Police investigate chanting at Forest game

This article is published in today's Nottingham Post:

Police investigate chanting at Forest game

Police are treating a report of racist chanting by Nottingham Forest fans during the club's FA Cup derby with Leicester City as a "hate crime".

The force has launched an investigation after a member of the public complained about footage posted on the YouTube website which was recorded by a spectator at last Saturday's match at The City Ground.

The 53-second clip, posted online by user RedAndWhiteDogs, shows a handful of fans in the Main Stand directing chants at Leicester fans in the Bridgford Stand.

The fans are first heard chanting 'England, England, England' before shouting 'You're not anymore, you're not anymore, you used to be English, you're not anymore'.

The clip had last night been viewed more than 2,500 times.

Superintendent Mark Holland, who led the police operation at the match, said: "The incident is being treated as a hate crime and we are reviewing CCTV footage and following up on a number of lines of inquiry.

"We take all reports of racism very seriously and work extremely closely with the football clubs in a bid to kick racism out of the game."

A Nottingham Forest spokesman said: "Nottingham Forest have a zero tolerance attitude towards any inappropriate language at The City Ground.

"Any incidents of racial or abusive language reported to us during the game against Leicester City were dealt with immediately and appropriate action was taken.

"The club are continuing to assist the police with their investigation into this matter."

It is unclear whether the chants referred to Leicester City having Thai owners or the large Asian community in the city.

Having watched the footage Dr Kevin Harvey, a lecturer on sociolinguistics at the University of Nottingham, said: "The context is important in this case. Who or what are the fans directing their abuse at? Is it the owners of Leicester City or the Leicester people?

"Leicester is an ethnically diverse area so if they are aiming their aggression at that target it seems to me there's a prima facie case of racism.

"A lot of commentators argue in football matches you expect this and it's par for the course, but the question is when does it become abusive?"

Keith Mather, chairman of Nottingham Forest Supporters' Club, who went to the match, said: "I didn't hear the chants, but it is wrong and shouldn't be happening.

"In the 40 years I've been following Forest there's never been that underlying racial tension."

CCTV viewed in racist football chant probe

This article is published in today's Leicester Mercury:

CCTV viewed in racist football chant probe

Police investigating alleged racist chants aimed at Leicester's Asian community at an FA Cup tie between Leicester and Nottingham Forest on Saturday are treating the incident as a hate crime.

Video clips posted on YouTube show a group of home fans aiming insults at Leicester City supporters inside and outside Forest's City Ground.

Two Forest fans, who could face lifetime bans, were thrown out after stewards intervened and alerted the police but they were not arrested.

Police said none of the 11 people arrested at the match were detained for alleged racist remarks but stressed investigations were continuing.

Superintendent Mark Holland of Nottinghamshire police said: "The incident is being treated as a hate crime and we are reviewing CCTV footage and following up on a number of lines of inquiry.

"We take all reports of racism very seriously."

The chanting has sparked a heated debate on fans forums which largely condemn those responsible.

Prith Singh, a City season ticket holder born in Leicester and who grew up in the shadow of Filbert Street, started one thread on the Foxes Talk forum.

He said: "I heard the racist chants in the City ground and I was subjected to abuse outside the ground when I was leaving."

He said: "We all like a bit of banter, but racist and homophobic chanting is derogatory and should not be allowed in 2012. Firm action must be taken."

Fellow City fan Kevin Coe, 44, from St Andrew's, Leicester, said: "It was disgusting and must be stamped out. I hope those responsible are banned. I was with my mate who is Asian and he and his son were visibly upset."

Leicester author and keen Liverpool supporter Bali Rai joined the debate on Twitter and said: "Racist issues in football are receiving high profile in the media at the moment. I have no time for racist chants."

Editor of The Fox Fanzine Gary Silke, who has followed City for 37 years, was at the game but did not hear the chants.

He said: "Racist chants are totally unacceptable but there are always a few idiots who make them. You try to ignore it but it is still bubbling underneath. However, it is a thousand times better than it used to be."

A Forest spokesman said: "Nottingham Forest have zero tolerance attitude towards any inappropriate language at The City Ground.

"Any incidents of racial or abusive language reported to us during the game against Leicester City were dealt with immediately and the necessary action was taken."The club will work with the police and continue to investigate any incidents reported. We support all police prosecutions where alleged racism is involved."

He said: "Our stewards identified two men who were allegedly making racist chants and they were removed."

The third round match ended in a 0-0 draw and the replay will be at the King Power Stadium on Wednesday January 18.

City named among worst areas of UK for child poverty

This article is published in today's Nottingham Post:

City named among worst areas of UK for child poverty

More than one in three children in Nottingham are growing up in poverty.

The Campaign to End Child Poverty group today names Nottingham as one of the ten most poverty-stricken council areas in the country.

