FOR THE HEARING OF THE TALE, FOR THE FUTURE OF THE WISH
News both significant and interesting continues to flow my way. Here is a book by Hilda Meers on the resistance in Nazi concentration camps, but instead of it being written in dull prose it is written almost in pure poetry. Sample this, `They stare at the camera as if to say, look, we are the only ones left alive. I can’t make out what is beyond their eyes they have seen things that are beyond me. So did Jewish children who were hidden away by Christian foster-parents, taught new names, taught by nuns to cross themselves, taught by partisans to lie low in forest hideouts, …taught to be hungry, taught to be constantly on the move, not to draw attention to themselves by saying anything clever, learning through betrayals and unselfish help alike, that their childhood was over, had gone, unretrievable…’ This continues through 112 unforgettable pages.
Hilda Meers is a working class woman from Birmingham, for many years wife of Fred, who was a CPGB organiser who I knew better than Hilda as Fred and I were both members of the District Committee for many years. When Fred died Hilda moved out to Whitehills in Scotland near to the Moray Firth and it was there in the local library that she discovered the material to write this marvellous book which is now published by Country Books of Little Longstone, Derbyshire at £9-99.
Hilda’s book has other revelations for me. She discovered that Jehovah’s Witnesses suffered particularly in the Nazi camps. Not willing to accept any form of killing they would take orders from no one. A distant relative of mine is a Witness. He is the world celebrated saxophonist Don Rendell, pioneer of modern jazz. He was a conscientious objector when called up during the Second World War. He knows of the video made by the US Witnesses of their experiences in the Camp and made available to Hilda from local Witnesses who clean her windows and also an additional video, which Don will make available to me for my library. Don Rendell is also a multiculturalist active in the London musical scene which includes the famous Notting Hill Carnival. But that is another story.
THE RACISM OF THE LEARNING AND SKILLS COUNCIL
It is scarcely credible that our accusations of racism against the LSC should continue to be completely ignored. Friends of Bilston Community College (BCC) first made this charge in 2002. Once the charge of illegal activity had been dismissed by the West Midlands Police Fraud Squad, the other two charges of being `the worst College we have ever inspected’ by the Further Education Funding Council and the charge of unsustainable `massive debts’ by the same body, were shown to be deliberate fabrications, the impropriety and illegality of both the closure of BCC and the opening of the Wolverhampton College were made clear. Since BCC was the first multicultural college in Britain with 30% ethnic minority staff, its closure was clearly racist. These charges have been repeated in 2003 and 2004 and still no reply has been received. So this year we are trying a different strategy. We are demanding under the Freedom of Information Act 2005 the documents and discussions which led to the closure of BCC. These include the cuts in the budget for 1997/8 retrospectively imposed of 20% compared with an average of about 4%; papers relating to meetings of the FEFC which discussed and rejected the College Corporation’s appeal against the cut; papers relating to the circumstances whereby a decision was made to ask for a police investigation of the College; any papers relevant to how, why and when the FEFC proposed to the Secretary of State that the College be closed (Bilston was the only College in the country that was closed.) We must now wait to see what, if anything. comes from the Freedom of Information Act.
The FEFC and its successor the Learning and Skills Council share the Blairite view that transparency and accountability are not for them although they preach openness. Those who have acted illegally extend from Blair and Blunkett to the Public Accounts Committee and the racist unknown civil servants who first concocted this scheme. It includes locally those from the University of Wolverhampton who threatened the Spokesperson of the Friends with legal action unless he desisted from his activities, and the local newspaper the Express & Star which also threatened the Spokesperson and who currently continue a boycott of anything written by the Friends of Bilston Community College or by George Barnsby.
PHIL BATEMAN - A WORTHY MAYOR OF WOLVERHAMPTON
What a pleasure it is to move from the Blairites who have hijacked the Labour Party to those who have the common decency to reply to correspondence. Phil Bateman is one of these. His web site he has opened to all who may wish to contribute. Since my opening spat, he reminds me that he considers himself a Socialist and quotes his interest in such matters as protest at the police murder of Clinton McCurbin and other actions against racism in which we both participated many years ago. He is currently celebrating his first 75 days as Mayor of Wolverhampton. He is however a Blairite supporting, although not always happily, both the domestic and foreign policy of Blair. We have suggested that there is a contradiction between being a Socialist and supporting New Labour, but there will be civilised discourse between us as we discuss opposing points of view.
