The Queen’s Speech is a bit of a sad affair.  The speech has become such a highly politicised piece of propaganda that it’s become an embarassment.  The British government should tell the Queen what they are going to do and she should write her own speech otherwise she just becomes a political tool.

Anyway, what’s in it?  Grand gestures and more legislation to cover up the fact that existing powers under existing legislation aren’t being used.

• Border controls and immigration are going to be tightened up.  But only for non-EU citizens – mass immigration from within the EU will continue unabated.
• The Child Support Agency is being replaced … by another Child Support Agency but with a different name.
• Pensionsers and disabled people in England are going to get free local off-peak bus travel.  In North Britain they get it free all the time throughout North Britain.
• Estate Agents will have to sign up to a watchdog scheme and several existing watchdogs are going to be merged into a big one.
• Corporate Manslaughter will be turned into a specific criminal offence to make it easier to bankrupt big companies.
• Another Criminal Justice Bill for England and Wales which the Scottish Home Secretary has introduced to make the possession of violent pornography illegal, even if it is between consenting adults.  It will also stop the Court of Appeal from quashing convictions of people who are “plainly guilty” on a technicality despite the fact that if they can get off on a technicality then they aren’t actually guilty of an offence.
• The Financial Services Authority (FSA) – a British government agency – will be allowed to veto regulatory decisions made by banks and clearing houses.
• The abolition of the right to trial by jury for complicated fraud cases.  The right to trial by jury is protected by the Bill of Rights – will it be repealed or will the British government illegally deny those accused of fraud their right to a trial by jury?
• More powers will be given to the London Assembly – the only part of England not directly ruled by the Scottish Raj.
• Power to make by-laws is to be “devolved” to local authorities in England and gives more powers to local authorities to levy fixed penalty fines in contravention of the Bill of Rights which says that “any promise of fine or forfeiture before conviction is illegal and void”.
• “Incurable” mentally ill people will now be able to be sectioned and detained against their will indefinitely.
• Northern Ireland will get back its devolved government leaving England as the only country in Europe without direct political representation and the only part of the UK that doesn’t govern itself.
• Private companies will be brought in to deal with reoffending criminals.
• Police and courts will have more powers to confiscate assets of criminals.
• Planning is to be reformed in some unspecified way – probably giving more planning powers to unelected regional assemblies.
• The retirement age is being increased from 65 to 68 with effect from 2046, restores the link with average earnings and creates yet another agency to deal with pensions.
• Another quango is being established to monitor the accuracy of statistics.

There’s more but most of them are just pointless spin.  These were the ones that were worth a mention.