Commission for race and ethnic disparity

I'm particularly pleased to see that we are viewed as something of an exemplar in our efforts to remove race disparities from our education system.

Hats off to SSP, catinstalbans and all the other teaching professionals in our midst. Where they are giving a lead, perhaps less enlightened sections of our population also highlighted might follow.
 
This has always been my experience and so the report comes as no surprise to me. I have worked in workplaces with 100 plus people and i have very rarely in my longish life encountered prejudice. Yet another reason to be so proud of the UK.
 
This has always been my experience and so the report comes as no surprise to me. I have worked in workplaces with 100 plus people and i have very rarely in my longish life encountered prejudice. Yet another reason to be so proud of the UK.

Rupert

I'd imagine there is prejudice everywhere be it racial or other forms.

I'd also imagine that such prejudice is far less prevalent in the UK than elsewhere as you suggest.
 
Set up an enquiry.
Choose only members that don't believe in institutional racism.
6 months later get the report that you asked for?

Watch for the same tactics should Boris Johnson ever get round to a Covid enquiry.

Classic case of the establishment protecting the establishment.
 
Rupert

I'd imagine there is prejudice everywhere be it racial or other forms.

I'd also imagine that such prejudice is far less prevalent in the UK than elsewhere as you suggest.
I used to visit Bulgaria quite a lot and once went to a football match between Cherno More (Varna) and Levski Sofia.
Levski had two black players and the treatment of them by the home fans was appalling. Even though Cherno More had black players themselves!
Even in the 70's here, I can't remember ever witnessing anything that bad.
I've no doubt that there is still plenty of racism in the UK. But we've made great strides and are not in the same league as the likes of Bulgaria.
But we need to make even more strides and keep hammering home the message.
 
"The report also said there is an "increasingly strident form of anti-racism thinking that seeks to explain all minority disadvantage through the prism of white discrimination" which it said diverted attention from "the other reasons for minority success and failure".

You all know my politics, but I think there is an element of truth in this. What is currently going on in Batley with threats to the life of a teacher, poor areas becoming ghettos with very high density of families leading to radicalisation. I am always very wary of strident screaming of Racist" for a myriad happenings.

The best way of dealing with racism is by a spotlight on anything, but without prejudging depending on your politics. Maybe find out the facts before judging. The response to this report has been split totally into party lines, so what was the point having it?
 
This has always been my experience and so the report comes as no surprise to me. I have worked in workplaces with 100 plus people and i have very rarely in my longish life encountered prejudice. Yet another reason to be so proud of the UK.
Agreed. I used to work in a college and as you can imagine would be a very diverse community both in students and staff, and by and large a very friendly atmosphere. The only couple of questionable attitudes I experienced was from ethnic minorities, the classic being from the son of Pakistani immigrants saying "we should send those Eastern Europeans back to where they came from".
 
The one key thing I've picked up from 10 Downing Street's comments on the report is the emphasis the Government wants to place on the responsibilities of individuals and the family for removing racism from society. Certainly we all have our part to play but this is a typical Tory tactic (under Johnson), to put daylight between The Government and its own social responsibilities.
 
As a so called lefty I agree with these findings
Of course there are racists but much less so than growing up in 80's and 70's

Must say these critics of the report who scream we are fundamentally racist society actually perpetuate racism- all this unconscious bias BS. Do they really believe only racists are white .

The biggest determinant of social and inequality of opportunity in this country is social class and family structure, as the report suggests .Not race ,sexuality or gender identity

This metropolitan tripe led to Brexit, the fall of the red wall and major contributor to increasing division in the UK - London even more so .
 
I used to visit Bulgaria quite a lot and once went to a football match between Cherno More (Varna) and Levski Sofia.
Levski had two black players and the treatment of them by the home fans was appalling. Even though Cherno More had black players themselves!
Even in the 70's here, I can't remember ever witnessing anything that bad.
I've no doubt that there is still plenty of racism in the UK. But we've made great strides and are not in the same league as the likes of Bulgaria.
But we need to make even more strides and keep hammering home the message.

