British Sikhs Campaign Manifesto Targets Seats In West London

[singhbj singh]

British Sikhs campaign manifesto targets seats in west London

For the first time ever the British Sikh community have launched a campaign targeting 50 seats, including three in west London for the 2015 general election.

Hundreds of people from Gurdwaras and UK Sikh organisations attended a campaign launch in support of a 10-point manifesto at the Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Southall, on Saturday (Jan 31).

The Sikh Federation (UK) has marked marginal seats in Feltham, Heston, Brentford and Isleworth, in Hounslow, as well as Ealing and Southall, in Ealing, where significant proportions of the voting population are Sikh.

Bhai Amrik Singh, Sikh Federation (UK) chairman, said: “Our manifesto topics are of such importance to the British Sikh community that the response of parties and candidates to them will determine how many in the community vote.

“We are making the most of our voting clout through targeting seats and publishing a manifesto for the first time.

"We are looking for firm commitments from each political party on the big issues.

“For the purposes of supporting the Sikh Manifesto we have drawn a line at the 50 target seats.

“There are however other marginal seats, such as Nuneaton and Manchester, Withington, where the local Sikh vote although relatively small will matter.

"In addition, there also numerous safe seats, such as Birmingham, Selly Oak; Ealing Central & Acton; Huddersfield; Leicester South; Ealing North; Birmingham, Ladywood; East Ham and Barking that each have thousands of Sikh voters who cannot be ignored.”

British Sikhs campaign manifesto targets seats in west London

• 10:28, 4 February 2015
• By Salina Patel

The Sikh Federation has launched a 10-point manifesto ahead of the 2015 general election targeting 50 seats nationwide

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Sikh Federation launch campaign manifesto ahead of general election

For the first time ever the British Sikh community have launched a campaign targeting 50 seats, including three in west London for the 2015 general election.

Hundreds of people from Gurdwaras and UK Sikh organisations attended a campaign launch in support of a 10-point manifesto at the Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Southall, on Saturday (Jan 31).

The Sikh Federation (UK) has marked marginal seats in Feltham, Heston, Brentford and Isleworth, in Hounslow, as well as Ealing and Southall, in Ealing, where significant proportions of the voting population are Sikh.

Bhai Amrik Singh, Sikh Federation (UK) chairman, said: “Our manifesto topics are of such importance to the British Sikh community that the response of parties and candidates to them will determine how many in the community vote.

“We are making the most of our voting clout through targeting seats and publishing a manifesto for the first time.

"We are looking for firm commitments from each political party on the big issues.

“For the purposes of supporting the Sikh Manifesto we have drawn a line at the 50 target seats.

“There are however other marginal seats, such as Nuneaton and Manchester, Withington, where the local Sikh vote although relatively small will matter.

"In addition, there also numerous safe seats, such as Birmingham, Selly Oak; Ealing Central & Acton; Huddersfield; Leicester South; Ealing North; Birmingham, Ladywood; East Ham and Barking that each have thousands of Sikh voters who cannot be ignored.”

Sikh Federation launch campaign manifesto ahead of general election

The manifesto was developed during a three-day National Sikh Convention in Wolverhampton in September last year.

The 10-point manifesto:

• A statutory code of practice on items of the Sikh faith in order to prevent discrimination in the workplace and public spaces
• An independent inquiry into the actions of the British Government in relation to the Amritsar and Delhi massacres of 1984
• UK Government recognition of the events of June and November 1984 as Sikh Genocide and backing from the permanent members of the UN Security Council for a UN-led inquiry into the actions of the Indian authorities
• Allocation of a suitable site in central London for a permanent monument to Sikh’s who lost their lives in the First World War
• More effective Sikh representation in the Houses of Parliament
• A separate ethnic tick box for Sikhs in the 2021 Census and public bodies
• Determined UK Government action against perpetrators of grooming and forced conversions and the media abandoning the throwaway term ‘Asian’
• Support for a network of publicly funded Sikh ethos schools
• UK Government working with other governments to exert pressure on France (and Belgium) to honour decisions by the UNHRC with respect to discrimination against turban wearing Sikhs
• Recognition and support for the Sikhs right to self-determination given the historic and moral responsibility of the UK Government towards Sikhs

Labour’s Ed Miliband said: “I think the Sikh Manifesto 2015-2020, written by the Sikh Federation UK, demonstrates the commitment of British Sikhs to be actively involved with the political process, and is a great way of empowering the British Sikh community.”

Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, said: “I warmly welcome the Sikh Federation’s ambition to encourage the British Sikh community to engage with politics at all levels and I congratulate the federation for all the hard work it has already done to increase the awareness and importance of social and political activism within the British Sikh community.”

http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/west-london-news/british-sikhs-campaign-manifesto-targets-8569152

[JagsawSingh]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, it is a serious matter of shame and failure on the part of us Sikhs in west London. This is the area that has the highest number of Sikhs in the whole of the UK and yet our 2 MPs are both Hindu Punjabis that have steadfastly refused to stand up for the Sikhs and have consistently stood up for the government of India. These are the 2 local MPs (Sharma and Seema Malhotra), who refused to join in with the debate about the Sikh genocide. These are the 2 local MPs that refused last year to denounce the attack on the Golden Temple. These are the 2 local MPs that were forced upon the local Sikhs by Labour Party HQ in walworth road.

This past year, white MPs all over the UK joined the Sikhs and stood up for the Sikhs and signed declarations supporting the Sikhs. The 2 that didn't are the ones that represent Europe's largest Sikh constituencies. That, in itself, is a matter of shame. Alone, it is doubtful we can kick these 2 to the kerb. But, if the Sikh and Pakistani communities stand together on a platform of fighting against India's atrocities in both Punjab and Kashmir these 2 scumbags can get the boot they so throughly deserve.

