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June 2006, Page 2.
Index of articles:
by subject,
by date.
In this issue:
(June 2006)
Alive!
Local elections,
Deanery plan.
The lessons of local elections
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What do the local election results tell us about our local area? The return of a Liberal Democrat councillor is maybe not much of a surprise in an area which has returned the same party for the last four years, but what is notable is the rise of the BNP over the last three years.
Comparisons with other years are hard, because the boundaries have changed and 2004 was for 3 seats instead of one. However, it’s obvious that the BNP appeals to a lot of local people, and we need to ask why? I heard a very sensible observation on the radio a few weeks before the election: along these lines:
“We need a way of balancing these facts: we want British people who really do belong here and are in genuine need to have access to our welfare state; we want to do our bit in helping those overseas who are poorer than we are; but we don’t want people simply to arrive with no background and then claim priority over those who have lived here for many years and contributed to our system. And there’s a strong impression that this is what is happening today - that’s what the BNP capitalize on.”
The church asks people to vote for parties which seek the welfare of all those who live in our country - and I repeat this request. We invited people to live here, and now they belong with us, and I for one am glad to have them. But I hope we can find a way to discuss these questions, and so create a system which gives people more of a feeling of fairness, because we badly need it!
John Hartley
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