The comments of the Prime Minister speak for themselves, but I think they raise a very important issue in this election.  Everywhere I go in this constituency I am asked what the Conservatives will do about immigration.  Very rarely does a voter mention race, creed, colour, or country of origin.  All people are concerned about is the numbers of people settling in the UK, many of whom do not have work or the means to support their families.  

Locally, our public services are at breaking point.  The NHS is already struggling yet services are being slashed, nurses are being ordered to re-apply for their jobs and those who seek to expose the situation feel threatened.  Our schools are not providing the level of education children deserve and parents are entitled to expect.  The numbers of unemployed, the crisis of housing waiting lists and the growth in real poverty are shocking.  Yet Labour has continued to allow unlimited immigration.

My fear is that unless we get a grip - fast - the fairness and tolerance for which this country and this community are rightly known, will be strained.  Most local people are anything but bigots.  They are under enormous strain, and doing the 'right thing' seems to have been little benefit to them.  When Mr Brown speaks charmingly to a (life-long Labour voting) resident about her concerns in front of the camera, and then describes her as a bigot in private, he insults many residents in this constituency too.  The views that lady expressed could have been said by any one of the thousands of local residents I have met recently in Eltham.  Are they all bigots for daring to suggest immigration is out of control?  Of course not.  They are simply anxious for their future and the future of their children and grand-children.  
The Conservatives would put an annual cap on immigration, we will tackle illegal immigration, we will enforce a strict points system and we will create a Border Police Force.  We need a system that's fair to those wanting to come to Britain, and one that's fair to the hard working majority who pay taxes and will help to rebuild our economy.  They're not bigots, they're exhausted, frightened and fed up with being taken for granted.  That's why we need change on 6th May.

I have just got home from the Beehive Pub in New Eltham and am very grateful to the landlord and landlady for agreeing to let us watch the second leaders debate there.

The reaction from those who attended, many of whom were not there at my invitation but simply joined us with their drinks, was that David Cameron was robust, passionate, convincing.  Clegg had a reasonable night but didn't live up to the hype.  Brown just looked as though he wanted out.

So was the debate worth watching?  Yes.  Why?  Because it focused much more on policy, the three leaders showed differences in policy, and there was some genuine energy in the debate unlike last week's rather polite affair.

And another important thing was that Mr Brown claimed he had not authorised any of the leaflets put about by Labour candidates, including the Eltham candidate, which claim the Conservatives would cut things like free TV Licences for the elderly.  So I call upon Clive Efford and his colleagues to cease spreading lies and scare stories and concentrate on the positive - if they have anything positive left to offer.

Sadly, I suspect they will continue to peddle their lies and in doing so will further devalue political life.  I believe that is a very great tragedy.  And one the new Parliament will have to work hard to repair.

The Prime Minister has been caught out once again.  He entered the immigration debate (better late than never) and used statistics that were not only misleading, they were plain wrong.  He has been ticked off by the statistics watchdog - but this is not the first time he has used dodgy statistics.

Mr Brown seems to have a fondness for using statistics to back up his case, but too often his figures prove to be incorrect.  He had to apologise after misleading the Chilcot Inquiry, and his advertising campaign about the time police spend on the beat had to be withdrawn - but not before it had been aired to millions of voters and postcards distributed across marginal constituencies.

It becomes a matter of trust, as it did with Mr Blair before him.  Can we trust a man who, in spite of having access to the best advisers money can buy, seems to be incapable of quoting correct figures.  I think it might be that he's just too exhausted to do his job properly.  I would really hate to think he does it deliberately.  Would he?

On their recent visits to Eltham, both the Shadow Home Secretary and Shadow Immigration Minister promised that a Conservative government would tighten border controls and limit immigration to the UK.   Conservative proposals would include a massive reform of the visa system that has, up to now, allowed so many bogus students to enter the UK.

