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| Minister urges rethink on race John Denham says racism still exists but progress has helped create a society more comfortable with diversity than ever beforePeople from ethnic minorities are no longer automatically disadvantaged in modern Britain, John Denham, the communities secretary, said today.Although racism still exists, progress on promoting racial equality in the last decade helped to create a society that is more comfortable with diversity than ever before, he argued."Britain today is not the same place as it was a decade ago," he said."We therefore need to make sure that our efforts are tackling problems of today and not those of the past."That does not mean that we should reduce our efforts to tackle racism and promote race equality, but we must avoid a one-dimensional debate that assumes all minority-ethnic people are disadvantaged."If the cause of disadvantage is social class, we will promote opportunity. And if the cause is a combination of racism and social class we will tackle both together."Launching a review of government policy on race, Denham pledged support to tackle inequality in white, working-class areas as well as in ethnic-minority communities.He said: "The government has an absolute commitment to eradicating racism and promoting race equality. And that work will not stop until every single person in this country has the same opportunities and an equal chance of success."Sustained action over the last 10 years has promoted racial equality and better race relations, dismantled unfair barriers faced by many and helped to nurture a society more comfortable with diversity than ever before."Denham said Britain had changed "immeasurably for the better" over the past decade and that a new "more nuanced" approach to the issue was now needed.He pointed to the way that many pupils from Asian backgrounds were thriving in the education system while some of their white, working-class counterparts struggled to keep up.While he denied that the issue of racism had "dropped down the agenda", he said there needed to be an understanding of the way it interacted with factors such as economics, religious identity and migration."It is no longer enough to make simple judgments or assumptions which equate 'race' with disadvantage," he said."That would overlook, for example, the striking achievements of Indian and Chinese students – but it would also overlook the fact that white, working-class boys are struggling to keep up."It would overlook the growing black and Asian middle class, and the fact that they are now coming up against the old problems in new settings."Instead, we need to appreciate and understand the ways in which race interacts with other social factors – especially class – to influence and shape people's lives."So rather than reducing our efforts to tackle racism, we have got to be more nuanced in what we are doing."His comments come amid growing concern among ministers in the rise in support for the far right British National party in some parts of the country, which Denham acknowledged was linked to the impact of immigration."In some places we've seen antipathy against eastern Europeans or Muslims becoming more acceptable – justified on the grounds of religious difference but manifesting itself in terms of racial prejudice and gaining a political voice through the BNP and other far right groups," he said.He said the approach of the government's equality bill, currently going through parliament, was to promote equality for everyone across the country and not "single out any particular group for special treatment or prioritise one over another".Responding to the speech, Simon Woolley of the Equality and Human Rights Commission said that, while Britain had come along way since the Race Relations Act was passed in 2000, there was still much to do."Many of our institutions have failed to catch up with the public they serve and represent," he said. "There is some way to go in ensuring that they treat everybody fairly and root out discrimination."Many people from ethnic minority backgrounds still experience unfair disadvantage in their lives – from the education they receive, to job opportunities and the homes in which they live. For example, black people are still seven times more like likely than white people to be stopped and searched by the police in England and Wales, with Asians twice as likely – figures which are a major impediment to good race relations."But he added that the commission believed "socio-economic status" to be "one of the biggest drivers of continuing disadvantage and inequality for many people"."In many parts of our nation the colour of disadvantage is white as much as it is black or brown. For example, educational attainment and health outcomes are still shaped strongly by socio-economic status and social class." He said that the equality bill would represent "a major step forward".Keith Vaz, the chairman of the Commons home affairs select committee, said: "John Denham is wrong. We have not yet reached the stage where being black or Asian means you are not disadvantaged. The whole government strategy for the past 13 years has focused on this."He added: "If there is a problem with the white working class feeling alienated then we must address that issue. We have to level up not level down."Chuka Umunna, Labour's candidate for Streatham at the next election, told BBC Radio 2: "I don't think racism is dead; it's alive and well. But the point [of Denham's speech] is to take a more sophisticated approach to some of these issues."It doesn't necessarily follow that if you belong to a minority you will be disadvantaged."He said the "elephant in the room" in discussions such as these was class.On an interview with the Progress website, Umunna added that improvements could not be wholly attributed to the current Labour government, "but important changes since 1997 include setting up the Lawrence inquiry, out of which came the Macpherson report which has had a massive effect on how organisations look at themselves and how the public feel about them ..."Cultural attitudes are changing too. Year on year you will see figures showing that people's objections to a relative or close friend marrying someone from another ethnic group have dropped substantially."Labour MP Ashok Kumar said that under every Labour government great strides had been made tackling racism "and it has been no different under this government".He added: "Since the first Race Relations Act, introduced by Harold Wilson's government in 1965, successive Labour governments have fought to improve the lives of black and ethnic minority people. Indeed, the Labour party is the only party which has consistently battled against racism and other forms of discrimination."If the minister is saying that there has been significant progress in the last decade or so under this government then