Zimpapers Logo

in the last fortnight. Western countries, Britain and US in particular take pride labelling themselves as civilised nations. And yet no effort is made to address underlying issues of poverty and social stratification. Britain and the US are two nations that have used words like civilisation, democracy, human rights, freedom to declare wars on the so called Barbarian Hordes of the East and the Middle East.
Now that same barbaric behaviour is on the doorstep of every Western home. In fact not only on their doorsteps but in their homes in the form of young teenagers. These teenagers who have all the freedom and human rights have exercised their right to burn and destroy and even kill if necessary to get what they want.
They did not need a leader to tell them – just their “democratic” desires and their “human right”.
So much for that freedom. So the Murdoch media should be looking for someone to blame for the riots in Britain.
So who is to blame? It is those Egyptians! Oh, no It is those Iraqis! Oh, no! It is those Libyans! Who is next . . .
There is an endemic culture of blaming other nations for homegrown problems, which is one classic ploy of modern media and civilised nations. All good things are from us and all bad things are from them.
Western nations need to do some serious soul searching within. Mind you, two World Wars have not opened their eyes so I doubt what will open their eyes. I am reminded of President George Bush senior who said that the enemy of U.S. was not outside but was within. For once we should extend this argument to all western nations.
Two weeks ago, London was engulfed in flames after people rampaged, looting shops and setting properties alight after police shot and killed a man they initially said was armed. It has since emerged that he was not armed but that the police were reckless.
In essence, in this report, I am making the case that the upheaval that followed dramatized the enemy that lies in this society and authorities here are oblivious to it. In Birmingham for example, for years there has been tension between Asians and Afro-Caribbeans.
Birmingham, the second largest city, is home to pockets of some of this country’s poor districts where poverty is extreme. Some 2.2 million pensioners in the UK are living in poverty while 7.2 million working age adults in the UK are living in poverty. Even more distinct is the experience of ethnic minorities.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has researched into the issue of poverty and found that it is likely to affect ethnic minorities twice as likely than whites.
The research highlights the differences between minority ethnic groups with 65 percent of Bangladeshis living in poverty compared to 55 percent of Pakistanis, 45 percent of Black Africans and 30 percent of Indians and Black Caribbeans. Over half of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Black African children in the UK are growing up in poverty with a staggering 70 percent of Bangladeshi children growing up poor.
The research shows that people from minority ethnic groups who have higher educational achievements do not receive the same rewards as those from white British backgrounds with similar qualifications.
JRF Director Julia Unwin said: “Although the past decade has seen some improvements, there are still some very serious problems which remain unsolved. This research shows how policies need to address the different situation of each group and be followed through on a practical level. We need an urgent rethink from Government and employers so that minority ethnic groups do not miss out on opportunities in the workplace and higher educational attainment is properly recognised.”
The reports show that:
l only 20 percent of Bangladeshis, 30 percent of Pakistanis and 40 percent of Black Africans of working age are in full time work (compared to over 50 percent of white British people of working age);
even with a degree, Pakistani and Bangladeshi men are less likely to be employed than someone white with the same qualifications; despite a rapid growth in Pakistani and Bangladeshi women going to university suffer high unemployment and are much less likely than Indian or white British women to be in professional or managerial jobs. British born people from minority ethnic backgrounds, especially Indian, Black, Pakistani and Bangladeshi groups are less likely to get jobs than their white equivalents.
l while poverty levels among white British people are the same whether they live in London or elsewhere, rates among minority ethnic groups are far worse for those living in London. What also boggles the mind is that women are the majority in the poorest groups.
London has a higher proportion of people living in poverty than any other region in the UK. In London, at least 31 percent of the 7 million people there are defined as ethnic minorities.
Suffice to mention that officially, the UK has a higher proportion of its population living in relative poverty than most other EU countries: of the 27 EU countries, only 6 have a higher rate than the UK.
Poverty means not having enough money to pay for the things you need. Some of the variables used to measure poverty are a family’s inability to provide birthday presents for their children.
Overall, charities here such as Oxfam define poverty in terms of families and individuals not having enough to eat, being unable to heat their homes, not having adequate warm clothing, and not having enough money to cope with unforeseen events, such as the need to repair a broken washing machine.

Of course the examples I have cited demonstrate that poverty is indeed a relative term. One of the key features of poverty in the UK is that it exists alongside high economic prosperity in a wealthy country. Poorer countries, with fairer wealth distribution are healthier, and happier, than richer more unequal countries.
Furthermore, another feature of poverty in the UK is a feeling of powerlessness and not having a say in the decisions that affect your life. And yet the government is busy lecturing developing countries on how democratic they should be. In the UK, the everyday experience of many of those on low incomes is frequently one of disrespect – being treated as invisible by decision-makers and not having their views taken into account.