The measures include:

1. Only the top universities will be able to fast track students through the immigration system.
2. Most foreign students will be expected to deposit a £1,000 to £6,000 bond that will only be repaid after the student has finished their studies and left the country. Forfeited bond payments will be used to help pay for deportations.
3. Student migrants will have to return to their home countries and make a new visa application if they want to switch courses or move to a work permit visa.
4. There will be a clampdown on foreign students using the existence of UK bank accounts to borrow large amounts of money.  There will be clearer requirements for applicants for a student visa to demonstrate ability to fund their studies.
5. UK citizens associated with bogus colleges will be registered and tracked. 1,925 organisations have been approved by the UK Border Agency to sponsor migrant students but there are only 165 universities and Higher Education colleges in the United Kingdom.
6. Greater enforcement of existing rules by the Border Police Force including more unannounced raids on colleges suspected to be bogus. There will also be closer inspection of applications from very sensitive countries. An extraordinary 13,000 visa applications from Afgahinistan and Pakistan have not been fraud-checked since October 2008, according to Tory research.

The Shadow Home Secretary has made the following statement:

"The student visa system is a huge loophole in our border controls, and despite years of promises the Government has completely failed to deal with the problem. This loophole has not only allowed large numbers of people to enter the country who would not have been able to do so otherwise, but is now a genuine security risk for us. In the current climate we cannot possibly go on like this. Our proposals will transform the system, making it much more difficult for those who want to abuse it, whilst encouraging genuine students to come to our colleges and universities."

I support these measures and others that have already been announced to stop the open door policy operating under the current government.  We cannot go on like this.  Under the Conservatives, we will not.

UPDATE: On Sunday, David Cameron pledged to cut immigration to the UK from 100,000s to 10,000s.  I am sure this announcement will be welcomed by residents across the Eltham constituency - and the rest of the country.

 

 

Not everyone among my friends thought I was right to say the BBC should have Nick Griffin on BBC Question Time.  Some thought it would win him new fans.  It certainly won the BBC more viewers if it's true that more than 8 million people watched last night (compared to about 2.5 million usually).  Personally, I found the programme a bit like the scene of a car accident.  Horrible to look at but impossible to take my eyes away from.  I draw the following conclusions:

1. Mr Griffin failed to deny many of the accusations about his and his party's true agenda or beliefs.  He admitted he was a Holocaust denier, a racist and white supremacist, a homophobe, and an associate of the Ku Klux Klan (though it's news to me that they're a non-violent organisation).
2. The BBC turned the event into the Nick Griffin show.  I had assumed that whilst the first question would centre on him and his party, we would see him invited to answer questions on the broad range of issues the public deserve to know his views on - for example, the continuing recession, youth unemployment, illiterate children, rising taxation.  We did not.
3. The anti-fascist protests outside Television Centre seemed more like anti-freedom of speech protesters. Millions of people are so disillusioned with politics they have supported the BNP.  That's why the BNP have 2 MEPs and nearly 60 councillors.  Denying them a platform has not worked thus far!  And invading the BBC hardly gives them the moral high ground.  The likes of David Lammy and Peter Haine have clearly learned nothing.
4. Jack Straw ducked and dived the question on immigration and social justice.  The fact is this: Labour have been in office over a decade and promised to support the poorest and most vulnerable in society.  Over a million young people are out of work and without training, pensioners are starving or dyeing of hyperthermia, there is a crisis in housing and education.  Is it a coincidence that the BNP has gained ground under Blair and Brown?

If nothing else, this programme made politics a little more interesting for a lot more people.  Suddenly there's a real debate about the future direction of this country.  

I am quoted in today's Bexley Times explaining why I believe the BNP should be represented on Question Time - and why I believe that once drawn into a proper debate, that Party will lose the argument.  It is a point taken up in many of today's national newspapers too.  I am especially interested to read the joint article penned by Nicholas Soames (Conservative) and Frank Field (Labour) in The Daily Telegraph.  As they rightly say, most people are alarmed by the predicted population growth in this country to 71 million in the next 20 years, largely as a result of uncontrolled immigration.

Since being selected by the public as the Conservative candidate for Eltham I have campaigned openly and honestly on a range of issues, including immigration.  I have said repeatedly there is nothing racist in wanting to control and limit the numbers of people seeking to remain in this country.  There is nothing racist about wanting to avoid our health, transport and education services being stretched to breaking point, nor adding to the already huge housing lists or enormous social security burden.  That is why I held a public meeting on the issue which was addressed by the Shadow Immigration Minister, Damian Green.  If one good thing comes out of the BNP being more in the spotlight it is that we may, finally, be able to have a proper reasoned debate about these issues.

