"How Fair is Britain?" asks a EHRC report

Co-incidentally following on from my previous post, I saw this article in the Observer yesterday - it was about a report due to be published today by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on fairness in Britain and especially one chapter about an education system in 2010 that is "deeply divided". 

The piece, by Anushka Asthana, summarises that "the inequalities emerge at nursery, carry on into primary school and secondary education, and then university and beyond. Some relate to race, others to poverty, disability and the problems experienced by Britain's boys" - it shows how these "remain crucial factors in determining how British pupils succeed at school - and beyond".

The article goes on:

"Once it was a story of black and white, in which racial discrimination was a major driving force. But in tomorrow's report, the story of ethnicity is a complicated one – in which poor black boys underachieve, as do those from Irish Traveller families, but poor Chinese girls overachieve"

and

Commenting on a headteacher who suggests that the part of the problem is that teachers worry about being accused of racism, "Rob Berkeley, director of the Runnymede Trust, a leading race equality think tank, said [...] "My worry is the race to say that racial discrimination is never a problem," he said. But tomorrow's report makes clear that ethnicity still matters – even if you control the factor of class, he added. So it is a little early to declare "mission accomplished".

I haven't read this EHRC report itself, but this article made me think about the points of the 'Rethinking Race" writers (which I wrote about yesterday, 'Rethinking Black History Month?') because it revisits some of the same arguments. The "story of ethnicity" is certainly complicated and we do need to listen to anyone who wants to help (i.e. the headteacher above) but it seems that Rob Berkeley of Runnymede comes to pretty much the same conclusion as I did in that piece.

Rethinking Black History Month?

It's October again and time for, let's be honest, an increasingly uncomfortable Black History Month. For me, it's become uncomfortable because it has become inextricably linked to the ever-louder voices against multiculturalism.

It cannot be an accident that the cover feature of the October edition of Prospect magazine is 'Rethinking Race: Has multiculturalism had its day?". This edition uses the device of commissioning four 'non-white' commentators  to 'question the assumptions of some official anti-racism" - this device supposedly giving more weight to their arguments which cannot be so easily dismissed as "ignorant, naive, or unwittingly prejudiced". The writers are Munira Mirza (adviser to the Mayor of London for arts and culture), Tony Sewell (former teacher, now consultant and director of a charity), Swaran Singh (professor and consultant NHS psychiatrist) and Sonia Dyer (artist, writer and commentator).

Rather than racism, for different combinations of these writers, it is class and socio-economic group which are more potent causes of disadvantage (eg. Dyer on artistic success); for others it is an inherited and liberal-encouraged culture of victimhood (eg. Sewell on why black male pupils don't succeed) and for others it is the immigrant experience itself (e.g. Singh on high rates of mental health amongst black people).

If some people are a bit cautious about embracing such writers and views, something which Mirza herself acknowledges (she puts it down to the dominance of a 1980s anti-racist mindset), it is because there is an unease about declaring too soon 'the end of racism' (a la Daniel Bell's 'The End of Ideology'). Whilst arguing that racism is not what what it used to be ('Race is no longer the disadvantage it is often portrayed to be', Mirza), some of these writers warn against "a new kind of racialising", one which is paternalistic and where one's ethnicity is stressed all the time, for good and bad.

The "depend on yourself and get on with it" attitude is one which appeals to me. It's what our immigrant parents did after all. And so whilst I agree with some of the sentiments in the Prospect feature - much progress has unquestionably been made - I do question whether we might be in danger of throwing our the baby with bathwater. Another problem for me is taking a position on multiculturalism. It's something which I've always thought I was in strong favour of. Yet those who want to call the 'end of multiculturalism' seem to be working to a different definition of it, and come from a variety of perspectives, some pretty unsavoury. This captures a problem - what exactly do we mean by multiculturalism? A BBC piece here captures some of the varying definitions.

If I take one of the least left-leaning of the commentators in that BBC article, Ruth Lea, and use a definition which she'd support:

"...where people have their own cultural beliefs and they happily coexist - but there is a common thread of Britishness or whatever you want to call it to hold society together".

then I think I'd be pretty happy with that - and find no problem with celebrating different cultures.

