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EAST Anglia is a
beautiful county with the best of green and pleasant rural English
countryside that so many people enjoy. It is no wonder that many of our
citizens choose to work, retire and live in different parts of the region.
Like most areas of rural England, residents enjoy peace, tranquillity and
the pleasure of country life, including country sports.
Politically, people in
the countryside tend to be Conservative or Liberal Democrat while heavily
populated urban areas, like Ipswich, tend to be more supportive of Labour.
Until recently in England, there has not been a place for extreme
political parties, like the British National Party (BNP).The recent
council by-election in Yoxford, contested by the three major political
parties as well as the BNP, showed a surprising 15% of the 1,080 voters
choosing the BNP candidate. The Conservatives lost the seat to Liberal
Democrats and Labour came fourth.
Clearly, most voters
in Yoxford reject Mr. Blair as insincere and think that spin, not
substance, prevails in Whitehall. The new Conservative candidate in
Yoxford was disadvantaged by the adverse media projection of the
controversy on the war in Iraq and the weapons of mass destruction (WMD)
while the Liberal Democrat opposition to the war in Iraq, as well as their
active local campaign, helped in their success.
The BNP seems to
exploit the fears and concerns of voters by highlighting issues relating
to crime, asylum seekers, immigration, illegal workers, drug abuse and
everything European. It blames immigrants, not Labour's failure to control
immigration. It does not offer an immigration policy that will ensure an
adequate NHS, education and transport network that depend so heavily on
the hard labour of so many of our ethnic citizens who, working anti-social
hours on low wages, pay taxes and play their part in good community
relations.
Failure of the Labour
Government to stop illegal immigrants entering Britain, failure to limit
access to genuine asylum seekers and failure to manage immigration
strictly by skilled manpower requirements create anxiety and concern
amongst our people. Such an uncontrolled flow of unskilled people drains
our social services and impacts adversely on standards and availability of
quality of health services, education and housing for our own citizens.
Such a failure of
Labour in Whitehall should not alter the character of British people.
Britain has an international reputation as a nation that can be trusted.
This reputation is based on centuries of tradition - tradition based on
honest diplomacy, aid for the poor, compassion for genuine refugees
fleeing from terror, religious or racial persecution and justice for the
politically oppressed. Britain and British people are known for fair play.
For all these reasons,
it is essential that residents of East Anglia recognise that it is best to
identify the cause of our problems - Labour's failure to govern - and take
appropriate action rather than allow our fears to devalue our national
character and vote for extreme parties in desperation!
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