News

This evening sees the second part of The Secret World of Whitehall programme being broadcast on BBC Four. The programme has been looking at the role of civil servants over the last century in the role of Government and decision-making operations.

Press Release. To the News Desk.

There will be a public meeting held at Brixton Town Hall, Acre Lane, Lambeth, SW2 1RW at 7PM Thursday, 24th March 2011.

The meeting will be looking into the suspicious circumstances in the death of David Victor Emmanuel, better known as Smiley Culture.

The meeting will be addressed by the Emmanuel family, social activist Lee Jasper, and the Independent Police Complaints Commission's Mike Franklin.

For a whole week our house was building up to National Red Nose day. Red nose day fever was driven almost exclusively by my five year old son: ‘Dad, in another day soon will it be Red Nose day? ‘Yes son, only two more days to go’.

The local school had rightly got the children excited about a day in which they could have fun-no school uniform, lots of games and conversations about helping others. We gave him a pound pocket money- which he earned by tidying his room-to make his contribution to Red Nose day.

The wait to hear the site of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s honeymoon destination is reminding me of the build-up to learn who would host the 2018 football world cup. Australia is the sentimental favourite, with William teasing out this possibility, as he visited flood-ravaged areas 'down under'. 

Hugh Muir over at The Guardian has written a piece covering the growing campaign over the death of 1980s music star Smiley Culture (real name David Emmanuel):

Waliur Rahman aims to become one of Britain’s youngest Councillors in the upcoming May Bristol Council elections. He is a graduate of OBV’s Councillor Shadowing Scheme and tells the story of his political journey.

Before 2008, I had the same opinions of politicians as many young people do, with the view that all politicians are liars and power hungry. 

A perspective on the attacks on race equality and multiculturalism by Lee Jasper.

As we have seen the slow decline of the global economic, military and political influence of Britain we have also seen a growing sense of insecurity and melancholia, particularly from white British people whose confidence about their place and status in a world has become increasingly fragile. The economic rise of India, China, Brazil and Russia alongside the effects of globalisation has produced a crisis of national confidence.

Poor take up of free eye tests in Wales by people from ethnic minority groups is leading to unnecessary blindness new research has revealed

Research suggests black minority and ethnic (BME) groups are up to six times more likely to suffer conditions which could lead to blindness, but three times less likely to seek treatment.

The new Bill of Rights Commission launch last week has come under attack from the Society of Black Lawyers (SBL) who has issued a strong statement criticizing its all-white membership. 

The Commission launched by the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg and Secretary of State for Justice, Kenneth Clarke will investigate the case for a UK Bill of Rights.

The Prime Minister recently criticised what he called 'state multiculturalism' and said it had failed, arguing that Britain needs a stronger national identity. Perhaps one of the greatest cultural theorists of our generation Professor Stuart Hall (pictured above) takes a measured view about David Cameron’s views, culture, politics and race.