Exeter Unitary

The councillors are now saying that they want to expand into Exminster and Broadclyst why exactly were they supporting the earlier bid for Exeter to be a Unitary Authority on its boundary as they existed then. If it had not been for the likes of me saying the obvious then where would we be now. The councilours are totally useless. Does this form part of the politicians manifestos in the upcoming City Council elections, which, by the way would not have even been held if Exeter had become a Unitary Authority.

Exeter PFI

How much more must we put up over the issue of the Exeter PFI schools. What must be understood is that Phil Norrey, now Chief Executive of DCC, was head of education during this process. How was he rewarded, why by being made Chief Executive and a huge increase in salary. As for Exeter City Council, they have surely some responsibility because do they not have to accept the schools as being fit for purpose. In their desperate haste to keep the MP happy they accepted the school when manifestly, by any standard, they were not in a fit state. What is the saying marry at haste, repent at leisure. Same with the schools, they were not ready and should not have been accpted and should not have been paid for. Mind you its only £315 million and counting.
Terry Griffin, Exeter

Actors flying around the country

This is absolute madness and could only take place in Socialist England under Scottish Brown. What exactly have we come to that we hire actors to fill seats on a plane so that they avoid fines. I mean as you think about it does it not strike you as totally obscene. Ask yourself also how much is this costing. I hope that the actors involved, who being actors are probably on unemployment benefit declare their employment to the relevant authorities. I hope that they are treated as receiving a benefit in kind and therefore pay tax and National Insurance on their 'income'.

Exeter Benefits

what some people fail to understand is just how much this country has sunk into a benefits society. Take family credits for example, is this not a benefit. I regard any sum of money taken from the taxpayer and given to somebody else as redistribution of income as being benefits. Same for the elderly. Any tax credit, which is means tested is, and must be regarded as a benefit. How else would it be described. That is why most people in Exeter are on benefits. Child allowance is a benefit. Having your council tax reduced because you live alone is a benefit. A free bus pass is a benefit. So, I would categorically say that mostpeople in Exeter are on benefits.

Is Brown Hitler

isn't the problems at Terminal Five at Heathrow just another example of failed Brown's Britain. What becomes more apparent with each passing day is why Brown forced Blair to quit with his tail between his legs when he did.The state of the economy which we know, Gordon, is caused by global events and nothing at all to do with you, is in a parlous state. Imagine if Blair had held on as he said he would to serve a full term. What chance would you have of taking over now Gordon. About as much chance as you actually doing anything about Darfur, about getting the troops out of Iraq, of actually taking a moral stand over the appalling Chinese treatment of its own people. Mind you Gordon, it will not be long before you want to implement the same policy here in England.Brown says an awful lot about his moral compass and his father. Well I'm sorry Gordon but I think we have every right to say if your father was actually alive I wonder what he would say about his son. The son of the Manse! I wonder how much longer Brown can go on for. Me, I think he has totally lost touch with reality and he gets more like Hitler in his bunker as the end draws nearer and nearer.

Embryonic Research

can I ask readers to consider the following in respect of the bill now going through Parliament in respect of embryonic research.Now we know that scientists receive government funding for medical research. Now there are some pretty brilliant scientists who still have some ethical and moral issues over some aspects of embryonic research. Consider if they are told that unless they perform this type of research then they will not get any funding. A fanciful suggestion you may say but enter the real world.Furthermore, the scientist discovers a procedure which will solve the problem of Parkinsons or Alzheimers diseases. However, in order to further his research he has to go further than the law allows. Will he have to stop or will he go to a lobbyist who will get Parliament to go further than was intended. Who would deny anybody the opportunity to cure these diseases!For me it is the same argument about organ transplants and IVF, even birth control and abortion. We have opened pandorras box and we are soon to reap the whirlwind. No good will come of this. If it was found that the Nazi scientists had been doing some of these experiments, all for a good cause of course, then at the end of the war they would have been prosecuted for crimes against humanity. That is unless they were of course rocket scientists in which case they would have been employed by the American government.

Boycott the Olympics

with the problems now becoming apparent in respect of Tibet and China surely now is the time for the athletes to show some moral courage and say that one, they will not participate in the charade of the Olympic torch being paraded through London and two, they will participate in the actual Olympic games in Beijing.It is time to be counted and if they do parade the torch and take part in the Olympics then they should hold their heads in shame. I se no difference to our footballers back in the 1930's giving the Nazi salute to Hitler at a football match. Also our taking part in the Nazi Olympic games. We must not kow tow to these people and take our pieces of silver for giving tacit support to appalling regimes. Mind you it may mean that other countries boycott our Olympic games but surely that is a price worth paying.

