TMP Online

TMP columnist, Lola Adesioye, previews Black History Month. 

Black History Month is nearly upon us.  October has been celebrated as Black History Month for nearly 30 years now, and it is testament to the importance of black history that there is indeed one month in the English calendar which is dedicated to it.

But isn’t it time for black history in the UK to be recognized for longer than just one month in the year? The truth is that black history is not just for – or about – black people. Black History Month is for everyone because black history is also British history – a fact that often goes unrecognized by non-black people in this country. All citizens of this country can, and should, learn from black history. Not just during October, but always.

Africans, Caribbeans and their descendents have contributed, to an unquantifiable degree, in the building, development and continued wealth of the UK. Their labour, often unaccounted for and unremunerated, is what makes this country – and the western world – what is it today.

It is said that you cannot understand who you are if you do not know where you come from. Many say that young black children today suffer from a lack of understanding of their history, but I would argue that the same is true of any British person who is unaware of the role of Africans and Caribbeans in their country’s history.

For that reason, it’s time to make black history something that is remembered, thought about and celebrated more than once a year. It is time to make black history part of the national curriculum and to teach it in history lessons; time to start regularly acknowledging the significant role that black people have played in the UK’s history to such a degree that it is as well known as England’s kings and queens.

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Following the selection of Boris Johnson as the Conservatives London Mayoral candidate yesterday, the editors of Britain’s two leading Black newspapers have joined forces with Lord Ouseley, former chair of the Commission for Racial Equality and Prof Chris Mullard, chair of the Notting Hill Carnival, to write an open letter to David Cameron expressing their concerns.  The letter is reproduced below.

Dear David Cameron

Re: Boris Johnson MP

As Boris Johnson is now the official Conservative candidate for the forthcoming elections for the Mayor of London, we write to request that you clearly dissociate yourself personally and your party from his offensive comments that are an inescapable barrier between your party and the black communities in this country.

You will be aware that there has been much discussion and a growing level of serious concern expressed within London’s Caribbean and African communities in relation to this series of offensive statements made by Mr Johnson. Since he declared his candidacy, the Conservative Party has remained silent on this matter but there is now no reason for you not to clearly dissociate your party from his statements as he is now your official candidate.

Taken together, the series of statements he has made constitute an alarming and consistent trend. The issue goes beyond the London election – it strikes at the heart of the Conservative party’s stated claim to be open to all.

We believe it is no longer credible for such comments to remain without a clear statement from your party – officially – that you reject his language and the statements he has made.

For example, Mr Johnson has referred in his own articles to black people as ‘piccaninnies’ and Africans as having ‘water melon smiles’. He was also quoted by the Observer to have said, whilst in Uganda: ‘Right, let’s go and look at some more piccaninnies.’

He has written of Africa that ‘the problem is not that we were once in charge, but that we are not in charge any more’; has described South Africa under Nelson Mandela as the ‘majority tyranny of black rule’; and he has written in relation to African people that ‘left to their own devices, the natives would rely on nothing but the instant carbohydrate gratification of the plantain’.

London is a multicultural city with positive, vibrant and dynamic black communities. We would expect that all parties reject the kind of language used by Mr Johnson.

As you know, Mr Johnson has also written that the Stephen Lawrence inquiry was ‘Ceaucescu-ish’ ‘hysteria’, with the ‘whiff of a witch-hunt’, and described it as ‘Orwellian’ – comments that have led to him being criticised strongly by Doreen Lawrence, Stephen’s mother.

The Conservative party must confront the serious implications of choosing a candidate with such a track record to lead the most diverse city in Europe. As leader of that party so far you have failed publicly to challenge, acknowledge and recognise the offensive nature of these comments.

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TMP editor, Chuka Umunna, ponders the continuing employment inequalities in modern Britain. 

A couple of years ago, I advised a high flying professional who was being subject to overt sex discrimination at work. Not only was she told not to use her married name at work, on the basis that a switch from using her maiden name would demonstrate a lack of commitment to her job, but it transpired that the rest of her team had run a sweep stake on how soon she would leave work (to have children etc) after marrying. Fed up with this nonsense, she consequently resigned and there followed a substantial out of court settlement in her favour.

However, most female clients for whom I act cannot point to such concrete evidence; the same can be said of other disadvantaged groups who find themselves discriminated against at the point of recruitment or dismissal, or who simply find they are being paid less than their colleagues. Discrimination is more covert these days and the burden of proof in most cases initially lies on the claimant to show wrongdoing – a high hurdle to overcome.

