Trevor Philips, the chairman of the new
Commission for Equalities and Human Rights, said the
history of Britain did not properly reflect the
contribution of other cultures. He wants parts of
British history to be rewritten to emphasise the
roles played by other races and religions like
Muslims. Rewriting the country’s history would
demonstrate to Britons in the 21st century how other
groups apart from Anglo Saxons shaped the nation.
He told a meeting at the Labour conference, "We
may need to revisit our national story. We want to
rewrite that story to tell the whole story. When we
talk about the Armada, it was the Turks who saved us
because they held up the Armada after a request from
Elizabeth I. Let’s rewrite that, so we have an
ideal that brings us together so that it can bind us
together in stormy times ahead in the next
century." The rewriting should start with the
story of how the English fleet led by Sir Francis
Drake fought off the Spanish Armada in 1588, he said.
The important role played by the Muslim Turks, who
delayed the sailing of the Spanish fleet so that the
English ships were better prepared, had been
airbrushed out of the story however. Mr Phillips, the
former chairman of the Commission for Racial
Equality, declined to offer any other examples of
parts of British history that should be rewritten. He
also said that he supported a campaign by the
musician Billy Bragg for a new written constitution
to define what it means to be British in the 21st
century.
Mr Phillips, who was educated at Queen’s College
Boys School in Guyana, also suggested that there
should be a set celebration for when people were
given British nationality. Nationality lessons were
necessary because people were moving around the
country more than ever before, providing less
opportunities to integrate. Last year 6.5 million
people moved house, he said. Earlier Mr Phillips said
that economic migrants could be forced to make a
bigger contribution to the cost of public services.
(Source: Daily Telegraph, Jun/09)
The Government has refused proper health
care to many elderly citizens due to their advancing
years. It is a worrying problem for many but help is
at hand. Join the new free care plan today. If you
are 60 years or older, you can apply. All new members
will receive a gun and four bullets.
You are allowed to shoot one MP (two if you live in
England ), one MEP, one councillor and just to be
sure of a long sentence, someone you really don't
like and think the world could do without. As part of
the plan, you will leave enough evidence to make sure
of being caught, and, in due course, sent to prison.
There you will get a safe centrally heated
environment, three meals a day, lots of company, free
TV and an assortment of games, plus, most
importantly, all the health care you need!
New teeth needed? No problem. New glasses? They'll be
provided. New hip, knees, kidney, lung, heart,
they're all covered too. And who will pay for all of
this? The same government that told you they cannot
afford your current health care. And as an added
bonus, because you are a prisoner, you don't have to
pay income tax anymore.
Britain, a great country or what?
Taxi drivers have been banned from
wearing England football shirts or anything else
backing the team's World Cup bid. Cabbies in
Blackpool were told they will be stripped of their
licences if they sport anything featuring the word
England, the Cross of St George or the Three Lions
shield. One claims he was told it might prove
offensive to visitors from other parts of the UK.
The angry drivers have accused the local council,
which is currently flying a flag in support of a Gay
Pride event above the Town Hall, of taking political
correctness to ridiculous limits. Stephen Buckley
said, "This is barmy. No one will be surprised
cabbies are backing the national side, they'd expect
it. I've been working here for 17 years and I've not
had one complaint about wearing shirts supporting
England. The sooner the council backs down on this
crazy ruling the better."
Mr Buckley learned of the new rule as he sat at a
taxi rank. A licensing officer, whose job normally
involves checking vehicles are safe, told him his
T-shirt, bearing a Cross of St George, lions and the
word England, was banned and served him with a notice
suspending his licence. Blackpool cabbies reluctantly
agreed a dress code last year which bars football
shirts or clothing bearing "abusive, indecent or
provocative words or images".
But Mr Buckley, whose licence was restored when he
changed, said, "This wasn't a football shirt, it
was just a T-shirt with England on it. I rang the
licensing boss, and he said it might incite an
incident with someone from Wales or Scotland. That's
ridiculous. Our council is supporting a Gay Pride
event yet we're not permitted to support our country
- where's the logic in that?" Blackpool Town
Hall is flying an internationally recognised rainbow
coloured flag to support this weekend's Gay Pride
event.
Trevor Boaler, secretary of Blackpool Licensed Taxi
Owners' Association, said, "The council should
be relaxing the rules during the World Cup."
Taxi drivers in London have been told they can wear
shirts backing England or any other team.
Labour-controlled Blackpool council said, "The
consensus among our officers is that a shirt
featuring the Three Lions or the Cross of St George
constitutes a football shirt, and these are not
permitted." (Source: Daily Mail, May/10)
The UK and Ireland are the worst places
to live in Europe, while France is the best. Brits
have fewer holidays and pay more for goods than
almost all other similar countries. Our food and
diesel prices are the highest and booze and fags cost
above average. UK spending on health and education
has plummeted and now ranks alongside Poland, the
Quality of Life Index showed. Our net household
income was previously the highest but this year we
rank fourth with £37,172.
Brits get the third fewest hours of sunshine a year,
better than only Ireland and Holland. Life expectancy
is below the European average of 79.3. uSwitch.com,
which organised the index, compared 16 factors in ten
countries. Spokeswoman Ann Robinson said, "Last
year Brits were miserable but rich. This year we're
miserable and poor. Whereas some countries work to
live, in the UK consumers live to work." France
topped the index for the second year in a row.
(Source: The Sun, Sep/10)
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