whose interests. You’re already talking about supranational operators who work at a level above national governments, and in this case clearly against the interests of the UK, because of the huge extra costs imposed on the country by importing millions of low-skilled migrants. Yet if you ask who is behind this, which people actually get together to decide on how the world should be governed, you risk being called a ‘conspiracy theorist’. Especially if you name names, like the UN’s Peter Sutherland, and quote them to the effect that national sovereignty should be ‘undermined’ and Britain should become ‘multicultural’. The EU and international lawyers trying to impose more migrants on the UK are acting as part of a globalist agenda that seeks to increase migration as a weapon that weakens the ability of nation-states to make their own decisions. That is what is behind the recent development on the NI border, and we need to keep the big picture in mind, not just see it as an isolated local event.
April 29, 2024
At last. Ending the same old saws, we get almost daily, ad nauseam for umpteen years.
No doubt they will now seek to pile in, accusing you of being part of an establishment cover up.
April 29, 2024
John Redwoodâs Diary belongs to its author: SJR; with authority to include or exclude whatever is submitted. High quality and fairness prevail. Reading and deleting hostile correspondence cause distraction, annoyance and waste valuable time yet are effective in preventing nuisance reaching and spreading. In the event of a persistent daily offender, automatic blocking might simplify.
April 29, 2024
Well yes but in the UK we have first past the post voting (now even for the Mayor of London why on earth was this changed). Then we have the value of the historic party brands and all those always have always will vote for X or Y party. This combination means a new party has almost zero chance of breaking through. Even if its policies are popular and sensible.
Indeed with first past the post posting you usually have two or at best three candidates with any chance. Votes for any of the other candidate are totally wasted, so if sensible you have to vote for the one you dislike least of these two or three.
Then as we have seen with the 14 years of Cameron, May, Boris, Sunak they do not do remotely what they promise to anyway. To call this with such a weak vote every 5 years âa democracyâ is clearly rather a sick joke.
April 29, 2024
I find your position very worrying. For people negatively affected by the Covid vaccinations, the programmes are not âbehind themâ – the affects may be with them for the rest of their lives. To regard the questioning of development of mRNA vaccines as a conspiracy theory is both wrong and worrying. I heard something recently where someone with the necessary biological expertise explained in detail what is wrong with the concept. Actually, now I think about it again, what was said was so worrying that I sort of dismissed it.
If government is going to almost effectively lock people down who refuse these vaccinations then, in my opinion, you, as an elected representative, should not close your mind to the questioning of this new method of developing vaccines.
If I may say so, your attitude to net zero, or specifically, anthropogenic carbon emissions causing global warming, is also puzzling. You seem to accept this, but offer your view that only producing green products people want and can afford will produce a solution. Whilst this is true, surely the basis for governmentâs green agenda must, and should, be challenged? What if the rapidly growing global population not only causes but needs more CO2 to aid plant growth.
April 29, 2024
“and the vaccination programmes are now behind us”
That sounds very like “we’ve stopped coercing and gas-lighting you, so move on.”
I can well understand why many MPs; the Government; the Medical Quangocracy; the MSM and the wider Establishment want us to “move on.”
But none of them have yet been held to account for their Covid Tyranny actions and the consequences are more obvious with every passing day. Future ‘flu jabs and other traditional vaccines are likely to be changed to the mRNA platform and in any future plandemics, mRNA jabs will be rolled out within 100 days ….when presumably the coercion will re-start.
So it isn’t over.
I do engage with your topic of the day and I very much appreciate the opportunity to express my views. Unfortunately, it is seldom possible to be constructive when the Government is deliberately promoting policies which are damaging this country and the British people – on behalf of Globalist organisations (the UN, WEF, WHO and EU).
April 29, 2024
As others observe, your site – your rules. I find it an interesting read often offering an insight to our political system that those of us outside the system cannot see.
But there is one poster whose daily, multiple diatribes make this site tedious to read. Indeed, I look at the name of the poster in question and logically simply scroll past their posts.
Perhaps you could ask people not to post the same diatribe more than once a day and to try to stay on topic – just now and then.
April 29, 2024
Well so many Conspiracy Theories turn out to be all too true as:-
Covid did clearly came from a Wuhan lab leak after government funded gain of function experimentation.
The lockdowns did net harm on balance as did the Covid âVaccinesâ and should never have been given to the young or those who had had covid anyway – even if they had been safe and effective.
Manmade CO2 is not causing any climate emergency and levels of it are not some kind of world thermostat.
Sunak however tells he has cut tax levels, is stopping the boats, growing the economy, cutting the debt and the âvaccinesâ are âunequivocally safeâ so his conspiracy theories. Some conspiracy theories are bonkers or just made up lies.