It is therefore little wonder that in 2007, despite all our anti-discrimination legislation, employment and pay gaps between disadvantaged groups and the population at large continue unabated. Women working full-time are still paid on average 17% less an hour than men (38% less if they work part-time) more than 30 years after the Equal Pay Act was introduced. It is estimated that 57% of working women are in jobs below their skill and qualification levels – so not only are they underpaid, they are being passed over for promotion also.

Ethnic minorities do not fare much better. Being underpaid is an issue here too. In April, a Joseph Rowntree Foundation report showed that male ethnic minority professionals earn up to 25% less than their white counterparts. But securing employment in the first place is still a struggle – the employment gap between ethnic minorities and everyone else stubbornly remains around the 15% mark. This is before looking at the situation of those with disabilities and others.

So if the moral and the legal arguments are failing to bring an end to these disparities, what are we to do next? Step forward Committed 2 Equality (C2E), the leading employment diversity consultancy. Today they have published a report that shows there are strong financial incentives for business to adopt fair employment practices.

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Raj Jethwa sets out the agenda for London ahead of the Mayoral and GLA elections next year.

Although many commentators have been quick to point out the decline in voter turnout since the mid-1960s, far fewer have discussed the role of class in this trend. The simple truth is that the decline in political participation has been most pronounced among those on the lowest incomes. More than 70 percent of those in social class AB voted in the 2005 General Election, compared to just 54 percent of those in social class DE.

This will be a major problem for Labour in the London elections. The official turnout figures for the 2001 and 2005 General Elections show that the seats with the lowest turnouts were overwhelmingly poor inner city constituencies; the ones with the highest turnouts were leafy and affluent. That also only includes turnout among registered voters. In some of the poorest neighbourhoods, up to 30 percent of adults are not on the electoral register.

The decline in voting is clearly a result of a declining belief in political efficacy among those who most need to see politics work. Voter registration and the state of Labour Party organisation on the ground will be key in the London elections. But so too will be the content of our programme. We need to show our core voters that there is a point to voting and that a vote for Labour on the London Assembly and for ken Livingstone as Mayor, will deliver the policies which are of most concern to those communities who would traditionally vote Labour. We need to ensure that people see the point of voting and bother to turnout to polling stations.

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TMP columnist Lola Adesioye argues that we need to look at the benefits of immigration in the wake of the remarks of Chief Constable Julie Spence.

This week Chief Constable Julie Spence from Cambridge entered into the immigration debate, giving her views on how migrant workers – particularly those from Eastern Europe – are placing a heavy burden on the resources of the police force. Language, cultural and social differences are all, according to Ms Spence, costing her community – and no doubt others – dear.

Of course the media loved that! They might as well have shouted: “See! We knew we were right! Immigration is bad for our beloved country! Forget what the government says, here is a senior police officer telling us what we’ve always known!” Lo and behold, the newspapers – from The Daily Mail to The Telegraph – played up to the hysteria.

Ross Clark in the Times wrote the following piece of well-investigated journalism (please note my sarcasm): “That our murder rate has doubled since the 1950s, for example, is not entirely unconnected with our having absorbed a great number of migrants from cultures much more violent than our own.”

I would love to ask Mr Clark from where he gets his evidence that a) Eastern Europeans (or anyone else for that matter) are more violent than Brits, and b) that the increased murder rate in the UK since 1950 has anything whatsoever to do with immigration.

In another piece of scare-mongering, the Telegraph says: “Society is fracturing, segregation growing, the dream of integration further away than ever. This poses profound problems for the country: funding adequate public services is probably the least of them.” Again, where is the real evidence for any of this?

Unfortunately, these are simply the ill-informed, un-researched personal – although presented as fact – opinions of supposedly intelligent, forward thinking and educated people. But blimey, if they feel that way, what must the average Joe Bloggs think?

Immigration is – and always has been – a controversial issue in this country. Whilst the government plays up the economic benefits, many remain unconvinced, believing instead that it harms ‘social cohesion’ and damages the fabric of British society. Ms Spence’s comments served only to reinforce this viewpoint. According to her, people from Eastern Europe have ‘different standards’ and are responsible for a rise in knife crime and drink driving.

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The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has said he will not take part in a major EU-Africa summit if Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe is allowed to attend. Describing the situation in the former British colony as “appalling and tragic”, Mr Brown called on the international community to bring more pressure to bear on the Harare regime.