this is just further evidence of Labour's long-term commitment to fairness and equality."John DenhamRace issuesEqualityAndrew SparrowPaul Owenguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Accused threatened to kill 'jigsaw man', court hears Stephen Marshall denies murdering fellow kitchen salesman Jeffrey Howe and scattering his body parts across the countryA man accused of butchering a work colleague and then scattering his body parts across the country had threatened to kill him, a court heard today.Stephen Marshall, 38, told Jeffrey Howe that he would kill him and his family if he didn't move out of his home in Southall, north London, St Albans crown court heard.In March and April last year parts of Howe's body were found across Hertfordshire and Leicestershire. He became known as the "jigsaw man" after the series of macabre finds.The two men met through their work selling kitchens, the court has heard. Marshall and his 21-year-old girlfriend, Sarah Bush, who is also on trial for murder, moved into Howe's house.Giving evidence, Bush's friend Danielle Matthews said Bush had told her while drunk that Marshall was the killer.Matthews, who worked with Bush as an escort, said: "She said Steve was goading Jeff about moving out of his home [and that] he turned around to Jeff and said, 'Get out of your home. I'll kill you and your family.'"Matthews told the jury Bush had confessed to witnessing the murder. "She said it started in the bathroom. She was saying 'lots of blood', 'a foot', 'dismembered', 'constriction of breath'. She said: 'Steve killed Jeff.'"Marshall and Bush had moved into Howe's flat with his permission but wanted it all for themselves, prosecutor Stuart Trimmer QC said. Their alleged motive for the killing was to steal Howe's identity and use his property and money.Matthews told the jury today that Bush had mentioned a cheque paid into her account from Howe's account."She said she was opening accounts and getting material things like a pair of boots," Matthews told the court."She said Steve was buying cocaine with Jeff's money."After that she said Jeff had gone on holiday and she hadn't seen him for a while."Howe was stabbed to death and dismembered in his own home on 8 or 9 March last year, the court has heard.On 30 March Bush went to Matthews's house and was acting strangely, the court was told. Matthews said: "She was a bit over the top: nervous, overly chatty, not her normal self."After getting drunk on beer and sambuca in a nearby pub Bush told Matthews said she knew Marshall had killed Howe because she had seen it happen, Matthews told the court.Another woman present that night, Sophie Franklin, told the court she had overheard Matthews and Bush discussing the murder."She said Steve killed Jeff by stabbing him in the back. That when Steve had stabbed Jeff in the back, Jeff was screaming and Steve was screaming at Sarah to put a pillow over Jeff's mouth," Franklin told the jury.She said she also overheard Bush refer to "hands in Epping Forest".The court was told about the controlling nature of Marshall's relationship with Bush. The couple had met when Marshall was Bush's client, with him paying her for sex, Matthews said.As the relationship developed Marshall forced Bush to change her name from Sara to Sarah because he did not like the name Sara, she said.Bush had begun to look rough and haggard, which she attributed to the stress of being controlled by Marshall, the court was told.She struggled to see her two daughters, aged four and two, once she was in a relationship with Marshall, the court was told.Marshall had allegedly been violent towards the girls' father, who Bush said had sought an injunction against him, Matthews told the court.When Bush did see her children, she did so without Marshall knowing, she added.Matthews broke down in tears in the witness box as she confirmed that she was frightened of what Marshall might do to her.He disliked her being friends with his girlfriend and had threatened to kill her, the court heard.Marshall denies murder but admits being party to the dismembering and dumping of Howe's body. He blames Bush for the murder and claims she confessed to him that she was the killer. Bush denies all the charges against her.CrimeHelen Piddguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
7 days quiz Spag bol should be made with... milk, celery, red wine? news.bbc.co.uk |
Torture case sentences to be reviewed Lady Scotland will consider whether five-year minimum terms are too lenient for brothers, 11 and 12The attorney general is to reconsider the sentences given to two brothers last week for beating and torturing another pair of boys, her office said today.Lady Scotland will look at the terms given to the brothers, aged 11 and 12, to see whether they were "unduly lenient".The boys, who have not been named, were given indefinite sentences last week with a minimum tariff of five years over the attack in Edlington, near Doncaster in South Yorkshire, last April.If Lady Scotland decides the sentences were too soft, she will refer them to the court of appeal and ask the judges to re-examine the case and consider increasing the terms.The attorney general is required to look at cases if a member of the public asks him or her to do so.A spokesman for the attorney general's office said: "We have called for the papers in the case following a request that the attorney general calls it in."The attackers were given indeterminate sentences for public protection, known as IPP sentences. Although the minimum they will serve is five years, they cannot be released until the authorities say they no longer pose a threat to society.During sentencing at Sheffield crown court last week, details emerged of how the brothers targeted their victims, apparently at random, as they rode their BMX bikes in Edlington on a Saturday morning.They led the victims, then nine and 11, to waste ground and subjected them to a 90-minute ordeal during which they were robbed, beaten, stamped on, struck with bricks and other objects, choked and burned. They also endured a series of humiliations, many of them sexual. The older boy almost died from his injuries.Sheffield crown court heard the brothers had been placed with foster parents in Edlington less than three weeks before the attacks.They had grown up in Doncaster with a violent, chaotic family life described by one defence barrister as "toxic".The judge acknowledged the impact of such an upbringing but told the boys they appeared obsessed with controlling others "by domination, degradation and inflicting pain for the purpose of [your] own emotional pleasure". They also showed a "chilling detachment" and lack of remorse, he said.Crimeguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Dizaei threat claims 'nonsense' A Metropolitan Police commander says claims he challenged a man to fight in the street are "complete nonsense", a court hears. news.bbc.co.uk |