I leave you with the beginnings of my BHM post last year:

"Tuesday, 29 September 2009

Black History Month: Good or bad thing?

October heralds the onset on Black History Month in the UK. This month (or so)-long collection of events, talks, and performances started in the UK in 1987 but has its roots in the American beginnings of this event launched in 1926 as Negro History Week.

Some knee-jerks leap in each year with the reaction 'what about white history month'? This gang are usually synonymous with those who think that all immigrants are getting houses, jobs, benefits etc... Are they kidding? We live in White History Life. Turn to the History Channel, look at the overwhelming majority of any school syllabus, look at government funding of the majority of cultural and artistic organisations look at politics, look at...need I go on? And maybe that's to be expected, that's life, life is eurocentric - or at any rate, those with power are. But when some small-minded people object to one measly month of wonderful activities, mostly for families and many for free, then I've got to defend BHM.

BHM also has its detractors from the 'liberal centre/left' who argue about the further 'ghettoisation' of black people, and that such demarcations continue to mark black people out as different and maybe detracts from where the real fight is - for example, see Deborah Orr's scathing piece a while ago in the The Independent ('Why we should bin Black History Month: It's wrong for all the reasons that multiculturalism more generally is wrong')........."   Click here to read the rest of this post.

'Uprisings' of the '1980s revisited'

An interesting event coming up at the British Library (especially in view of the current Black History Month - more on that another time...):

Our memories of the uprisings: The 1980s Revisited

Mon 25 Oct 2010, 18.00 - 19.30

Conference Centre, British Library, St Pancras, 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB

Price: £6 / £4 concessions

Book now here

Frequently characterised as 'racial riots', the uprisings of the 1980s in Bristol, Brixton, Toxteth and Moss Side were significant reactions to the politics of late 20th-century Britain. This event will bring together witnesses to offer memories of the uprisings and reflect on their context and legacy. The audience will have an opportunity to share their memories and discuss the socio-historical background to these events.

Speakers include Linda Bellos OBE, Wally Brown CBE and Kunle Olulode.

The run time for this event includes a post-talk reception.  Presented in association with LB Camden Black History Forum.

This event seems to concentrate more on the African-Caribbean experience of the 1980s - 'uprisings' also took place, of course, in west London in Southall where there was an Indian community which was doing battle with racist parties. I've touched on some of those events in these past posts:

Blair Peach and Southall on Newsight now...

A Town under Seige: p.s. to the Southall Story

The Southall Story

Coming out about Bollywood

Kwame Kwei-Armah: a Southall boy

International Market , Eltham, Sunday 10 October

The Association for Commerce Eltham (ACE) has been promoting this market in Eltham tomorrow - the weather's not going to be bad so it should be worth a look:

"If you are missing the flavours from your foreign travels during the summer, come and enjoy some Al Fresco shopping at Eltham’s International market which is taking place on Sunday 10 October between 10am to 4pm at Passey Place.

The market will offer a range of Continental and International specialities as well as local produce, including cheese, charcuterie, olives, baklava, Turkish delight, organic dried fruit & nuts, vegan bakery and wines/ciders from France. Other delicious products will include Malaysian noodles, and for the sweeter tooth there’ll be French crepes with a range of toppings.

Also on sale will be pashminas, bags and silver jewellery, ideal for some early Christmas presents.

Jourdan Le Melle who coordinates the market invites you to come along and sample the produce and enjoy the great cosmopolitan atmosphere. For more information, telephone 0782 777 8704."

Greenwich in the Story of London

Ok so I've totally failed to blog in time about the 'Story of London' festival 'celebrating London's past, present and future'.  I've been clinging on to the Time Out programme for the last couple of weeks.

But I thought it was still worth mentioning. Lots of the events look interesting even if they would have happened without this Mayor of London-organised festival - that has provided a convenient badging for a number of these events (eg. the Gandhi in London walk which I blogged about the other week.)

