A week or so ago, Sikh Channel showed the Sikh Cafe show that was recorded in Bradford last September (29 September 2013). The below clip shows the sangat members discussing the three main parties, in general, and whether Sikhs should get involved in politics.
To add a little bit of context, this was recorded one day before the Conservative Party Conference.
There are varied views on whether Sikhs should get involved. One Singh from Bradford said, off camera, “If getting involved in politics doesn’t affect your jeevan negatively, then carry on and do as much good as you can. If is is already affecting ones jeevan then one should have a good think about it.”
The host, Bhai Gurnam Singh said the the ‘Conservatives are for the Rich, Liberals sit on the fence and Labour is socialism.’ This is a general and widely accepted remark. Asking around we tried to get a feel for what the true meaning of being a Conservative, a Liberal and Labour member meant and this is what we found.
Conservatives – are for the kind of people who believe in small government, lower taxes and the principle that work pays – for those that can work, should work and those that can’t, we have an obligation to help them. Conservatives believe in freedom – freedom to study, freedom to work and freedom to aspire to be better. We also believe that anyone should be able to achieve their goals.
Liberal Democrats – the believe in a bit of both. They believe in getting involved when they need to. They believe in self enterprise but they also believe that people have a social duty to society. The problem that the Liberals have is striking a balance. From History, Liberals swap and change their stance on policies.
Labour – believe in Socialism. State/Government controlled solutions. Big Government and higher taxes for those who work. They believe in a large welfare state and that work doesn’t have to pay.
My main message to anyone: is to go and VOTE. We have the power of the vote to vote in good politicians, those who will serve the community and the constituency well. Lets use this power and this right to do so.
