The Conservative Party should breath a sigh of relief that Mohammed Riaz has pulled out of the race to become the next MP for Keighley.

He says he has set aside his own political ambitions to give his party -- the Conservatives -- a better chance of taking the seat, stating that as an Asian he couldn't win the seat. He added that he believed there were people in the constituency who would vote against him simply because of his racial origin and there were not enough Asian voters to neutralise that vote.

What a crass statement to make. It is a gross insult to the vast majority of people in the constituency who haven't a racist bone in their bodies. He also makes the pompous assumption that the Asian community would vote for him.

The last thing in the world Keighley needs at the moment is a senior politician with a divisive train of thought.

It is to be hoped that the person eventually chosen will have more local knowledge and will take time to research the true picture in the constituency.

The image of Keighley has been dented again with the election of the BNP candidate to the hard fought for Town Council.

Sparked by straight from the shoulder comments from sitting MP Ann Cryer, there's a real hope that meaningful discussions can take place about the future direction of Keighley. Or is there?

She has taken the bull by the horns and asked the question 'for how long is the silent majority in Keighley prepared to sit back and let the town become overrun and torn apart by a small minority of extremists?' By extremists she means both the BNP and the segregationists within the Asian community.

The question the silent majority can rightly ask in response is -- What can we do to work together and bring about change? There is no apparent conduit for them to follow.

We have thrown down the gauntlet in the past, calling on those who can make a difference -- such as the Town Council -- to be the catalyst for talks.

Mrs Cryer is right to keep raising the issues, but once again has failed to suggest how the silent majority can make its voice heard and silence the vociferous minority she complains about. A concrete, constructive and specific proposal with a suggested resolution and exit strategy is urgently needed.