Rural life

We live in a society divided by a range of different issues.

Whether it is Rich V Poor, Black V White or Muslim V Jew, both Government and opposition have set up community cohesion committees, Neighbourhood Renewal Units, Urban Regeneration groups etc. But the one division for which there has been little help is the growing divide between Urban life and Rural life.

Yes, there have been Rural task forces, and rural reports, and there is even a Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. But the very fact a department for rural affairs has to exist merely serves to reinforce the impression that rural life is forgotten in the affairs of Westminster.

As more and more people work and live in the sprawling urban conurbations of our cities and towns we need to see Government work harder to bring about a new understanding that what it does it does in the name of all its citizens, and that in the day-to-day running of Government, rural affairs will not play second fiddle to urban life. There are a great many constituencies, up and down the country, that spread across both urban and rural areas and we need to see them returning members to Parliament who can bring their practical experiences of what works to the heart of Government. They need to return Conservative MP’s whose voice will be heard and not Lib Dems who voices are drowned by their lack of influence.

Technorati Tags: Rural life, rural politics, DEFRA