Its figures show 35 per cent of children are living in poverty, compared with the national average of 20 per cent.

Mark Bowyer, of Broxtowe Partnership Trust, which works to provide opportunities for people in the Broxtowe estate area, blames a lack of jobs for the figures.

He said: "We need to have appropriate jobs for the people in our city, who definitely want to work.

"In Nottingham, for most people, this means entry-level jobs with the chance of moving upwards."

Figures released yesterday showed 31.5 per cent of households in Nottingham had no one in a job.

The figures led Nottingham City Council leader Councillor Jon Collins to call on the Government to avoid making spending cuts in the hardest-hit areas.

He said: "The question that needs to be asked is why is Nottingham City Council facing so many Government cuts compared to more affluent areas when so many families are living in poverty?

"Last year, some areas saw increases in their budget, while ourselves and other authorities faced big cuts."

The city council has faced cuts of £60 million this year, with a further £55 million being slashed in the next two years. According to the report, children live in poverty if their family's annual income is below 60 per cent of the UK average of £26,000.

Along with Nottingham, the only areas outside London in ten worst , were Manchester, Derry and Belfast.

The worst-hit area of Nottingham is Aspley, where 52 per cent of children live in poverty, while other problem spots include Bilborough, Bulwell and St Ann's.

Nottingham North MP Graham Allen, whose constituency includes Aspley, feels the figures can be improved.

He said: "We have the attitude in Nottingham to tackle this by getting to the root of problems early.

"With our early-intervention programme in Nottingham, we are equipping children with the social and emotional skills to make the best of themselves."

David Harris, principal of the Nottingham University Samworth Academy, in Bilborough, said: "There are a lot of positive things about Nottingham.

"We work hard here to raise the aspirations of our students to show them that there are opportunities out there and that they can make a success of themselves.

"We have a good bunch of head teachers in this area who are very positive about Nottingham. We are lucky to have young people who want to be successful in this city."

Councillor David Mellen, city council portfolio holder for children's services, said: "We know that a child living in poverty is more likely to have poorer health, lower attainment and less earning potential.

"Therefore, we are undertaking a considerable amount of activity to support parents and carers into work and help them to increase their family income.

"For example, the Nottingham Jobs Fair enabled 536 people to enter work and we have created the £1.5 million Jobs Fund to support young people aged 18 to 24."

"Racist songs at cup game"

This article is published in today's Leicester Mercury:

"Racist songs at cup game"

Allegations of racist and offensive chanting at Saturday's FA Cup match between Leicester City and Nottingham Forest are being investigated by police.

Sections of the home support at Forest's City Ground are said to have sung offensive chants aimed at Leicester's Asian population.

Videos have also surfaced on YouTube of Forest supporters racially abusing Asian City fans outside the stadium.

A spokesperson for Nottinghamshire police confirmed it was aware of the incidents and would be investigating.

Nottingham Forest FC said it would work with the police and continue to investigate any incidents reported.

The third round match finished 0-0. The replay is at the King Power Stadium on Wednesday, January 18.

Prisoners of the street light cuts

This article is published in today's Northants Evening Telegraph:

Prisoners of the street light cuts

Pensioners say they are becoming prisoners in their homes since the county council switched off street lights.

Elderly members of the congregation at St Ninian’s Church, Beanfield Avenue, Corby, have stopped attending functions in the evening because they fear falling over and being injured in the dark.

A fundraising musical concert and dinner planned by the church in February has been cancelled because no-one was prepared to go out in the evening.

Church elder Margaret Malley said: “The performers were booked and the invitations issued but unfortunately the concert has been cancelled because most of the congregation no longer felt safe to venture outside their homes after dark.

“They didn’t feel able to attend something to which they had looked forward.

“Lack of street lighting on the Beanfield estate makes them feel very vulnerable during the hours of darkness, even close to their homes, and consequently fearful of coming to the church in the evenings.”

The church elders have written to Corby Council and the county council to express their concerns.

So far the county council, which switched off half Northamptonshire’s street lights last year to save £2m a year, has not responded.

Mrs Malley said: “As an ageing congregation we understand the need to tighten our belts and to live within our means, apparently more than some politicians.

“It is something that we have all done throughout our lives.

“However, it cannot be right that discretionary spending decisions of the county council impact the most vulnerable in our society the most.”

The church has urged the county council to re-think its decision to ensure that the elderly are not isolated through the fear of stepping outside their own front doors.

Bill Morrison, session clerk at St Ninian’s, said: “The decision to switch off street lights is affecting community life. We understand the need for cutbacks but the way the lights have been switched off has left elderly people in fear of falling. Many are sight-impaired and they are worried they will stumble and be hurt.

