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UKIP the gift that keeps on giving - 'Lenny Henry should leave for a black country'

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    Speak-SoftlySpeak-Softly Posts: 24,737
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    To deliver a lecture on what can be done to increase representation of ethnic minorities on TV and not mention ethinic minorities are underepresented would have been a very odd lecture. Lenny Henry delivered BAFTA's annual Television Lecture for 2014 on what can be done to increase representation of ethnic minorities in TV. Ethnic minorities make up 14% of the population of England and Wales according to the 2011 census, but only makeup 5.4% of broadcasting workforce.

    There's a difference between being "on" TV and working in the workforce.

    What is the percentage for "on" TV?
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    AndreaMCAndreaMC Posts: 3,227
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    To deliver a lecture on what can be done to increase representation of ethnic minorities on TV and not mention ethinic minorities are underepresented would have been a very odd lecture. Lenny Henry delivered BAFTA's annual Television Lecture for 2014 on what can be done to increase representation of ethnic minorities in TV. Ethnic minorities make up 14% of the population of England and Wales according to the 2011 census, but only makeup 5.4% of broadcasting workforce.

    That puts what he said into context a bit more for me. I confess to getting an image of him tweeting furiously from his den on the subject, but then I was the one who got my info from the daily fail lol.
    I haven't seen him acting any serious roles but his comedy was always cringeworthy.
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    niceguy1966niceguy1966 Posts: 29,560
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    How on Earth can such vile and disgusting remarks be considered "fair comment?"

    This piece of scum said that if he comes to a white coiuntry and doesn't like the way he is treated, he should go back to where he came from.

    Although Dudley might be considered to be in the "The Black Country," it is not "A Black Country."

    Lenny Henry often makes a joke about "going back to where he came from...Dudley" (I've heard him tell this joke at least twice, and I'm not his biggest fan). The Black Country/A Black Country is a new one for me, very good!
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    Speak-SoftlySpeak-Softly Posts: 24,737
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    boddism wrote: »
    Literally RUBBISH. Lenny has never expressed a wish to live abroad & he has the money to do so. Neither do the overwhelming majority of Black or Asian people in this country.
    Telling them to "go home" WHEN THEIR HOME IS HERE is ridiculous. And clearly racist. Dress it up how you like, its clear to everyone but you.

    Where in the tweet was there any suggestion that he "went home"?

    The wording is that he should emigrate. I thought you could only emigrate from somewhere if it was your home?

    There have been loads of instances on this forum where it has been suggested to posters that they should emigrate somewhere else if they don't like something in this country.
    What's the difference here?
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    AnnsyreAnnsyre Posts: 109,504
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    To deliver a lecture on what can be done to increase representation of ethnic minorities on TV and not mention ethinic minorities are underepresented would have been a very odd lecture. Lenny Henry delivered BAFTA's annual Television Lecture for 2014 on what can be done to increase representation of ethnic minorities in TV. Ethnic minorities make up 14% of the population of England and Wales according to the 2011 census, but only makeup 5.4% of broadcasting workforce.

    Females make up about 51% of the population but

    Fresh evidence of a gender imbalance in UK radio has been revealed by a survey showing that 20% of shows hosted by a solo presenter involve female broadcasters.

    The ratio of women to men on radio declines even further when it comes to shows with multiple presenters, such as the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, where Sarah Montague is the only woman among the five regular hosts, alongside John Humphrys, James Naughtie, Evan Davis and Justin Webb.


    http://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/jul/12/women-solo-radio-broadcasters-20-percent
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    SnowStorm86SnowStorm86 Posts: 17,273
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    wallster wrote: »
    Is there a difference between UKIP and the BNP?

    UKIP litter billboards preaching their hate of Johnny Foreigner up and down the country. Apparently this is completely acceptable and not racist at all in the eyes of many. BNP are not afforded this luxury. It's a funny old world.
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,181
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    To deliver a lecture on what can be done to increase representation of ethnic minorities on TV and not mention ethinic minorities are underepresented would have been a very odd lecture. Lenny Henry delivered BAFTA's annual Television Lecture for 2014 on what can be done to increase representation of ethnic minorities in TV. Ethnic minorities make up 14% of the population of England and Wales according to the 2011 census, but only makeup 5.4% of broadcasting workforce.

