PRESS RELEASE

Norman Biggs, Chairman of the Peel Society with Mr Park and Mr Jang of KSB filming the Peel Collection at Middleton Hall.

What has the forthcoming election in South Korea to do with Tamworth?  Enough for the Korean Broadcasting Service (KSB) to fly a producer half way round the world to visit Tamworth. Why?

South Korea is about to have a general election.  There is an agitation for the major political parties to produce manifestos, so that the voters can understand what policies the political leaders will follow after the election.  No party manifestos have been published at previous elections.

Mr Jang and Mr Park by the Peel Statue in Market Street.

The first ever party manifesto was issued to the 400 electors of Tamworth by the then Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for Tamworth, Sir Robert Peel, in December 1834.  Apart from being the first political manifesto, it laid down an important constitutional precedent.  Peel announced that he was going to apply the Reform Act of 1832, which had been passed by his political opponents, The Whigs, in both the spirit and the law.  This provided the political stability that Britain enjoyed in the second half of the 19th Century.

Mr Park, a producer from Seoul, who had flown over especially to visit Tamworth and Mr Jang, a UK reporter for KSB spent five hours last Saturday visiting the Peel Collection at Middleton Hall, the Peel Statue, the Peel memorials in St. Editha's Church, The Castle and discussing with members of the Peel Society the significance of the Tamworth Manifesto.

Mr Jang and Mr Park filming the town from the Castle tower.

They are producing a programme to go out on April 8th about Tamworth and its historical importance.  They were most impressed with Tamworth as a typical middle England market town.

Nigel Morris, Vice Chairman of the Peel Society commented "It is very interesting to see the interest in the Tamworth Manifesto from countries without our long tradition of parliamentary democracy.  Two years ago we helped Nippon (Japan) Television to produce a similar programme.  It almost seems there is more interest in Peel and the Tamworth Manifesto in the Far East than Staffordshire!"

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