Windrush Day

[lady-janine]

I believe today has been designated Windrush Day.

Do any of you have any comments about this at all?

Has our treatment of our West Indian colleagues been fair?
Do you thin they should receive compensation?
Are you grateful to them for their contribution to society?
Do you wish they had never been invited here in the first place?

Any thoughts at all?

[douglas9401]

I have no West Indian colleagues but a workmate lives in Ayr.

I shrug at the whole thing as it doesn't yet affect me.

[Bobbisox1]

Grateful? Yes,they filled many jobs when Britain was rebuilding itself after the war,
Compensation for? not sure we should, it’s a bit like wanting compensation for slavery as appalling as it was , it was a long time ago and hopefully lessons have been learnt by what happened

[naomi24]

I think they were of benefit to our society and I also think many of them encountered racism, but compensation for what? They weren't kidnapped. They chose to come here.

[lady-janine]

Thanks for that Bobbi.
Most unfortunately there is still a lot of various kinds of slavery in the world and i think it is much more important to try to get rid of that than worry about something that was considered normal behaviour. We had some form of slavery in this country in the form of tide cottages for many years. How many widows and their children were evicted when their husbands died or became too ill to work? No one knows but it was common practise.

[-SharonA-]

My father came from Jamaica. The RAF brought him over. He wasn't a pilot as such working on the ground. He was based in Scotland where he was shocked at the weather and seeing snow for the first time. After the RAF he came to London where he met & married my mum. That's when the racism started for them. Unable to find a home, the usual 'No Blacks', name calling etc. My dad then joined the Post Office where he rose to a managing role. Life then got better as people's attitude changed.

[Bobbisox1]

Dawn Butler Labour MP on TV now ,was askedWhat would you like from Britain? Her answer was plain and simple,’Respect’
I don’t think disrespected for the Caribbean islands and it’s people is a feature here , I find them fun loving, colourful and a peaceful people

[Bobbisox1]

* disrespect

[naomi24]

What in earth is Dawn Butler talking about? She's not done too badly in the 'respect' stakes. She was elected to parliament.

[Ken4155]

They were invited here to help rebuild the country after the war. Having been born in a British Colony, they were given certain rights which stood them in good stead for the next 40 years. They worked, their children attended schools and many settled here permanently as was their right.
Then, despite warnings, changes in ill-thought out Immigration laws inadvertently caught them in limbo
None of them could prove they were here legally because of their lack of need for any official documentation - their landing cards had been destroyed - and many faced deportation, lost their jobs, their homes, were detained, etc.
Then the usual governmental cover-ups were attempted - Amber Rudd denying having seen a certain email about set targets for deportation, despite having written a letter on that same subject, for instance. Deportations were carried out even AFTER it was made clear these were unlawful.

So, in answer to your questions, LJ, our treatment has been very unfair.
Yes they ought to be compensated, even if only because of the anxiety many of these people and their families must have experienced over a number of years.
Very grateful for their contribution.
And, without their assistance, how much longer would it have taken for the UK to recover from the structural devastation suffered during the war.

[Old_Geezer]

Comments ? Just that folk should stop designating their favoured whatever a special day. There's probably multiple such labels on every day now.

Can not conceive why this one was created.

[bednobs]

don't be so grumpy - it's national cheese and wine day next month. that's something i can get on board with

[Ken4155]

I'm waiting for National Acoustic Guitar Beginner's Day:-)

[bednobs]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steak_and_Blowjob_Day
what were you doing in march og?

[naomi24]

Didn't Windrush Day start because some dopey bureaucrat decided some of them had no right to stay here and packed them off back to their Caribbean islands after being here for many years? Shameful treatment - and I seem to remember that happening not so long ago.

[Old_Geezer]

THIS IS A TEST ...

[Old_Geezer]

An error occurred while trying to post your answer
YET AGAIN

[Old_Geezer]

Looks like one time the US stole a march over the UK.

[Old_Geezer]

Maybe I just forgot. Doesn't like smiley faces does it :-(

[david small]

Some politicians have admitted that windrush was a mistake.
Don’t ask me to show source.
Personally I think diversity has caused many problems to all concerned. However, we now have to make the best of what we are, and what we can become. Colour is so annoying as it means so little. Culture on the other hand is way more problematic.

[naomi24]

//Colour is so annoying as it means so little. Culture on the other hand is way more problematic. //

I couldn't agree more, david. I've always said it and have been shouted down here for saying it.