Salma Yaqoob

Tuesday, 9 February 2010

Only a game?

Sporting icons have been getting a bit of a bad press recently, and for good reason. For an example of a real sporting hero, and a reminder of the redemptive power of sport, go see the movie ‘Invictus’. Directed by Clint Eastwood, it tells the remarkable tale of the South African victory in the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

Set against a backdrop of a South Africa beset by economic problems and riven with division after 50 years of apartheid, Nelson Mandela, played brilliantly by Morgan Freeman, is grappling with the problem of how to unite the country. He sees an opportunity in the forthcoming rugby tournament hosted by South Africa, and finds an unusual ally in the team’s captain, Francois Pienaar.

South African rugby was for so long the exclusive preserve of whites and closely associated with the racist apartheid regime. So, Mandela’s call for the nation to rally round its rugby team created considerable tension among his own supporters. Pienaar has to wage a version of the same battle with his own team mates, so long used to viewing blacks as second class citizens and the new South African president as a ‘terrorist’.

Mandela has a passionate conviction in the need to forgive past crimes if the nation is to heal old wounds and forge a new unity. He comes across as a man of high principle and firm conviction. And he oozes with charm! His humanity shines through in every encounter, whether with heads of state or tea ladies.

Pienaar also comes across as a man who has become aware of new responsibilities and succeeds in raising himself to new heights, inspired by Mandela’s vision about how rugby can unite the nation. The scene where Pienaar (played in an understated but powerful way by Matr Damon) takes his team mates to Robben Island, where Mandela was incarcerated for 30 years, is moving. Slowly the reality of the personal price Mandela paid for his country dawns on him.

I don’t think I have ever watched a rugby game, and to me the rugby scenes in the film just seemed to consist of big guys clattering into each other! But even I was on the edge of my seat during the last 20 minutes of the South Africa-New Zealand final.

The title of the film is from a poem by William Ernest Henley that Mandela drew strength and solace from in times of adversity:

Out of the night that covers me, 

Black as the pit from pole to pole, 

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. 

Under the bludgeonings of chance 

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears 

Looms but the Horror of the shade, 

And yet the menace of the years 

Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate, 

How charged with punishments the scroll, 

I am the master of my fate: 

I am the captain of my soul.

Monday, 8 February 2010

Quiet Multiculturalism at work

Last night I attended a fundraising event for the Haitian earthquake disaster. The organisers, Birmingham Citizens and Islamic Relief, sold over 900 tickets and by the time I left over £30,000 had been raised. It brought home to me how much this catastrophe has touched everyone. And it also underlined how solidarity brings us together. The audience was very diverse, with people from all faith communities present. Speakers emphasised that the event was not about religion, or whether we shared the same faith – it was about our common humanity. Religious people sometimes think it is easier to appeal for support for others of the same faith. Last night disproved that myth. Islamic Relief have set themselves the target of raising £1million in aid for Haiti. Hats off to the organisers. It showed multicultural Birmingham working at its best.

Earlier that evening I visited the Qadri Trust Mosque in Sparkbrook. They had organized an open door community and cross-party event to celebrate the life of the Prophet Mohammed. The small mosque was crammed and the event was filmed by Noor TV. Again, what struck me about it was the extent to which people were reaching out to others of different faith and race backgrounds. Our Lord Mayor was there and I was happy to see Christian ministers Ray Gaston and Toby Howath there too. My experience is that mosque committees are working harder to reach out to their non-Muslim neighbours. It is essential that that work continues and deepens if barriers are to be broken down. Qadri Trust Mosque is setting a good example to others.

Sunday, 7 February 2010

Are you listening, Richard Branson?

With climate change looming over us, one thing we must achieve is to shift our transport system from private and polluting to public and green. I am not alone in valuing the freedom and flexibility I get from owning a car. But there are plenty of occasions when I would rather let the 'train take the strain', and other occasions when would if I could.

To have the freedom to jump onto any weekday Virgin train from Birmingham to London will cost an eye-watering £140 return! Avoiding the rush hour used to be a way of getting the cost down to something that didn't require a second mortgage. But not only have the prices gone up, the 'peak' hours have been extended.

As a society, we need more people to swap their car for the train. But we then hand over our train network to private companies whose first concern is getting a return for their shareholders. The end result is a pricing system that seems to be deliberately designed to force us onto the roads.

The first off-peak Virgin train from Birmingham New Street to London is now as late as 10.10am – not getting into Euston until 11.34. A short day trip isn't so easy either – to get a reasonable fare you'll have to hang around until 19.03 and won't be home until 20.27. And when you do get on a Virgin train, it is not uncommon to find the standard carriages packed and the first class ones practically empty. They always give you the option of upgrading to first class of course – for an extra £15.

When my children ask to visit their cousins in London, I'll be counting the cost before giving my answer. Surely, any rational approach to transport should be based on making it as easy as possible for all of us to use less polluting alternatives? Tell that to Virgin Trains.

