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April 29, 2010

NEWS

email: star@hertsessexnews.co.uk

In the third of three articles in the run-up to next weeks General Election the Star gives Harlows general election candidates the chance to present their parties policies on certain key issues. This week: home affairs

S
BILL RAMMELL Labour

ince 1997 Labour has doubled spending per pupil and trebled spending on the NHS. We will not let our schools and hospitals fall into the squalor and disrepair we saw under the Tories, when waiting lists of two years were normal. Under Labour, noone waits for longer than 18 weeks. Labour has also committed to providing funding for up to 50,000 new council homes over the next five years, which the Tories oppose. Labour wants a controlled

immigration system where only the people who have the skills the UK needs to build a stronger economy can come here. Under Labour there will be no unskilled migration coming in from outside the EU. Labour has a strong record on crime, with crime down by over a third since 1997. It is clear that people also want to change the way politics is done in this country. Under Labour, MPs will be subject to a right of recall if guilty of misconduct and if Parliament itself has failed to act against them. MPs must be beyond reproach and it is vital

that the public have absolute faith in their elected representatives. Finally, I believe Labour chose the right course to support families and businesses in response to the international economic crisis. If wed let the recession run its course, like the Tories did in the 80s and 90s, many more jobs would have been lost. It would be a huge mistake to cut support now, as the Tories advocate, while the economy is still recovering. And in Harlow it is a straight choice between Labour and the Conservatives.

ROBERT HALFON Conservative

have three ambitions for Harlow: local residents will no longer be anxious about immigration, crime and anti-social behaviour will no more disrupt our town and community organisations will be made stronger so the lives of young people are transformed. On immigration, Conservatives will introduce fixed annual quotas, form a Border Police to deal with illegal immigration, apply transitional controls for all future EU entrants and speed up the deportation of foreign prisoners. We will replace the EU human rights law with a proper British Bill of Rights. A firm but humane immigration policy will restore peoples sense of fair play and stop exploitation of this issue by fringe parties. On crime and anti-social behaviour, Gordon Brown has let Harlow down. We have the highest crime rate in Essex, the highest alcohol-related crime and

DAVID WHITE Lib Dem

or the great steps forward taken by Britain, we still have a country where people are scared of crime, worried by immigration and unable to find housing for themselves and their children. Labour and the Conservatives posture on penalties which do not deter criminals. What will deter them is increasing the chances of them getting caught and this is why we have committed to recruit 3,000 more police officers. Its easy for politicians to talk tough and hand out ever longer prison sentences, but this does

increasing numbers of burglaries. Conservatives will put more police on the streets, have tough new grounding orders for troublemakers, clamp down hard on binge drinking and bring back honest sentencing. If you dont want the time, dont do the crime. We will also elect local police commissioners so we can choose the kind of policing we want. On the community and young people, Conservatives will fund with hundreds of millions of pounds local neighbourhood groups, charities and community organisations. We will create a national community service for young people, ensuring that they have opportunities for real community involvement. Conservatives will control immigration, cut crime and re-energise our community with real funding and support. Vote Conservative for change on May 6.

not tackle reoffending or stop crime happening in the first place. We would work to change behaviour by replacing shortterm sentences with rigorously enforced community sentences and by making offenders confront their own behaviour through restorative justice programmes. Britain has a proud history of being an open, welcoming country which has gained tremendously by past waves of immigration. Now the time has come to put limits on immigration so that immigrants

go where they are needed and not to already overpopulated parts of the country. We also need to recognise that there are over 900,000 immigrants in this country who need to be brought into our tax system so they can contribute to the country they have made their home. The single biggest issue facing the people of Harlow is the lack of housing. This is why I, unlike my Conservative opponent, support the Harlow North project as the only way to provide the homes we need so urgently.

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KIPs policies on the home front are firm but fair with strong emphasis on law and order and restoring standards across government. Regarding immigration, UKIP calls for a complete freeze on immigration for five years at least, together with beefed-up border controls and repatriation of failed and bogus asylum seekers. Following on from this, we believe in strong policies to deter criminals and protect the innocent. This means more prisons and firmer sentences life must mean life. Police numbers will be doubled, and we will abolish the Crown Prosecution Service. All

foreign criminals and extremists will be deported. UKIP will introduce work permits for limited periods and end support for multi-culturalism whilst promoting one common British culture. In education, UKIP will re-introdce the 3Rs, give parents choice via vouchers, support new grammar schools and bring back school discipline. Regarding democracy, UKIP will promote more local democracy, utilise referenda as appropriate, give the public a right to sack corrupt MPs and support a directly elected House of Lords. Our watchwords remain: radical, firm, but fair, with you the people as masters!

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EDDY BUTLER BNP

he British National Party believes in bringing back the death penalty for drug dealers, child murderers, multiple murderers, murderers of policemen on duty and terrorists where guilt is proven beyond all doubt. We will aim to cut down on bureaucracy so that the police can devote more time to catching criminals. We will make sure courts impose tougher sentences and make sure prison is a place of punishment. We will devolve as much power as possible down to the local level. This means we will

empower parish and town councils and encourage their establishment where none exist currently. We oppose the spread of postal voting as this is open to corruption and vote-tampering and undermines the democratic process. The British National Party will call a complete halt to inward migration of people to Britain and will immediately deport illegal immigrants and criminals from foreign countries. Britain is already overcrowded. There would be no amnesty as this encourages further migration.

