Enoch Powell; did his 40 year old speech indeed make it easier to discuss race...

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nativexile

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...issues...or harder? His Brum. 1968 speech, with sprinklings of Roman spice (naughty, but nice...unless you were a law-abiding Jamaican only yards away from where he conducted his speech) seemed like summat he just wanted to get off his chest, rather than start intellectual discussion. Edward Heath didn't think he was 'racist'...but the wordage, with the surreal allusion to Virgil's Aeneid told Heath enough was enough. The dockers of London as well as the newly formed National Front, saw Mr. Powell's speech as 'kosher' (if I can type that word). What his April 20 speech actually did was take away any chance for discussion, with us reading about the old dear in Wolverhampton terrified to go out because her street only had a handful of whites living there.
When Mr. Powell was minister of health in the early 60's his department sent emissaries to the West Indies to recruit nurses and ancillary workers for the National Service. Would have loved to have heard from them also.
Eh oop, Ecky...always have been confused by the word 'visionary'. Martin Luther King was also seen as one - but bet he didn't see what was coming next - again, in the fine year of 1968 - still at the height of the - er - 'swinging sixties'
 
I do not think the the rivers of blood speech made much difference except it branded Powell a bigot and racist. The bones of the speech was a multicultural Britain would not work and we all know it's not working. He said there would be tension on both sides which there is and he said, Britain would have rivers of blood, and we have seen a lot of violence.

The biggest mistake he made was the racist language he used which would not be acceptable in today’s world. I think he had the right sentiment but he went around in the wrong way. The problem with discussing race issues is if you’re white, the PC army instantly think your racist so your in a no win situation.
 
Much much harder. This is evident in the remarks of his Conservative colleagues. He committed political suicide
 
Harder. Politicians wont go there and we are reaping the problems of them not doing so in the mass immigration we have seen.
 
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