At least the Tories have made travellers an issue for some time. The Labour party seem to have no policy, and as for the Lib Dems:

20th October 2004,

David Heath MP, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Home Affairs.

David Heath asked: "Colleagues and I have repeatedly raised the issue of the proliferation of unauthorised Travellers' sites in our constituencies. Given the written answer of yesterday's date stating thatthere are 3,571 caravans on unauthorised encampments or unauthorised developments of land without planning permission, and the court case that occurred in recent weeks, is it not time that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister produced proposals which, to be fair, it has promised, to increase the powers of local planning authorities? Many people worry about the integrity of the planning process and relationships between our communities and travellers."

From the Lib dem website. Bold highlighting mine.

So none of the major parties (in England) are even thinking about building more sites, which is what is needed. Making it easier to move people on if they are creating a nuisence should not be contraversial if there are places for them to go.

The Tories in the mid 90's helped create this shortfall in sites, but why attack them for saying what the other parties are thinking anyway?
Or do we think Prescott might find room for a few sites in his plan to concrete over Southern England?

Bunnhabhain