Last night prayers ("kirtan darbar") were held at a Barking Gurdwara to commemorate one of it's congregation - Sukhwinder Singh whose life was bought to an untimely end earlier this month.

Many of us are now aware of the story behind the murder of Sukhwinder. A death bought about by a selfless act - coming to the aid of a lady who'd been robbed. Sukhwinder gave chase and was set upon and eventually murdered by the perpetrators.

I have witnessed a reassuringly common reaction to those who I've spoken to about this. The majority of people both on the street and in the media have responded with shock and sadness and also, admiration. Shock at the manner in which he was heartlessly murdered; saddened at how something so bad could happen to somebody so good; and admiration for the selfless act that ultimately led to Sukhwinder's death. Let’s be honest, not many of us would have the courage to have done what he did.

Of course, this resonated in an acutely strong way with me given that I too, like Sukhwinder, am from a Sikh background. Regardless of his background however, the reaction was common from all parts of the community. The general principle behind his action and the fact that he met his fate whilst engaging in a very brave act has led most to feel a very strong empathy with his story.

Sukhwinder was described by those who knew him as an honest, clean-living gentleman. He was immigrant -originally from the Panjab region of India. It had been bought to light recently that there is in fact, no record of him in Home Office records and therefore, there is a possibility his residence here was illegal. Nevertheless, he still managed to obtain a National Insurance number and a Tax Reference (much to the embarrassment of more than one governmental department) and as such, paid his taxes and contributed to the economy and welfare of this country just like the rest of us.

As a Sikh, he would regularly pray and help out at his local Gurdwara. As a husband, he would send money home on a regular basis for the upkeep of his family. This in itself came with much sacrifice - he hadn't seen his wife in 10 years, he hadn't witnessed the birth or growth of his son nor was he able to attend the funeral of his daughter when she died in an accident aged only 3. It is clear that this was a principled man who knew the meaning of self-sacrifice. In both his life and death he is a strong role model to all (Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike).

I wanted to write about Sukhwinder to pay tribute and to also raise awareness around the plight of his family. Our society needs more people like Sukhwinder who are willing to help strangers and selflessly contribute to the community. I have faith that in the same way he was willing to help a stranger; strangers to him will be willing to help his family. It was bought to my attention that a charity called Khalsa Aid is collecting money on behalf of his wife and son -you can view their website here. [*EDIT FROM WEBMASTER: at the request of Sukhwinder's family, Khalsa Aid are no longer collecting for his family in Panjab]

Gurcharan

Lady Margaret ward councillor and Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Ealing Southall, Cllr Gurcharan Singh, this week wrote to the Mayor of London urging him not to approve the controversial Southall Gasworks plans. National Grid’s plans to build 3,750 homes on the site were rejected by Ealing Council’s Planning Committee last November, but as the development has London-wide significance, Mayor Boris Johnson has the power to over-ride the Council’s decision. Cllr Singh said:

“These plans are unacceptable to the people of Southall. Ealing Council has taken firm stand in saying no and I am appealing to the Mayor to respect the Council’s decision. The plans put far too much pressure on local transport and other infrastructure, access to the site has not been thought out, and there are still real concerns about the contamination of the land.”

Leader of the Council, Cllr Jason Stacey, reiterated that decisions on Southall gasworks should be made locally. He said:

“The reasons for refusal of the application remain as valid now as when the Planning Committee took the decision. Any attempt to ignore this and impose development on Southall without addressing theses issues would be wrong and fly in the face of the principle of the Borough being best placed to make decisions on behalf of its local community.”

To read the full letter sent by Gurcharan to Boris, click here.

Dear Editor,

Mr. Brown would have no alternative but to face electorates between now and June 2009. The most educated guess is that local council elections and the national elections are likely to take place simultaneously on 6th May 2009. So he has less than 104 days to prove to the people of the UK that Labour Party is best for them.

Let us examine certain facts under Labour

• social mobility has stalled and inequality is at its highest since records began;
• half of pupils leave school without five good GCSEs including maths and english, and the gap between richer and poorer pupils is getting wider;
• the incomes of the bottom ten per cent actually fell by £9 per week after housing costs between 2002 and 2008;
• the number of people living in severe poverty has risen by 900,000 in the past ten years; and
• youth unemployment has reached a record high; and one in five young people can’t find a job.

A number of our society ills are the direct result of poor education, lack of opportunities and a loss of sense of direction. For more than 10 years, I worked to rehabilitate 16 to 25 age group young adults suffering from drug/ alcohol misuse and mental illness with renowned voluntary organisations. But no voluntary or statutory sector, irrespective of the resources made available to them, can cure ills of a society until unless we impart a world class education with the best. It is a dire indictment of the Labour Party, which made "EDUCATION, EDUCATION AND EDUCATION" its priority and yet, we are still in this mess even after so many years of their ill-fated continuous governance.

