NORTHAMPTON SOUTH, ENGLAND: In a crude and desperate attempt to sidetrack a political campaign, Mr. Tony Clarke, a Labour MP running for the seat of Northampton South, has been accused of bringing race issues into the election. His off-handed comments suggested that Mr. Vara, his Tory opponent, was an Ugandan Hindu who could not rely on the Muslim community for a vote. To make matters worse, Mr. Clarke continued by stating, “The 20% rural vote have shown themselves in the past to be quite racist in their voting.” Mr. Shailesh Vara himself has never encountered racism in Northampton South. The Labour Party’s chairman, Michael Ancram, requested that Mr. Clarke retract his statement and apologize to his Tory opponent and the voters of the constituency. On the evening of November 17th, Mr. Clarke condemned the use of racism in any election by individuals, parties, or the media. Endeavoring to redeem himself, he is quoted as saying, “If my remarks have caused offense to anyone, then I would be the first to apologize.”
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