Question ... 'A hundred new faith schools coming on line in the next 2 years. Good thing or bad thing?'

Joanne said ... 'This is our manifest commitment:- Education As in other public services, there is a need to constantly improve standards. The quality of education should be equal throughout England. England’s prosperity is not based on natural resources but on the skills and enterprise of her people. Our well-being is bound up with the quality of education and training. Education is an expensive investment but ignorance is even more costly, in personal, economic and social terms. A substantial proportion of the funds released to England from the ending of the Barnett formula should be used to reduce class sizes, increase teachers pay, and improve buildings and equipment. We recognise that for social and economic reasons, some sections of the English population do not appreciate the importance of providing their children with a positive attitude to education. This lapse has contributed to the emergence of an anti-authority youth-culture which sees education and the discipline needed for successful learning as a form of repression to be rebelled against. This is part of a wider social and cultural problem that cannot be tackled by teachers and funding alone. The English Democrats would encourage positive attitudes to education as part of a wider programme for promoting communal values. When education is widely seen as an aid to greater freedom, happiness and prosperity, schools will become more pleasant places for pupils and teachers, and educational standards will rise. Primary & Secondary Education The English Democrats support parental choice. Where there is a demand for it, schools should be able to free themselves from local education authority control and be run independently in a way that suits local needs. The English Democrats support the continued work of the Schools Inspectorate in the provision of independent information on the quality of education in schools. Higher and Continuing Education The English Democrats would provide greater resources for continuing lifetime education and thereby enhance the opportunities open to all citizens. An Inspectorate similar to that of the Schools Inspectorate should monitor and report on the education and effectiveness of all continuing education establishments in England. Balance in Education We advocate a rebalancing of education so that craft & vocational options are given equal emphasis to academic options. Our non-academic people must be valued and praised. We oppose the lowering of academic standards in order to increase graduate headcount statistics. Academic examination standards should be restored to a pre-1985 level. ' [Report Post]

Question ... 'How would you stop the rampant fraud and corruption in Britain?'

Joanne said ... 'Of course, our focus is on England and not on "Britain". The current state of the country is one in which people have a sense that there is no community, it is in this enviroment, especially when coupled with feeble and bureaucratic law enforcement, that criminality flourishes. Our aim is to have a cohesive national community which we can all be proud of and to have clearer laws vigorously enforced.' [Report Post]

Question ... 'Hi Do you think MPs should get an extra £24,000 per year to fund a second home? '

Joanne said ... 'No, not automatically even on the current arrangements but out of London MPs do need an accomodation allowance. I would suggest that should be for rented accomodation but only where there is a proven necessity. This would end MPs making a profit on their subsidised second homes. However some of this debate on allowances is less important than the ongoing degradation of our democracy. For example the same MPs who are voting themselves gold plated allowances have betrayed us by not insisting on a referendum vote on the Lisbon EU Constitution.' [Report Post]

Question ... 'I assume that by an English Prime minister you mean a prime minister that has been elected to an English Constituency instead of what we have at present, a British Prime minister that effectively only has control over issues in England, but has not been elected by anyone in England - He has been elected by his Scottish Constiuents that most of there governence is now done by the Scottish Government making him unaccountable to those he now has power over.'

Joanne said ... 'That's right. We say:- Democratic fairness for England is needed, via a referendum on the creation of an English Parliament, Executive and First Minister with at least the same powers as the Scottish Parliament, Executive and First Minister within a federal UK and a reformed Second Chamber at Westminster. There should be fiscal devolution so that the English, Scottish, Welsh and N. Irish parliaments become responsible for financing their own expenditure. This will save the taxpayers of England a substantial amount of money. We reject the plans for regional assemblies because, among other things, they will promote disunity and conflict within England. England should be recognised and treated as a unified country. Scotland and Wales have been recognised as countries and their people given the opportunity to vote in referenda for devolved government. Scotland now has a parliament, and Wales an assembly. In contrast, the people of England have been denied the opportunity to choose an English Parliament. Instead, England is being dismembered into nine regions. We find this discrimination unacceptable. England should be a political entity with its own parliament and executive. ' [Report Post]

Question ... 'I wish you all well and thank you for using your right to stand as a candidate. Who ever wins can you push for the dealth penalty please. Or at least allow the population the right to a referendum on the death penalty. If you need a hangman I would be willing as this would cut the prison population by a thrid and save money. '

