On balance I think it was a positive thing that I was not around at the weekend when the BNP came to Liverpool, to my own area in fact, barely half a mile away.
Had I been at home and available to protest against their conference, I would have been there. And irrespective of how vocal our leader of the council, Labour's Joe Anderson was, I would have been yet louder and more strident.
That people with such abhorrent views should have been spending the weekend on my very doorstep fills me with shame and despair.
I don't know how many British Citizenship Ceremonies I have now attended and spoken at, it must be in excess of three dozen by now. But I do know that I take painstaking care each time to tell our new Citizens how much we value the input from every new person who comes to live in our country. As Paul Amman reminded us last year on International Migrants Day, December 2010, some of the people who built this beloved city came from overseas.
A German migrant, Carl Bernard Bartels created the most iconic representation of the symbol of the city the Royal Liver Building Birds
Scandinavian migrants brought the city its dish, Lobscouse
Malian Djimi Traore, Scot Kenny Daglish, Jamaican John Barnes, Welsh Craig Bellamy, Brazilian Fabio Aurelio, Dutch Ryan Babel, Czech Vladimir Smicer, Israeli Yossi Benayoun, Irish Steve Staunton, Dane Jan Molby, Welsh Ian Rush and Pole Jerzy Dudek are just a sample of the many migrants who have contributed to the success of Liverpool FC
Irish migrant Edward Chambre Hardman whose legacy for photography is still preserved at his studio 59 Rodney Street which is now owned by the national Trust
Swiss migrant Carl Jung's Liverpool Dream
John, Paul and George were descendants of Irish migrants
Russian migrant Vasily Petrenko is principal conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Nigerian Victor Anichebe, Australian Tim Cahil, Polish descended Phil Jagielka, Russian Andrei Kanchelskis, Welsh Gary Speed, Scot Gary Naysmith, Canadian Tomasz Radzinski, Spanish Mikel Arteta and American Tim Howard are some of the many migrants who have contributed to Everton FC's successes
Yemeni migrant, Tahir Qassim MBE is one of the founders and chairperson of the Liverpool Arabic Centre. He is also Chair of the Liverpool Black and other Racial Minorities (BRM) Network, Liverpool BRM Education sub-group, Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival (LAAF) and a Board member of the Bluecoat Arts Centre.
Descendents of Jewish migrants from Europe: Samuel, Yates, Montagu, Mozley and Joseph participated in the administration of Liverpool, helping in 1798 to found Liverpool's leading cultural organisation, the Athenaeum
In 1863 Charles Mozley, then president of the Hebrew Educational Institution, became Liverpool's first Jewish Mayor (buried in Deane Road Cemetery)
Jewish migrant descended David Lewis, founded the iconic Liverpool store (also buried in Deane Road cemetery)
John Archer was one of Britain's first black mayors (Battersea) born in Liverpool, John's father, was a Barbadian ship's steward whilst his mother, Mary Theresa Burns, was Irish born
Chinese migrant Mr K H Li, founder of the Chinese Youth Orchestra and contributor to the soundtrack of the Last Emperor
Singaporean born Michael Chew Koon Chan, Lord Chan of Oxton was House of Lord's only peer of Chinese origin and a consultant and lecturer at Liverpool's School of Tropical Medicine
Chinese descended Liverpool born Hong Y "Frank" Soo was the first non-white man to play football for England
Craig Charles, Cathy Tyson, Paul Barber are all renowned Liverpool born actors of African-Caribbean descent
Liverpool born, African descended, Walter "Wally" Brown CBE was principal of Liverpool Community College
And many, many more have clearly contributed!
There is NO ROOM in Liverpool for the BNP. Above all the areas in the NW who voted Nick Griffin into the European Parliament with a derisory 6% of the vote, using a system which I believe is broken, Liverpool had the smallest support for his wicked ways.
Election results in Liverpool are clear, and remain clear. We don't want your sort here, we don't support you, we don't welcome and we want you to take your tainted custom elsewhere.
4 comments:
Well said!
Don't let the facts get in the way eh, Louise? The BNP polled 8% across the NW in 2009. Nor was Lpool the smallest showing. In fact, Lpool, Manc and Knowsley (where the BNP came 2nd) pushed the BNP over the threshold. We agree about one thing though: Liverpool welcomes incomers, including yourself and Cllrs Munby, Storey, Radford...
6% in Liverpool Emma. BNP were sixth. Those are the facts.
And if you think you can embarass me because I have chosen to come and live in this wonderful city, rather than having been born here, you are sadly mistaken.
Good post.
Liverpool has consistantly and most emphatically rejected the BNP wherever they have stood in Liverpool, and no doubt will continue to do so. However much Emma deludes herself.
The fact that less than 100 people showed up to their annual conference speaks volumes. One protest I attended in Manchester in 2009 against their repulsive views would have dwarfed in size the ramshackled individuals that assembled at the Cricket club.
Quite why the club decided to host such an event I do not know. I have patronised there before but will not do so again.
Hope you're well, Louise. Really good work on the Cemetary. I was telling my father about it t'other day (both he and I share a love of local history). I did notice that referendum article however! May I correct you? Our headquaters are now at Great George St, not Cowley St ;-)
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