Phil Bateman will always be remembered as a pioneer of the Metro, and he holds an important role on Transport West Midlands. It is here that I would like to take up his Socialism. The most important feature to me of the Metro was that it was envisaged to operate without conductors. Like the buses, the metro places an unreasonable burden on the drivers of trams who must also collect fares and keep order at the same time. The result is that the Metro has become a corrupted form of Socialism whereby the unsocial travel free. The present position seems to be that customers who are honest and pay are urged to spy on and report those who are dishonest. Unfortunately for the Metro this is just not a part of what being a patriotic Englishman is about. There is no Socialist ethic in Britain which justifies spying on and reporting on your neighbour. We are not Eastern Germany with its secret police, although Blair is rapidly turning us into a police state. The interesting point is that even in the Soviet Union where all branches of industry were controlled by the state and therefore indirectly owned by the people, the Socialist ethic which ensured that those who tried to dodge fares on transport were faced with the collective disapproval of other travellers, even this was not entirely successful and the only solution appears to be the Communist one of providing free transport. Is this, the solution to the Metro problem? This question is eminently worthy of being discussed on your web site, Comrade Bateman.
WHO WAS NARANJAN SINGH NOOR?
Out of the blue came an email from Alexandra. She has recently discovered that Mr. Noor was her grandfather. On `googling’ him, my name and website came up. All she knows is that he was a poet and had worked at Bilson (sic) college; that he had four children of which she was aware and seven grandchildren from which she presumes she is not included and would I keep this to myself as she has no intention of meeting any of her newly discovered `family’.
Did I know Mr.Noor? You bet I did. So I sent her a long email outlining the importance of her grandfather. His early active years were as secretary of the Indian Workers’ Association, then a united body throughout Britain. Domiciled in Wolverhampton he was one of the trinity opposed to Enoch Powell of Mr.Noor leading Indians, Lance Dunkley leading African-Caribbeans and myself secretary of Wolverhampton Communist Party organising with such whites as opposed Powell. We three became involved in the futile Wolverhampton town council madcap scheme to build a school which would take all immigrant children then being bussed around the town into the newly built Grove School. Its head, Ernest Rhoden was a colonial type, who immediately invited Enoch Powell to the opening of the school, which provoked large demonstrations. Mr.Noor continued to clash with Rhoden, notably over the Turban affair when he sent home a Sikh child wearing a turban. Mr.Noor then openly characterised Rhoden as a racist. Rhoden then sued in a white court and was awarded £50,000 damages against Noor which neither he nor the Turban Committee could pay. Noor subsequently had a nervous breakdown and then became a lecturer at Bilston Community College and became part of the team engaged in beating Mrs.Thatcher at her own game. This was turning Technical Colleges from teaching institutions to business corporations who were expected to compete with each other, the stronger sending the weaker to the wall ending with the eventual aim of the state being relieved of any financial responsibility for technical education. When such arrant nonsense was exposed it was Noor’s status as secretary of the Indian Workers’ Association and noted Punjabi poet which meant that BCC’s educational programmes were accepted by Indians throughout the country rather than the racist programmes put forward by the FEFC and subsequently the Learning and Skills Council.
I also know that the Punjabi Academy was started in Wolverhampton, largely to celebrate the poetry of Mr.Noor. This academy no longer exists here, its founder, Swaran Chandran, having moved to London and I do not know his address. So here is a chance for Indians who know and appreciate the importance of Mr.Noor to come forward and pay a proper tribute to one of India’s most important sons. I have also asked Alexie in view of the importance of Mr.Noor details of which she has unwittingly unleashed that she give me permission to make public this attempt to give Mr.Noor a fitting and lasting memorial. Could those who have additional information about Mr.Noor please contact me on www.gbpeopleslibrary co.uk email barnsby@blueyonder.co.uk or postal address 141 Henwood Rd. Wolverhampton WV6 8PJ
THE PAUL FOOT AWARD
We have entered Bilston Community College (BCC) for the first annual award for investigative and or campaigning journalism. This award is sponsored by the Guardian newspaper and Private Eye. Both of them have negative contacts with BCC. My connection with Paul started when he wrote to me asking if I was the person he had seen opposing Enoch Powell at an election meeting, or perhaps I was his son! When I replied that I was indeed that person Paul wrote back asking me to send him my material and asking that we never lose contact again. I sent him my material, but I never heard another word from Paul or Private Eye. It is true that by this time Paul was gravely ill, but there is no excuse for others at Private Eye. With regard to the sins of the Guardian, its editor supported his weekly Education Guardian supplement editor who refused to allow anything from the Friends of BCC to appear in its columns. The main editor, Rusbridger, continues to boycott anything, even a letter, from me appearing in the Guardian. So there is heavy irony in this situation. Will the Sponsors give the £10,000 prize to Bilston Community College, for there surely cannot be a candidate for the award that has campaigned for so long and against such heavy odds for justice. Or will they join the long list of the Silent Ones who continue to support with no given reason, the closure of BCC?
OTHER BUSINESS
We record with regret the death not only of Robin Cook who opposed the war with Iraq, but also Mo Mowlem at the early age of 55. Mo also opposed the closure of Bilston Community College as I am sure Robin Cook did, although I have no letter of his to support this.
We also have two important citizens of Wolverhampton in the news who the city does not appreciate as it should.