Finally, to those who say the Conservatives have been silent on the issue of immigration, let me draw attention to this section of Chris Grayling's speech to the Conservative Conference earlier this month:

"Ladies and Gentlemen. There are two other big priorities for a Conservative Home Office. The first is our immigration system. For twelve years it has been a complete shambles. Uncontrolled immigration. Widespread abuse of our student visa system. Human traffickers exploiting the vulnerable for profit. So let me make things clear today. A Conservative government will be robust in the way it controls immigration. There will be no open door to Britain. Instead we will have a system that treats people fairly and decently. That welcomes those who should be able to come and live here. Like the Gurkhas who have done so much for our country. But we’ll close the gaping hole in our student visa system. We’ll crack down on the traffickers. Britain will have its own, specialist border police force. We will set an annual cap on the number of people who can come and live and work here. I will not tolerate more of the chaos of the past few years."

I was delighted that the Shadow Immigration Minister, Damian Green, has just cited my public meeting in New Eltham as an example of how to expose the racism of the BNP.  As he said, I deliberately made sure that my meeting was open to all sections of the community and the BNP naturally wanted to see if it could score some points.  Certainly, some members of the audience on that occasion were leaning towards the BNP until they heard more and more from their representative.  The meeting exposed them for the vile racist bigots they are.  That would never have happened if we had not had a proper public debate.  I do not like the BNP but while so many have lost faith in politicians generally, there will be a temptation to look to the fringes - that is why 2 BNP candidates were elected to the European Parliament.  It is a failure of all the mainstream political parties that has led to this situation.  We must have a proper debate about issues such as immigration in a grown up and sensible manner.  That will strengthen democracy - and I believe it will help the public trust their politicians once again.

Many residents ask about Europe when I knock on their doors, whether it's because they're fed up with seeing British sovereignty eroded or the Labour government's broken promise to hold a referendum on the Lisbon treaty.  Many more are anxious about the uncontrolled immigration from across the EU, which the British government alone failed to tackle.

So I am pleased that Mark Francois MP, the Shadow Minister for Europe, will be in Eltham on Thursday 29th October to speak to residents and answer their questions.  This is the latest in a series of public meetings I am organising to enable the community to meet their elected representatives and exchange views.  I feel that in an age when the standing of politicians is so low, such meetings are vital.  I hope many people will take the opportunity to meet and question Mark, the latest in a string of Shadow Cabinet ministers to visit Eltham.  If you would like an invitation, please email me to give your name and address.

It has been another busy week in Eltham and I am spending today (apart from the 5 minutes it'll take for me to write this short blog entry) working from home. Last night we were out in Shooters Hill calling on residents, many of whom were very concerned about a spate of burglaries.  Many said they can't remember the last time they saw police on patrol.  My team and I enjoyed a very decent curry at Cafe Eltham last night - a fitting end to a long day.

Earlier in the week I visited two schools (see previous blog) and signed hundreds of letters to people who'd been in touch about immigration - so I was pleased to see David Cameron repeating his pledge to cut immigration in today's Daily Mail. Today we're waiting to see how the people of Norwich have voted - a defeat for Labour in such a 'safe' constituency would be terrible news for the government.

Tonight I hosted the latest of my public meetings to enable local people to have their voices heard - this time the subject was immigration, and the Shadow Immigration Minister Damian Green (MP for Ashford) was speaking alongside me.

The meeting was well attended by people from across the constituency - and, in the case of the BNP activist, Bexley.  Despite his efforts to dominate the proceedings there was a generally fair debate - though not everyone was satisfied. One young lady told me afterwards 

she was dismayed by the average age of the audience and considered the debate was not of a sufficient quality.  All I can say is that at least the Conservatives are having a debate, inviting people of all political parties and none, to join us in the discussion.  Damian and I answered questions and comments for 90 minutes and I spent a further hour and a quarter in the bar chatting with a queue of people.  We won't have solved the issue tonight, nor persuaded everyone - some people were not there to be persuaded - but I think there was an acceptance that we are trying to address the problem.  And not branding everyone racist just because they want a proper debate about policy.