Proper border controls would be put in place. The state, including local government, will only be able to use taxpayers money to promote indigenous cultures and traditions. All British citizens should be encouraged to value native culture and traditions as this is the best way to promote harmony, community cohesion and integration. The BNP is opposed to identity cards and the growing power of the state over Britains free citizens. We would seek to protect the rights of individuals against state interference in their lives.

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A sixth candidate is standing for election in the Harlow constituency. Oluyemi Adeeko represents The Christian Party which states its primary purpose as proclaiming the Lordship of Christ and promises to fight to re-establish traditional family values and outlaw abortion.

www.harlowstar.co.uk

Candidates in final push to win votes

Contenders ready to face a Question Time-style grilling
VOTERS will get the chance to question the Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat and UKIP candidates at a Question Time-style husting tonight (Thursday). The debate is co-organised by the Anglican Deanery of Harlow and local church group Heart4Harlow and takes place at St Pauls Church in College Square, starting at 7.30pm. It will be chaired by Harlow Workplace Chaplain Robert Findlay. Questions can be submitted in advance by visiting www.heart4harlow.org.uk or can be handed in for consideration before the start. Labour and Liberal Democrat candidates Bill Rammell and David White will answer questions at a public meeting on social housing at the Latton Bush Centre, in Southern Way, Harlow, tomorrow (Friday) night. The meeting is being organised by Defend Council Housing and starts at 7.30pm. on the doorstep. The reaction from voters continues to be very positive and were getting a lot of people who say they will vote for the Liberal Democrats and for real change, he said. Mr White also said he was looking forward to taking part in the towns first major husting tonight (Thursday). Im excited about having the opportunity to engage in some real debate with the other candidates. I think the audience will be very impressed with the strength of the Liberal Democrats election pledges. also been busy, welcoming Tory party chairman Eric Pickles, shadow business minister Mark Prisk and former party leader Iain Duncan Smith to Harlow. Mr Halfon hailed the backing of 50 of the towns small businesses, who pledged their support to the Conservatives campaign to stop a planned increase in National Insurance contributions. Mr Halfon said: Sadly, Harlow now struggles with the highest unemployment here in 13 years. Gordon Browns recession has caused misery for thousands and Labours planned tax on jobs could put recovery at risk. But were an entrepreneurial town with more than 5,500 successful small businesses. These businesses know what theyre talking about. A Conservative government will work to keep Harlow business money for Harlow people by keeping all rates for major business schemes in the local area. This will help pay for new infrastructure and roads. Liberal Democrat candidate David White has spent most of the week canvassing, meeting voters face-to-face

NEWS

April 29, 2010

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WITH just one week to go before polling day, the three main contenders in the race to become Harlows next MP have been hitting the campaign trail.
Labour candidate Bill Rammell has produced a video to support his re-election bid, reminding voters of what he has achieved for the town during his 13 years as MP.

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MEMBERS of the National Union of Students, including current and former presidents, were in Harlow on Saturday to support Labour candidate Bill Rammell. The NUS members joined Mr Rammell and Labour supporters on the campaign trail, knocking on doors in the constituency. Union president Wes Streeting said: It was fantastic to come up to Harlow and support Bill. He was a great higher education minister who really worked hard in the interests of students. When we were knocking on doors across Harlow and talking to voters in the town centre it was clear that Bill has a real personal following, with many people saying he is an excellent and hard working constituency MP. Mr Rammell said: I have always been committed to working to improve conditions for students and widening participation to higher education. Here in Harlow I have worked hard with partners to secure 9m for our first university campus. Labour has an excellent education record in this area and I want to see this progress continue.

FORMER Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith outlined Tory plans to increase the number of apprenticeships available to young people during a visit to Harlow College on Tuesday. Mr Duncan Smith, who is chairman of centreright think tank The Centre for Social Justice, joined Parliamentary candidate Robert Halfon on a tour of the Velizy Avenue campus where he met young apprentices to find out more about their work and faced a grilling from journalism students. Mr Duncan Smith said a Tory government would plough extra funding into apprenticeship schemes across the UK. Unlike places like Germany and other European countries we dont value the basic skills that underpin our whole manufacturing culture, and unsurprisingly a lot of manufacturing companies have drifted away, he said. The Conservative Party at this election wants to set out a very clear policy about getting more people into apprenticeships so we get more apprentices coming to colleges like this, which will be good for colleges and good for business.

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The film highlights some of what Mr Rammell hails as his key successes, including his fight for a new NHS Walk-in centre, his campaign to keep open the Harlow Advice Centre in the wake of council funding cuts and his role in securing an 11 million government grant to fund the Gateway scheme which incorporates Leisurezone, Barrows Farm Stadium and the housing development in Fifth Avenue. Since I was elected in 1997 I have worked seven days a week, 365 days a year for people in Harlow and hopefully this film is evidence of this, he said. I made it to reach out to different audiences and hopefully it will encourage more young people to get involved and think about the issues in the run up to the election. I am passionately committed to Harlow and I am asking for the opportunity to keep working for Harlow. Conservative Robert Halfon has

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