Embryonic Research

just how disgraceful can our MP Ben Bradshaw get. Any sane rational person would say that in respect of embryonic research any MP must be able to vote on the basis of their conscience and not be told to vote on party lines based on being 'whipped'. The same surely applies on issues like going to war and capital punishment.If Gordon Brown does not allow all MPs to have a free vote then he must call an immediate general election. This is about conscience and democracy. This the most undemocratic government which is led by someone who dare not come to the electorate because he knows he would lose. In the meantime our Ben Bradshaw still supports an occupation in Iraq where women are being killed because they do not conform to some sort of dress code.Maybe Ben and Gordon should stick to their campaign over plastic bags and leave us alone. It's time to go, and you must go now. Basically, you do not inhabit the real world.

Griffin Injunction

firstly a slight correction, Ben's appeal against his injunction will not now be taking place until probably the end of the month. It will be interesting to hear what evidence the MoD puts up. Bearing in mind that some of the sailors who were captured of Iraq and then released were permittted to sell their stories to the press and their revelations brought great ignomony, not only to the navy, but the whole of Britain, I wonder what evidence will be presented against my son.Furthermore, I wonder if any readers have obtained a copy of the book written by Sir Michael Jackson, the retired head of the british army. I wonder how much he was paid. As for the former head of the SAS, it was reported that he has also left the army. I wonder if the MoD would like to confirm or deny that this individual is now working for one of the many private security firms now operating throughout the world.My point, I would like to confirm that I believe my son has not taken one penny for anything he says. You will have to trust me when I say that it is because of his principles that he denounces the war. What I will say is that MPs and the MoD totally lack any principles, evidence I hear you all ask, well Gordon Brown takes over as a result of a coup, MPs deny the British people a referendum, look at MPs pensions, their second homes, their expenses, and I dare anybody to write in and say that MPs and some of the senior officers in the British army have principles.It is the senior officers who are most to blame, they have broken the covenant by accepting and giving orders which they surely must have known were illegal.

gagging orders

David Miliband had to apologise to parliament that we were misled by the Americans over rendition flights through Diego Garcia. Now, the United Nations have disclosed that the Americans moored a ship just outside the three mile limit of Diego Garcia so that, hey presto, detaineees were not held on British Territory.How much longer must we put up with the most duplicitous government in British history. We are a disgrace, people are being gagged by the courts from telling what they regard as the truth. Soldiers are being courts martialled and we are not to be told why because of Ministry of Defence lawyers. Flight Lieutenant Kendall-Smith was courts martialled without being allowed any defence. Harry in Afghanistan was nothing but a huge publicity stunt.Hey, I want to go back says Harry. Why, so that he can be responsible for more deaths. We have invaded Iraq and Afghanistan for why. To keep the lawyers and PR men and women at the Ministry of Defence busy earning tens of thousands of pounds for defending the indefensible. Shame on us all.

Griffin Gagging Order

let me start by saying that I do not agree with the policy of the Echo, together with other media outlets, of restrictions on the reporting of Harry in Afghanistan. May I also thank John Colston for his comments, The City Centre Couldn't be better Echo March 1, when he says 'at least Mr T Griffin does usually have some worthwhile point to raise'.The reason for this letter is to thank the Echo for their piece on page 5 Ex-soldier is gagged on Iraq. Now, I don't know about other readers but one of the fundamental rights which I will die for in this country is the right to free speech. My son has been gagged and he is to go to the High Court again on March 7 when he will vigourously appeal the gagging order placed on him.In the past some letters have been written about me, and even votes have been held, in attempts to keep me out of the letters page of the Echo. Thankfully, such actions have been resisted by the editor and sub-editor.Nobody, and I mean nobody, will ever stop me thinking that the war in Iraq was illegal, that Bush and Blair are guilty of a war of aggression, illegal under international law, that British soldiers have been involved in illegal acts because they were not aware of some national and international laws, and that we all have the blood on our hands of the many thousands killed in Iraq, not only directly by British soldiers but also by the militias armed and trained by the British and then not stopped from committing atrocities.Finally, please note all the information and details of Harry in Afghanistan, the equipment, technology, proceedures etc on the very day that my son is gagged. What a great country Britain has become after the Brown coup.