Ukip Forum Newsletter
Received 3rd July 2010
Today’s Headline News from the Press Office
Austerity Britain risks another deadly 7/7
Britain could see another 7/7 attack if the Government carries out its plans to slash £150million from its anti-terror budget.
The swingeing 25% cuts will leave police without the resources to maintain an adequate watch on potential attackers, says top terror expert Will Geddes. He also warned chances of an attack in the next year were “very, very high”, but most people assumed the threat was low because five years have passed since the July 7 bombings in central London.
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view/142624/Austerity-Britain-risks-another-deadly-7-7/
We say:
Once again we are having to remind the government that their primary purpose in office is to protect the electorate, and defend the country.
If we pulled out of the EU not only would we not have to cut our anti-terrorism defences, we could strengthen them massively.
It is exceptionally cowardly that the coalition are so scared of offending our EU counterparts that they are willing to sacrifice our national security and leave the electorate vulnerable to attack. UKIP is the only party with a policy of strengthening our national defence.
Schools 'break law' on teaching assistants, NUT claims
Schools could be breaking the law by asking support staff to teach lessons when qualified teachers are absent, the National Union of Teachers has claimed.
Since September, teachers in England and Wales have only been expected to cover for colleagues on rare occasions. But some schools are using classroom assistants to fill in, rather than more costly supply teachers, the union says:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/10497175.stm
We say:
With the spending cuts looming large, the number of teaching assistants filling in for absent teachers is only going to increase, as schools will have to cut back on their number of qualified teachers and save money by not hiring supply teachers.
Labour originally introduced the role of teaching assistants in a snide move to increase staff numbers in schools ‘on the cheap’. Whilst there are no doubt some very dedicated teaching assistants, this government should not be allowing schools to use them as substitute teachers so they can cut the education budget.
Government may reform civil partnership ceremony laws
The Government is considering allowing same-sex couples to include hymn singing and religious readings in civil partnership ceremonies, a coalition minister said.
Lynne Featherstone, the Liberal Democrat Equalities Minister, disclosed that the Government was committed to talks on "what the next stage should be for civil partnerships".
"This will include consideration of whether civil partnerships should be allowed to include religious readings, music and symbols," she said in a Commons written answer earlier this week.
We say:
UKIP believe that everyone is equal in the eyes of the law, and should be treated with equal respect and afforded equal rights. It is therefore somewhat confusing that gay couples may be allowed to include a religious element in their civil ceremonies, while heterosexual couples cannot.
There are strict rules forbidding straight couples from including religious references and hymns in registry office marriages, so it is grossly unfair that this proposal will give gay couples extra rights that are not available to the straight majority.
It is a very distasteful irony that this blatant in-equality should come from the mouth of the equality minister.
Received 4th July 2010
Today's Headline News from the Press Office
Departments told to draw up plans for 40% spending cuts
The Treasury has told most government departments to prepare "illustrative plans" to cut spending by 40% - as well as the expected 25% - within the month.
Education and defence have been given some protection, and must produce plans to cut 10% and 20%. International aid and health budgets are being protected.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/10500081.stm
We say:
Frontline public services are going to be hit massively, affecting society’s most vulnerable.
The request for plans to cut by 40% is a cynical ploy to sweeten the electorate. When they ‘only’ cut by 25%, George Osborne will show what would have happened if they cut by 40% and make out he’s doing us all a favour by cutting by the lower amount.
UKIP are angry that so many services our elderly and vulnerable depend on are going to be cut - while the UK will be paying £45million a day to the EU so that residents of other EU countries can keep and even improve their frontline public services.
Why should we be bailing out Greece given that they decided to allow their civil servants to retire before they are 60, on a pension of 80% of their final salary?
Leaving the EU would allow us to retain and greatly improve frontline and public services in the UK, for the UK.
Gove aiming to raise exam standards
Education Secretary Michael Gove has signalled his determination to make A-levels more academically rigorous, ensuring students are properly prepared for university.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, he said he wanted a renewed emphasis on examinations taken at the end of the second year of sixth form in order to revive "the art of deep thought".
Read more:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/latest/2010/07/04/gove-aiming-to-raise-exam-standards-115875-22380408/
We say:
The UK used to be the world leader in education, now successive governments have failed our children, and left many youngsters unprepared for the global jobs market we are now in.
If we are to give young people the start they deserve the whole education system needs to be re-vamped – not just one exam level.
UKIP’s policy to encourage Grammar Schools would exercise the minds of the academically talented – whatever their social background, and those that are not academically minded would gain invaluable training aimed at trades and skills. The current education system is failing both groups.
