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Press Release
Call for prayer over today's Parliament votes on casino licences
For Immediate Release: 28 March 2007
"Opposition to gambling free-for-all is growing" says Cllr Alan Craig. "God cannot want a casino in east London"
Cllr Alan Craig, leader of the Christian Peoples Alliance group on Newham Council, last night called for people to act and pray against parliamentary approval for the new casino licences during today's vote in the House of Commons and the Lords.
"Here in Newham where we have been offered London's sole large casino licence, the opposition is growing," said Cllr Craig. "Christians, Muslims and other faith groups are challenging the notion that the construction of casinos will regenerate deprived inner-city areas like ours. Instead we are highlighting the tremendous social cost of casinos in terms of increased gambling addiction, personal debt, family breakdown and crime. God is always on the side of the poor and vulnerable so we may be sure He cannot want a casino in east London.
"The government is under pressure from within its own ranks in Parliament and it may even lose the vote in the Lords and - just possibly - the Commons too.
"Here in Newham the executive mayor Sir Robin Wales has been forced to back away from his plans to implement the large casino licence. Instead he is appointing an independent commission chaired by a retired High Court judge to assess the impact of a casino on the borough. Sir Robin should be congratulated for seeing some sense on this, although it would be better if he simply refused the licence.
"We should pray that the votes fail in Parliament and that the government's whole casino policy and gambling free-for-all is sent back to the drawing board."
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Editors Queries:
Contact: CPA Newham HQ 020 7476 5381
The CPA
The Christian Peoples Alliance ran candidates in boroughs and districts across the country at the May 4 Local Govt. Elections. The party fielded candidates in the May 2005 General Elections as well as in the EU and London elections in June 2004 when the party won over 240,000 votes in London and the south of England. The CPA is a Christian Democratic party and has the backing of Christian Democratic parties in Europe, including Holland, Norway, Sweden and Finland.
Promoted and Published by P Vickers on behalf of Alan Craig, both at 64 Burke Street, Canning Town, E16 1ET.
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