Expenses are in the headlines (were they ever really out?), this time the finger is being pointed and again MPs are squirming, how many times do I have to hear the words, “my claim was within the rules” or “I have done nothing wrong”, if these people actually help up their hands and admitted they were milking the system for every penny,  at least I could respect their honesty, but instead they continue to lose my respect, and the respect of the majority of the public.

I think we all know that MPs have been cheating the system, and I for one am sick of it, I cannot support any of the major parties because they are all compromised by this scandal, instead I long for a return to politics where the politicians are actually honorable people who want to do the best for their country.

Until we make some changes to our democracy this will never happen, the first change that must be made is term limits for MPs, personally I don’t think that anyone should be able serve longer than 3 terms in Parliament, this will discourage carer politicians and ensure that a fresh perspective is always available.

I know that everyone is sick of these political problems and because of this many of you are considering not voting in the next election, but that actually suits the main parties, they know their main supporters will always come out and vote, and all they want is more votes than their rivals. We need change, we need to use our vote to encourage change; so I urge you to use your vote at the next election to force through political change; don’t select any of the main parties, but instead, vote for an independent candidate or a small party, this will result in a coalition government where the views of the public then become more important than the views of the main party leaders. In other words Gordon Brown and David Cameron have to do what the public want, instead of what they want, real democracy is restored.

As always the power is in our hands we just need to use it wisely.

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In the 2004 European Elections the BNP received  43,653 votes in the south west.

The BNP are shunned by the media and other political parties, yet they still gain support.

If you are thinking of making a protest vote then make your protest count, don’t lend your vote to the BNP, lend it to an independent candidate.

As an Independent candidate I will fight for common sense, I make a stand against the European gravy train and I will support my constituents, free from any party politics and free from racism.

I am trying to get to 100 votes by the end of April, to do this I need everyone to send a text, ask your friends to also send a text, each text sent will show the political establishment that we want change.

As an Independent Candidate in the South West Euro Elections I need your support, please text ROGWHI01 to 86837 and register a vote for Democracy.

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It is clear that the majority of people have no real interest in the European Parliament, I am sure there are many reasons why people are disinterested but the feeling that the European Parliament makes stupid laws and undermines our Government is certainly at the top of most peoples lists, this is not helped by the perception that the system is a corrupt gravy train that only exists to make MEP’s rich.

I am not going to defend the European Parliament against these allegations, I believe that there is a certain amount of truth in them.

What I will say is that it does not have to be this way, I cannot see any way that we can obtain widespread political reform within the European Parliament via our MEP’s, this is because our MEP’s are all selected by their political masters; the European Election list system, means an MEP that disagrees with his/her  political party can be dropped down the list into an unwinnable position, this is why they do as they are told. Turkeys will never vote for Christmas.

But as I have already said, there is another way; if we cannot force our MEP’s to change the system, then we can force change from within the system, to do this we need to fill the European Parliament with people who do not bend to party political pressure; change has to come from within. Voting for any of the mainstream parties will leave things just as they are, not voting will have exactly the same effect.

I can guarantee that every withheld vote is as valuable the the main parties as an actual vote, by not voting you may as well have actually voted either Conservative or Labour, because the outcome will be the same.

There is only one way to make your voice heard and that is to vote for Independent Candidates; every vote we receive is valuable.  You are not just voting for fresh people in Europe, but you will also be sending an important message to the very top of our political system, showing all politicians from all parties that you are not prepared to allow them to continue feathering their own nests at our expense. Do not underestimate the influence you have here;your vote is a powerful tool, but like all tools it is only any good if you use it.

Now is the time for change, support me in my fight to bring transparency and accountability back into our political system, to show your support please text ROGWHI01 to 86837, and register a vote for democracy.

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Is cleaning up politics and getting better representation anti-politics? Or is opportunistic money-grabbing and suppressing debate anti-politics?

Much of the recent coverage about my campaign and the Jury Team has received on the Internet and in the mainstream media has labelled us an ‘anti-politics’ organisation. This has raised my eyebrows. In response, I think it is rather illuminating to make a distinction between being anti-politics on a general level and being “anti-politics-as-it-is-now”.

I am without doubt “anti-politics-as-it-is-now”. A number of my previous posts have lamented the self-serving sleaze that is prevalent in Parliament, as well as the manner in which the current system allows Party organisations to direct debate, suppress dissent and subvert representation. Not only am I ‘anti’ these things, but I am proposing a solution in the form of independent MPs who must sign up to principles of good-governance.

Does being “anti-politics-as-it-is-now” make me anti-politics on a more general level? No. Politics is about the free interaction of ideas and interests. It is about achieving and then maintaining a rich debate in which all opinions hopes and dreams can engage with each other. Good ideas can then be shared and improved through their exposure to other views, while bad ideas will be revealed as such and condemned.

If one accepts this definition of politics, it is clear that the current Party system is anti-politics on the more general level. Ideas and interests cannot interact within a Party, as difference is whipped out of MPs until they coalesce into a monochrome red, blue or orange mass. And of course, ideas cannot interact across Party lines due to the ever-more-savage tribalism that has colonised the House of Commons. In this way the public debate is impoverished, as is the country.

The contrast between this situation and the Jury Team’s ideals are clear. Politics today is riddled with sleaze: the Jury Team is promoting a mechanism to reduce sleaze. Politics today is starved of the ideas floating around our country: the Jury Team offers a platform to get those ideas into Parliament.
It is clear that through being “anti-politics-as-it-is-now”, the Jury Team is, in fact, far more pro-politics in general than any of the political parties in Britain.

We need to embrace a new political way, start now, show your support for my campaign and text ROGWHI01 to 86837 and register a vote for Democracy.

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Nice to see our MEP’s are earning their money, 3 of our Conservative MEP’s are taking on the might of the EU with their struggle for our right to say what we want, or so they would have us believe.

If an election was not due soon, then I would expect this non story to never even see the light of day.

So what is it all about; as we know the European Parliament is full of MEP’s from all different countries, so in a bid to help MEP’s and translators a small booklet was produced giving guidelines as to gender neutrality, in everyday language we have options, is the material used to make my shoes synthetic or man-made, when my house is on fire is it put out by a firefighter or a fireman.

This is the reality we live in, things that used to be gender specific are no longer so; the EU issued a helpful guide to help everyone deal with some incompatibilities between certain languages, so our MEP’s choose to try and cause a huge political argument not because they really believe it is wrong, but because they want to get their names into the press so they can be elected again in June.

There are serious issues that require attention in Europe, and we are paying people to whinge about the publication of a helpful booklet.

If this is the best we can expect from our MEP’s, then it is no wonder that people don’t bother voting!

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Political Parties and the Party Whip is the only way our democracy can work…or is it?

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