//If you're all happy to accept his lies and putting down of the armed forces, teachers and emergency services, then shame on you!//
//Do you really like being associated with someone who, on the basis of a few sensational headlines, decries the entirety of the armed forces, teachers and the emergency services?//
As suggested by Tora, I think you misunderstand RJ’s point, Zacs. He is not putting down the personnel of the armed forces and emergency services. He is criticising their senior managers, the philosophies they hold and the practices they insist on when running their services. (I’ll park teachers to one side for the sake of this argument as I think their philosophies are closely aligned with those of their liberally minded managements). I'm sure you don't need it spelled out to you and I'm sure you do understand his point, even if it is not exactly written as such.
As I mentioned in a thread a couple of weeks ago discussing Grenfell, I have among my friends a number of members (past and present) of the London Fire Brigade. This is an historical association which I have held for many years and stems from some work that I once did. I am very proud to call them my friends, I am proud of them and very pleased to have such boys and girls around who run towards fires and other incidents to help people when everyone else is running away. Most of them are absolutely appalled at their senior management's development from running a fire service to becoming part of the campaign for racial equality. As far as this issue goes they have abhorred the way recruitment to the service has been dominated by gender and racial targets. The LFB is not currently recruiting firefighters. However, in recent years when it did there was, for a time, an absolute bar on applications from white males. Moving away from London, West Midlands fire service is currently recruiting but their admission tests have a lower pass mark for women and BAME men than they do for white men. A spokesperson defends this by saying “West Midlands Fire Service is committed to having a work force which reflects the diversity of the population of all our communities, and one that is welcoming to all”. All very noble, but absolute cobblers. There is no reason why a fire service has to reflect the diversity of the population it serves. All that is needed is men and women who can do the job. So long as the vacancies are open to all (which they certainly were not for a time in London) that’s all that matters. If black people don’t want to apply that’s their privilege.
As you know, I am not easily swayed, especially by journalists. I do my own research into issues in which I am interested and form my own conclusions. Whilst RJ may exaggerate some of the symptoms he finds disturbing he most certainly makes some valid points. Why on Earth should fire service managers waste their time and resources developing recruitment policies (some arguably discriminatory) to encourage more black people or women to apply? There is no more reason for a fire service to reflect the community it serves than there is for the refuse collection service to do so. (Incidentally, I’ve never seen a woman on a bin round, anywhere). One group comes round and empties your bins, the other group comes round and puts your house fire out. Why should the racial mix of those involved be of concern? RJ is simply suggesting that fire service managers should ask themselves the same question.