“If alternate lights had been switched off it wouldn’t be so bad but this has not been the case.”Mr Morrison said a sequence dance group which meets once a week at the church and has elderly and middle-aged members has changed its starting time from 1.30pm to 12.30pm.He said: “People are simply afraid to be out in the dark.”

Ann Leech, 67, of Farndale Avenue, Corby, and her husband George, 68, are members of St Ninian’s congregation.

Mrs Leech said: “I won’t go out after dark unless I have someone to pick me up and drop me back home. I’m worried about falling on kerbs or other obstacles in the dark. It’s a terrible state of affairs, and very disappointing the concert has had to be cancelled.”

A county council spokesman said: “The lights haven’t been turned off on an ad-hoc basis. We’ve worked hard to establish a rationale, available at www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/streetlights, and have liaised closely with the police to help make our decisions.

“We continue to liaise with the police and monitor any feedback we receive to stay aware of any issues which arise.

“In addition, a new PFI scheme will see all of the county’s street lighting stock replaced over the next five years. The new, modern lighting system will provide a more consistent, better quality of light and will be much cheaper to run.”

Barrister Usha Sood on the Stephen Lawrence verdicts

This is Usha Sood's Guest Column, published in today's Nottingham Post:

Barrister Usha Sood on the Stephen Lawrence verdicts

Usha Sood, human rights barrister based at Trent Chambers writes about the verdicts in the Stephen Lawrence case

Over the years since the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, we have quietly buried the term "institutional racism", that was originally levelled at the police and other services by the McPherson Report.

In 2011 the Notts Race Equality Council was closed down, despite 50 years of assistance in the field.

This abandonment has unfortunately occurred without achieving full racial justice and tolerance in the UK, while only limited relief for the Lawrence family came from the conviction of Gary Dobson and David Norris, two of the perpetrators of the murderous, unprovoked attack.

In 1999, I was invited by the then Home Secretary Jack Straw to join his McPherson Steering Group to tackle the recommendations of the Lawrence Inquiry, including to institute detailed changes to police processes, monitoring and recruitment, and other measures to combat racism.

This group included the Lawrence parents, Doreen and Neville, who tried time and time again to ensure that the agenda remained focussed on raising awareness about the need for fundamental change among those delivering such important services.

During my tenure on the Steering Group, later Home Secretaries (David Blunkett and Charles Clarke) assumed the steer over the implementation of the McPherson recommendations, but like the Lawrences, I noticed that the Government's will to instill change wilted with Blunkett and Clarke, and the group was eventually disbanded.

A large measure of constructive recommendations had however already been implemented by then, and continue to help the quest for a level society, with effective action against hate crime.

The death on Boxing Day of a young Indian student in Salford, in a similar unprovoked killing, is an all too painful reminder that the search for respect for human life and dignity still needs nurturing, and that society has still to overcome ingrained racism.

The Big Society emerges at last - as a musical

This article is published in today's Independent:

The Big Society emerges at last - as a musical 

Phill Jupitus to star in theatrical send up of the Prime Minster's grand concept

You've heard the soundbite, you've listened to the speech – now enjoy the musical parody. For anyone still grappling with David Cameron's notion of the Big Society, help is at hand. The Prime Minister's idea has been given the Good Old Days treatment and is due to be performed in Edwardian music hall-style.

The all-singing, all-dancing Big Society! premieres at the newly restored Leeds City Varieties later this month starring the Never Mind the Buzzcocks comedian Phill Jupitus.

The show has been written and composed by Boff Whalley, the guitarist with Chumbawamba, the band whose former lead singer, Danbert Nobacon, famously decanted an ice bucket over John Prescott at the 1998 Brit Awards in protest at Labour's refusal to back the Liverpool dock workers.

Despite being set in 1910, the Red Ladder theatre company's production seeks to draw parallels with the present day. The story centres on the exploits of a variety show cast in a country presided over by an ageing monarch, run by an elitist government of public schoolboys and bedevilled by a corrupt media establishment.It also marks a return to more radical roots for Jupitus, who began his performing life as a punk poet and was part of Red Wedge, the anti-Thatcher music and comedy collective that included the socialist pin-ups Paul Weller and Billy Bragg.

In an interview with The Independent, Jupitus admitted that while he did not look back on the political scene of the 1980s with any great affection, he was perhaps even more deeply demoralised by today's system.

"The way politics is now there is no passion in it. For everything that was wrong with Thatcher and her cabinet, they were clearly defined, identifiable characters. I challenge any of your readers to name six people in the Cabinet today," he said.Jupitus, who as well as being a panel show regular on QI and The News Quiz has appeared in the musicals Spamalot and Hairspray, admitted that he too struggled to define what the Big Society actually was. "I don't even understand what he [Mr Cameron] means by it. It's something that sounded good to a focus group," he said.He urged working people to remember the struggles of the past. "This notion that trade unions are wrong is endemic in society at the moment, that they are somehow bad people. But we wouldn't have any employment rights if it wasn't for trade union activists at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.