Saturday, 6 February 2010

Breaking the siege of Gaza

The people of Gaza have been subjected to a brutal economic blockade. The situation is so bad Israel's actions were described in the United Nations-sponsored Goldstone report as a form of ‘collective punishment’ against the entire population.

The recent Viva Palestina convoy successfully broke that blockade last month. And I am proud of them for doing so. They brought over 500 people from 17 countries and 250 trucks and ambulances full of humanitarian supplies like generators, baby milk and medicine to the besieged Gaza strip. In the process they incurred the wrath of the Mubarak dictatorship in Egypt, who have a long history of collusion in the oppression of the Palestinians. Egyptian police brutally attacked the convoy, the Egyptian government expelled its leader, George Galloway, who has been banned from the country, and they have announced they will not allow any more aid convoys travel on their soil either.

Well, as Tony Blair discovered, George is not a man easily silenced or intimidated. His response to the ban was to say he will be back to celebrate in the streets of Cairo with the Egyptian people when Mubarak and his torturers are gone! And already he has put in motion plans for the next convoy. This time it will be by sea. Viva Palestina has huge support in Turkey and negotiations are underway for a flotilla of ships from all over the world to sail from Turkey, with the support of the Turkish government, and under its flag. I fully intend to be going with them.

bring your pots and pans!

Birmingham City Council is planning vicious job cuts. Up to 1400 jobs could go, many of them very low paid. Staff at our nurseries, leisure services, neighbourhood offices and libraries are under threat.

One of the reasons the council is in a financial mess is because of money wasted on consultants. Another £67 million is to be spent this year alone. A council spokesperson has dismissed concerns about this extraordinary waste of money. It is ‘a drop in the ocean’ they say, in the context of a £3 billion budget. I would like to see them say that to community groups in my ward starved of funding, or families stuck for years on housing waiting lists because the council is not building enough homes.

These cutbacks will be justified as essential belt-tightening. But City Council Chief Executive, Stephen Hughes, enjoyed an 18.2% pay increase between 2006/7 and 2007/8 and is on a very nice £3,900 per week. The Birmingham Post reported that he’s now a member of the “£200,000+ per year club”. Council bosses should get a taste of their own medicine.

All the more reason to apply as much pressure as possible in advance of the council meeting that will set the annual budget. A number of local trade unions have called for a protest, and they want to make it a noisy one, so bring your pots and pans!

See you there.

Protest at Council Cuts, Tuesday 23 February, 4pm – 6pm, Birmingham Council House, Victoria Square. Called by UNISON, UNITE, GMB, UCATT, AMICUS.

Photo: Balsall Heath dinner ladies

Friday, 5 February 2010

‘an apartheid state par excellence’

Earlier this week I wrote about Ben White’s recent book on Israeli apartheid. Any comparison with apartheid South Africa has always been hotly contested by supporters of Israel. I was surprised therefore to read that Ehud Barak, Israel's defence minister, is issuing stark warnings that without a political solution in which the Palestinian people were allowed their own independent state, Israel could end up ‘an apartheid state par excellence’. (Independent, 3 February). The very fact he is talking about the need for peace reflects concern about growing international pressure. This pressure needs to be intensified. Earlier this year, Naomi Klein ran through the arguments for and against a movement for boycotts and disinvestment, based on the experience of the international movement to boycott apartheid South Africa. And there are many things we can do. Respect councillors in Sparkbrook have been campaigning in our ward for a boycott of Israeli dates. It’s a small contribution, but so far we are the only elected political figures in the city to make it.

In terms of a long term solution, ultimately it is for the Palestinians to decide what settlement they will accept. Personally, I echo George Galloway’s call for a single state solution in which everyone is treated as an equal citizen. Speaking at Birmingham University recently he said, ‘When Nelson Mandela was freed from jail he was approached by some Boers wanting their own white Orange Free State. Mandela refused because he said wanted a democratic state for black and white to live as equals under the law. If it is good enough for apartheid South Africa it is good enough for Jews and Arabs’.

Sounds like good common sense to me.

Thursday, 4 February 2010

‘We want a community pool run by the community'

Over 100 people packed into the Sparkhill Cultural Centre last night to discuss the future of Sparkhill baths. As expected, it was a lively event. Residents were angry that the pool has been shut for nearly two years. They were very concerned about any talk of a PFI option. And they became even more vociferous in their opposition when Cllr Mullaney revealed that it would be 2013 before any PFI option could be completed. As one resident said to loud applause: ‘We want a community pool run by the community and not private shareholders’. When put to a vote not a single person in the room voted for the PFI option.

Cllr Mullany claimed that the council was legally obligated to put all possible options out to public consultation. This was contested by myself and local MP Roger Godsiff. But even if what he says turns out to be true, I argued there is no reason that we cannot set a timetable for such consultation. It could be conducted within an eight week period or less. The feeling of the meeting was that the claim about consultation was a ruse, designed to drag the issue past the general election so as not to undermine the chances of Lib Dem Hall Green general election candidate Jerry Evans.

If that is their intention, and I believe it to be, I can tell you now; it won’t work.