Nick Clegg Calls on Public to Help Scrap Bad Laws
THE TELEGRAPH: Members of the public will be given the right to nominate unpopular laws they want scrapped, Nick Clegg has announced the Your Freedom initiative intended to begin a shift of power away from the state to the people.

In an article for The Daily Telegraph, the Deputy Prime Minister says that “people, not policy-makers” are the best judges of which “unnecessary laws” should be repealed.

Your Freedom: suggest the laws you want repealed

The “radically different” approach is part of the Coalition’s attempt to redress the balance between the citizen and the state, Mr Clegg argues. He says it is not for Government to tell people “how to live their lives” and that civil liberties should be restored and laws stifling businesses abandoned.

As part of Mr Clegg’s initiative, Telegraph.co.uk is providing a Your Freedom link to the Cabinet Office website where people can put forward their suggestions for which laws should be targeted.

In his article, Mr Clegg says: “Today we are taking an unprecedented step. Based on the belief that it is people, not policy-makers, who know best, we are asking the people of Britain to tell us how you want to see your freedom restored.

“We are calling for your ideas on how to protect our hard-won liberties and repeal unnecessary laws. And we want to know how best to scale back excessive regulation that denies businesses the space to innovate.

“We’re hoping for virtual mailbags full of suggestions. Every single one will be read, with the best put to Parliament. >>> Andrew Porter, Political Editor | Thursday, July 01, 2010

Your Freedom

THE TELEGRAPH: Your Freedom: Nick Clegg calls on public to help repeal bad laws: Nick Clegg has announced the Your Freedom initiative intended to give members of the public the right to nominate unpopular laws they want scrapped. >>>

Launch of Your Freedom 1st July 2010


Your Freedom: Britain's Liberty Is At Stake - It Is Time to Have Your Say
THE TELEGRAPH: The state has crept further and further into people’s homes and their private lives under the cover of pretending to act in our best interest. That needs to change, says Nick Clegg.

During their 13 years in power, the Labour Government developed a dangerous reflex. Faced with whatever problem, legislation increasingly became the standard response. Something needs fixing? Let’s pass a new law.

And so, over the last decade, thousands of new rules and regulations have amassed on the statute book. And it is our liberty that has paid the price. Under the cover of pretending to act in our best interest, the state has crept further and further into people’s homes and their private lives. That intrusion is disempowering. It needs to change.

The Coalition Government is determined to restore great British freedoms. Major steps have been taken already. ID cards have been halted. Plans are underway to restrict the storage of innocent people’s DNA. Schools will no longer be able to take children’s fingerprints without their parents consent.

But we need to do more. The culture of state snooping has become so ingrained that we must tackle it with renewed vigour. And, especially in these difficult times, entrepreneurs and businesses need our help. We must ensure we are not tying them up in restrictive red tape. Freedom is back in fashion >>> Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister | Thursday, July 01, 2010

Have your say >>>

Letter to America
The US is faced with two main problems: The problem with Islam and the problem with the southern border. The first problem has been brought to the forefront by the tragedy of 9/11, but has in no way been adequately dealt with if America has any desire to retain its liberty and safeguard its way of life; the second problem, the problem of the unrelenting inflow of illegal immigrants, is a problem that has grown in magnitude simply because of the government's refusal to deal effectively with the problem.

These problems, on the surface, appear to be intractable ones; but they are not. Both could be solved at a stroke. But they are not being solved because of one thing: The power of big business and commercial interests. Vested interests.

The inflow of illegal immigrants could be solved tomorrow! But the President's hands are tied because American commerce has an insatiable demand for cheap labour. Mexican immigrants satisfy that demand. The big business lobby is a powerful one. That power blocks a satisfactory solution.

Interestingly, it is the power of big business which stops the American government from finding a solution to the growth of Islam in America, too. So many companies have vast commercial interests with the Islamic world, so many contracts have been signed, so many deals have been made, with the potentates of the Gulf that the government finds itself emasculated. One could even say castrated!

How can they take the necessary decisions to safeguard the future of Western civilization when they stand to lose gazillions in deals? How can they stop the building of mosques and Islamic schools and Islamic propagation centres when they cannot countenance losing all those profitable contracts with the Arabs of the Gulf? How can they stop rich Arabs coming to the US to buy up all that prime land and all those viable economic enterprises when they stand to incur the wrath of the oil-rich sheikhs?

It appears that unless the status quo is changed, there will be no future for the free world. Should America ever fall into the hands of Muslims, should Islam ever become the dominant religion in that beautiful country, then there will be no hope for America, and no hope for the free world, either. Without a free America - the beacon of the free world - there will be no free West! Its light will have gone out! Liberty will be no more!

©Mark Alexander

All rights reserved

Is the US Changing Its Nature?
BBC: The BBC Persian Service's Kambiz Fattahi recounts his own experience of being singled out on the basis of his appearance and asks whether fears of terrorism are undermining America's traditional values. Does US insecurity put liberty at risk (more) By Kambiz Fattahi

Mark Alexander

Letter to America
The US is faced with two main problems: The problem with Islam and the problem with the southern border. The first problem has been brought to the forefront by the tragedy of 9/11, but has in no way been adequately dealt with if America has any desire to retain its liberty and safeguard its way of life; the second problem, the problem of the unrelenting inflow of illegal immigrants, is a problem that has grown in magnitude simply because of the government's refusal to deal effectively with the problem.

These problems, on the surface, appear to be intractable ones; but they are not. Both could be solved at a stroke. But they are not being solved because of one thing: The power of big business and commercial interests. Vested interests.

The inflow of illegal immigrants could be solved tomorrow! But the President's hands are tied because American commerce has an insatiable demand for cheap labour. Mexican immigrants satisfy that demand. The big business lobby is a powerful one. That power blocks a satisfactory solution.

Interestingly, it is the power of big business which stops the American government from finding a solution to the growth of Islam in America, too. So many companies have vast commercial interests with the Islamic world, so many contracts have been signed, so many deals have been made, with the potentates of the Gulf that the government finds itself emasculated. One could even say castrated!

How can they take the necessary decisions to safeguard the future of Western civilization when they stand to lose gazillions in deals? How can they stop the building of mosques and Islamic schools and Islamic propagation centres when they cannot countenance losing all those profitable contracts with the Arabs of the Gulf? How can they stop rich Arabs coming to the US to buy up all that prime land and all those viable economic enterprises when they stand to incur the wrath of the oil-rich sheikhs?

It appears that unless the status quo is changed, there will be no future for the free world. Should America ever fall into the hands of Muslims, should Islam ever become the dominant religion in that beautiful country, then there will be no hope for America, and no hope for the free world, either. Without a free America - the beacon of the free world - there will be no free West! Its light will have gone out! Liberty will be no more!

©Mark Alexander