    Your figures appears to be 3 years out of date.
    But its could be understandable that Ex comedian Lenny`s carer is so on the downturn that he has to advertised cheap hotel accommodation, that he will do anything to get back in the limelight..:(
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    deptfordbakerdeptfordbaker Posts: 22,368
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    Did the Immigration Bill giving the UK government the power to remove UK citizenship even when that would leave the citizen stateless, pass. .

    The Lords rejected that bit I believe, so it goes back to the commons at the beginning of May. Technically MP's should restore that power, but it depends on whether they have had second thoughts since. Commentators are not sure if Theresa May and Co. have done enough to make sure they keep their nerve.
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    HowardessexHowardessex Posts: 2,072
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    JB3 wrote: »
    Not Chatham is it?

    No , not Chatham , I'm sure you are pointing the finger in some way , but not taking the bait .
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,074
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    ecckles wrote: »
    Your figures appears to be 3 years out of date.
    But its could be understandable that Ex comedian Lenny`s carer is so on the downturn that he has to advertised cheap hotel accommodation, that he will do anything to get back in the limelight..:(
    Do you know of any more definitive upto date figures? Than the last England and Wales population census in 2011 and the last Creative Skillset Employment Census of the Creative Media Industries in 2012.
    http://creativeskillset.org/assets/0000/5070/2012_Employment_Census_of_the_Creative_Media_Industries.pdf
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    MARTYM8MARTYM8 Posts: 44,710
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    Perhaps this UKIP candidate was quoted out of context and was suggesting Henry return to his home town of Dudley which is of course home to the Black Country living museum.

    http://www.bclm.co.uk

    Well it's a joke that Henry has himself been using for years.

    Cos maybe it's time we moved on from the stupid musings of a minor UKIP council candidate. There really are more important things people going in on the world than this.
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    HowardessexHowardessex Posts: 2,072
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    dosanjh1 wrote: »
    Your gay aren't you? If you lived in a town where the reidents / institutions were openly homophobic your solution wouldnt include speaking out against the homophobia?

    Edit: Hmm, you seem to be advocating the opposite opinion in another thread:

    http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1956508

    You don't really know what to think do you.

    I know what to think , and I think you don't know what you are talking about . I have read the post of mine that you have re posted ( why ?) and I dont get the relevance ? . Lenny Henry doses not live in an openly racist town , where he is unable to live safely . He is just griping about the numbers of ethnic faces on tv . On the subject of numbers , an earlier post said ethnic minorities make up 14% of the population . I would wager a bet that more than 14 % of the reporters , presenters , commentators on BBC news programme are from an ethnic background . More like 50 % .
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    allaortaallaorta Posts: 19,050
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    I don't mind him staying so long as he takes acting lessons and learns how to be funny.
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    CigaretteSmokerCigaretteSmoker Posts: 492
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    Lenny Henry made race an issue by suggesting that ethnic minorities should be employed by broadcasters because of their race.

    Would it be acceptable for a white person to go to a black country and complain that there are not enough non-blacks on TV? I think most people would think it isn't.
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,232
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    Lenny Henry made race an issue by suggesting that ethnic minorities should be employed by broadcasters because of their race.

    Would it be acceptable for a white person to go to a black country and complain that there are not enough non-blacks on TV? I think most people would think it isn't.

    Or rather that black people shouldn't be avoided when recruiting.
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    Speak-SoftlySpeak-Softly Posts: 24,737
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    Peter_CJ wrote: »
    Or rather that black people shouldn't be avoided when recruiting.


    Does he have any evidence that they have been by the TV companies?
    Taking into account the relevant qualifications needed for the jobs on offer.
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    AndreaMCAndreaMC Posts: 3,227
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    Lenny Henry made race an issue by suggesting that ethnic minorities should be employed by broadcasters because of their race.

    Would it be acceptable for a white person to go to a black country and complain that there are not enough non-blacks on TV? I think most people would think it isn't.


    Yes, I said that previously. He simply wouldn't go to a non black country and demand that they showed more whiteys on tv because it just isn't on.

    I can take on board that he is tackling a subject to do with his own industry but at the same time being a (dubious) celebrity should not make him an authority on any subject.