"People wouldn't have rights, women wouldn't have rights. There wouldn't be a lunch break, there wouldn't be tea breaks. People wouldn't have holidays."

David Cameron's Big Idea

Steve Richards (Chief Political Commentator with The Independent, Presenter of BBC's Week in Westminster and host of Rock 'N Roll Politics) explores the Prime Minister's quest to reshape the state and society in this new three-part series on BBC Radio 4. Beginning in May 2010, Richards follows the policies on health, education and localism through the reality of coalition and the austerity regime, and asks whether the original vision is now in retreat.

David Cameron's Big Idea: Episode 1 

When David Cameron became the Conservative leader in 2005, he memorably declared "There is such a thing as society; it's just not the same as the state."

Steve Richards presents a three-part series telling the story behind that famous phrase, tracing David Cameron's vision of a reformed state and a "Big Society" from the early days of opposition to the reality of government.

The first programme explores the period from the beginning of Cameron's leadership in 2005 to the decision to place the Big Society at the heart of the 2010 general election campaign.

Through interviews with Cameron's friends and advisers, such as Danny Kruger, Ian Birrell and David Willetts, and with critics such as Polly Toynbee and Maurice Glasman, the programme shows how the idea was formed and how it was tested, even in the early days.

We go back to the discussions among excited young politicos at Policy Exchange and the dinner tables of Notting Hill. We recall key moments such as the presentation of the Big Society idea in 2009 and the decision to place that theme at the heart of the Conservative general election campaign the following year, a plan which was later heavily criticised.

We show how the idea was difficult to pin down and explore the different versions of the "Big Society" which emerged.

And we examine the impact of the financial crash, revealing the tensions which surfaced between David Cameron and George Osborne.

Available on the BBC iPlayer till midnight, Saturday 14 January 2012.


Follow Steve Richards on Twitter: @steverichards14

Race in Britain 2012: Has life changed for ethnic minorities?

As it's the tirst Sunday after the verdict was delivered in the trial of Gary Dobson and David Norris, found guilty after 19 years of the murder of Stephen Lawrence, the story and features revolving around it fill the Sunday papers. I could be copying and pasting till the cows come home, but have tried to be discerning. Here's one particularly interesting and informative feature from today's Independent on Sunday - so good that it's worth reprducing in full here.

Race in Britain 2012: Has life changed for ethnic minorities?

Last week, as Gary Dobson and David Norris's 19-year escape from justice finally came to an end, the distraught parents of another young ethnic minority man visited the scene of their son's death.

Anuj Bidve, a 23-year-old Lancaster University student who was shot dead on Boxing Day, was killed for the apparent crime of not being white.

Nearly two decades after the murder of Stephen Lawrence, has anything changed? And what is life really like for young black and ethnic minority people in Britain today?

In the high-visibility worlds of the establishment, entertainment and sport, there are signs of progress: there are more than four times as many black and ethnic minority MPs in Parliament as there were in 1993. A Muslim woman takes her seat at the cabinet table every Tuesday. An African-born man is in charge of a FTSE 100 company. Black and Asian actors regularly take leading roles in prime-time TV series.

The population has changed since 1993: then ethnic minorities accounted for 5.1 per cent in England and Wales; the latest figure is 8.7 per cent.

Some would argue that the major dividing line in Britain today is not race but class, and that Stephen's killing captured the nation's interest only because he was from a "nice" middle-class family and had aspirations to be an architect.

But the statistics for ethnic minorities are bleak: black men are 26 times more likely than their white counterparts to be stopped and searched by police, while black men and women in their early twenties are twice as likely to be not in employment, education or training as white people. And black and Asian defendants are still more likely to go to jail than their white counterparts when convicted of similar crimes – and they serve longer sentences. A Ministry of Justice (MoJ) analysis of tens of thousands of cases found that in 2010, 23 per cent of white defendants were sent to prison for indictable offences, compared with 27 per cent of black counterparts and 29 per cent of Asian defendants.

The report, Statistics on Race and the Criminal Justice System, also found that ethnic minority defendants received longer sentences in almost every offence group. For sexual offences, white defendants received an average of just over four years in jail, but black defendants were sent down for more than five years. For violence against the person, the average breakdown was 16.8 months for whites, 20 months for blacks and almost two years for Asian defendants. The MoJ insisted that "the identification of differences should not be equated with discrimination", claiming that the disparities between ethnic groups could be explained by the seriousness of the offences, the presence of mitigating or aggravating factors and whether or not a defendant pleaded guilty.

Yet Lee Jasper, chairman of the London Race and Criminal Justice Consortium, said: "Nothing can so starkly illustrate the industrial scale of racism in the judicial process than these figures."

