GENERAL ELECTION 2010
6
Asian Voice - Saturday 24th April 2010
Your Country, Your Election, Your Call David Cameron has insisted that election campaign is still a two way horse between himself and Gordon Brown, despite of the rapid increase of Nick Clegg's popularity. David Cameron has claimed that the Liberal Democrat leader who has enjoyed a surge in popularity since the leaders' debate, will stand no chance to win when the public learns about about the policies of Liberal Democrats. The election battle is now one of the closest in decades, as Mr Cameron said he is still focussed on defeating Gordon Brown. He added, "In the end the choice will still come down to 'do you want five more years with Gordon Brown or change with the Conservatives? And I think this is the argument that people will carry with them to the ballot box." While Mr Clegg has
been playing down the significance of his performance, Labour strategists lavished praise on the Lib Dem leader and hailing the debate as a big event in the campaign. Lord Mandelson led the way. Even before the debate was over, he told the journalists that Mr Clegg was 'making his mark' and that his performance was leaving Mr Cameron in the shade. As the debate goes on if it's Clegg or Cameron sits on the popularity hot seat, on more than 50 economists from around the world have signed a letter backing Gordon Brown's economic plans. The letter organised by Labour claims that Tory plans to cut government waste this year could lead to job losses. It warns the public sector cuts could "destabilise" economic recovery.
Gordon Brown
David Cameron
Nick Clegg
This letter signed by around 58 academics was due to be released last week after the publication of a rival letter two weeks back by some Britain's most senior businessmen, which backed David Cameron's tax plans. George Osborne, the Tory election director, added he believed that the Lib Dem threat would diminish closer to polling day. “People will start to focus on what a hung
Parliament means,” he said. “People will need to understand it’s not a solution to the frustration with the political system. It will lead to more economic uncertainty at a time when we need economic certainty and decisiveness."
September 2009 – an increase of almost 40,000 on the previous 12 months. Critics say the 63 per cent jump – equivalent to filling two universities the size of Oxford – exposes the ease with which students have been able to manipulate the new points-based visa system introduced by the Government last year. The students come from just seven countries –
Immigration Official Home Office figures show 100,000 student visas were granted in the academic year to
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Malaysia and Nigeria. In February, the Government was forced to suspend student visas in India, Bangladesh and Nepal amid evidence of widespread abuse of the new system and suggestions many of the students were believed to be bogus. The figures are particularly damaging for Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, as immigration threatens to become a key electoral issue. In the first ever televised prime ministerial debate last week, Mr Brown predicted "40,000 less students, I suspect, this year, because of our tightening of visa controls." The new figures revealed in a parliamentary answer show that 99,932 students successfully applied for visas up
South Asian Councillors in London and Greater London Part II Borough
Name
Ward
Party
Hounslow
Lily Bath Rajinder Bath Mohammed Chaudhary Sukhbir Singh Dhaliwal Ajmer Dhillon Gopal Dhillon Poonam Dhillon Mohinder Gill Shivcharn Singh Gill Ajmer Grewal Darshan Grewal Paul Jabbal Gurmail Lal Nisar Malik Sohan Sangha Jagdish Sharma Jiwan Virk