Teacher training would also be overhauled and professionalised, requiring those going into teaching to be more qualified than they are currently. Gove’s suggestions are merely a way of looking like he’s doing something, when actually he isn’t.
Eric Pickles blasts Labour for migration cover-up
A report which blames Labour policies for soaring immigration was buried by ministers on the eve of the election.
Immigration was a key concern of voters but the £40,000 study by the respected National Institute of Economic and Social Research was never published.
The report concluded that 26 per cent of the rise was due to the 2004 enlargement of the European Union when Bulgaria and Romania joined it.
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/184835/Eric-Pickles-blasts-Labour-for-migration-cover-up
We say:
It is exceptionally hypocritical of Eric Pickles to be having a go at Labour for their immigration policy, when the Tories are not going to do anything about the biggest single source of immigration into the UK – the EU.
In his statement, Pickles makes no mention of what they intend to do about immigration from within the EU, because if he mentioned it, he would have to admit there is nothing the coalition can do about it unless we withdraw from the EU.
Neither does he mention the EU common immigration policy that will see the UK having to comply with a pan-EU policy on immigration from outside of the EU.
Now that the Tories are in bed with the Lib Dems, there is no chance of a stronger immigration policy, but they’ll do their best to try and make it look like there is – don’t be fooled. Leaving the EU is the only way we can protect our borders and stop an increase in immigration.
Sunday Paper Review: Tough spending cuts in spotlight
Treasury orders to government departments to draw up plans to cut up to 40% of their spending trouble Sunday's newspapers. Follow this link to read the BBC’s Sunday papers review: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/10500479.stm
Received 5th July 2010
Today’s Headline News from the Press Office
Finance directors fear double-dip recession
Optimism among finance directors of the UK’s largest companies about their business’s prospects has dropped to a 12-month low, amid fears that there is a growing risk of a double-dip recession.
The probability assigned to a double dip rose to 38 per cent, up from 33 per cent three months ago, in a survey of chief financial officers by Deloitte, the professional services firm.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/430cb878-879e-11df-9f37-00144feabdc0.html
We say:
We have been saying all along that there is a major risk of a double-dip, and now it seems that the country’s leading business people agree with us.
Osborne’s budget was not the ‘inevitable’ budget as he called it, it was entirely avoidable.
If the Tories pull us out of the EU as a growing number of the electorate want, and a majority of Conservative voters want, the money saved could be used to pay off the deficit without a single job loss, or public service cut.
He has put our membership of the EU ahead of our economic recovery and millions of people’s livelihoods. As far as economic recovery is concerned, to be in with a chance we need to be out of the EU.
Britons 'behind UK terror offences'
More than two-thirds of Islamism-related terrorism offences or suicide attacks in the UK over the last 10 years were perpetrated by British citizens, according to a report published.
Some 69% of such incidents from 1999 to 2009 were carried out by Britons, the study by think-tank The Centre for Social Cohesion found.
Read more:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/latest/2010/07/05/britons-behind-uk-terror-offences-115875-22382589/#ixzz0snEIRrUz
We say:
This is further evidence that more funding should be available to the anti-terror police and the intelligence services – not less as will be the case when the budget cuts kick in.
Since most of the threat comes from those already here, there is more chance that with good policing and intelligence we can find those wanting to harm us, and prevent it from happening.
We can also do more domestically to stop the radicalisation of individuals, by instilling a sense of pride about the British culture, through schools and the media.
UKIP are the only party with a workable policy to increase spending on police and defence, and teaching about Britain’s place in the world – in the classroom.
Eric Pickles blasts Labour for migration cover-up
Fears were growing yesterday that the government’s immigration cap will not prove tough enough. Critics claimed that one in seven new arrivals will not be covered by the new rules.
The interim cap is aimed at limiting the number of non-EU workers allowed in the UK.
But a loophole means multinational firms – who last year sent 30,000 foreign workers to the UK – will be exempt.
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/184942/Loophole-fear-over-migrants-
We say:
With this loophole, it will still be possible for say a Thai takeaway to sponsor someone to come over to the UK and work in their outlet.
There are some 20,000 firms registered to bring in skilled foreign workers, and whilst UKIP would not want companies’ hands to be tied if they genuinely need to sponsor workers from aboard, it would seem that the current legislation is too relaxed. One Indian company sponsored 4,600 workers to come to Britain form India in 2008 alone.
Only UKIP has a sensible immigration policy that limits the total amount of immigrants for permanent settlement, (including EU nationals) yet still allows companies to sponsor skilled workers where there is genuine need.