The other side of door-door canvassing

Bell calls for independents to ‘change face of politics’

He who makes the rules, leads

He who obeys the rules, follows

He who breaks the rules, changes the world

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

I, like innumerable good wo/men in this country, am making a stand on decent, honest and moral values that matter to ordinary people.

All you have to do is to ensure that you do vote on 6 May 2010. If you, like millions others, would also like to bring about the necessary political and electoral reform – ensure that you vote for Independents NOT to be confused with UKIP.

With appropriate reverence and apologies to Oscar Hammerstein Ii for an appropriate and timely poetic license:

“A bell’s not a bell ’til you ring it,

A song’s not a song ’til you sing it,

A vote on your part wasn’t put there to stay,

A vote isn’t tote ’til you give it away!” – [ Oscar Hammerstein Ii & Anant M Vyas]

Labour strapline Future Fair For All

So what have they been perpetrating so far in the last 13 years? Inequality, Injustice and Incompetency?

Dear All

I am standing as an Independent Candidate not affiliated to any political

Power to blame the People for Con Govt's mismanagement

party making a stand for the common good – to change the political governance and electoral governance of British Parliament.

Our liberty and freedom are based on the Magna Carta. This introduced the idea that nobody is above the law; not even the King or the Queen. Certainly not the MPs.

For nearly 800 years since that charter was signed, the jury has been our fundamental protection against abuse by the government

We have kept faith with the jury system to reach important, judicious verdicts. We trust them more than the decisions made by the paid elite.

Why the Independents?

Millions of people like you are disillusioned with the way this country is run. People are unhappy about politicians’ expenses, u-turns and deception. They do not want to vote for any of the traditional parties. There is likely to be a hung parliament where every seat won will count.

Independents work together for the people that the politicians forgot.That is just about everyone in the country apart from the small and elite political class.

We intend to ‘open up and clean up’ politics. We will give back to people their pride in our country and its institutions. We will let them become the ultimate jury.

The politicians both in Europe and Westminster are disconnected and distant.
They are out of touch with your needs.
The political party system is broken.
The parties are run by a small and increasingly cliquey group of interchangeable politicians.
Less than 1% of the UK population belongs to a political party.
Less than 20% of the electorate actually voted for the current government.
The parties are just glorified employment bureaux for career politicians.
Many of these would not be able to earn that much in any other career. That is why they milk the system.
These MPs have to obey the party whip in order to get ahead. They become lobby fodder and patsies.
They cease representing you and start representing themselves and their parties.
The government always has the majority of MPs who are coerced by whips to vote for war, ID cards etc.
This is not the parliament the British people desire and deserve.
The Independents stand using their own hard-earned money to get real change in the European and British political & electoral governance.
The adherence to Nolan Principles [Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness, Honesty and Leadership] and The Bell Principles to serve their constituents and their country, not themselves or their party.

You form a great jury, united by three guiding principles.

Politics for the People
Politics with Principles
Politics without Parties

Built on these there are five policies for the English Elections:

I will represent you, not any party line or whip, and vote in line with the needs of constituents, the Country and my conscience [Angustha Purusha].
MPs must be above any suspicion. Expenses to be approved only against receipts to be published along with any outside earnings. Their pension to be brought down in line with average for the British private sector.
MPs must be stopped going native on the gravy train.
MPs should serve no more than three five-year terms.
Formation of external body with real teeth to keep MPs honest. The English Parliament should set up an Independent MPs Complaints Commission to investigate accusations about MPs and their staff.
A mark on the ballot paper every five years no longer keeps the politicians in check. You should be able to express what you think is important. Referendums even to deselect MPs should be held whenever requested by 5% of the electorate.

A manifesto of topics that the electorate want to see enacted but which the traditional parties do not support has been researched. MPs will enable legislation on these proposals but they will only become law if an authorising referendum of the people endorses them. This gives power right back to the people.

We want to give the people the opportunity to make these things happen:

· Holding a referendum on the status of the UK within the EU

· Setting up an English Parliament on English matters

· Reducing the number of MPs by a third (from 650 to 433)

· Changing Commons elections to proportional representation

· Requiring referendums on petition by 5% of the electorate

· Limiting government borrowing to 10% of expenditure

· Protecting bank customer deposits from casino banking

· Limiting benefits to 80% of the after tax minimum wage

· Sentencing violent criminals to ‘army style’ punishment

· Limiting UK troops in Afghanistan to the NATO average

· Requiring private medical insurance for non-EU citizens

· Establishing a 10 year residence requirement for UK Citizenship

· Allowing state schools to opt out from local authority control

What would be my further personal contribution?

In line with my Independent Parliamentary Candidacy in May 2005 on the platform of Equality, Diversity, and Social Inclusion and Social and Political Justice I would further fight for:

Making both the British Parliament truly representative of the very diversity that elects it.
Requiring only local residents of over 5 years continuous residency to be able to stand for local constituencies.
Deselected MPs and not to receive the resettlement grant or Legal Aid.
Require a written Constitution to be drawn up.
Directly elected House of Lords to make both houses fully accountable and representative.
Directly elected Prime Minister but with proper regard to the British funding constraints and indirectly implied obligations and undue influence akin to the American model.
Change in our electoral system in line with European model based on PR [Proportional Representation] or Alternative Vote [AV] or other fairer system decided by the referendum.
Separating the legislative and the executive – with British Cabinet chosen by the PM but not sitting in Parliament. This way the whips will be eradicated and the House of Commons can properly begin to scrutinise the House of Lords and holding the Government to account for you – the people.

So, what can you do to clean up politics?

Make sure that you, your family, your extended family, your friends, colleagues and acquaintances come out to vote for the Independents to send a clear message to the British Parliament. A Hung Parliament, devoid of horse-trading and making bed-fellows, negotiating each bill as it comes might well be the very medicine the English Political system have been waiting for.

Both Dr David Starkey and I are of the firm belief that this is once-in-a-lifetime, unique, and unmissable opportunity to bring on a British innovation, revolution and a root-and-branch reform of our political governance. That is what Tom Paine [a Founding Father of United States] argued and struggled for in the 18th century.

Be a stakeholder in this august opportunity. In years to come the citizens of Britain will be proud to have innovated and implemented such a change in our political governance preserving the public purse and, with it, the public trust.

Anant Manishanker Vyas
Independent Candidate, Milton Keynes North