There's still one event, and a FREE one at that, to catch for us south-east Londoners:
 
Sunday 10 October:

Exploring the Archaeology of Greenwich Park

Take a guided walk around Greenwich Park, examining the fascinating archaeology while considering the 21st century usage of the Park, including the 2012 Olympic Games. The walk will start with the unique geological, topographic and prehistoric position of the park within London.

Explore the sites of the buried Romano-Celtic Temple, Anglo-Saxon barrow cemetery, medieval castle and examine the Baroque formal landscape, designed for royalty and today enjoyed by everyone. 

A handout will be provided with information about the sites visited and further reading.  The walk is limited to 30 people. 

Start time: 10:30.    Cost: Free

Meet Outside the Pavilion Tea House, in the centre of Greenwich Park, London, SE10 8QY

To book:   Greenwich@english-heritage.org.uk   or  Tel: 0207 973 3738

Stephen Lawrence Centre Family Day, 9 October

Taking place at the Stephen Lawrence Centre in Deptford on Saturday 9th October 2010 is a Family Fun Day full of entertainment and activities.

The event will run on Saturday 9th October from 12-4pm and will consist of face painting, a bouncy castle, balloon animals, candy floss & popcorn machine, costume sumo wrestling and much more.

The Stephen Lawrence Centre, 39 Brookmill Road, London SE8 4HU

T: 020 8100 2800 .     E: information@stephenlawrence.org.uk

Johnny Depp in Greenwich

Plenty of other local blogs have been following the progress of Johnny Depp's current filming of the latest Pirates of the Caribbean film at nearby Greenwich and the Royal Naval College in particular. But I have to cave now and feature something about this intriguing man when I learnt yesterday that Captain Jack Sparrow and fellow pirates made an apparently 'surprise' visit to children at a local school, Meridian Primary School, delighting them in full costume. Whether or not it was a surprise or PR arrangement, I admit it raised a frisson of excitement in me and will be something the children (and staff) will remember for a long time.

You can see some (amateur?) footage below and read about it here.

Peepli [Live] - India's entry to the Oscars

A film purporting to be "Bollywood meets arthouse" and an "anti-Slumdog Millionaire" has recently been chosen as India's entry to the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language film category.

Peepli [Live] is a social satire with an unstarry cast yet it opened in August to rave reviews. The film is produced by well-known actor, and latterly producer, Aamir Khan and directed by Anusha Rizvi. It differs from the usual Bollywood fare because rather than romance and melodrama, it explores the topic of "farmer suicides" and the subsequent media and political response.

The Times of India summaries the plot:

"Enter Peepli, a small village in the hinterland where a farmer duo, Natha (Omkar Das Manikpuri) and Budhia (Raghuvir Yadav) are struggling to hold on to their land. Threatened by extreme poverty, they fall upon a novel plan. Natha decides to commit suicide to avail of the one lakh [rupees] compensation package doled out by the government. But before he can do that, the news spreads like wildfire.

The unknown hamlet soon becomes the favourite hunting ground for the voyeuristic news channels, hungry for TRPs, unscrupulous politicians, eyeing their vote banks, fumbling bureaucrats, foxed and clueless about the strange turn of events...Can the farmer's family hope for succour? Is India equipped to handle its swelling population of forgotten and marginalised citizenry? Does Natha survive? Good questions.... "

People have been raving about the film. It certainly sounds intriguing on many levels. A good counterbalance to the glitz, money and controversy around the current Commonwealth Games in Delhi. The film opened in the UK on 24 September. You can check here to see where it's showing.

Some reviews and the trailer (in English):

- a Guardian review 

- Reuters India article

- Spiked article, by Felix Holmgren

Child benefit cut

Wow - they've really gone for it despite the massive u-turn it represents on everything the Tories said during the election about such universal benefits. The cut in child benefit announced today for households with a £44k p.a. earner is being digested everywhere tonight.

Sadly, me and mine come in at just over the wire and therefore we will be losing the £134 approx. monthly we currently get for our two children.  Just to remind you at the back, you get £20.30 a week for your eldest child and £13.40 a week for each of your other children.  That's assuming the ConDem coalition makes it to 2013 - if they think it's so good why wait until then? The truth is that the child benefit cut represents a very small part of the deficit and therefore it must be mainly a symbolic gesture. Chancellor George Osborne had to balance out his £26,000-a-year cap on the total value of benefits received by unemployed households with this perceived 'attack on middle-class benefits' such as the universal nature of the child benefit.

