Britain is very multicultural in Brent but not so multicultural in Sedgefield. According to data released by the Office for National Statistics the odds that two strangers randomly meeting on the streets of Brent (a north London borough) being of different ethnic origins is 85%. In Sedgefield, the PM's constituency, the odds are 4%. Whilst this is not the lowest, that honour goes to Easington in Co Durham, but Sedgefield is the most homogeneously white. I wonder what this says about the government.
The overall picture is one of clusters of highly diverse population with most areas of Britain being fairly white and Anglo Saxon.
Elsewhere, in a related matter, Leader of the House of Commons and former Home Secretary, has raised the ire of the Muslim community with news that he has encouraged Islamic women to to take off the veil. He was specifically referring to the niqab,which is the veil that fully covers the woman's face leaving only a small eye slot. He said that ""We are able to relate to people we don't know by reading their faces and if you can't see their faces, that provides some separation. Those people who do wear the veil should think about the implications for community relations." He also admitted that he asked women who attended his constituency surgery to remove the veil to facilitate conversation.
I have not always agree with Mr. Straw but he appears to have spoken carefully and I agree, in principle, with what he says. His Blackburn constituency has a large Muslim population. I can't help but think that these remarks will damage his candidacy for the deputy part leadership.
The overall picture is one of clusters of highly diverse population with most areas of Britain being fairly white and Anglo Saxon.
Elsewhere, in a related matter, Leader of the House of Commons and former Home Secretary, has raised the ire of the Muslim community with news that he has encouraged Islamic women to to take off the veil. He was specifically referring to the niqab,which is the veil that fully covers the woman's face leaving only a small eye slot. He said that ""We are able to relate to people we don't know by reading their faces and if you can't see their faces, that provides some separation. Those people who do wear the veil should think about the implications for community relations." He also admitted that he asked women who attended his constituency surgery to remove the veil to facilitate conversation.
I have not always agree with Mr. Straw but he appears to have spoken carefully and I agree, in principle, with what he says. His Blackburn constituency has a large Muslim population. I can't help but think that these remarks will damage his candidacy for the deputy part leadership.
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