Press Scapegoats Black Player as Face of Defeat

Britain’s right wing press the Daily Mail, The Sun, The Telegraph , The Star  speaks to their base as it shows Bukayo Saka as the face of defeat - the scapegoat. Sake came on as a substitute played for the final 24 min of England 0-1 defeat to Iceland, the goal was scored long before he came on to play.

This is the same base that in 2016 they told they would ‘take back control’ with the Brexit vote. The same base they are now telling Nigel Farage and his Reform Party are the real challengers to the Tories.

The press needs that base because, without them, it’s all over for them  as they see sales dwindling. 

That base is not all of Britain; it typically comprises around 10 to 15% of the population that supported the BNP then UKIP and today, Reform. They are mainly white and much older than the rest of the population. That’s who most of the British press is speaking to. Sadly, all too often, we see the BBC taking their lead from these right-wing papers . For years they Farage a platform when he had no electoral base. 

We need to be clear: these papers do not speak for all of Britain. They speak to their base, a small and dying part of the British population.

My Prostate Cancer UK MarchForMen 2024 For James

Me, Dwight, Byron, Lloyd

I was motivated to take part in Prostate Cancer UK MarchForMen 2024 by the memeory James, the husband of my niece Eve-Marie, who died from cancer last year.

I had very memorable day, meet some great people and heard some very moving stories. 

I arrived at the site at 10:30 for a 12:00 pm start, which was far too early. The Elizabeth line was closed I gave myself good time as Southeastern cannot be relied on as an alternative  especially on Sundays. That gave me the opportunity time to watch the crowd grow and it did and quickly all kinds of folk ages, colours, genders, ethnicities, many pushing prams, others with their dogs, a real family-fun-day out for such an important cause and many like me walking for a named loved or relative.

At the start of the walk the CEO of Prostate Cancer UK explained why we were all there:

·      Prostate Cancer effects 1 in 8 man and specifically 1 in 4 Black man 

·      Prostate Cancer UK wants screening for all just as there is for breast cancer.

·      Men need to talk about Prostrate Cancer and its symptoms (more of that later)

·      MarchForMen 2024 will raise £3,000,000

 

While waiting, I sat down and started chatting to three guys: Lloyd and Byron who were old friends and Dwight who they'd just met. We got on well, so well indeed the four of us spent the walk to together, starting and finishing together. Dwight went on to do a third lap, we three did just 5K, two laps of Battersea Park so Dwight doesn’t appear in final picture of us with our MarchForMen medals.

Byron had had surgery for prostrate cancer and shared his journey with us. He had made a full recovery nevertheless there were still things he needs still to be alert to. This was made real by him taking some incontinence pads from a table of various forms of male incontinence pads by the toilet block.

This was a really revelatory part of the day for me as first Byron, then we all shared issues with peeing and leaks. In the past we as men, full of machismo would never talked about such things, that was for women. Times have changed thanks to Prostate Cancer UK and others particularly our other halves who have urged that peeing issues should be discussed and acted on, not neglected as the consequences could be literally deadly.

Lloyd, Me, Byron

It was brilliant day for such a brilliant cause with seamless delivery of MarchForMen 2024 by Prostrate Cancer UK. I was surprised how much my hips hurt as I limped home at the end of the day. Despite that the aches and pains it was wonderful day, made some new friends and raised, as I write this £245 – 245% of my original £100 target  - so a huge thanks to all those who supported me  and you can still contribute, the page is still open….just sayin’ ! And BTW I've signed up for MarchForMen 2025.

...and for you men if you haven't done the 30s prostrate test you can do it right now...

Memories of me Mum at a Haberdashery Store

Eva Ohajuru 

1st February 1926 to 23rd May 2016

Memories of me Mum who passed away 23^rd May 2016 came flooding back to me the other night  in a London haberdashery store – MacCulloch & Wallis

 

I was there to buy the buttons and cotton to replace the bland, predictable white buttons and cotton stitching  on a brilliant orange H&M shirt.

 

I was totally taken aback by the memories of visiting haberdashery shops in 1960s Liverpool with me Mum.

