As the parties get into campaign gear, immigration is rearing its head as an election issue. It’s going to be an unpleasant campaign; foul is fair at such times! A Conservative party billboard, which recently caught my attention, sets the tone. To say that immigration should be limited is not racist, it proclaims. “Are you thinking what we are thinking?”, it provocatively asks.
More sinister than the actual message is the location of the billboard. It is stuck aside a rail bridge at the start of the A34 Stratford Road, a major route into the centre of Birmingham, linking the suburbs and the M40. The bridge is just off the Camp Hill Island, a place where traffic from various south side routes into the city coalesces into a single main road.
The billboard faces traffic heading away from the city centre. For over two miles after the bridge, the Stratford Road passes through Sparkbrook and Sparkhill, areas where the majority of the residents are non-white, mainly of South Asian origin. The shops- newsagents, halal butchers, balti houses, fabric stores, carpet warehouses- are owned by people from these communities.
Why place the billboard at such a place? Is it a warning, a reminder, a point for commuters heading to the suburbs to bear in mind as they pass through several miles of ‘immigrant’ territory? As commuters and shoppers crawl along the Stratford Road, with its halal butchers and burka-clad women, they are reminded of the Tory poster. “Are you thinking what we are thinking”? What are you thinking? Perhaps that there are too many immigrants?
Thursday, February 17
Wednesday, February 16
Lover’s lair
Ladywood House, a nine story office block, is almost above the Pallasades Shopping Centre, which itself is exactly above New St Station. Ground Floor doesn’t really take to you to the ‘ground’, but opens up on a balcony, which connects to the shopping centre. It is on this balcony that young men and women, mainly Asian, congregate on weekdays.
The balcony isn’t scenic. In fact it’s quite basic. But the reason why teenagers gather there is because it is quite discreet, which can’t be said of many places in the centre of Birmingham. Here youngsters can pursue their romantic liaisons without being seen by a relative. The other day I saw a young lady, traditionally attired in Shalwar Kameez, in a passionate embrace with her lover, he all the time exploring the more intimate regions with his hand. On most days it is not that exciting. It’s just young people chatting or being chatted up.
Most of the youngsters are, like me, of Mirpuri origin, which I have gathered from the expletives I hear on the way to lunch. Occasionally, while hastily walking by, I get a whiff of something which, I would say, is not normal tobacco.
The balcony isn’t scenic. In fact it’s quite basic. But the reason why teenagers gather there is because it is quite discreet, which can’t be said of many places in the centre of Birmingham. Here youngsters can pursue their romantic liaisons without being seen by a relative. The other day I saw a young lady, traditionally attired in Shalwar Kameez, in a passionate embrace with her lover, he all the time exploring the more intimate regions with his hand. On most days it is not that exciting. It’s just young people chatting or being chatted up.
Most of the youngsters are, like me, of Mirpuri origin, which I have gathered from the expletives I hear on the way to lunch. Occasionally, while hastily walking by, I get a whiff of something which, I would say, is not normal tobacco.
Monday, February 7
Freedom of information…
The right to access information under the Freedom of Information Act has now been in force for over a month. Under the Act, requests for information must be answered within 20 days- given that the Act has now been in force for over 5 weeks, it is well to take stock of how the first wave of requests have fared.
Initial indications are that the new rights will not create a culture of disclosure, that it will not eradicate the disease of ‘secrecy’. Some information has been released and will continue to be released. The government will claim that the Act has been a success.
The biggest test for the Act was whether the government would release the full text of the Attorney General’s advice about the legality of the Iraq war. As many had predicted, the government has refused to do so, claiming that the information was legally privileged and therefore exempt under the Act. This is a dishonest argument. No one can deny that lawyers should be able to communicate openly and freely with their clients. But in this case the government chose to summarise the advice. Presumably the summary included the bits that emboldened the government’s case. Given that the war was fought on a false pretext, the public is entitled to know what reservations that advice contained.
That is not the only example of the culture of secrecy continuing unhindered. There are many examples of the 20 day limit not being met without a good reason. Many had predicted that the public sector would be inundated with a torrent of requests for- in many cases spurious- information. This has not happened and the response to the Act is therefore all the more disappointing.
Initial indications are that the new rights will not create a culture of disclosure, that it will not eradicate the disease of ‘secrecy’. Some information has been released and will continue to be released. The government will claim that the Act has been a success.
The biggest test for the Act was whether the government would release the full text of the Attorney General’s advice about the legality of the Iraq war. As many had predicted, the government has refused to do so, claiming that the information was legally privileged and therefore exempt under the Act. This is a dishonest argument. No one can deny that lawyers should be able to communicate openly and freely with their clients. But in this case the government chose to summarise the advice. Presumably the summary included the bits that emboldened the government’s case. Given that the war was fought on a false pretext, the public is entitled to know what reservations that advice contained.
That is not the only example of the culture of secrecy continuing unhindered. There are many examples of the 20 day limit not being met without a good reason. Many had predicted that the public sector would be inundated with a torrent of requests for- in many cases spurious- information. This has not happened and the response to the Act is therefore all the more disappointing.
Thursday, February 3
More choice?
Choice is an overused word these days (at least in political circles). Every politician claims he or she is for it. They claim we should be able to choose where we are treated and where our children are educated. Labour and the Tories try to ‘out-choice’ each other. I am sceptical.
Choice reduces everything to the level of the supermarket. Being a consumer of public services becomes akin to visiting a supermarket. You can choose to visit Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys etc. So you should be able to choose the hospital for treatment or the school your children should attend. I am unconvinced by this argument. Public services are not supermarkets. Emphasis should be on closing the gap between the worst and the best, by raising the standards of the worst, rather then allowing these to deteriorate while the best hospitals and schools thrive. The choice philosophy entrenches the differences. I rather have a top-notch hospital or school near where I live. The choice of driving (and therefore perhaps colliding with the policy that encourages us to reduce reliance on the car) my kids to a school on the other side of town is hardly a choice.
Choice reduces everything to the level of the supermarket. Being a consumer of public services becomes akin to visiting a supermarket. You can choose to visit Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys etc. So you should be able to choose the hospital for treatment or the school your children should attend. I am unconvinced by this argument. Public services are not supermarkets. Emphasis should be on closing the gap between the worst and the best, by raising the standards of the worst, rather then allowing these to deteriorate while the best hospitals and schools thrive. The choice philosophy entrenches the differences. I rather have a top-notch hospital or school near where I live. The choice of driving (and therefore perhaps colliding with the policy that encourages us to reduce reliance on the car) my kids to a school on the other side of town is hardly a choice.
Tuesday, February 1
Astute old men
They can barely speak English and retired well before 65. In fact, many of them were the victims of Thatcher’s industrial restructuring- losing their jobs, but being illiterate and unskilled, were unable to find jobs in the new economy. Yet despite the odds, some Asian men have done well- in the property market. These people were perspicacious enough to buy properties when prices were subdued. Now, in the age of run away house price inflation, they are sitting on a fortune. Over the years, the properties have also been bringing in a rental income. Most are rented out informally, below market rates, reflecting a desire of the owners to avoid embroiling themselves with the vagaries of officialdom.
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