ABOUT

The Face

This is the face behind The Electors Charter. Or was. A George V beard now covers it. I was told that first impressions count on the Web. So here I am two years ago.

I am in my 70th year and live in Wales, UK. (As Americans suppose UK sounds like y-uk, they can change that to ‘Britain’.)

How the Electors Charter came to be written

About 10 years ago, I read a copy of The [European] Charter of Fundamental Human Rights at Warwick Public Library, England. I was so disgusted by its lack of vision and cohesion, I began a counter-Charter. I called it The Charter of Fundamental Individual Power, which reversed the meaning. The words “Human Rights” offended me. I disliked being addressed as a ‘human’, part of a species, or like cattle, to be corralled and conveniently driven West by political cowboys. And, I asked myself this vital question: Where did the EU get these “Rights”, in order to be able to give them to us? Anyone who seriously asks this question is led to the phrase “From us, by theft”.

It was obvious to me that only the People in democracy have the authority to correct politicians. But how? In our Representative System, they are two opposites with different functions. I went to bed unable to solve the puzzle. I woke suddenly in the middle of the night, as if a loud rifle shot had been fired, with a most vivid picture in my mind. It was of a straight bar-magnet being bent into a horseshoe magnet. I had not a clue what it meant. But so powerful was the shock, I went to the computer. As I wrote, I understood what my mind was saying. We, the People and Parliament are like opposite ends of a magnetic bar. Rather than being attracted to politics, we are repulsed. But bend the bar parallel and we get powerful, joint attraction. Thus, Parallel Democracy was conceived as a means to re-attract much lost goodwill and know-how.

Other metaphors came with great power on different occasions, to advance my thinking. I had decided from the start to consult no books on the matter, but puzzle it out for myself. Consequently, Parallel Democracy is different. It is written as a Charter for only by a Charter can we regain supremacy. The EU Charter and Constitution were the means to extract our sovereign authority as electors and make us subject to the EU, its institutions and laws. A long-lasting counter-Charter, from the People, up to these presumptuous politicians and officials, alone could wrench back our powers and property.

Just an Elector

It must be clearly understood that I have no connections with politics at all. No wish to get involved at all. Like most people, I have an aversion to Party politics. I have no desire for any kind of office. I regard myself as a node on the network we call democracy. In fact, I waited years for better minds, more qualified, to speak instead of myself. But, no one said what I now realize only I can say. I am the least important person. For that reason, The Electors Charter is presented late. Some would add, at the last moment.

Against my wishes, the matter is likely to burn my time more!

The Daily Difference

For various reasons, I am a slow thinker and a slow reader. (I love buying books. But I almost never read them. Yes. I know. It is illogical.) I have for a long time been developing schemes in my head, without the energy to carry them out. So, after finishing The Beginning, the first draft of The Electors Charter to be published, I decided to start a blog. I am a complete beginner. So expect mistakes! I picked The Daily Difference from many other possible titles, chiefly because DDIFF was a simple, memorable Web address. I guess, at some point, that could become the preferred title.

What do I mean by The Daily Difference? Anything worthwhile and creative that comes into my head and yours. It is about making big and small changes to transform our private and public worlds. I rather hope that readers will plant flowers, photos, videos, etc., here and there with comments. As I haven’t the time to add these things myself, I’m happy for others to add interest. To me, The Daily Difference is what we do to reach our goals. It can mean something quite different to someone else. To a person who cannot walk, travel or even move, the words have another meaning. To an entrepreneur, it means another. I really hope to be very surprised by my readers’ contributions and comment!

Have a hug! You’ll need one after reading and thinking about The Electors Charter. (Click the tab to reach it.)

Oh, I should add that if readers have a really interesting, good value product, project or service that is “different”, let me know. I have a page for them, as you see from my tabs. (What am I letting myself in for!!) I think of each of them as a separate branch of this multi-topic, drop-in cafe. Agreed. Maybe parts of it do still look like a rabbit warren! But, these are early days. Expect live cables hanging out of the walls and from the ceiling.

With particular thanks!

The most helpful people in this enterprise have been those who have made me think again and again! Beginning with my son David who said 10 years ago, “Dad. Nobody’s going to read something with a hundred points!” (I had exactly such a naive list.) Mr and Mrs Bliss, who encouraged me to proceed. Tanya Podgornova who expressed the strongest belief in my approach. My son Peter, who argued line by line about an earlier draft. Forced to re-write yet again, I indeed benefited. Thank you, Pete, for doing the header for the blog despite being exhausted. Mr Graham Park who gave me the sentence about our rulers: That democracy is “whatever they say it is”. Simon Payne for strong dislike of an element at the beginning of an earlier draft, which I removed. David Evans for “playing devil’s advocate”. Others may prefer not to be mentioned in such controversial matters. I am so grateful to complete strangers, on buses and trains, to people in a particular laundrette, to “ordinary” people that led me to extraordinary thoughts! To Trevor Sewell, the gentlest and most considerate of friends. To Genia Sozanska, whom I have never met, who helped correct the text of The Electors Charter on-line, and was, to my surprise, first to subscribe and first to comment (below). Thank you all so much!