Although
Glasgow-born, Jim Fitzpatrick has been passionately
committed to the East End of London since his arrival here
in the capital in 1973. He has always harboured an interest
in politics, but remarkably began his career as a fire-fighter.
During his 23 years with the fire brigade, he was an active
member of the union, and became increasingly involved with
the Labour Party as a result.
Jim
explains that his interest in politics has been with him
since childhood. He grins as he reminisces: "I aspired
to be a professional politician in the way that other boys
aspired to be professional footballers. I even started my
own political party in school when I was 16". Jim's
youthful enthusiasm never waned; combined with his natural
integrity, his efforts won him the nomination for the constituency
of Poplar and Canning Town in 1995 and, in 1997, his dream
was realised when he took his seat in Westminster as an
MP.
He sees
his role not as that of a lofty politician, but as a supporter
of causes. "I am here to promote the East End of London.
My chief aim is to assist local businesses in any way that
I can, because the future prosperity of my constituents
hinges on the success of local business." He views
his parliamentary seat as one of the most exciting in Britain.
"The challenge is to bring the wealth generated at
Canary Wharf to the local community. We need to introduce
the local workforce to the thriving business community that
is Canary Wharf.
"The
Canary Wharf Group has been instrumental in addressing this
issue. It has donated large sums of money to local schools
and set-up vital employment schemes such as Skills-match.
This recruitment agency ensures that as many jobs as possible
are filled by local workers. It has introduced a number
of local Bangladeshi graduates to firms based at Canary
Wharf and has thus brought the two communities together.
"It
is inspiring to see the affluent new businesses at Canary
Wharf reaching out to the local people. There are more opportunities
in this area now than ever before. And, with both communities
joining forces, future prosperity is assured."
