Scotsman Newspaper exposes "graftculture" in Blackburn

JAMES KIRKUP IN BLACKBURN from the SCOTSMAN

24^th April 2005

"This is a classic Labour rotten borough, like Dundee in the Seventies and Eighties," Mr Murray says. "Only here, there are two forces at play: Labour graft culture has meshed onto Asian graft culture." That, he says, gives what began as an anti-war campaign a double edge. "We’ve been able to merge the two issues of Iraq and corruption."

Corruption. The word is everywhere in Blackburn politics: like many small towns where one party dominates, it’s a handy jibe for opponents to make. But here, there may be a little more substance to the slur. More....