Where did Ed Miliband’s One Nation mantra go!?

Based on recent events, it seems not too far beyond the Conference Halls of Manchester.

When I read {A couple had their three foster children taken away by a council on the grounds that their membership of the UK Independence Party meant that they supported “racist” policies.} Like many people I immediately thought that can’t be true, there must be more to this story!

Reading further, following news and comments last night and this morning it seems there is nothing more to the story. A husband and wife couple (a retired navy officer and a qualified nursery nurse) who have been fostering for seven years, and looked after almost fourteen children, last week were deemed unfit foster parents due to their membership of UKIP!

So what do we call this? Political correctness gone mad or is there something more sinister?

Here is the Telegraph article and it is regularly updated, please read and judge it yourself.

The couple who were Labour supporters in the past said they felt like criminals when they were told their views on immigration made them unsuitable to care for the three siblings from an ethnic minority background.

Since the story broke, Nigel Farage UKIP’s leader called the council’s action “a bloody outrage”. Tim Loughton, the former children minster said: “he’ll be very concerned if the decision was based on misguided political correctness ….” This morning the Labour Party (Rotherham is a Labour run local authority) launched an inquiry into the matter.

Fostering is a tough and demanding job. Those individuals who put themselves forward and open their homes for children and young people give a selfless service and we should be honoring and encouraging them and more like them to come forward, not put ridiculous obstacles on their way! Especially, as nationwide, the need for good foster parents outstrips the number of children in disparate need of fostering.

The Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council has since reviewed their decision and said the couple may foster again, however, they may only foster white children!

For a local authority to officially say, they have to look at “the children’s cultural and ethnic needs” as if an ethnic person’s needs in 2012 Britain are different to a non-ethnic person’s needs would be laughable if it wasn’t dangerously discriminatory.

This by the way is coming from Ed Miliband’s ‘One Nation’ Labour local authority!