From The Editor

THERE was a by-election in Harlow. You may have missed it. It was won by Labour’s Chris Vince. Chris used to live in Chelmsford. A year ago, he moved to Harlow. Rivermill to be precise. Of course, you may know all this as it was pointed out several times. It was pointed out that Chris, wasn’t really from round here. He was a stranger you know.

It seemed unhealthy. Some lampoon it in the style of the League of Gentlemen. Others see a darker side to it.

The day after the EU Referendum, Sky news went to Old Harlow. They interviewed a lady in a cafe. When she revealed that she voted out they asked her why. She replied: “I just want to be amongst our own”. Again, wags wondered if she meant Jutes, Angles, Beaker people or Huguenots or maybe she meant people from Chelmsford.

For us, it does seem an irony when we have spent a great deal showcasing why people from all over the world came to Harlow, we still live in an atmosphere of “Not from round here, are you?”.

It does seem strange that this has, at times, infiltrated the political arena. You can see it happening in the run up to not only the May elections but also the selection of a Labour candidate for the next General Election in Harlow. With a candidates from Australia, Mauritius and Cambridge, we hope it doesn’t rear it’s ugly head.