Justice for the Tamils

The Tamil Guardian emailed me asking for my views on situation facing Tamils in Sri Lanka. I replied as follows: "In Sri Lanka, there must be an investigation into allegations of human rights violations and war crimes. The government in Colombo will be judged by the international community on its political and judicial reforms and by the way it treats the media. The Sri Lankan government must reach out and recognise its past mistakes."

Of course, the situation in Sri Lanka is a very complicated one and groups like the Tamil Tigers must be condemned for their attacks on civilians. My Lib Dem colleague Stephen Williams has written about it in detail and I very much agree with what he wrote. When I call for an investigation into allegations of human rights violations and war crimes, I include within that the activities of the Tamil Tigers as well as the Sri Lankan government. I do not dispute the Sri Lankan government's right to fight terrorism; I do dispute some of the methods used and the government's poor handling of the post-conflict situation.

So, what do I stand for?

As polling day draws nearer (and as postal voters are already voting, as their ballot papers continue to be delivered), many people have asked me what I actually stand for, what makes me tick - why I want to be the Liberal Democrat MP for Hendon. It's a good, fair question! To avoid repeating myself, here is a piece that I wrote for the 'blog' that the Hendon Times has kindly given me on its website. I very much hope that this gives you some more insight into where I am coming from.

Is it now a two-horse Clegg/Cameron race?

The Times reports today that:

"Gordon Brown is to gamble on a last-ditch revamp of Labour’s campaign as he fights to prevent the election becoming a two-horse race between David Cameron and Nick Clegg."

I don't often say this, but Gordon Brown is right - this is becoming a two-horse race between the Tories and the Lib Dems, with Labour third in lots of polls. This is starting to be reflected in what people are saying to me in Hendon. Lots of people say that they are undecided between my party and the Conservatives, lots say that they are planning to vote Lib Dem, and many say that they have given up on Labour. If the polls remain as they are, then I do not see how Labour can win a seat like Hendon. Some people are saying to me that they would normally vote Labour, but don't want the Conservatives to win, so are they are voting for me to make sure that the Lib Dems definitely beat the Tories in Hendon. It does feel as if the Tory candidate and I are now in what could be a tight race to the finish, although, obviously, that can change between now and polling day, so nothing can be taken for granted - least of all the voters!

I'm not standing to stop the Tories winning or to stop Labour winning - I'm fighting positively for the Lib Dems to win, so that I can be Hendon's next MP. What's good is that people now tell me that they feel that they have a choice - if they want to vote for the Liberal Democrats to win, they can, and the result is in their hands as voters. They don't have to vote Labour to stop the Tories, or Tory to stop Labour; instead, they can consider what all three parties have to offer, and then vote for the one they most believe in, because the Lib Dems have a real chance of winning this time.

Poll on Jewish News' website

I'm delighted to see that Jewish News are encouraging participation in this election by running an online poll. It asks people who they will vote for in the General Election; at time of writing, the Lib Dems are running second. Why not click here and vote yourself?

Speaking at the Shree Swaminarayan Temple

I was pleased today to speak at the Shree Swaminarayan Temple in Golders Green, where many people from Hendon are worshippers. They had around 700 people there and I spoke alongside the Lib Dem councillors for Childs Hill. It was a really enjoyable and interesting event and I was pleased to have been invited.

A positive day in the sunshine

It was great this morning to be out and about on Mill Hill Broadway talking to local people. Lots of people said that they now plan to vote Lib Dem. Of course, you can't please all of the people all of the time, and lots of people had questions about my party's policies - which is as it should be, since we are seeking to win an election and form a government. I enjoy answering such questions and really discussing the issues with people. I look forward to doing a lot more of that over the coming weeks.

Last weekend's Polish tragedy

The latest weekly bulletin from my colleague Sarah Ludford, Lib Dem MEP for London, has prompted me to think further about last weekend's tragic air crash in which so many distinguished Polish people died. In the hurly-burly of the election campaign, it is important to make time to also reflect on wider issues, as Sarah does in this piece here. I extend my deepest sympathies and condolences to all those affected by this latest Polish tragedy, including Polish and Anglo-Polish people living locally. Some of my previous thoughts on Polish politics on this site can be found here.