Doreen Lawrence To Become A Life Peer

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-23519563

If anybody deserves this its Doreen.

[frugalfred]

Scrap peerages and the House of Lords!

[bazwillrun]

"Coloured ? Coloured ?

God, its like being back in the 1950's sometimes here on AB ! "

why you so bothered, whats your problem with it.

a black or indian etc can refer to me as coloured if they want, i couldnt give a monkeys.

why dont you find something useful to do instead of looking for things to offend you all the time

[Baldric]

mikey, you would only have moaned if I'd referred to her as Black,
so what would be your preference just for future reference?

[mikey4444]

Can I remind everybody that Doreen Lawrence was one of the flag-bearers at last years Olympics. Perhaps she didn't deserve that honour as well ?

[mikey4444]

Baldric, Doreen Lawrence was born in Jamaica and is most certainly black, not "coloured" so I am not sure how or why I would have moaned ?

Curiouser and Curiouser !

[viv38]

I think she deserves it. Her precious son was murdered because of his race and she has to live with that every day of her life.

[mikey4444]

BAZ..You are talking drivel, as usual. I can see the foam forming at your mouth from here !

Is it any wonder that we have declining racial relations in Britain today, with ignorance and insensitivity like yours and baldric.

[Gromit]

mikey4444

The Olympics were held in London, and Mrs Lawrence is a community leader, so I have no objection to her holding a flag.

Being elevated to the Lords and passing (or not passing) laws affecting all of us, because a relation was murdered is entirely different.

[ToraToraTora]

It's buggins turn Mikey and yes she's no less deserving that most of them.

[EcclesCake]

I always recall this poem when the black/coloured debate rears its head

http://www.redbubble.com/people/pagly2/writing/989550-and-you-call-me-coloured

[friedgreentomato]

Can I point out that she is not getting this peerage because her son was murdered, she is getting this peerage because of the work she has done to stamp out racism and her work in the community!

[EcclesCake]

I think she deserves the recognition she has received to date and to have some real life experience in the Upper Chamber is no bad thing.

[mikey4444]

The voice of reason friedgreentomato, but that is not always popular here in AB.

[Sqad]

mikey....you are correct.....of course.

So....what about a peerage for the McCanns?

[sp1814]

Sorry...can I just butt in here regarding Baldric's choice of words.

Some people use the word 'coloured' because that's what they were brought up with.

I know many older people (and Baldric, I'm not casting aspersions on your age) who use the word 'coloured' because they were brought up believing that the word 'black' was derogatory...

...so please...easy on Balders.

[ummmm]

I agree, sp, I was brought up using it.

[sp1814]

Gromit

From Wikipedia:

In the aftermath of the inquiry, Lawrence continued to campaign for justice for her son as well as for other victims of racist crime. She has worked to secure further reforms of the police service.

In 2003 she was awarded an OBE for services to community relations.

She founded the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust to promote a positive community legacy in her son's name. Lawrence has been selected to sit on panels within the Home Office and the Police Service, and she is a member of both the board and the council of Liberty, the human rights organisation, as well as being a patron of hate crime charity Stop Hate UK

She certainly seems to have something to bring to the House of Lords, beyond being the parent of a murdered child.

[friedgreentomato]

Thank you

[Baldric]

Thank you Sp,
62, and yes you're correct.

[mikey4444]

sp1814. You are right of course about baldrics use of the word coloured, although his post of 14-01 today seems to suggest that he is unaware of the social changes that have happened over the last 20-30 years. His comments would seem to imply that he didn't think Doreen should be referred to as black. Its quite simple really and I would have thought that most reasonably bright and educated people would have known that by now.

Now that he and others are aware that "coloured" is an inappropriate and incorrect word to use in 2013, along with the N****r word and the P**i word, perhaps we won't see it here on AB much in the future.

I am unsure of the logic and rational in your analogy with the Mc Canns ? As stated here by a few people, Doreen Lawrence is receiving this honour because of her work to help stamp out racism, and her community work in general. Sorry as I am about Mr and Mrs Mc Cann, I can't see that they qualify in the same way. Perhaps in years to come, if they have made a contribution to our society in some kind of meaningful way, they might also be in the running for a seat in the Lords.