A happy gathering of people from Newport’s diverse minority communities demonstrated one of the city’s greatest strengths.
Last week, I repeatedly mentioned the Newport experience when trying to bridge the gap in perception between the Egyptian journalists and me. They saw the UK as hostile to muslims, out to plunder Iraq for fat contracts and denying fundamental rights.
I told them of the Newport schools where the day starts with prayers. The christian children joining their hands together in the Christian way, the muslims cupping theirs in their traditional manner. But, crucially, they are saying the same prayers. In a fortnight I will join other city representatives to mark the inauguration of a new burial grounds for the muslim community.
Newport has a long and honourable history as a melting pot for immigration from all corners of the world. One of my favourite stories that i frequently tell immigrant children is that 160 years ago, there was nobody in Newport with the alien names of Brennan, Murphy, Flynn or Touhig. Then starving economic immigrants arrived from Ireland. Now MPs from neighbouring constituencies in South Wales are called Brennan, Murphy,Flynn and Touhig. It will not take that long before we are represented by Ahmeds, Hayats or Mohammeds.
Saturday’s event was part of the work of Community First in assisting BME groups. This is a very welcome Welsh Assembly initiative to lubricate the process of happy community building.
Once confined to the Pillgwenlly and Maindee areas of Newport, growing prosperity has seen the resettlement of ethnic minority families in every corner of the city. Neil Kinnock once said that there was only one one black family in his Islwyn valley constituency. That was the local doctor. Expanding businesses, especially among the entrepreneurial Bangla Deshis, has seen the relocation in every valley town with new restaurants and corner shops
The new mayor of Newport Allan Morris gave a rousing welcome to the new initiative. He rejoiced in the city’s happy history of a melting pot of peaceful integration and joyous diversity.
Discontent only please
The sad decline of the Western Mail accelerates. Truth is mangled and intertwined with prejudice and fiction. All in the sacred cause of shoring up their collapsing circulation.
The propagandists have even taken over their their news quiz. Try these alternatives to the question. Has the Welsh Assembly spent enough on education:
How are these for alternatives? the Western Mail is running a poll on what people think of whether enough money is being spent on education. The possible answers allowed are:-
Yes, not that it seems to be having much effect
Yes, but like the health service it's not targeted properly
My wage slip says yes and I don't even have any evidence
No, education is still woefully underfunded
Not where I live apparently
Don't know
The simple truth is that education spending has doubled to its highest level ever. No chance of a ‘write-in’ vote with a simple ‘Yes.’?
How about an alternative poll with this choice:-
Is the Western Mail crap?
Is the Western Mail utter crap?
Is the Western Mail the crappiest newspaper ever?
What's crap?
Tough questions.
Full-speed futility
President Karzai’s issued a ‘cri de coeur’ on the increasing slaughter of Afghan civilians in the sacred cause of bringing the nation to democracy. Are we fated we repeat the follies of the french in Indo China, the Americans in Viet Nam, the Russians in Afghanistan/ Probably Yes. As a gentle reminder I put this Early Day motion down last week.
EDM 1738 DEATHS IN AFGHANISTAN
That this House records its sorrow at the deaths of 54 British soldiers in Afghanistan in the past 14 months and salutes their courage and professionalism; regrets the misplaced optimism of the belief that the Helmand mission could be over in three years `without firing a single shot'; notes that half a million rounds have already been fired and little reconstruction has been finished because of the absence of non-governmental organisations; calls for a reassessment of the Helmand mission; is appalled at the abject failure of the poppy eradication programme, which has resulted in record production and the lowest ever price of heroin on British streets; is convinced that the threat to destroy the main livelihood of the people of Helmand has incited murderous resentment against UK troops and increased both support for the Taliban and the threat of terrorism in the UK; and believes that the only practical reform would be to license poppy farmers to use their crops to end world shortages of morphine and codeine.
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