Heston West Heston West Cranford Hounslow Heath Hounslow West Heston Central Cranford Heston Central Heston East Hounslow West Hounslow West Hanworth Park Heston East Hounsloe Central Cranford Hounslow West Bedfont
Labour Labour Labour
Marisha Ray Jilani Chowdhury Natasha Chatterjee Jyoti Vaja
Clerkenwell Barnsbury Holloway Bunhill
Lib Dem Labour Labour Lib Dem
Kensington and Chelsea Mushtak Lasharie
Notting Barns
Labour
Kingston Upon Thames Rohan Yoganathan Yogan Yoganathan Shiraz Mirza
Berrylands St Mark's Ward Chessington South
Lib Dem Lib Dem Lib Dem
Lambeth
Neil Sabharwal Dr Neeraj Patil Pav Akhtar
Ferndale Larkhall Stockwell
Labour Labour Labour
Lewisham
Jarman Parmar
Crofton Park
Labour
Merton
Tariq Ahmed David Chung
Wimbeldon Park Longthornton
Conservative Labour
Newham
Hanif Abdul Muhit Shama Ahmed MBE Zulfiger Ali Akbar Chaudhury Ayesha Chaudhury Umesh Desai Omana Gangadharan Asif Karim Sharaf Mahmood Sukhdev Singh Marway Riaz Ahmed Mirza Rahima Rahman Lakmini Shah Abdul Shakoor Abdul Karim Sheikh BEM Amarjit Singh
Green Street West Forest Gate North Plaistow North Forest Gate South Beckton East Ham Central Wallend Green Street West Green Street East East Ham North Boleyn Green Street East East Ham South Green Street East Green Street West Manor Park
Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Respect Labour
Mahboob Chaudhury Farrukh Jamal Muhammed Javed Ashok Kumar Raj Kaur Mahal Irfan Mustafa Shoaib Patel Balvinder Kaur Saud Dev Sharma Vinaya Kumari Sharma
Cranbrook Islam Roding Loxford Cranbrook Clementswood Clementswood Valentines Seven Kings Newbury Goodmayes
Conservative Lib Dem Labour Conservative Labour Lib Dem Lib Dem Labour Labour Labour
Islington
Redbridge
Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Conservative Labour Labour Labour Labour
Name
Ward
Party
Ayodhiya Prakash Satnam Singh Virendra Tewari
Mayfield Goodmayes Valentines
Labour Lib Dem Labour Lib Dem
Munira Wilson
St Margaret's & North Twickenham West Twickenham
Southwark
Eliza Mann Abdul Mohamed
Riverside Faraday
Lib Dem Labour
Sutton
None
Tower Hamlet
Hetal Uddin Abbas A M Ohid Ahmed Rajib Ahmed Rofique Uddin Ahmed Anwara Ali Mohammed Sahid Ali Shahed Ali Abdul Asad Lufa Begum Alibor Choudhury Fazlul Haque Shafiqul Haque Ahmed Hussain Sirajul Islam Rania Khan Azizur Rahman Khan Waiseul Islam Shiria Khatun Abjol Miah Fozol Miah Harun Miah Mohammed Abdul Munim Lutfur Rahman Oliur Rahman M. Mamun Rashid Muhammad Abdullah Salique Abdul Aziz Sardar Dulal Uddin Abdal Ullah Salim Ullah Motin Uz Zaman
Spitafield & Banglatown East India & Lansbury East India and Lansbury Mile End & Globe Town Boe West Limehouse Whitechapel Whitechapel Limehouse St Dunstan's & Stepney Green Weavers St Katherine's & Wapping Mile End East Bethnal Green Bromley by Bow Weavers Whitechapel East India and Lansbury Shadwell Spitafields & Banglatown Shadwell Bromley by Bow Spitafields and Banglatown St Dunstan's & Stepney Green Shadwell Bethnal Green Bromley by Bow Limehouse Bethnal Green South Bethnal Green South Mile End East
Labour Labour Labour Labour Conservative Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Conseravtive Labour Labour Lib Dem Labour Lib Dem Respect Respect Respect Respect Labour Labour Respect Labour Respect Respect Respect Respect Labour
Waltham Forest
Liaquat Ali Johar Khan Masood Ahmad Afzal Akram Naheed Qureshi Shameem Highfield JP Farooq Qureshi Samina Safdar Faiz Unis Saima Mahmud Naz Sarker Mohammad Ashgar Asim Mahmood Tarsem Bhogal
High Street High Street Lib Dem Lea Bridge Lea Bridge Leyton Cathall Forest Forest Forest Hoe Street Hoe Street Markhouse Markhouse Grove Green
Labour Labour Labour Leyton Labour Lib Dem Lib Dem Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour
Wandworth
Ravi Govindia
Nightingale
Conservative
Westminster
Mehfuz Ahmed Suhail Rahuja Papya Qureshi
Church Street Bayswater Westbourne
Conservative Conservative Labour
Borough
Richmond Upon Thames Ben Khosa
Lib Dem