April 30, 2024
LL,
Not according to Astrazenica after it admitted blood clots are a side effect of gene therapy.
Reply The company argues adverse effects were relatively few and claim they did much good for millions.
April 30, 2024
reply to reply …. which is basically true for all the vaccinations done over the years benefitting millions and millions. Most progress seems to have a sort of tragedy of some sort for a very few.
May 1, 2024
They claim their vaccine did net good but the statistics do not seem to support this claim. The ONS in the UK could release the raw statistics broken down by vaccines status etc. to reveal the truth but they choose to hide them. Why might this be?
April 30, 2024
@Lifelogic +1
April 29, 2024
The vaccination programme is not behind us I have just been invited for a COVID booster jab in Wokingham
May 1, 2024
Indeed they are appallingly still pushing them to older people.
April 29, 2024
But Sir John, that doesn’t answer the problem we have .
If we can only vote for parties and candidates that are identical, how can we express our feelings that we are not being given any choice?
Small parties are effectively excluded from entering the race for PCC’s due to the high cost associated with putting a candidate forward.
Small parties have trouble getting into Westminster, and often blame FPTP – they say that some form of PR would get them some seats. FPTP is not the problem. Small parties work against each other when they should be cooperating.
It takes some years to get a small party up and running — there really should be a better way to challenge the consensus of the big 3.
April 29, 2024
Your website, your rules. Simples.
April 29, 2024
WellâŠIâve never noticed any hesitation in simply deleting any of my wilder comments.
Not that I mind in the least.
JR holds editorial rights and it is his blog.
Every now and then there used to be purges on over long submissions and multiple posts.
Usually when comments edged towards 200 or so.
I literally do not know how JR can do everything he does!!
April 29, 2024
I good piece of work to think about. On the topic of standing yourself. Well I did that with a few others and as they fell by the wayside I was the only one left to fight against the hatred put out against me. It is hard and you have to really believe in what you are standing for and know that you will probably achieve little of what you want to. However, I was a Reflexologist at one time after leaving a government job which was not achieving my aims, and the Principal there said that if you helped one person, you had done your job well. So I always adopt this attitude and have put up with a lot of abuse I should not have. At the end of the day, a lot of people just want a cosy life and no hassle. How you change this attitude I do not know other than to have really bad economic situations (they are coming again I fear) which push them into having to really stand up and fight for an existence. I think giving too much to people encourages laziness. Sometimes it is kinder to be cruel firstly so that people appreciate what they, and others before them, have fought for. We are getting a lot of people in this country now and over the last half a century who have not really worked as hard as our ancestors who did not have medical care free and school teaching had to be abandoned as money was required to put food on the table. You only learn from experience and some of the people today are in for a hard lesson I think.
April 29, 2024
I am of the belief that it should be a requirement to vote . But every paper should have a abstain box.
April 29, 2024
Sir John
âSeveral of you want a box None of the above on ballot papers. That is a cop out. Democratic politics is about choosing between what is on offer.â
All the time the people in a constituency donât get to choose their candidates, all the time money is pumped into constituency by âgangs and their leadersâ from outside of a constituency â the choice is being skewed.
Take a look at how some parties act, they have a group of people that recruits those candidates that are the image of themselves, they then pump in needed finances so that they get their preferred candidate elected. That is not any other choice other than âyou mustâ pick the most least worse. Look at MEPâs they are selected by their position on an approved list, ask Daniel Hannan why he famously wrote a piece on why he didnât need to canvass for votes? We are morphing into the anti-democratic EU with those type of system here in the UK.
What is on offer is now not the peoples, the constituentâs choice. Look at the Conservative Party MPs, its Leadership, its CCHQ how many Conservatives are involved in the process, how many Conservatives are there in Parliament? They seem very hard to find.
If the election system doesnât permit democratic choice from a level playing field â ânone of the aboveâ seems a perfectly reasonable option. The alternative would be to count all the abstentions as a vote against who come first.
While I respect your view and see you as a loyal party member but it has to be acknowledged the UK Party system, is fighting choice, fighting the People and finds itself now corrupting Democracy.
April 29, 2024
âSeveral of you want a box None of the above on ballot papers. That is a cop out.â
Sorry, but I disagree.
For whom do I vote for please if I do not agree with the policies of Net Zero and mass immigration as all existing Parliamentary parties are fully signed up to these policies?
Worse still, any vote for any of the existing Parliamentary parties will be taken as a vote for Net Zero and mass immigration and not as a âthe nearest to what you wantâ.