President Mugabe is currently facing a EU travel ban, which would have to be lifted if he was to attend the Lisbon talks. Writing in the Independent today, Brown said,
“I believe that President Mugabe’s presence would undermine the summit, diverting attention from the important issues that need to be resolved. In those circumstances, my attendance would not be appropriate.”

Brown highlights the fact that four million people have fled the country, 80 per cent of the population is unemployed, four million will be on food aid by the end of the year and average life expectancy in Zimbabwe has fallen to just 37.

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The Commission for Racial Equality has today launched its final legacy document, “A lot done, a lot to do: Our Vision for an integrated Britain”.

The report outlines the current state of UK race today with facts and statistics relating to all aspects of British life, from young people, health and education through to employment, communities, sport and local government.

In it, the CRE sets out the challenges faced in creating an integrated society and some key steps that need to be taken to reduce pernicious inequalities, growing social segregation and declining participation.

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Committed2Equality (c2e), the leading UK employment diversity consultancy, Unite, the largest union in the UK, and TMP will be hosting a fringe event at the Labour Party Conference on Monday 24 September in Bournemouth.

Employment and pay gaps between disadvantaged groups and the rest of the population continue, despite a swath of measures introduced since 1997. Women working full-time are still paid on average 17% less an hour than men (38% less if they work part-time) and the employment gap between ethnic minorities and the population at large stubbornly remains around the 15% mark.

The event – “Bridging the gap: narrowing the employment divide” – will explore the practical and pragmatic steps the Labour Government needs to take to ensure fair employment and improve the employment and work opportunities for disadvantaged groups.

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Darfur activists from around the world are holding a day of action today to “send off” their respective world leaders to the U.N. General Assembly with a call to “not look away” from the Darfur atrocities. Advocates in dozens of countries are hosting local events urging their leaders to help end the ongoing crisis in the western region of Sudan.

16 September marks the formal opening of the UN General Assembly and the second anniversary of the ‘responsibility to protect agreement,’ when governments agreed to act to stop genocide and mass atrocities. Two years following that declaration, campaigners are drawing attention to the international community’s failure to fulfill their promises in Darfur where over 200,000 have been killed.

The events follow the U.N. Security Council’s passing of Resolution 1769, authorizing a hybrid U.N. – African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur and calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities. Globe for Darfur, an international group of non-governmental organizations organizing this fourth global day of action, is warning that despite the welcome passing of the resolution nothing has changed on the ground and that if governments look away now, thousands of lives will be put at risk.

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This country needs to be able to discuss race and racism openly and as objectively as possible argues TMP columnist, Lola Adesioye.

This week Trevor McDonald was cleared of racism after he described the late comedian Bernard Manning as a “fat, white, bastard” on his television show ‘News Knight’. Ofcom said that within the context of usage, such language – although strong – was “clearly intended to parody Manning’s own comedy” and was “justified in the context”.

I am glad that Ofcom came to this ruling. It evidently used its discretion and common sense – unlike most when discussing racism – and an understanding that context plays a defining role in the meaning and significance of words. I’m pleased that Ofcom did not fall into the naive political correctness trap which deems that any mention of skin colour is racist.

In a year when a white contestant was removed from the Big Brother house for calling a fellow (black) housemate a ‘n****r’ (following the racist bullying of Indian actress Shilpa Shetty in the previous series), and the American radio presenter Don Imus committed career suicide when he was overheard calling a group of black female basketball players ‘nappy headed ho’s’, the debate continues to rage – and opinions are strongly divided – when it comes to deciding what constitutes racism.

Over 100 complaints were made by viewers to Ofcom and ITV about Trevor McDonald’s words. The comedian Jim Bowen was said to be ‘appalled’ and Manning’s partner ‘shocked’. I am rather amused that in a clearly satirical piece of television – please note that the actual segment was entitled ‘Racist and Dead’ – about a highly controversial comedian who would have used the very same language himself, some were unable to understand the irony behind what was being said.

However, I am not surprised that complaints were made. I am not surprised because whether we’re talking about Don Imus, Big Brother or Trevor McDonald, it has become virtually impossible to have a sensible, honest debate or discussion about anything to do with race without hysterical public reactions. The issue is further complicated in the public’s minds by an apparent double standard where it is believed that people of colour can use any language they choose, but white people are called racists if they use the very same language. The ‘N word’ debate, for example, is centered around this complexity.

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