Last summer's riots paradoxically suggested something in society has changed for the better. The ingredients for widespread inter-racial violence were there, but it never materialised. However, Gurbux Singh, who was chair of the Commission for Racial Equality when Oldham and Bradford were torn by race riots in 2001, warned yesterday: "With the recession taking hold, when you have disaffected young people who feel they are right at the bottom competing with another community, I am fearful that the tensions can easily arise again."

In March 1993, a month before Stephen's murder, Stoke City player Mark Stein was called a "short, ugly, black, bean-headed twat" by an opponent on the football pitch. On Friday, Tom Adeyemi, the 20-year-old Oldham defender, was left in tears after alleged racist abuse was hurled at him from Liverpool's Kop. A 20 year-old man from Aintree was arrested last night in relation to the incident.

Last Tuesday, despite a plea from Stephen's mother Doreen not to rejoice, there appeared to be collective back-patting when Norris and Dobson were found guilty, as if the verdicts had cleansed Britain of racism.

Yet reminders of racial hatred were never far away. Yesterday, Subhash and Yogini Bidve, having flown to Salford to visit the scene of his kiling, were back in Pune for his cremation. Mourners watched a flower-filled open coffin carried through the streets.

There is nothing that can comfort them in their loss. But perhaps the prominent coverage of Anuj's death, and the impact the Lawrence trial has had, show that one thing has changed for the better since 1993, and that is ultimately because of one young man from Eltham: our public horror at racism has increased.

Case studies

Meet two friends who live in Eltham, south London, where Stephen Lawrence died. They share the same hopes. But the national figures suggest the prospects for any black person are much less favourable than for someone who is white...

Mimi Olaide, 19, lives in Eltham with his sister, Christana, 22, mother, a mental health nurse, and father, who can't work for health reasons. They rent from a housing association. They moved there in 2010. Mimi is in his second year studying sports science and PE at St Mary's University College in Twickenham.

"I want to be a PE teacher. Whatever grade I get in the third year will determine what I do. I want to go on and do a PGCE [Postgraduate Certificate in Education] or GTP [Graduate Teaching Programme] and you need a minimum of a 2.1. Have I been affected by racism? Not me directly, I don't think so. There's maybe just local gang rivalry, but that's non-racial. Eltham used to be really racist. Obviously I was at uni last week, people were asking how Eltham is, because they know Stephen Lawrence was killed there. There are lots of multicultural people around now, compared to how Eltham used to be. It's not as racist now as people say it was then."

Luke Kimberley, 21, has always lived in Eltham. He lives with his mother, who works in student finance at South Bank University, father, a taxi driver, and sister Elle, 18. He is in his third year studying PE at St Mary's University College in Twickenham

"I want to be a PE teacher. If I want to go into that I'll have to do a PGCE. That's really my main ambition at the moment. Buying a house, that's my main goal, a normal lifestyle really, nothing extravagant. Mum and Dad own a house and I'd like to follow in their footsteps. Mimi plays in the same football team as me at uni. We don't meet up when we come back here, only at uni. Racism is quite a talking point at the moment. I have a range of friends from different ethnic backgrounds. As far as I know they haven't experienced any racism. Probably there is racism in Eltham, but not as much as everyone makes out there is. Obviously the attack on Stephen Lawrence was a racist one, but I don't think Eltham in itself is racist."

CrimeCrime continues to be one of the most controversial sources of racial tension between the police and local communities. Disproportionate use of stop and search remains widespread – with a massive difference in how different ethnic groups are treated. Black men are 26 times more likely than their white counterparts to be stopped and searched under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act. Black people also have a higher chance of being arrested and imprisoned than their white counterparts. They even face stiffer sentences for the same crimes – black offenders are 44 per cent more likely to be given a prison sentence for driving offences.Serious inequalities remain within the police, with the Met having almost no senior ethnic minority officers above the rank of superintendent. The ongoing tensions in communities were highlighted when the shooting by police of a young black man in Tottenham sparked last summer's riots.

Millions of Britons are denied justice by the persistence of racism, Lord Macdonald, former Director of Public Prosecutions, said last Friday. Describing racism as a "tubercular virus lurking in the shadows" he added: "We should not deny those millions of people for whom the comfort of social justice is still not constantly there, those people who still live, through no choice of their own, outside its embrace and protection."

The disproportionate number of black people stopped and searched by the police continues to be a "national scandal", said Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, last week.

Dr Aisha K Gill Reader in criminology, University of Roehampton

"There is strong evidence that black people are over-represented throughout the criminal justice process. In the last two decades we have seen a punitive trend in criminal justice policy, and the changes in police practice that accompany it have negative consequences for BME communities. Indeed the growth in the expansion of proactive policing and in police and prosecutorial powers have disproportionately affected BME communities."

