In their 2005 election manifesto both the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats promised the British people a referendum on the Constitutional Treaty, the powers of which are all but replicated in the Lisbon Treaty. Gordon Brown and Nick Clegg should not renege on their Party’s promise.

Given the overwhelming importance of the Treaty, the British people should be allowed to express their view on the issues at stake. All polling shows that an overwhelming majority of the British people agree with this.

It is a nonsense we are allowed to have referendum on a token devolution proposals for the North East but not on a substantial shift of power from our UK parliament to an unelected EU Commission, or are they just running scared the British people will give them the response they don't want.

Cllr Steve Radford
President of The Liberal Party
41 Sutton Street
Tuebrook
Liverpool
L13 7EG
0151 259 5935
07920090322

The Honourable Chuck Strahl, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
SENT VIA FAX: (819) 953-4941
(613) 947-9475

February 25, 2008

Dear Minister Strahl,

Re: Failure to Disclose Information Regarding the Expenditure of Public Funds for Specific Claims

The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs ("UBCIC") is deeply concerned the federal government's failure to disclose information regarding the expenditure of public funds related to the operations of the Indian Specific Claims Commission ("ISCC") and the allocation of loan funding for the negotiation of specific and comprehensive claims.

The Democratic Alliance is demanding urgent and stringent action to resolve the crisis in Pomfret. The area is completely dysfunctional and the citizens who live there are being written off by a biased Government.

The situation in Pomfret has deteriorated to such an extent during the past weeks that the school had to close down today.

Now that Northern Rock has been nationalised, surely all who abhor the Capitalist Banking System should be moving their savings to this publicly owned body?

If at any time in the future, the Government should seek to again privatise the Rock, a threat of a withdrawal of funds in protest would soon make the Chancellor think again!

Sincerely,

John Eoin Douglas

The Liberal Party has always been known the party that had contempt for whips and upheld the values of integrity and conscience.

Today any claim by Nick Clegg to represent Liberalism must looked entirely tarnished.

We would all expect New Labour to demand their MP's vote against their election pledge to support a referendum on the new EU constitution.

It is spectacularly culturally insensitive of our Anglocentric Westminster Government that it is to introduce English tests for foreigners who plan to marry British citizens and settle in the UK.

What about the UK's other native languages: Gaelic in Scotland, Welsh in Wales and Irish and Ulster Scots in Northern Ireland?

These languages are formally recognised in legislation pertaining to their countries (as equals with English in the case of Welsh) and their use is rightly promoted at considerable expense by the Scottish Parliament and Welsh and Northern Ireland Assemblies.

It beggars belief that they should not be equally acceptable to English for those who wish to settle in our sceptred isles.

Sincerely,

John Eoin Douglas