Article For Folkestone Herald and Kentish Express

11 August 2005

I apologise if readers think I have devoted too much space in my recent articles to the aftermath and implications of the recent bombing attacks in London. But this is the dominant issue of the times. We face a continuing threat. So I feel I owe it to you to continue to give you my thoughts and bring you up to date with what I have been doing.

Last Friday, I went to the Mosque in Folkestone. It was not, of course, the first time I had been there. But it was the first time I had been there since July 7. I was delighted to find that representatives of Churches Together had also been invited and were present.

We had a good and constructive meeting. I emphasised that Muslims in Folkestone are valued members of our local community just as nationally, they are valued members of our national community. And I asked them for suggestions as to how we could improve relations between them and the rest of our community and how we can most effectively deal with the terrorists who do not share their values but come from their midst.

One helpful suggestion was made by one of the local Imams. He said that schools could invite him and other Imams to visit them and explain the true teachings of Islam and that schools might also organise visits to the local Mosque.

This seems to me to a good idea and I have written to the Area Education Officer asking him to take it forward.

I have also made it clear that my Party will support the measures which the Government announced last week to help us deal with the terrorist threat. We shall scrutinise the details of the proposals, which is our duty as the Opposition, and we shall try to make sure that the Government have thought things through – something they haven’t always done in the past. But many of the measures are things which we have been asking for for a long time. We are delighted that the Government is now taking action.

Finally, I have written to John Prescott, asking him to call in and decide on the most appropriate way of developing Folkestone Seafront. I have many reservations about the application which the Council’s Planning Committee voted in favour of last week. They do not take into account the need for a comprehensive scheme to develop the seafront as a whole nor do they deal with the legitimate traffic objections of the County Council. There was no need for a decision to be made last week. I hope wiser counsels will prevail.