Education

The Prime Minister rattled Oxford University last year when he described its low intake of black students as "disgraceful". He was wrong to claim it only accepted one black student in 2009 – it actually took one "black Caribbean" person out of a total of 27 black students for undergraduate study that year. Nevertheless, everyone seemed to agree with his assertion: "We have got to do better than that."

In fact, there is no shortage of ethnic minority undergraduates: nearly one in five in 2010, an increase of almost a third since 1994.

But look at the number of ethnic minorities at "good" universities and a different picture emerges. According to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, fewer than 10 per cent of black students are at Russell Group universities, compared to a quarter of white students. Head teachers in England's schools are also overwhelmingly white – some 95 per cent in 2010, with less than 1 per cent from black Caribbean or African backgrounds.

But when it comes to pupils achieving five GCSEs above grade C, progress has been made. The best school performers in 2010 were the Chinese, with 90 per cent getting these grades. Asians were next, followed by mixed-race pupils. Almost two-thirds of black students got the grades, only 1 percentage point behind their white contemporaries. But black Caribbean boys continue to lag.

Tony Sewell Chair of the London inquiry into schools and founder of the charity Generating Genius

"During the 1990s, I used to teach Doreen Lawrence [Stephen's mother] at an adults' college in Woolwich. Then, education was thought to be how you got a better life. The stumbling block now is aspiration. This is not a problem of race, but of class and caste. There has been a long period of anti-racism education, but I am not convinced it's had much impact on black children. The fastest improving group is Nigerian girls; two groups standing still are black Caribbean boys and working-class white boys."

Jobs

In 1993, the British economy was emerging from the end of a recession that hit most of the population, but the ethnic communities were still suffering disproportionate levels of unemployment. A TUC survey in that year estimated that, while the jobless rate had risen to nearly 12 per cent for whites, the figure for black people was twice that number. A period of growth improved employment and narrowed the gap between ethnic groups – although the latest 13.3 per cent unemployment rate among non-whites is still almost double the figure recorded for whites.

A new recession has triggered fresh concerns that any progress could be reversed: for example, council cutbacks are likely to have a disproportionate impact on the high numbers of black and minority ethnic (BME) workers at local authorities.

Activists have complained that groups have been lagging behind in crucial areas of the labour market even during the boom years.

Black people in their early twenties are twice as likely to be not in employment, education or training (Neet) as white people; although 14 per cent of the working-age population in England are from ethnic minorities, only 7 per cent of apprenticeships were filled by BME candidates. BME workers, even many graduates, are generally paid less than white counterparts. Rates of self-employment among black workers are significantly lower than the national average.For some, this is compelling evidence of institutionalised racism in the labour market. But others point to an equally troubling development: self-imposed limits on aspirations.

Jeremy Crook OBE Director, Black Training and Enterprise Group

"Things are still pretty bad in the labour market. Young black people in particular have a negative portrayal which damages their chances of getting jobs – and, I think, their own expectations. We were involved in the Reach programme two years ago, which gave young BME people role models, and the feedback we had was that coming into contact with black people in the professions and other areas raised their aspirations.

"But it is still hard for them to succeed when they are not getting a fair chance from employers, from training schemes or from banks that are not lending enough to black-run businesses."

Media

The media are rarely shy to shout out "racism", and rightly so, but it wasn't until Greg Dyke called the BBC "hideously white" more than 10 years ago that pundits began to look inwards.

In 1996, less than 5 per cent of staff in Carlton TV newsrooms was from minority ethnic backgrounds; by 2010, the number of ethnic minorities at ITV was 10 per cent – higher than the 7.9 per cent UK average. BBC and Channel 4 have a 12 and 13 per cent minority ethnic workforce respectively, but this drops to 6 per cent in BBC senior management.

Just over 5 per cent of adverts in 2010 used actors from a non-white background, while ethnic minorities represent about 13 per cent of the population. In 2002, the Journalism Forum found that 96 per cent of journalists were white. Ethnic minorities are chronically underrepresented in national newspapers. The IoS has a small staff, of whom two come from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Krishnan Guru-Murthy Channel 4 News presenter

"TV has changed massively in 18 years, in terms of diversity. Portrayal is also much better than when I was a kid, but in many ways things haven't changed. After a couple of decades of very well-intended initiatives, we have failed to deliver people from diverse backgrounds at the top. There are reasonable numbers of middle-class people from Indian origin, like me [in broadcasting], but it's much harder to encourage working-class Bangladeshis, or African Caribbeans, or Chinese. It's straightforward what we need: ways to benchmark success and sanctions when you don't achieve the diversity you want to."

Parliament

When Diane Abbott provoked a storm on Twitter over her "white people love playing divide and rule" comment last week, we were reminded that she was the first female black MP in the House of Commons, elected in 1987. At the time of Stephen Lawrence's death in 1993, she was one of just six ethnic minority MPs in Westminster.