Joanne said ... 'Thank you for your good wishes. The English Democrats are strong believers in referenda and are campaigning for proper enforcement of the law. We would be willing to put the death penalty to the people in a referendum and to enact the result. Here is what we say in our manifest on this and related issues:- Policing Policing is an increasingly difficult job due to changes in our society, which now lacks the social cohesion and shared values that once gave us a mostly peaceful and well-ordered way of life. Our cities have become places where it is impossible to perform traditional communal policing. We should seek a return to a system of policing which recognises the principle that all citizens are treated equally. In their efforts to prevent crime and catch criminals the police should not be hindered and demoralised by unreasonable ideological constraints. We should not lose sight of the fact that the basis for the maintenance of law and order in England rests on a firm foundation of active participation by law-abiding citizens. A relationship of trust and co-operation between citizens and police is essential to effective policing and the prevention of crime. With that in mind, it is reasonable to expect that policing should not be oppressive. The aim is a peaceable society in which liberty and justice can flourish. It is essential that the police force be adequately trained and resourced. Police forces should be more democratically accountable than at present. This would require the election of Chief Constables or the Police Authorities which appoint them. We call for the creation of a scheme enabling businesses to pay for their security staff to train and register as Special Constables, their powers of arrest applying to their place of work and its neighbouring streets. Such registered security staff would be subject to Police staff performance monitoring and discipline. The Legal System The primary role of a legal system is to provide the means for settling disputes. It should enable those who suffer loss, in the form personal injury, theft, or damage to property, to be properly compensated by the party at fault. Laws, and the penalties for breaking them, should comply with the principles of natural justice. As societies have become more complex, so have their law codes. To a great extent, this is unavoidable. However, states and their governing elites are extending the reach of law into areas that infringe upon individual liberties. The result is a body of law which is more restrictive and complex than it need be. Many of the customs and principles of English law are being undermined in the political quest for greater conformity with Continental ideas and practices. Law is being used as a tool for imposing dogma. One of the consequences of these changes is that the police are increasingly being made the enforcers of political doctrine and moving further away from their traditional role of upholding the delicate balance between Order and Liberty. · In order to obtain justice, citizens must feel able to consult and employ the services of the legal profession. Many people are deterred from this by the procedures and costs of the present legal system. Improvements have been made in recent years but more needs to be done to make the system user friendly and efficient. · The English Democrats favours less law and a simplification of law. There are far too many matters currently covered by the criminal law. There should be a drastic reduction and rationalisation of the number and extent of criminal offences. · We must reform the jury system but not abandon it because the jury provides a democratic check on the legal system. The law is not the property of lawyers; it belongs to the people and should serve their needs. · Our preference is for a return to comprehensible, just and effective law. Given its current chaotic state, the law should be codified. · Once the criminal law has been properly codified, the English Democrats would ensure that the criminal law is vigorously policed and enforced. · Except in an emergency there should be a single annual implementation date for new law. This will help rectify the current muddled situation where no one can be sure, without considerable effort or expense, whether a clause of a new Act has been brought into force or not. Also, some rules, for example the Civil Procedure Rules, are being rewritten so frequently that new editions are being published more than once a month! This leads, not surprisingly, to the shameful situation where no-one, not even the judiciary, can be sure what is the current rule in force without first making unreasonable efforts to research the point. · In order to avoid such excessive complexity developing again, a monitoring system should be devised which ensures that new law is unambiguously comprehensible and properly and efficiently enforceable. This could be a function of a reformed Second Chamber. · The English Democrats respect the right of victims of crime to defend themselves and their property against criminals. The English Democrats would extend the right of self-help. · The English Democrats believe that every victim of a criminal offence should have the right to address the court on the question of sentence and for the court to be required to bear the victim’s views in mind when passing sentence. · It is not acceptable that 100,000 hardened criminals commit over half of all crime in the U.K. Once a criminal is identified as beyond effective rehabilitation he/she must be kept out of the community until no longer a risk. · Prisons should be designed and equipped so that prisoners are not subject to degrading conditions. Drugs and Alcohol We believe that government should encourage a healthy lifestyle which makes the minimum use of “recreational” drugs of all kinds and only reasonable use of alcohol. The Government’s drug policy is failing to control the use of illegal drugs and its alcohol policy appears to be making the problems worse. The English Democrats favour an independent and open minded, English enquiry into alcohol and drug abuse. This should consider, amongst other issues, the pros and cons of legalising the use of cannabis and its health and social consequences. The enquiry should consider health and social consequences. We recognise that there are good arguments on either side. What is needed is a proper conclusion to the debate for England so that it is possible to move on with an agreed stance and suitable measures. It is clear that the current policy for dealing with problems of addiction are not working adequately and there is an ever rising tide of criminality arising from, in particular, drug abuse. Addiction problems are very difficult to solve and require careful analysis. One particularly frustrating aspect of addiction is that family and friends are often aware of the plight of the addicted person but unable to do what is best for them. One area of reform should be greater provision for addicts to be subject to compulsory treatment in secure care. All those who commit criminal offences whilst under the influence of drugs or alcohol should be subject to compulsory assessment and if found to be addicted should immediately be taken into such care. The most important aspect of the fight against drug dealing criminals is that any policy should seek to destroy their market, protect the public, and punish offenders. ' [Report Post]

Question ... ''

Joanne said ... 'A Parliament for England Democratic fairness for England is needed, via a referendum on the creation of an English Parliament, Executive and First Minister with at least the same powers as the Scottish Parliament, Executive and First Minister within a federal UK and a reformed Second Chamber at Westminster. There should be fiscal devolution so that the English, Scottish, Welsh and N. Irish parliaments become responsible for financing their own expenditure. This will save the taxpayers of England a substantial amount of money. We reject the plans for regional assemblies because, among other things, they will promote disunity and conflict within England. The English Democrats’ will study the future findings of the English Constitutional Convention (ECC), and may accommodate ECC findings within future party policy. We demand action on the following matters:- England to be recognised and treated as a unified country. Scotland and Wales have been recognised as countries and their people given the opportunity to vote in referenda for devolved government. Scotland now has a parliament, and Wales an assembly. In contrast, the people of England have been denied the opportunity to choose an English Parliament. Instead, England is being dismembered into nine regions. We find this discrimination unacceptable. England should be a political entity with its own parliament and executive. ' [Report Post]

Question ... 'Why distinctly an English Prime Minister? Is that not a little racist .. surely it's down to who the electorate feel is the best man for the job?'

Joanne said ... 'We are not asking for any more than the Scots already have. When they asked for this Tony Blair stated that they should have it because the Scots are "a proud and historic Nation" - so are the English! What's so wrong with that?' [Report Post]