There is no chance of changing these policies from within a party as we have recently seen with the Conservative Party. The winner of a membership vote for leader was quickly deposed and an unelected but highly influential member was made a Lord and appointed to a major position of state.
Standing yourself is going to be expensive with ÂŁ1000 deposits for Parliamentary elections and ÂŁ5000 for PCC elections.
This leaves us with only referendums as a way to change policies.
âNone of the aboveâ or spoilt ballot papers are counted and if sufficient votes were cast for this option, then I think some notice would be taken, unless of course we have truly descended into an authoritarian state.
April 30, 2024
@Original Richard – how strange would it be if we were faced with government for the people by the people. If the people got to choose who would best represent them then elected them without outside interference and pressure being applied. I suppose the ideals of democracy were lost when we were delivered the uni-Party, a choice of full blown world socialism or full blown world socialism, just different front men looking to satisfy personal egos.
Then the kicker 5 years without challenge! Politics to suit the incumbents, not the people.
I would guess with the quality of the majority in the HoC âNone of the aboveâ would quickly become the largest party and that their fear, the real fear
April 30, 2024
PS : I would also like to add please that if a party does not offer the main policies that I wish to see, a cancellation of Net Zero and the ending of mass immigration, then there is no point in voting for this party on the basis that it is âthe nearest to what I wantâ as their MPs will not provide any meaningful opposition to these policies and may even vote for them.
April 30, 2024
Currently I’d say none of the parties appear to be anywhere near what I wish to happen from Government.
April 29, 2024
Re “Their past wrongs cannot be altered” I am not convinced this is correct, certainly for those denied financial help during Covid by arbitrary decisions made by Rishi that helping some kinds of people was “too hard”. I think the ways we identify “key workers” and who to help financially, and how to do it, should be reviewed so that things can be done better if there is ever another crisis. I could be looked at as part of a big simplification of the tax and benefits system, which is badly needed.
The Pharma companies were given strong exemptions from normal liability laws, so the usual court processes will find it hard to find resolutions.
More than those things , for me, the post office inquiry shows us all openly things that I have seen first hand, in many parts of the public sector, its arms length bodies, the legal profession, but would be ruinous for any individual to try to expose. It should be a “Canary in the mine” showing the lack of integrity, honesty, and decency that the country suffers from. A reforming politician who wants to see things improve could use this enquiry to come to some conclusions, and suggestions for ways to improve things, systematically. I think this is a fair request of our political system, but it does not seem to be rising to the challenge.
Good luck John, you are at least trying, which is more than can be said for most of our political class.
April 29, 2024
‘Start your own party’ – We know where that goes – nowhere. A new party gets 4 million votes and one temporary MP. ‘Stand yourself’ – we know where that goes – nowhere. It is not possible to fund and get a seat on your own. You can’t even get on our local council unless you join one of the established parties. Proper proportional representation is what is needed, not the bastardised offer we had and rejected which it was designed to do and so people can forever say it is not wanted. That produces weak and poor government you will say – well what a great success the last 14 years have been, the country is worse now that at any time I can remember because too much power is invested in too few people.
April 29, 2024
I am not surprised at Sir Johns’ criticisms today ; he has allowed many of the replies to be published when they are often off topic , too long and – in some cases rude .
April 29, 2024
May I comment on the pothole problem. There are far too many and they are dangerous. However, how do they get repaired? Main roads would need to be closed, I guess, unless one side of the road gets closed off with traffic lights. It sounds horribly expensive. How do other countries, like France, deal with this problem?
Tony Hart
April 29, 2024
Could you allow one post from the person who thinks two billionaires are running the world? I could do with a good laugh.
April 29, 2024
Well said Sir John!
You have to put up with the daily mix of wild ideas and I cannot believe you are still battling for sensible sane ideas as your track record of integrity holds.
Events today in Scotland show how difficult it is to take this hard road.
April 29, 2024
“… not what I wish to pursue as I do not have a sufficient grounding in medicine and the vaccination programmes are now behind us.” There are many scientists and medics who are telling us that there are “vaccine” ill-effects that are awaiting us in the future, certainly not behind us as fas as I can ascertain. I was pleased to see that you were in attendance at one committee debate of safety of the “Genetically Modified Organism” as I have heard it referred to, and hope that you will bring your judgement to bear as a result of debates and evaluating evidence. I don’t expect many MP’s to have expertise in this field, but you represent our interests and without your input we are alone and vulnerable. Potentially this is a huge medical error that has been imposed on humankind, and if this doesn’t warrant parliamentary time what does?
April 29, 2024
I understand your frustration Sir John.