This has increased more than four-fold to 28; the most recent addition was Labour's Seema Malhotra when she won Feltham and Heston by-election last month. There are 17 Labour MPs and 11 Conservatives – but not a single ethnic minority candidate has won a seat for the Lib Dems at a general election. Only Parmjit Singh Gill, who won the Leicester South by-election in 2004 only to lose it at the 2005 election, has represented the third party in the Commons.

In government, the numbers are bleaker: in 2002, Paul Boateng made history by becoming the first black cabinet minister. But progress has stalled. The only ethnic minority person with a seat at the cabinet table is Baroness Warsi, despite David Cameron's promise to make his party more reflective of British society.

David Lammy Labour MP for Tottenham

"On the face of it, Parliament is changing. But we should not rejoice just yet. We live in a age of dangerous political apathy. The fact that Parliament looks and sounds completely different from the modern Britain it is supposed to represent is a further obstacle. Does British politics feel any more relevant to the black man in Moss Side, the Muslim lady from Sparkbrook or the Turkish family in Dalston today than it did in 1993? Sadly, the answer is no."

Legal

Despite claims of strenuous attempts at change from within, the upper echelons of the legal profession remain predominantly white. To a degree, the stereotype that judges are white, male, privately educated and from the Home Counties is often not far from the mark. Things are improving, but at a very slow pace. In 1998, 1.6 per cent of the judiciary was not white; now that figure is nearly 5 per cent.

The first non-white High Court judge, Justice Linda Dobbs, was not appointed until 2004. She had said: "While this appointment might be seen as casting me into the role of standard bearer, I am simply a practitioner following a career path. I am confident, nevertheless, that I am the first of many to come." But since then, only one more person from an ethnic minority background has been brought into the senior judiciary.

Among solicitors and barristers the picture is slightly more optimistic. Where once you would have struggled to find a black or Asian face in a wig and gown, now about one in 10 barristers are from an ethnic minority.

Courtenay Griffiths Barrister

"When you go into a court like the Old Bailey on any one day, some 90 per cent of the defendants will be black, and yet you'll find it hard to find a black face prosecuting. I think it's a shame that we have only two non-white judges and not enough women. But one has to realise that it takes 20 to 25 years to grow a judge. The vast majority of black and ethnic minority entrants to the bar have just not spent enough time within the profession to reach this position, so no amount of pushing will achieve that until we have a cadre of black lawyers that reach that level."

Regions

Local and national campaigns have tried to push up educational opportunities and job prospects for black and minority ethnic communities around the country. As a result, the proportion of BME councillors in town halls in the UK is inching up slowly after years of stagnation at a low level.

Attitudes have changed, but progress has been mixed. Reports of racist incidents have soared over the past two decades, from around 11,000 nationwide in 1993-94 to more than 51,000 last year.

The increase is, to some extent, explained by a greater willingness to report incidents – and an obligation on the police to record them as crimes. But underlying tensions still have the potential to explode into violence – from isolated race attacks to the "race riots" in the north, centring in Oldham, Burnley and Bradford, in 2001. Investigations into the flare-ups identified widespread poverty and segregation as long-term causes of the disturbances.

Gurbux Singh Former chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality

"When I was growing up in Wolverhampton in the 1960s, discrimination was very much in your face. But the Stephen Lawrence affair and the Macpherson report changed attitudes to race across the country. Things are better now. But situations like the 2001 riots showed that, in particular places in particular circumstances, there is the potential for tensions and violence. When you have disaffected young people who feel they are right at the bottom competing with another community, I am fearful that the tensions can easily arise again."

City

The upper echelons of the City remain dominated by white, middle-aged, comfortably padded men.

However, just over two years ago, the first black person took charge of a FTSE 100 company. Born in the Ivory Coast, Tidjane Thiam is the man who finally broke through the glass ceiling.

He is still chief executive at the Prudential, but is an unwilling standard-bearer, frustrated that his race attracts as much commentary as his abilities. But he is still one of the few senior black business figures.

The difficulties for black people in business were highlighted by Nick Clegg in November. He pointed out that more than a third of people of black African origin are shown to have wanted to start businesses but suggested the reason only a handful do is due to outdated lending policies. "Unleashing black and ethnic minority talent is the banks' duty, too."

Waseem Shakoor, a consultant, thinks there is an "elite club" of directors who look after each other. This does not mean they are racist, he says, but that it is hard for outsiders to make a breakthrough.

Zafar Khan Managing director and head of aerospace & defence equity research at Société Générale in London

"In my first City interview in 1985, I sat before a panel of four men. I got the job, but I later found out that one of the older interviewers had said to a younger one: 'How would our clients relate to this man's face?' He replied: 'Maybe you haven't seen the faces of some of our clients recently: they're more likely to relate to him.' US banks, oblivious to colour, and the Japanese coming to the UK made the City more meritocratic. Today, there are Asian people in senior positions. But, in my view, the black population is still under-represented."