GOVERNOR OF THE BANK OF ENGLAND, MERVYN KING
The most important banker in the country, the Governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, is an ex-student of Wolverhampton Grammar School. He has made history recently by admitting that he did not know what direction the economy was taking. This is an eminently sensible point of view to take, since when dealing with capitalism, no one knows what direction it will take. But of course, no other governor of the Bank of England has dared take such a view. Mervyn King has now made further history by differing from his Monetary Policy Committee set up to determine the rate of interest in accordance with instructions laid down by Gordon Brown. This was lowered last week by one quarter of one percent to 4.5%. King publicly differed from the views of his committee which means that he does not agree that the economy is on the slide. Difficult and esoteric business, but this shows an economist of the same calibre as Gordon Brown who I have said elsewhere is the greatest world wide economist since John Maynard Keynes who steered the world economy to the Bretton Woods Agreement after World War Two. Of course, we all may be wrong and Gordon Brown has blotted his copy book by supporting Blair and Bush’s illegal war in Iraq, but the black hole prophesied for Brown has not yet appeared.
COUNCILLOR BOB JONES
The other underrated personality in Wolverhampton is Councillor Bob Jones. Bob was chair of the West Midlands Police Authority when I, a fellow member of that committee representing W’ton Race Equality Council, made one of the most important decisions of my life to support the West Midlands police in general and Wolverhampton in particular as a result of the Stephen Lawrence Enquiry when West Midlands Police became the only public authority in Britain to voluntarily submit themselves to independent training to rid themselves of racism. I have not been able to follow W.Mids police attitudes closely in recent years as I was forced to leave the authority on the closure of Bilston Community College, but a respected national poll this week states that it continues to be the least racist of police forces in Britain and the Wolverhampton force remains the most advanced force of the West Midlands. Bob Jones has now been appointed national chair of Police Authorities of England Wales and Northern Ireland. It is good to know that in these dangerous times when `terrorists’ cannot easily be distinguished from patriots, and the London police chief is being forced to modifying his shoot to kill policy that there will be a progressive Wolverhampton voice at the core of discussions of this most vital problem.
Another issue I must raise is the question of Palestine. We must on no account become anti-Jewish. The legacy of the Holocaust as exemplified by Hilda Meers’ book on resistance in the camps in this Blog illustrates. But can the removal of 8,500 Jews by other Jews from Gaza while Palestinians are daily violently ejected be part of the road to peace? I wrote at the beginning of the Iraqi war that the supply of those who were willing to blow themselves up to enter Paradise or because they thought they were God’s chosen people are strictly limited, and this remains true although the Iraq war has produced a temporary increase in both. That the majority of Jews in Israeli now see brute force against Palestinians as the road to disaster is the best guarantee that the `road map’ might at least be partially implemented.
FOOTBALL RETURNS
Although challenged by cricket as the `beautiful game’ I speak from experience when I say that the British climate will never allow teachers’ to coach children as they are produced in countries of perpetual sunshine such as South Africa and Australia until there are widespread indoor facilities in schools and colleges. And you can count that out under Blair.
But football returns with all its problems unresolved. The fact that Chelsea have defeated Arsenal twice in the last few days shows only that Chelsea have now assembled the most talented squad ever put together in Britain and perhaps the world, many of them of African heritage, be it noted. To do this has entailed the use of the unlimited millions of Abramovitch which he stole from the Russian people.
It would appear that Arsene Wenger at Arsenal has underestimated the problems of being number one with his talented young squad and Manchester United continue to be the team sold to the capitalist devil. This in a period when only first is good enough and no one remembers who came second and third. I recommend my `I love Arsene Wenger’ as a narrative of how this man changed the face of English football to the prospective advantage of everyone.
Meanwhile here in Wolverhampton we remain in the doldrums of the second division (now grandly called the Coca Cola League!) despite having the best supporters in Britain, one of the best stadiums and a sugar daddy who has spent about £50m on Wolves to little avail. Even worse, Sir Jack Hayward and his family are now at loggerheads and he himself has recovered from cancer. Yet this man may be our best hope of solving two key problems, one local and the other national.
Hayward is an extremely modest person and he has never wanted to own the football club of which he is the most generous supporter. Perhaps we might therefore persuade him to support the only rational solution to club ownership today, i.e. that they should be owned by their supporters as some form of cooperative.
The national problem is that Hayward is a fanatical believer in Britain and British industry. No foreign cars have been tolerated at any of his numerous business premises throughout the world. Hayward brought the Great Britain pioneer iron ship to Bristol where it was built from the Bahamas. Would he, could he, take on the task of restoring British industry to its pioneering role. It now appears that some car making will take place at MG-Rover, but the task of securing an industrial base for Britain, despite competition from low wage economies such as China and India, is a realisable aim, as France, Germany, Spain and Sweden have all demonstrated. There are many in the Black Country and Britain who would welcome such a project.
With such thoughts we must end the August Blog. The next will appear in September excoriating Blair the racist and continuing illegal slaughterer of the Iraqi people. Unless he has been arrested before then.