More lucid analysis to be found, well, almost everywhere, but especially the links below.

In the meantime, I was amused to read that the love-in begun during the election between online mums and David Cameron, has sadly come to an end:

Siobhan Freegard, the co-founder of Netmums, an online forum for mothers, has apparently said: “This proposal is a direct strike on those families who have worked hard to get themselves into a position where one parent is the breadwinner while the other is a stay-at-home parent.”

Child benefit cut will hit women hardest

How might the Benefit cuts really add up?

Tory Child benefit U-Turn – Super Furry Animals perspective

Anyone for tennis in Eltham?

Wimbledon is a distant memory I know but if you're interested in outdoor tennis lessons in the area, I noticed that courses are offered at the courts at Eltham Park South (Glenesk Road, Eltham, SE9 1AG).  There are 7-week courses for juniors (4+, £27 to £31) and for adults.

I've been trying to tempt my kids into signing up! You can check out the details for Greenwich City Tennis here.

Sikh-Brit Archie Panjabi wins US TV award

For a while I've had this news saved up...

Last month the London-born actress of Sikh background, Archana Kaur - better known as Archie Panjabi, won the best supporting actress for her role in the The Good Wife, a US series which seems also to have been shown on Channel 4 recently.

I've always enjoyed watching her performances and she looks absolutely stunning at the awards ceremony (but let's not forget, she also has a management degree).

The Telegraph had this to say:

"On an otherwise disappointing night for British talent, Archie Panjabi won the best supporting actress award for her role as the straight-talking private detective Kalinda Sharma in the US drama The Good Wife.

The 38-year-old, who made her name in the British hit films East is East and Bend it Like Beckham, appeared elated as she accepted the prestigious US television award.

She said: "When I started in the business in England, just getting a job was a dream. And to receive an Emmy now is just beyond my wildest dreams.”

Panjabi, whose family emigrated to London from India before she was born, is among only a handful of Sikh performers ever to have won an Emmy.

But she has told how her strict family were less than supportive when she announced her aspiration to become an actress because the profession is considered “lowly” by many traditional Indian communities.“We did have a few arguments because I wanted to go to drama school,” she said previously. “When I was younger a friend of mine’s mother said that this business was only for prostitutes. I thought, Oh my God, do I label myself as that?” But she added that her parents had ultimately agreed to support her ambition on the condition that she went to university first.

Her 2:1 in management studies from Brunel may not have contributed much to her meteoritic success as an actress, but her parents’ scepticism about showbusiness appears to have helped keep her feet on the ground.

Panjabi, who is now married to the businessman Raj Nihalani, said in a recent interview that her favourite pastime is “simply relaxing with a candle and a book,” adding: “simple things are so important because I think in this industry…it’s like being part of a bubble......"

What a familiar scenario - British-Asian girl/boy wants to go into the arts/culture - parents aghast that they'll become a slut/gay/a wastrel and force them to do business/accountancy - kids sticks it out, get the degree then do their own thing anyway (and became Sanjay Baskar or Nitin Sawhney) or else, alternatively disappear into obscurity....weeps gently.

Watch Archie Panjabi's Emmy speech here.

Following in Gandhi's London footsteps

Ever wondered where, and how, Gandhi (the Mahatma, 1869 - 1948) lived in London each of the times he visited between 1888 to 1906? Go on, I'm sure you must have.

