For the next few weeks all you are going to hear is election this and election that.

I have one bit of advice for everyone - ignore everything and remember what I am about to say.

Some people will be tellling you to vote for a candidate to see what he or she can do best for Muslims. This as we all know is stuff people make-up to make themselves feel better.

In reality, most of you won’t be voting for the candidate because he or she is Muslim-friendly. You will be voting because either your dad told you to or because you think it will help you get an extra pound in your pocket.

Okay, there are the odd people here and there who won’t forget their morals and I salute them.

But the vast majority of you couldn’t give two hoots about things like that.

I’m sad to say at the moment the Muslim vote can be bought for a cold samosa and glass of warm cola - and that is not even Coca Cola!

The very same people who bark on about how their politician didn’t condemn the bombing of Gaza are out dropping leaflets out on his behalf with smiles on their faces!

What’s even worse some local imams are giving advice on who to vote for, without actually doing their homework on the candidates!

And where are all the women campaigners? When it comes to election time all I see is middle-aged men traipsing around making YOUR decisions for YOU.

The public have to understand that this will be a general election and use their vote to elect the next government. Please don’t apply political standards from back home when making your choice.

As for the councillors. I know some of our councillors are fantastic folk. But come on...we go and vote for our cousin even though he can’t speak English properly.

Then when our ward falls to pieces we blame the government instead of the dimwit we voted for.

If you are going to vote for someone because he is the same ‘baradari’ (caste) as you then at least find out if the guy wants the job. And let me make something clear just because the councillor is a Muslim it does not make him a better candidate.

There are wards where non-Muslims are standing - and I can tell you one thing they are more likely to get the job done than your own. And if you have a problem with that comment - go ahead and vote your ‘brother’ in and see what happens.

Some of the councillors we put forward don’t even want to be councillors they just get pushed into it by other family members.

For the next couple of years they get abandoned and walk around like headless chickens trying to kill the time. But at least the elders ‘got their man into the council’ and got one over their rivals.

Meanwhile, the non-Muslim guy who really wants to help his ward gets booted out. Where is the sense in that? It is about time we started voting for the candidate not because of who he or she is related too but what he or she will do for us in the next four years Till next time and thanks for all your texts.