    I would have thought better of him if he was supporting the people of Dudley, his home town, or at least try to show he has some connection with the broader English society in which he has made a prosperous living or at least tried to reflect some balance in his comments.
    Is it not true that ethnic people are doing better in Britain than ever before? Many people who come to live here also have the luxury of having two countries to call home now.
    Many of the native British inhabitants are struggling at the present, some are marginalised and ostracised and deprived of opportunity and have nowhere else to turn.
    Lenny Henry is not going to speak up for these people and maybe no one else will, so I'd like to see him challenged about what he thinks could be done to help them.
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    jjwalesjjwales Posts: 48,572
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    Lenny Henry made race an issue by suggesting that ethnic minorities should be employed by broadcasters because of their race.

    I'm sure that wasn't what he was suggesting.
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,074
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    Lenny Henry made race an issue by suggesting that ethnic minorities should be employed by broadcasters because of their race.

    Would it be acceptable for a white person to go to a black country and complain that there are not enough non-blacks on TV? I think most people would think it isn't.
    Lenny Henry has not a black man who has gone to a white country and complained that there are not enough blacks on TV. He was born in Britain and is complaining that ethnic minoirites are underepresented in the media industry in comparsion to the UK population mix.
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    Tommo781Tommo781 Posts: 4,935
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    UKIP shoots itself in the foot yet again! :cool::kitty::kitty::kitty::kitty:
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    Tommo781Tommo781 Posts: 4,935
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    Lenny Henry made race an issue by suggesting that ethnic minorities should be employed by broadcasters because of their race.

    No he didn't!
    jjwales wrote: »
    I'm sure that wasn't what he was suggesting.

    So am I.
    Lenny Henry has not a black man who has gone to a white country and complained that there are not enough blacks on TV. He was born in Britain and is complaining that ethnic minoirites are underepresented in the media industry in comparsion to the UK population mix.

    Totes agree.
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    jjwalesjjwales Posts: 48,572
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    allaorta wrote: »
    I don't mind him staying so long as he takes acting lessons and learns how to be funny.

    I don't think he needs acting lessons. He's been widely praised for his more recent serious acting roles.
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,074
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    AndreaMC wrote: »
    .
    Is it not true that ethnic people are doing better in Britain than ever before?
    It is not true for the creative media industries Lenny Henry was referring to.
    Employment Census of the Creative Media Industries
    Representation of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people
    2006 7.4% of the total workforce
    2009 6.7%
    2012 5.4%
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    MARTYM8MARTYM8 Posts: 44,710
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    AndreaMC wrote: »
    If this is about Lenny's comment that more black people in particular should be on tv, and this is of so much importance to him, has anyone considered that Lenny himself is a racist?

    The BBC draws much of its staff from London and Manchester - ignoring the upper echelons where age (and the old boys Oxbridge club) is a factor its not really clear that the level of diversity on our televisions is in any way different to the share which BME communities make up of the total UK population (i.e. 15 per cent).

    Should our tv reflect the diversity of Britain (i.e. 85% white) - or the diversity of London and Manchester (50/50)?

    We are moving off topic here but I am surprised to see this story is considered more important by the Independent than stories about:

    Ukraine - where more people have been killed
    the death of 5 British soldiers in Afghanistan in a helicopter accident
    the Pope canonising two of his predecessors
    Tony Blair apparently making 'hysterical' comments in his recent speech on Islam and the Middle East
    Scottish independence - and whether our PM might quit
    the apparent privatisation of the NHS - with contracts going to US companies
    Labour to back high speed 2

    Whoever thinks the tweets of a UKIP council candidate about a comedian are more important than the deaths of our soldiers in Afghanistan and the Ukraine situation - should hang their heads in shame! At best its a shameful editorial decision.

    http://www.independent.co.uk/
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    Speak-SoftlySpeak-Softly Posts: 24,737
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    Lenny Henry has not a black man who has gone to a white country and complained that there are not enough blacks on TV. He was born in Britain and is complaining that ethnic minoirites are underepresented in the media industry in comparsion to the UK population mix.

    Again you mention the "media industry".
    How does that cover not enough non white people in the front line, appearing in front of an audience?

    It's two separate issues.
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