Local people in our cities were told not to believe the evidence of their own eyes. It was all a racist myth.

Now the equality quango has produced yet another report denying the undeniable and saying that only two per cent of publicly-provided housing was occupied by immigrants. But immigrants in the past five years have been overwhelmingly single young men: it is what has happened over the past 50 years that counts.

The evidence is there: 80 per cent of Somalis live in social housing, 49 per cent of Turks, and 41 per cent of Bangladeshis, compared with 17 per cent of British-born people.

The reasons are simple: housing is allocated on the basis of need and immigrants tended to have more children. I watched the process myself over the years. Years ago, I once served in a regiment largely composed of Londoners from the East End and I kept in touch with some of them.

These were men who had fought throughout the war; their families had suffered in the Blitz and many were bombed out of their homes. Yet when they went to inquire about the chances of getting a council house, they were told: "Sorry, these families have arrived from Bangladesh, with lots of children and their need is greater than yours." The length of time the locals had been waiting was ignored. Inner-city Labour MPs – surely the most useless bunch of clowns in political history – kept their mouths shut. The result in London's East End can be seen, with complete districts now Bangladeshi. Even the street signs are in Bengali.

The immigrants were not to blame. Who in their right mind would not prefer to live in a five-bedroomed council house in London rather than a flood-ridden village in Bangladesh? Labour politicians were the culprits; they betrayed the working class.

Now Labour has started to panic and is talking about "British homes for British people". But that is not going to happen. It is all part of the "big lie".

CONSPIRACY theories are popular these days. We have heard endlessly that the bombing of the Twin Towers in New York was masterminded by the Israelis, the CIA, the British, the Pentagon, or any one else who takes your fancy.

This is all "proved" by the fact that American Jews were secretly warned not to turn up for work that day. The fact that there is not a word of truth in this canard has not stopped its circulation.

In the Middle East, it is accepted as fact. I know a Jewish family whose beloved son-in-law died in the bombing, as did many of his
Jewish colleagues. What must that family's feelings be when they hear these lies?

The 7/7 bombings in London have also prompted conspiracy theories and the BBC was foolish enough to give an hour of peak viewing time to one last week.

It accused Tony Blair, the police, MI5, Mossad and others of murdering the victims in order to stir up anti-Muslim hatred and create support for the war on terror.

These fiendish plotters tricked four British Muslims into taking part in a mock anti-terror training exercise. They were then blown up and dubbed suicide bombers, even though they weren't even on the trains (which were blown up by pre-planted explosives under the track).

Alarmingly, this nonsense is now a favourite video on the internet. The chairman of Birmingham's Central Mosque says: "We do not accept the Government's version of July 7, 2005. This video is more convincing than the official statements." He has made 2,000 copies for members of his mosque.

The victims' relatives are calling for a proper inquiry but the likelihood is that even that would not stop the conspiracy lies. People tend to believe what they want to believe.



TAPPING people's phones is a crime and anyone guilty of it should have the book thrown at them. The only valid reasons would be the prevention of crime or national security. The present examples have nothing to do with either.

But we should be spared the display of phoney indignation from Labour MPs. We don't need lectures from an outfit which employed a Downing Street spin-doctor who discussed smearing the wives of Tory politicians.

Nor have we forgotten Labour's dirty tricks over the years – and,
above all, Dr David Kelly who was hounded to his death for speaking
the truth about non-existent weapons of mass destruction. Compared with that lot, tapping Gwyneth Paltrow's phone is small beer.