Dudley is enjoying almost unparalleled prominence on the political landscape, with the Tory leader, shadow chancellor and a respected front bench veteran all visiting the borough in recent weeks, writes our Dudley man Mark Mudie.

On election night, a defining moment for any democracy, the voice of our voters will be heard loud and clear across the land as their verdict signals either the fall of Gordon Brown or the failure of David Cameron.

Following in the footsteps of Mr Cameron and George Osborne, the latest MP to visit the borough Theresa May acknowledged Dudley’s importance when she said it was a “key battleground”.

The phrasing of her sentiments was unfortunate, entirely blamelessly coming on the day the English Defence League announced they would invade Dudley on Easter Sunday.

The prospect of ugly pitched battles between far-right factions and their anti-fascist counter-punchers is a real and alarming one, as residents in Birmingham and Stoke know all too well.

The show of unity from leaders of all Dudley Council’s political groups – themselves bitterly opposed to the planned £18million mosque which the EDL cites as justification for the demonstration – is as noteworthy as it is commendable.

There is simply no appetite for a group of outsiders to stir up racial tensions which are, for the most part, conspicuous by their absence. The debate over Dudley’s mosque has been passionate and protracted but has never punctured the peace which exists among its multi-cultural community.

The EDL wants to shatter that with its talk of defending this country’s culture and Christian heritage against what it perceives as the Islamic takeover of Britain.

Interestingly when the protest plans emerged Dudley’s political leaders all spoke out in favour of ‘peaceful protest’ as a central pillar of democracy. Their sentiments were echoed by bosses at the Black Country Living Museum and Dudley Zoo, which could both suffer as a result of the demo.

What a shame if the EDL, in recklessly abusing a principle our politicians are so keen to defend, overshadows Dudley’s day in the democratic sun.

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With the Tory poll lead dwindling this week, how are the party’s nerves holding up? Mrs May told Dudley Man: “I never predict elections. We have never been complacent about the polls.

“But when people get to the ballot box they will have a clear choice between five more years of Gordon Brown or change under David Cameron. I think we need change.”