Sport

Black athletes outside football see relatively little racism, but Britain's biggest sporting money-spinner is another matter altogether. Just months after Stephen Lawrence was killed, a campaign to kick racism out of football was launched with some fanfare. At that time, black players were routinely abused or spat upon by "fans". The increasing number of black players in the game, along with action by clubs and anti-racist groups, have combined to drive out the public racism that used to characterise football.

But a series of recent incidents, most notably the suspension of Liverpool player Luis Suarez for racist behaviour to Man Utd's Patrice Evra, and the decision to prosecute England captain John Terry for alleged racism towards West Ham's Anton Ferdinand, highlights how racism remains under the surface.

And while black players are a common sight on the pitch, there are hardly any black faces to be seen in club boardrooms – with just two black managers in the entire football league.

Social networking sites are now being used by racist fans. Northumbria Police yesterday began an investigation after ex-Premier League star and football pundit Stan Collymore was allegedly the victim of racist abuse on Twitter. It is believed the tweets in question were sent by someone in the Tyneside area. A 21-year-old has been arrested in connection with the matter.

Some 18 years after the launch of Let's Kick Racism Out of Football, the issue is put in context by news that Oldham player Tom Adeyemi was reduced to tears this weekend by racist abuse from fans during an FA Cup game away at Liverpool.

Lord Ouseley Chairman of Kick It Out and former head of the CRE

"Going to watch football in the early 1990s was an unpleasant experience. You had to be very careful. If you weren't with people who would look after you and weren't in parts of the ground where it was safe to go, you just wouldn't go. At that time black footballers active in football, like John Fashanu, would say their families would stop going because the abuse was so extensive – being spat at, booed, all sorts of unbelievable behaviour... There have been huge strides forward since then, and the nastiness and the worst excesses of both abuse and violence have to a large extent gone."

Entertainment

On the face of it, the entertainment industry appears to be an area where there has been progress in racial equality. From singers such as Rihanna and Dizzee Rascal to award-winning film and TV stars like Dev Patel and Sophie Okonedo, our screens seem less whitewashed than two decades ago. But while more than half of last year's top-20 music artists were not white, most of the people managing them still are.

Some of our most talented actors still feel they need to move abroad to find fulfilling roles. Actors such as Idris Elba – best known for Luther and The Wire – have decamped to the US after finding the parts he was offered in the UK were too few and too one-dimensional. David Harewood, star of Blood Diamond who was made an MBE in the latest honours list, said in a recent interview that he was "slightly conflicted" about winning the award: "Although it is a great honour, I still feel there is a hell of a lot of work to be done here... Looking at the TV schedules over Christmas, I did not see many black faces in dramas."

Non-white actors – on stage and in film and TV – still struggle. Just 0.7 per cent of members of Equity describe themselves as "Black Caribbean", 0.4 per cent as Indian, 0.1 per cent as Pakistani and none as Bangladeshi.

While a quarter of London's workers are from an ethnic minority background, only 7 per cent of those who work in the capital's film industry are. The figure was 3 per cent 30 years ago, and the broadcasting union Bectu says it will take 120 years at the current rate for it to reflect the demographics of the London workforce.

Jazzie B Founder of Soul II Soul, music producer and entrepreneur

"In 1987 I only saw one black person in the music industry on the other of the fence. She was called Sandra Scott and worked for Virgin 10 records. We're still friends. Now I've met a few black managers and black people working in the background, but I've yet to see one of them sign a cheque. On television, I actually think it's weird that there's no programming on any station that truly represents us in a positive light. Everyone thinks it's all great, but I don't know if there are any black people working in commissioning. We should be light years ahead of this now."

Reports by Brian Brady, Paul Cahalan, Emily Dugan, John Houghton-Brown, Mark Leftly, Jane Merrick, Sarah Morrison, Jonathan Owen, Omar Shahid, Kate Youde

Where in the world?

First in a regular update showing where in the world our readers are. Here's the top nine countries where REDP's blog has been viewed this week (normally that would be the top ten, but it seems that we've only had nine).

1. UK 23 pageviews
2. Russia 19
3. USA 9
4. Ukraine 7
5. Latvia 4
6. Germany 3
7. Columbia 1
8. France 1
9. Netherlands 1

This week's total: 68. These are aggregates of figures from the top ten countries only. Blogger's stats software doesn't show me numbers of pageviews below the tenth-ranking country.

The world map at the top of this post is the graphic that I see on the stats page. The darker the green, the more pageviews from that country. I can see different versions of that map for "now" (i.e. in the last two hours), "today", "this week", "this month" and "all time".

It'll be interesting to see how this week's total compares to next week's figures.