We can not go on like this; we've got to change the approach and change it for the better.

Gurcharan

We've recently scanned and added new articles to Gurcharan's gallery -showing his past and recent activities:

Regards,
Webmaster

Friends of Labour MP, Cllr. Virendra Sharma (none of whom actually live in Ealing Southall) have taken out an advertisement in an Indian Punjabi newspaper urging people to support him at the next elections. Here are some interesting facts about our MP:

• Cllr Sharma MP has cost Ealing Council tax payers well over £20,000 since he became an MP in July 2007 but has by far, the worst attendance record of any councillor in the Borough. In 2008/09 he attended just 7 meetings -only a third of the meetings he was actually due to attend. To add insult one of the meetings he attended for only 5 minutes -just enough to be saved from disqualification.
• Sharma made no representation to Health Care for London against the closure of the Stroke Unit at Ealing hospital nor organised any petition against the closure of the same.

According to www.theyworkforyou.com Sharma:

• has spoken in 13 debates in the last year — below average amongst MPs.
• never voted on a transparent Parliament.
• voted for Labour's anti-terrorism laws.
• voted very strongly against an investigation into the Iraq war.
• voted moderately against laws to stop climate change.

Sharma’s hypocrisy/ double speak

• Sharma supported detention without charge for up to 42 days despite giving impression to the contrary.
• In an interview with an Indian news-paper, Sharma advocated war with Pakistan (see www.ajitjalandhar.com 14th December 2008).
• Sharma protested at the closure of a Norwood Green post office, but in Parliament not only voted for its closure but for the closure of eight more.
• Mr. Sharma supported Gurkhas right to British citizenship while in the council but voted against the similar resolution in the Parliament only a week later.
• Sharma MP claims £250 per month from Petty cash without providing receipts. Where does he spend this money on?

Where have the Labour Councillors been? Have you seen them or heard them taking up Southall issues? On the closure of the Ealing Hospital Stroke Unit, their silence has been deafening.
Labour perpetuates poverty and ghettoise the areas they represent. Ask yourself what they have brought to Southall in their 12 years of rule and if the answer is virtually nothing then it is time for CHANGE.

THEY BELIEVE THAT THEY HAVE SAFE SEATS FOR LIFE AND DO NOT NEED TO WORK FOR YOUR REPRESENTATION. ARE YOU PREPARED TO ACCEPT THIS ANY MORE and PREPARED TO ACCEPT MORE OF THE SAME?
We hope not, JOIN US TO CHANGE and SUPPORT GURCHARAN SINGH FOR THE PARLIAMENT

With 2009 drawing to a close, it's time to reflect on year and welcome in 2010:

From the personal perspective, 2009 has been a good year:

Read more »

It is that time of the year, when we think not only of ourselves but of those who are less well off, less privileged and those who because of no fault of their own, have passed on prematurely. It is a time for reflection and appreciation. It is also an opportunity to be jovial and enjoy the festive spirit with loved ones. To give and to gratefully receive.

With these messages in mind and on behalf of the Ealing Southall Conservative team, I wish you, your family, friends and loved ones a very Merry Christmas.

Warm wishes,

Gurcharan

Under new Conservative plans, far-reaching new powers could be given to people in Ealing Southall to protect community assets from closure and take over the running of public buildings and community assets. Cllr. Gurcharan Singh, the Conservative Propspective Parliamentary Candidate, has given his backing to the new ‘Community Right to Buy’ which would allow not-for-profit community groups across ealing Southall to take over the running of struggling local facilities, from post offices to pubs to parks.

New research has revealed that under Labour, 5,400 post offices, 200 libraries and 3,500 pubs have been lost across England. In Ealing Southall, new figures show that the number of post offices has fallen by 10 in the last decade.

Under the Conservative proposals:

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Cllr. Gurcharan Singh, the Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Ealing Southall, this week responded to the Government’s new tax and spending proposals – the so-called Pre-Budget Report – by warning of Labour plans for higher taxes and record levels of national debt included in the small print.

The Government’s proposals include:

• National Insurance hikes on workers meaning a smaller pay packet for anyone earning £20,000 or more.
• National Insurance hikes on local firms, making it more expensive to pay staff.
• Higher income tax, pushing more middle income earners into the 40 per cent higher rate.
• Inheritance tax rises by stealth, taxing people more as house prices start to rise.
• Higher stamp duty, meaning the average first time buyer will now pay £1,475 in stamp duty.
• A new telephone tax on anyone with a phone or fax line.
• Forcing councils to make more cuts to rubbish collections and pushing up council tax.

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The new library and medical centre at Jubilee Gardens are nearing completion. This development project, spearheaded by the local Conservative council (and hotly opposed by Labour councillors) is due for completion in early 2010. The arrival of which, will provide top-of-the-range health and educational facilities to local residents. The total cost of the project has been £1.5m.

Gurcharan