Well, now you can go on a two-hour walk which retraces the steps of Gandhi, who became a dominant figure in Indian Independence politics, since the first time he came to London in 1888 to study law, aged 18 years old.. A website, Gandhi's London, is devoted to retracing Gandhi's time in London and is well worth a look. The site tells us that:

"Gandhi’s London tour was conceived by Ajay Goyal. In 2005 Ajay Goyal started exploring London while reading about Mahatma Gandhi’s early life and experiences. Over two years Goyal visited dozens of locations in London using many of Mahatma’s own articles but especially a book written by American historian James Hunt as a guide book. He discovered that soon after arriving here first in 1889 Gandhi had become a true Londoner – the one who discovers the many diversities of the world through this beautiful, vibrant and friendly city — and built himself a large circle of friends and soul-mates here.  In the two years he spent in London studying he walked miles each day and lived at a number of locations. He attended many lectures and meetings and his search for vegetarian food took him to vegetarian society meetings and small niche restaurants."

Explore the links - the website really is a detailed labour of love - and find out about when the walks take place.

Co-incidentally, and in a bizarre connection between south-east London and Indian Independence, I had spotted a lecture organised last week by the Lewisham Local History Society but one which we've now missed (you never know, it might come round again):

Friday 24th September 2010
Lal Mohun Ghose and Indian Nationalism in Deptford
Speaker: Ray Thatcher
Lal Mohun was an Indian nationalist who for a few years lived in Deptford and in 1885 stood for Parliament as a Liberal.

It sounds fascinating - I wonder if Lal Mohun and Gandhi ever met up in London?

I was about to leave it there when I have stumbled across yet something else which I had to mention, and which is definitely going to be the last word...a performance on 2 October:

TARA evokes Gandhi’s life in London in the spectacular rotunda of the Temple Church with a company of actors, musicians and dancers. The performance on 2 October, Gandhi’s Birthday, marks the launch of the Gandhi Inner Temple Association.

TARA produces global theatre for local audiences. Positioned between East and West, TARA has pioneered cross-cultural theatre for over three decades. In 2009 the company co-produced Hanif Kureishi’s The Black Album with the National Theatre.

Performances of Gandhi in London:
2 Oct 6:15pm (Gandhi’s birthday)
5 Oct 6:45pm
Tickets £10
The Temple Church
London, EC4Y 7HL

Book tickets:
020 8333 4457 / tara-arts.com

Update: There seems to be a further performance on 12 Oct 2010 at 18:45 - see their website

A case of the wrong address

Someone, a mum, has just turned up at our house  in Eltham cheerily announcing "Hi, I'm Alex's mum" clearly expecting to pick him up. We've never heard of Alex or seen this woman before! Her son had a 'play date' this afternoon and she has clearly got the wrong address to pick him up from, and no idea where he is!

A bit of a distressing situation on the face of it, but I'm sure that through the parent network of mobiles and texts, she will find him, or Alex's play hosts will drop him off.  Just goes to show, always check your kids' contact information.

Bromley is UK's 'curry house capital'?

This is bizarre but I thought you should know.

The BBC reported in June (yes, I'm a bit behind) that there is "one curry restaurant for every 853 residents in Bromley, south-east London".

Any theories as to why?

Status Quo in Eltham

Here's a bizarre bit of Eltham history commemorated last week:

The Bexley Times tells us:

"Members of a group which has sold over 118 million records were on hand to help unveil a plaque at the venue of their first ever gig.

Status Quo’s first gig at the former Welcome Inn pub in Well Hall Road, Eltham, was marked with a plaque unveiling on Monday which the band attended

This was part of the scheme set up by the organisation which collects and pays royalties to musicians - the Performing Rights Society for Music. Its heritage award scheme was launched last year to recognise the unusual ‘performance birthplaces’ of famous bands and artists.

Status Quo is the seventh band to be given the honour of receiving the permanent plaque at the site they played their first gig in 1967 when they were known as The Status Quo. The site now forms part of Weston Homes’ The Edens residential development."

Here is the pub in a sorry state after it was closed following a spectacular fire in 2006, which I remember watching late in the evening at the time. I remember having the odd Sunday roast lunch at this place when it had a Harvester in situ. It was a cosy pub and a nice place to have nearby. There's sadly a lack of such places around here now.

The Lost Pubs project would like to here from you if you have any memories about this pub.

On the subject of Eltham gigs, someone recently told me that they once watched The Who play at the old Eltham Baths in the 1960s, the art-deco-ish building now boarded awaiting re-development into flats. How much nicer than today's stadium gigs.