Disadvantaged young white boys 'at risk' to far right organisations says schools' adviser

DISADVANTAGED young white males in Birmingham are “potentially at risk” of being recruited by far right organisations, according to a leading schools’ adviser.

Karamat Iqbal, school effectiveness adviser for Birmingham City Council, was one of the guest speakers at a conference held at Birmingham’s NEC to discuss the rising problem of underachieving young white boys in UK schools.

Mr Iqbal, who has written two reports on the subject, said both white boys and white girls from less well-off back grounds are potentially at risk to the “negative attitudes” of extremists.

In one of his studies, Underachievement of White Disadvantaged Pupils in Birmingham, Mr Iqbal showed there was a correlation in a child from a white British working class background not attaining high grades at GCSE level and the voting patterns of the neighbourhood.

Using figures from the 2004 local election, areas like Longbridge and Sheldon which had a higher percentage of votes for far right parties, were the same communities suffering from low GCSE passes among white children.

But, Mr Iqbal praised the effectiveness of city’s schools in combating the possibility of youngsters turning to such groups. continues here

Lest we forget

Anti-Muslim Protest Birmingham

Now its not long before the protest begins and still I cannot support this initiative and I know now that others also refuse to indorse this event, I have been contacted personally by EDL individuals and although we have come to some agreement regarding each other ,still the presence of Zionism prohibits further involvement from this side. However, we wish the EDL well and all those nationalists attending the event tomorrow, I know to from other sources that the police have prepared well for this protest including non-uniform officers and kitted teams.

It is a shame that officially true nationalism oppose the conceivers, which as I stated myself to the contactee, in no way insinuates lack of support for some of the aims of the group, I believe as do other nationalists of my acquaintance, that this protest assists other forces, yet we will, should need present, support in whichever way our own people. I know that some of us will unofficially travel tomorrow, as myself and others did at the last protest however, this will be an unofficial showing, unsanctioned and a personal choice.

In any event good luck to all and be careful, others travel to commit violence and this protest has a different aspect from the last one, please maintain personal security, travel in groups, be prepared and good hunting.

Birmingham will see rise in religious and ethnic clashes,Tories warn

Birmingham City Council will increasingly be forced to deal with “cultural clashes” between people of different ethnic groups or religions, Conservatives have warned.

The possibility for conflict will increase as the city moves towards becoming a “plural city” in which white people are a minority, said Paul Goodman, Conservative Shadow Minister for Local Government and Community Cohesion. This is expected to happen by 2027, based on current trends.

Speaking at a fringe meeting during the Conservative conference, Mr Goodman warned that national governments could do little to deal with the tensions that might arise.

It would be down to local councils to resolve disputes and deal with competing claims of ethnic groups, he said.

He said: “We can see, looking ahead, that you have this picture of diversity and plurality, and cities are going to look very different.

“For policy-makers, in one sense this is all very exciting.

“In another sense, I think there are going to be cultural clashes in these plural cities, between different groups with different value systems, and different outlooks.

“The art of politics, local and national, is going to be managing the culture clashes.”

Tensions could be caused by racism, including racist attitudes from some ethnic minorities towards each other, he said.

“One issue is what you might call old-fashioned racism. Racism hasn’t gone away, and not just what you might call old-fashioned white on ethnic minority racism. There are also other forms of racism taking place.

“When there was great wave of people coming in seeking asylum five years ago, there were reports from channel ports about different recently-arrived groups having very tense relations with each other.”

However, religion would also be a factor, he said. Birmingham already has a population which is 14 per cent Muslim, Mr Goodman pointed out.

“Religion will be a very important factor in British cities, and it is going to be up to local and national politicians to manage this factor too.

“There is a positive side to his, but I think there will also be culture clashes.

“I think the attitude of Muslims in cities on licensing, even on the annual gay pride march, isn’t necessarily going to be the same in those areas as everyone else, just as the attitude of white fundamentalist Christians isn’t going to be the same as everyone else.”

But national government could offer only limited help to deal with these issues, he said.

“I think it’s very important to be clear about what national government can and cannot do. continues here