News

Barack Obama is interviewed in this month’s Rolling Stone magazine.

Among the topics that are discussed the 44th President of the United States talks about the huge expectations that proved impossible to live up to upon his election, building cross party consensus to pass laws, and the momentum of the ‘Tea Party’ movement.

A candid Obama provides the reader with some interesting responses that are sure to provoke debate.

Guardian journalist Afiya Hirsch today published an article on the Guardian’s Comment is Free page.

In it she articulates the importance and relevance of celebrating Black history. She also puts to bed the often widely held views of so-called Liberals who toe the ‘What about white history?’ line. She counters this but also argues that we need to celebrate Black historical figures in the right way.

According to statistics obtained by Chuka Umunna MP for Streatham thousands of homes in Lambeth are likely to face substantial housing benefit cuts that could force many residents to move from the area.

Nearly five and a half thousand poorer households will see reductions in their housing benefit payments from 2013. The cuts outlined in the June budget to the Local Housing Allowance mean that housing benefit claimants will only be allowed to claim up to 30% of local rent levels.

More than 1,500 homes will be affected by the move.

About six years ago, editor of Prospect magazine David Goodhart was given unprecedented column inches in the Guardian to talk about race in Britain. Although he was pilored from people such as Trevor Phillips, Gary Younge and myself for his thinly disguised racist views he did resonate to an extent  within political thinking of that time.  Goodhart himself, however, felt chastened by being vigorously challenged and, I would argue being exposed for what he was really trying to do: put the brakes on Government tackling race inequality.

Yesterday, marches took place across Europe in protest at government cuts to public spending.

In Brussels more than fifty thousand gathered to show their discontent at increasing levels of austerity, and privatisation.

Strikes in Spain yesterday saw most of its car industry crippled.

There were also protests in Latvia, and Germany.

Here in the UK hundreds of people marched in Sussex - Brighton, Hove, Hastings, Worthing, and Lewes - to coincide with a meeting of European Finance Ministers in Brussels.

It’s not too surprising that the BNP are imploding. After all, when you set up an organisation based on hate, when things don’t go the way you’d like: in the BNP’s case not fooling enough people to believe their race hate lies, they turn on themselves.

Yesterday, their only elected representative the nasty Richard Barnbrook was expelled by the party for trying to oust it’s leader Nick Griffin.

Diane Abbott has announced that she will standing for the new shadow cabinet

Abbott changed the dynamics of debate within the leadership race being the only black politician and woman to stand, but she also brought a wealth of experience as a seasoned MP-she first entered Parliament in 1987 alongside Bernie Grant, Keith Vaz and Paul Boateng. It was the Labour party black sections movement which proved to be a catalyst in the milestone of the 1987 election.

Yesterday Ed Miliband gave his inaugural leadership speech. 

There was a lot of pressure and anticipation in the run up to this.  It didn't go bad either. Ed began with a touching narrative about his immigrant parents and how the UK accepted his family as they sheltered from the Nazi regime.

It was somewhat disappointing that he followed this with anti immigrant rhetoric within minutes, without a mention of how immigrants shaped this country. 

A proposed march by the English Defence League EDL in Leicester has been confirmed.

On October 9th at Humberstone Gate EDL members will gather to protest at the so-called rise of Muslim extremism.  Anti racist campaigners will stage a counter protest.

Scottish Police services have pledged to increase their efforts to tackle racist attacks and other forms of hate crimes,

A new hate-crime manual has been launched aimed bringing about a huge cultural change in policing throughout Scotland.