However I also hear what some of your contributors are saying. That it makes little difference what establishment party one votes for, the result is the same regardless of manifestos which become so much cat litter. Policies followed come from bodies such as UN, WEF, WHO. We know this, as this where they have originated and been openly discussed and promoted. The interests and needs of the people and our country are irrelevant.
The influence of certain billionaires is there for all to see in that it is public knowledge where they ‘invest’ extraordinary sums of money e.g. MSM and certain industries.
The wrong doings of Covid unfortunately are not confined to lock downs etc but to the alleged ‘vaccines’ (gene therapies) too. The evidence from around the world is now overwhelming. I will not detail it here but if I am able to find the scientific sources then anyone can. Very serious crimes have been committed. Currently governments around the world are dedicated to suppressing the facts but eventually it will all come out. It will be the greatest medical scandal ever. Perhaps far more than medical alone.
April 30, 2024
@BOF – ideally constituents should choose who should stand to represent them, and the only money arriving to support the candidates should come from those registered to vote in that constituency.
April 29, 2024
I think it is people venting their utter frustration about the state of politics in Britain today. I know I sometimes post off topic but it’s only to make you aware of things going on that you may not know about. I’ll refrain from doing this in future.
April 29, 2024
I disagree about none of the above being a cop out.
If enough people register that what is on offer is disagreeable it encourages more independents or single issue parties who have been shown to male a difference.
The first past the post system does provide stable government that can be held to its manifesto promises but discourages independents.
None of the above might show them there is an appetite and voters, in numbers l, will choose something other than the likely winner
When there is little practical to choose between the parties we need to be able to say “none”.
I don’t want to affirm the least worst option I want to vote for something I believe in, which may be “a plague on all their houses I would rather no government.”
You yourself publish a personal manifesto in addition to your parties so you recognise that the parties’ offer may not be to your constituents’ tastes.
April 30, 2024
@Narrow Shoulders +1
April 29, 2024
“None of the above”, is a valid statement for expressing one’s dissatisfaction of those presented on the ballot paper. It is a vote. To not return your ballot paper, is an ambiguous ‘no vote’, as it provides no clear meaning.
Democratic politics, surely, is about choice? The idea that we should attempt to change the policies of one party or even start our own, well that is just too ridiculous for me. Where would I find the funding to carry out such a possibility?
Look at the money it has cost Reform and they have rich backers. However, neither I, nor I suspect, many other commenters here, have the funding to start our own Party and to suggest we select one party in the vain attempt to change their policies in our favour is astonishing. Especially knowing that OUR country tried for 40 years to change the policies concocted by the EU Commission and their forefathers, without any success. So I find it surprising you would suggest such a solution.
In any election, there has to be a “None of the above” box to enable the electorate to speak their true mind and to inform the Electoral Commission of their dissatisfaction, or not, among us, the electorate, at large. After all, isn’t an “Abstention” available to MPs in the HoC when voting? So why is that seemingly acceptable in democratic politics, when “None of the above”, is not?
However, I can see the problem you might have when the number of votes for “None of the above” exceed all other nominees. What happens next, then? That’s a subject that could be debated in the HoC, I suspect. Sadly, it seems, no one wants to introduce it to our ballot papers, probably for fear of the majority of the electorate actually voting for the “None of the above”.
April 30, 2024
@Derek – that highlights the problem politics,representation,government is now seen as the least worse ‘Party’ option. Not who will best represent their voters, their constituents and the country. Inherently it is now money that buys votes, money piling into a constituency is simply money to stop proper representation.
There has to be a way to object, ‘none of the above’ becomes the default option when democracy is denied.
Why do we have 5 year terms? 4 years was already to long, there has to be constant pressure and confirmation for those in power
April 29, 2024
I agree completely with what you have said here.
We have one son who believes in the same claptrap as the correspondent you mentioned. The internet can be a disruptive influence, populated by many people who disseminate this kind of rubbish.
Intelligent people should be able to distinguish between facts and wild speculation.
April 30, 2024
Sir John
In a nutshell we are all trying to find our way back to having a democracy, since those in power keep contriving to remove it. ‘None of the above’ maybe lame, but CCHQ will only permit Socialists and Liberals to get onto the list of what should be a Conservative Party, the real centre ground of UK Society. We have a Government that has been in power for 14years and reneged on every manifesto, the manifestos were written to appeal to Conservatives, but those in power are archetype Socialists, big tax, big state and big spending – no management in sight . We have a Government that its only achievement is to block seeking approval every 4years to give themselves more time to destroy the country
May 2, 2024
I was curious whether John Redwood had ever been invited to the annual Bilderberg conference or is it restricted to advocates of global government?
Reply Never invited