 

Mum made – knitted, sewed, hand stitched  -  everything we wore back then, jumpers, shirts, jackets , trousers everything except underpants and socks. 

 

Mum was a talented seamstress at one time even had a small business repairing and making clothes. 

 

The shop assistant listened patiently  as I rabbited on about me Mum and my memories of visiting such shops with her as young boy, the assistant was so kind. 

It was really emotional to see the racks and skeins of wools of all colours, the multicoloured rows of cotton thread, buttons and zips, the rolls of fabrics waiting to be cut to length. It was all there. I was back to being a little boy with me Mum as she brought the stuff Mum needed to make her creations. 

 

Happy, emotional memories……

BREXITY COMPLEXITY

BREXIT is not just in or out or deal or no deal. BREXIT raises deeper, wider, more complex issues which can be distilled down to a list of seven profoundly, interrelated questions about who we are, who want to be, how we relate to one another as well as Britain's place in the world in the 21st century. BREXIT is COMPLEX.

1 Europe Question. Are we in out?
2 Britain’s Place in the world Question. Exactly what is our role?
3 Irish Question. What’s the future of Northern Ireland?
4 Union Question. Are we really the United Kingdom?
5 United Kingdom Question. Why the difference in life chances across the country?
6 The Two-Party, Left -Right System Question. Is it still fit for purpose in 21st Century Britain?
7 The Parliament Question. Does our current Parliamentary system work, do we need to rethink it?

These questions have been simmering unresolved for years coming to the surface at various times being resolved by a temporary resolution or kludge, then we move on with the question dormant, unresolved, simmering. We now have the perfect storm of BREXIT which has brought all seven to the surface simultaneously. BREXIT is COMPLEX.

The issue is no one politician or party has the answer for all seven that the nation can agree up on. We cannot even agree on the priorities; which question is more pressing than the other. Unless and until we agree on the priorities then we are doomed to BREXIT times:  a seemingly never ending cycle of missed deadlines and series of political firsts needing the courts to adjudicate. BREXIT is COMPLEX.

The questions paraphrase Peter Hennessy, Professor of Contemporary British History at Queen Mary University of London. On BBC Radio 4 The Briefing Room The Perfect Storm: The United Kingdom, Brexit and its History

BBC's The Long Story - The Enslaved With Agency

Just finished watching BBC’s excellent The Long Story and had to smile despite all the sadness and violence running throughout the story, within the story there is much to smile about and the end leaves us with the black folk having both dignity in their lives and power over their destiny.

The Long Story is told within the history of the end of slavery in Jamaica. It touched on many of the well-worn themes and tropes of slavery:  the rape of enslaved black women taken as mistresses and concubines, the precarious lives of gentle white women challenged by the barbarity of life in the colonies in contrast to elegance and gentility they had left behind in England and the unforgiving sugar crop, harvested through the relentless physical and economic violence metered out before and after the end of enslavement

The theme that kept me engaged me, which kept me watching, was that of the enslaved with agency, who through big and small acts reaped their revenge on their masters and mistresses in the big houses. In doing so showed how enslaved were not passive, indifferent, accepting, they did speak or act out and did say NO! both overtly and covertly, sometimes to devastating effect for both black and white. 

I don’t wish to give the many examples that run throughout the three episodes - I urge you to view them – all eminently watchable. The scenery and cinematography are stunning with many brilliant, often innovative, moving drone shots and novel POVs,  again I won't share as that would risk giving the plot away - watch and enjoy!

Tamara Lawrence as July aka Margarite fills the role with power, pathos and much wit, Tamara is surely a star in the making,

I recommend The Long Story unreservedly: Five Stars.

Be The First You

Anthony Ekundayo Lennon (Image: @Lennon_Anthony/Twitter)

I was asked in a WhatsApp group of fellow black men to give my views on Anthony Ekundayo Lennon case which was sensationalised by the Daily Mail and denounced, accused of a tak[ing] away opportunities from black artists and creatives by many of those who like Ekundayo claim to be black.

