A while ago now I can remember a prominent politician of a conservative persuasion arguing the point that many members of the South Asian community in Britain were in fact more akin to the ideals of the right of the political movement, than of liberalism or socialism.

What nonsense I thought, Asians were to Labour as vinegar is to chips.

Over the years, however, I have began to doubt the latter premise. Maybe the Tory representative did have a point. And as the ethnic minority communities in this country have become more educated, settled and affluent perhaps the political thinking has changed.

But then again have we changed? Were we all closet Tories, but did not want to be associated with the likes of Enoch Powell in the late 60s? Perhaps we were comfortable with the Labour party notions of looking after immigrants, social welfare along with inclusive health and education systems? But the crux of the argument is whether we are naturally socialists, or democratic socialists - or are we all simply raving capitalists.

Although it is difficult not to generalise about such personal notions of politics, my evidence of Asian social behaviour has shown that we are much more right wing that many would have thought.

The Labour Party, in its guise as socialists and more recently as 'New' Labour has been the popular choice for the Asian vote. But in fact New Labour is not so very different to some right wing ideology. Socialism and its characteristics have very little in common with the current incumbents at number 10 Downing Street. When the contrasts between right and left were more stark - say in the 1970s and 1980s the Asian vote leaned very heavily towards the left.

Socialism is a political ideology that is very much to heart with our major religions, and also a great leveller for people with fewer opportunities - hence it was not surprising that relatively new communities fell in line with the Labour Party at the ballot boxes. And of course, there was the racial hatred of the far-right that may have also had the affect of alienating the Asian community.

The capitalist viewpoint was always put forward by those who were in the fortunate position of not having to rely upon the state, and did not seek to want to forego their hard earned pounds for those they deemed to be getting an easy ride in society. It is far too simplistic to label capitalists as greedy, and their socialist counterparts as being fair and sympathetic.

When we bring our own community into this fine equation the lines become even further blurred. Our religions teach us to be tolerant of all others and assist those less fortunate than ourselves - that is absolute. But at the same time the mere fact that our fathers were in this country to earn a living that was not afforded in the homelands meant that they were all capitalists - seeking their fortunes and building new lives.

In the subsequent 40 years the political landscape has changed. The right of centre governments have dictated political life. Capitalist functions have dominated mainstream activities. The rise of privatisation, greater home ownership, the undermining of trade union movements, and global industries challenging the political processes have meant that society's attitudes have changed and as a result the Asian community has progressed with the relevant mindset.

The harder we work, the greater opportunities will come to us - the more choices we will have in life. In fact, those 'free riders' are thought to be at the heart of their own problems. Poverty can be avoided through hard work and diligence so therefore they choose to be poor. The accumulation of wealth, through money, property and equities is a measurement of your value to society, as well as status. Capitalists are wealth creators, they are good for the economy. In the capitalist system the winners deserve to be at the top - because they have worked the hardest. Race, gender and background does not matter in this 'winner takes all' atmosphere of life.

I doubt whether I am the only person on this island who is uncomfortable with those notions. Throughout my lifetime capitalism seems to encapsulate the idea that you and your immediate family should be the only concern to any individual - to hell with anyone else.

It is fine to suggest family values should be given greater consideration over society's needs, but I feel we have all become losers in this system. You might live in a 10-bedroomed-mansion, but what's the point living there if you have to alienate those around you in your community to feel safe and secure?

As for our community we embody the characteristics of the most extreme form of capitalism. The relentless pursuit of money has even taken the family values out of this segment of debate. How many medium to large Asian businesses are you aware of that have a strong emphasis on trade union membership? And the minimum wage, a credit to the current government, was seen as a huge bugbear to the said Asian businesses.

The rag trade merchants who used to pay 70 pence per hour to their staff are now living it up.

One only has to look at the Asian rich list to see just far Asian business people have come over a short period of time. But very few of these organisations win awards on ethics or staff satisfaction. These businesses also exploit the nature of the immigration trade. This is not to suggest that the indigenous community does not too. But we all applaud these business people, many of them quite rightly, in their success and to be very frank most of us would do exactly the same.

As individuals we would tremble at the thought of paying higher taxes to live in a better environment. We are too concerned with our own well being to consider the implications to others in our vicinity.

It is perhaps unjust just to focus on successful business folk. If we look at ourselves for a moment - we are constantly complaining about how big US businesses control their policies - especially foreign policies. There is a simple solution - boycott them! To help poor African farmers go to your local supermarket and buy free trade products. Sorry, can't possibly do that - it's at least 10 pence more expensive! There is no question that we should support our local shopkeepers, like Mr Patel. But then again a bigger shop at the local 24 hour supermarket is cheaper.

Whether we like it or not, all of our choices are built upon financial sense. Very little, if any, perspective is given to the affects of our acquisitions on society and the people of that society. And hence, as consumers of this world, we are the embodiment of a capitalist community.