2010 the Year when it became acceptable to be a Racist

In looking back over 2010 one issue stands out, this was the year when it became acceptable to have racist views. Disliking people because of their nationality, race and ethnicity was sanctioned by all the political parties as they reduced all discussions down to the difference between the have and have nots.

Obviously the focus nationally was on the general election. As Don Flynn from the Migrants Rights Network quite rightly pointed out ‘immigration was the dog that never barked’.


It has been said by many national and local politicians that ‘immigration’ was an issue on the doorstep. Maybe, maybe not, but who made it so, the media frenzy surrounding immigration was a convenient hook for politicians of all political persuasions to hang their coat on. There were very few alternative scenarios that explained either the reality of asylum and immigration, or it’s benefits. Where was the CBI pre the announcement of the immigration cap?, conveniently mute on the subject. Happily though the JCWI (Joint Council for Welfare of Immigrants) has just got a ruling from the court saying that the immigration cap is biased.


What positive stories were featured were confined to the like of the Guardian and alternative media and of course X Factor and Gamu.

When it is said that immigration was an issue on the doorstep, (presuming that people had doorstep, because all these ethnics hadn’t taken over their homes) a question very few people asked was whose doorsteps?. We remember Rochdale women not for her crudeness but her ‘reasonable’ anger and suspicion towards Eastern Europeans. You don’t have tea and biscuits with racists, you challenge and provoke them into a discussion.

However the national defeat of the BNP offered an amazing sanctuary and distraction from such views. Collectively there was a sigh of relief, getting rid of the BNP represented an opportunity to say ‘we’re not that bad’ and also further stoked the fire that legitimised racism.


Some of you out there will be saying, get real, people have legitimate concerns, and what is your answer? (we'll say more about solutions tomorrow). On one occasion this year on a blog posting we were described as being unrealistic on the issue and bias. Come and spend an hour at RAMFEL and then tell us we’re being unrealistic, and if we’re bias we’re proud to be basis. In fact its our constitutional right to be right, we’d be doing a major disservice if we were not bias.

The National Asylum Model and decision making system has continued to work at its own pace, switching between incompetence, going even slower and grinding to a halt. We still have clients that have been asked for the final stages of proof for their asylum claim over a year ago and are still waiting for a decision, and that is still after waiting for an outcome for 12 years. As regular readers of this blog will know that means living in limbo with no money, no opportunity to work or study. We have just had the telling statement that as from 2012 English classes will only be available for ‘settled’ community, and requirements for English will focus on ensuring those that enter from outside Europe are proficient.

We end the year with Migration Watch claiming net immigration is on the up, and the Government acting like a hassled mum on the first day of school, as it tries to make the immigration cap fit.


Let us not forget that it was the Government that curtailed the full implementation of the Equality Act, that withdrew funding from the Migrant Impact Fund (although surprisingly the charges that were paying for this from increases in visa applications have remained), and collectively 32 London boroughs via a consortium called London Councils have chosen to ‘repatriate’ money given centrally to the community and voluntary sector back to the boroughs, but with no assurances that the money will stay within the community and voluntary sector.


Locally in East London petitions were fuelled against the Roma community, half hearted attempts were made at integration. Old models based on 1970s community development worked in the 1970s when all you were challenging were white on black racism. It doesn’t quite work here and now in an era of super diversity where the real challenge for racism is not black on white, but the multicultural and intergenerational potential of tension and conflict.



In some parts of London it also became the year when institutionalised racism was allowed to ripen like rotting fruit. No number of equality impact assessments could have allowed the sheer thoughtlessness of some public sector agencies. Yes and I’ll forever being paying for the comment. There was the petition against the Roma community, failure to celebrate and mark Black History Month beyond the usual murmurings of slavery, further marginalisation of the Somali community, and a complete abdication of responsibility to reach out to some of the most vulnerable sections of the community.
Alongside which we have the run up to the Olympics that includes everyone except asylum seekers. To be a London Ambassador or take part in the Personal Best programme you have to have ‘status’. You would have thought that language skills would be one area that could be supported.

So what do we have to look forward to for 2011, well we’ll leave the ranting and moaning behind for later when we reveal RAMFEL’s mystic predictions for 2011!