Up to now I have been reluctant to comment as my partner does not agree with my views on the case, so I did not want to create further division or controversy. Now having been asked to comment and slept on the matter I am going to give my thoughts.

I believe identity is a construct.

Who you are is what you believe you are, your identity is what you believe yourself to be.

Look how artists invent re-invent themselves – Picasso, Bowie, Prince – each lived life on their terms on how they want or wanted to be, despite the consequences often leaving themselves open to ridicule only to be found later to have been right to have remained faithful to their beliefs.

That freedom of our autonomous mind to declare who we are is rooted in Descartes’s  I think therefore I am your thoughts are you, you are your thoughts. That individual freedom of thought has been the basis of the modern world for past 200 years dating back to Kant’s view of the Enlightenment Dare to know – think for yourself. You do not have to let others tell you how to think you, you are free to think for yourself.

This is especially important for our youth who I urge to be the ‘first of you’ not to be the you that society tells you you should be.

There is of course self-reflection and reality checks along the way to finding out who you are, it is a very personal journey.

The journey begins with having a world view which one interrogates, challenges, questions to find one’s place, using imagination challenged by critical thinking to establish who one is. The model continues to question and challenged by the self to ensure that we are being who we believe we are – remain true to oneself.

I urge all young and old to be the first you – be who you want to be not what others say you should be or want you to be.

The reaction of some to Anthony Ekundayo Lennon is deeply troubling to me  as he was faithful to himself he wanted to be bringing value to himself and others, which to  my measure of success defined as the amount of happiness you bring to others and yourself – he was a success, true to himself.

His belief in himself and his identity he summed it well saying:

I will not allow anyone who can’t accept or understand my life to be relevant to my existence.

This is a mantra for those who know who have worked out who they are and will not accept others telling them who they are or who they are not. Like Ekundayo they have actively created their identity I urge that we should all do this, I urge all to be the first you.

BREXIT: The Peoples March – I Was There.

"Can you make up your mind what you want please?" That’s what a friend demanded via WhatsApp when he saw that I’d been on the People’s March.

I had voted to REMAIN but have accepted BREXIT but wanted it done - in Macbeth’s words on the killing of King Duncan ‘It were done ...t’were well it were done quickly’

What I didn’t, and don’t want is this onimshambles of a negotiation which has divided the country potentially splitting the Union.  I was for ‘Bring it on’,  ‘Just do it’ not this death by a thousand options, another day another summit, another proposal, yet another option: Chequers, Canada, Norway and so on and each with a light or plus sometime even plus, plus option…

The march had been in my diary for some time, when the date eventually came I around I went not with the enthusiasm and commitment I had signed up with, nevertheless I went. 

Reports of the costs, difficulties and resistance and a second referendum not to mention what would be the question or questions had impacted me, weakening my resolve. Yes, I still wanted a second vote  but did I believe it would actually happen? 

I went to the march to have my faith renewed, my belief reenergised.

The signs on the march were numerous and witty, the people many and polite , the police were orgainsied and ready. 

However I had the feeling we were going thought a process, I didn’t detect much anger. I sensed people were doing the right thing in a very English way, marching for decency and integrity with earnestness, with wit but there was none of the anger of the Poll Tax marches As another friend , this one with me on the march, and I reflected “were not throwing rocks – were just pointing fingers”. The speeches reflected that finger pointing - lacking any anger.

Sadly I was minded of Ian Duncan Smith’s ‘quiet man’ analogy – all words no action. This was all march – despite the numbers – no action. 

I went to be energised I came away resigned -  the march was pointless. We’re just too polite to throw rocks – physical or metaphysical - the paving stones are safe and slander lawyers not needed. The march was a token, the onimshambles continues

Yes I still want a second vote -  will it happen in this political climate? It might with the confusion of 'the options' and a vote in Parliament to come - anything is possible. My hope is that the internal rock throwing of the Tories by the DUP, Johnson and Rees-Moog et al coupled with the visceral weakness of May will result in a General Election, then all bets are off - we’ll have a real, meaningful, informed vote People's Vote on BREXIT.