Rusty

Good post and there is no doubt we can always do better as you suggest.

There is no doubt that have we have made tremendous progress on racial prejudice and we continue to do so.

The progress on racial prejudices can only be a good thing but it is important to note that there are other forms of prejudice and progress needs to be made across the board and not just in areas that are in vogue because people are shouting louder and people want to listen.
 
Racism is more than some on here are hinting at. Black and Asian people can be racist towards one another and also towards white people, but fortunately, they appear to be a minority as the white racists are.

Where is my proof? Before anyone asks, it's proven by some of the comments my grandkids, both mixed race, have had to put up with from some of the Asian pupils at their school. I have also been called a white bastard on more than one occasion.

But, I have decent neighbours from all ethnicities in my area.
 
It could be argued that it is no shock that a report on institutional racism conducted by people who don't believe there is institutional racism finds no evidence of institutional racism.

I'm more interested in some of the fine print so I will read the sections on education really closely. I would argue on the face of it that the gap/ improvements is down to schools targeting Pupil Premium kids and utilising the extra money much more effectively. That money is based purely on circumstances and not race though.

Lastly, before some of you start high-fiving and demanding the return of the Black and White Minstrel Show, it does make mention of the prevalence of overt racism among sections of the population and in particular on social media. That's a distinction the op failed to mention.
 
8 others on the 10 person committee were also from minority backgrounds, so my point is that the decision was made by a group of people who are affected
Not sure that matters. It wasn't 10 people from Tower Hamlets or in poverty etc etc. Who are they? Are they friends of the current government? What's their affiliation? How were they appointed? Did it include local community leaders etc etc. Get me the answers to those questions and I may take the report much more seriously.
As an aside:
I'm not being deliberately awkward as some of the findings, if accurate, are to be celebrated. In particular, the improvements made amongst the young afro Caribbean community in education.
It has always dismayed me how members of the working class, regardless of race and colour, blame each other for their circumstances rather than realising they're swimming in the same pond.
 
It's interesting. It's pleasing that the sort of abhorrent, overt racism that was prominent in the past is now so rare that it genuinely shocks and disgusts most of us. But there ARE still examples out there and they don't come from extremists. There are some normal people that hold views that are not acceptable and just plain wrong. It's not that long ago that this site had a post specifically questioning the work ethic of the black players in our side.

As for the institutional claims, what should we make of the difference between the police search for Sarah Everard and their reaction to the disappearance of the Smallman sisters last summer? The latter were reported missing to the police and despite several calls from the family, it was one of the sisters boyfriend who discovered the bodies AND the murder weapon in the area the girls were last seen. Just a unfortunate coincidence or an ingrained and unconscious bias from the police based on who they thought the girls were based on where they were from?
 
Not sure that matters. It wasn't 10 people from Tower Hamlets or in poverty etc etc. Who are they? Are they friends of the current government? What's their affiliation? How were they appointed? Did it include local community leaders etc etc. Get me the answers to those questions and I may take the report much more seriously.
As an aside:
I'm not being deliberately awkward as some of the findings, if accurate, are to be celebrated. In particular, the improvements made amongst the young afro Caribbean community in education.
It has always dismayed me how members of the working class, regardless of race and colour, blame each other for their circumstances rather than realising they're swimming in the same pond.
Totally agree with the last paragraph, but regardless of what their standing is, I find it difficult to believe that all those people, who have an invested interest in racial equality, could be persuaded to do the government’s bidding.
 
Totally agree with the last paragraph, but regardless of what their standing is, I find it difficult to believe that all those people, who have an invested interest in racial equality, could be persuaded to do the government’s bidding.
I hope you are correct. I see Boris' advisor on Race issues has resigned. Could be coincidence.
 
My worry is that the narrative around working class white boys being so far behind kind of misses the point that they are so far behind, not because of the colour of their skin, but because of their class.

That's not always the case for children from non-white backgrounds.
 
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