[Ranjeet01]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, it is a serious matter of shame and failure on the part of us Sikhs in west London. This is the area that has the highest number of Sikhs in the whole of the UK and yet our 2 MPs are both Hindu Punjabis that have steadfastly refused to stand up for the Sikhs and have consistently stood up for the government of India. These are the 2 local MPs (Sharma and Seema Malhotra), who refused to join in with the debate about the Sikh genocide. These are the 2 local MPs that refused last year to denounce the attack on the Golden Temple. These are the 2 local MPs that were forced upon the local Sikhs by Labour Party HQ in walworth road.

This past year, white MPs all over the UK joined the Sikhs and stood up for the Sikhs and signed declarations supporting the Sikhs. The 2 that didn't are the ones that represent Europe's largest Sikh constituencies. That, in itself, is a matter of shame. Alone, it is doubtful we can kick these 2 to the kerb. But, if the Sikh and Pakistani communities stand together on a platform of fighting against India's atrocities in both Punjab and Kashmir these 2 scumbags can get the boot they so throughly deserve.

Jagsaw if you stand for parliament, you'll have my support!

[JagsawSingh]

Jagsaw if you stand for parliament, you'll have my support!

No point. D'ya know why ?

Its because of the way the Labour Party works.

Every single time there has been an opportunity for a local dastar wearing Sikh, including long-standing local dastar wearing councillors, to stand as MP in one of our sikh stronghold constituences, Labour Party HQ deliberately exlude that turban wearing Sikh from the running and impose a Hindu Punjabi on us. It is official Labour Party policy to do that and they have been very consistent in doing just that.

The only time a dastar wearing Sikh gets a chance to stand it is always because the Conservative Party adopt him as their candidate but because its the Tory party he never wins.

Thats why, we can't emulate whats been happening in Canada. We can't, because of the way the Labour Party have treated us. That why, unfortunately, and very sadly, I'll never be able to be your MP.

We need to teach the filthy, dirty Labour Party a lesson they deserve.

[Ranjeet01]

No point. D'ya know why ?

Its because of the way the Labour Party works.

Every single time there has been an opportunity for a local dastar wearing Sikh, including long-standing local dastar wearing councillors, to stand as MP in one of our sikh stronghold constituences, Labour Party HQ deliberately exlude that turban wearing Sikh from the running and impose a Hindu Punjabi on us. It is official Labour Party policy to do that and they have been very consistent in doing just that.

The only time a dastar wearing Sikh gets a chance to stand it is always because the Conservative Party adopt him as their candidate but because its the Tory party he never wins.

Thats why, we can't emulate whats been happening in Canada. We can't, because of the way the Labour Party have treated us. That why, unfortunately, and very sadly, I'll never be able to be your MP.

We need to teach the filthy, dirty Labour Party a lesson they deserve.

Stand as an independent.

[JagsawSingh]

Stand as an independent.

No point.

I can't be arsed.

[DailyMail]

Jagsaw,

I know you hate my profile name (lol), but If I lived in your constituency, I would vote for you if you stood for election! I gather from your WLS days that you have a legal background. Coupled with the general knowledge and your real-life experience, you would make an interesting alternative to the career politicians that we have been accustomed to from all parties.

West London politics, in particular with the Labour party, has been a rather peculiar affair in the last 10 years.Throw in Tony Litt (Avtar's son) and a few other rich business men from the Southall Ealing area, and a garden party in Chiswick at the home of Avtar Litt (Sunrise), and bob's your uncle, you have the makings of a bollywood film. Gurcharan Singh, the former labour councillor and subsequent Mayor of Ealing, switched from a red turban to a blue turban as a protest to the Labour Party for not selecting a turban-wearing prospective parliamentary candidate (PPC). Thereafter, Gurcharan was paraded by the tories as their man in Southall. This is despite Gurcharan Singh never supporting the tories in the previous 30 years. Things looked pretty desperate.

My point is, as much as I sympathise with Gurcharan, and indeed your point too. But to be a member and a PPC of a party, one must genuinely have a conviction for the philosophy, policies and ethos of that party. It's not good enough just to be a poster boy for a party on the basis of a turban. Dr Jasdev Singh Rai tried that about 5 years ago, remember? He received a handful of votes. His manifesto was basically, "Sikhs should vote for me, because I have a turban and by default, I am the man for them". He was laughed at by turban-wearing Sikhs of Southall and beyond. He subsequently went on to become the Akal takht Jathedar's representative in the UK and a general secretary of the (one of the two) British Sikh Consultative Forum. 99% Sikhs are suspicious of him. But that's another story.

The Sikhs need a MP to be a champion for their causes. Look at Hayes and Harlington. John McDonnell MP. The last I looked, he doesn't wear a turban. If a Sikh chap comes along and happens to wear a turban, that's all fine and dandy. But lets not be a pawn in someones elses game. Gurcharan did, look where it got him.

Furthermore, there's nothing stopping Sikhs from representing non-Sikh areas. Parmjit Dhanda (from Southall) represented Gloucester under Tony Blair. Many Jews represent areas's with few if any Jews.

Just my thoughts....

[Ranjeet01]

Very difficult to represent Sikhs if you are a Sikh MP whose constituents are non-Sikh.

Sometimes Non-Sikh MPs do a better job to represent Sikhs than Sikh MPs.

What we really require are more effective lobbying from the likes of Sikh federation, but it is a step in the right direction as they are thinking more strategically.

MPs by nature are only interested in maintaining their seats so they are very short-sighted in their thinking.

We need to think long term and built grass roots Sikhi from the bottom upwards which is what we are beginning to do.