Why I LOVE my new Prime Minister, David Cameron!

On the 6th of May, 2010, when the British general election results were announced, I was secretly pleased that the Conservatives had not received enough votes to form a government, while being keenly disappointed that the LibDems had actually lost seats. I had hoped that they would have had a massive increase in their seats in Parliament due to what the polls had been saying before the election. I was also torn between whom their leader, Nick Clegg, should support to form a coalition, as Labour seemed a more natural choice of partner compared to the Conservatives, whom I've always disliked, but I also wanted a fresh team after the 13 years Labour had already enjoyed.

In the event, the Conservatives rightfully won out over Labour, especially as they had the most seats and David Cameron became Prime Minister. The country waited with bated breath for the new political coalition to get off the ground, while dire predictions of its imminent demise frequently peppered the air! I preferred to wait and see, with some scepticism, especially after the shock of seeing how the coalition was actually arranged, who actually benefited from it, and the direction it was to take. Until now.

This week, the United Kingdom, this great country, found its international voice again, no longer muted by fear, factions or the folly of an unjust war. No more diplomatic niceties or flim-flam. It gave a very loud and clear message to the world that Britain - the national corporation - was back in business again, and firmly on the side of justice, no matter in what quarter, and I felt extremely proud to be British. On his trip to Turkey, Mr Cameron left no one in any doubt about the smelling carcass of a stagnant Middle East situation. He accused Israel of turning the Gaza strip into an "open prison camp" by blockading vital supplies to the area and then warned that "Humanitarian goods and people must flow in both directions. Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp". Indeed.

That was music to my ears because anyone who could actually condone what has been happening in Gaza, to turn their back on a people who are suffering deliberately through the insensitive and cruel efforts of another country, cannot have much humanity in them. Such action has been plainly wrong, no matter the reason for it, and was crying out for some real leadership on the issue. It took guts to ignore the diplomatic niceties of hypocrites and say it like it is, and I applaud him for it. No, not just applaud him. I love the guy's sincerity and courage in setting a new marker on international behaviour. He's got it spot on in view of the lawlessness that seemed to have overtaken our world, especially in view of some of Israel's recent cavalier action.


Building a New Perspective
As I wrote in 2006 when Israel attacked Lebanon (12 Lessons in Life): "We do not overcome evil by becoming evil ourselves. In that awful moment of madness, we lose our self-respect and our integrity, falling from the moral high ground of justice to land with a thud on the same low level of injustice perpetrated by our oppressors."

By saying a simple truth, which our American allies, through their backing of Israel seem unable to say, David Cameron can help everyone to build on a new perspective of justice without fear, and start a real healing process in this fractured situation. But that wasn't all.

Yesterday, in view of the leaks about Afghanistan, Cameron went to India and again spoke out about another thorny issue: the two-faced nature of Pakistan's diplomacy regarding terrorism, telling them that they cannot play it both sides and then expect the right results. He said they were "promoting the export of terror" and it was intolerable for that country to "look both ways" in view of all the atrocities associated with terrorism. Sensible words from a sensible leader!

In the current global economic climate, strong leadership is necessary to take us out of the downturn and into a better period of growth and stability. I have always admired Cameron himself ever since he took over as opposition leader, though not his party. I felt the Tories were usually for big business and not exactly welcoming of minorities! I used to wish he was leading Labour or the LibDems, so I had mixed feelings with the election results. Today I feel awfully proud to have a Prime Minister who seems unafraid to tackle the real issues and to say it like it is. That means a lot to me because achieving real justice is never easy. It is about compassion, trust and sacrifice, hence why it is always easier to blow with the wind than to stand up for one's beliefs.

The BBC's headline on the India trip said "Candid Cameron ruffles diplomatic feathers". Well, that's great news. Time for some feathers to be ruffled, or even plucked, because the current status quo is not yielding much by way of solutions.

The Telegraph lauded Cameron's visit with President Obama saying how the Conservatives and coalition government should be proud of him and his performance, as he was clearly the stronger leader in the exchanges. I say we should all be very proud of him because, at last, we have a real Prime Minister who is not afraid of taking the initiative, making decisions, even tough ones, or speaking out. A true leader in every sense of the word. Watch the mood of the country now changes from uncertainty to confidence. With such a transparent Prime Minister, it can only lead to more trust and self-belief.

Suddenly the future looks very bright! :o)

(Tonight the BBC is airing a programme "5 Days That Changed Britain" on BBC 2 at 2100 GMT, regarding the general election and the frenzied activity to form a coalition after the results became known. It should be very interesting viewing.)

Telegraph: A new foreign policy is taking shape under David Cameron but is it Tory or Lib Dem?
(A steely determination can be detected in the Coalition's attitude, argues Benedict Brogan.)

Do many White Britons really get it about the offensive nature of Racism? Why the BBC was right to sack Carol Thatcher

Carol Thatcher, the daughter of a British Prime Minister, made a remark about a French tennis player, saying how much he looks like a 'golliwog' a 'half-golliwog' and a 'golliwog Frog' (frog being a derogatory, xenophobic term for the French). The BBC immediately sacked her from The One Show. Apparently, to date, nearly 3,500 people have complained about her being dropped by the BBC and only 133 for the decision.

In the eyes of some of the predominantly White media, that shows how 'silly' and 'pc' it all is, a storm in a teacup, how Britain is losing its way etc. But it is truly painful, as a Black citizen who loves Britain, to see how racism is taken for granted simply because White Britons have the power to behave as they like and often exercise that power in the form of branding everything to do with essential mutual respect as mere 'pc'. It is fascinating that one does not hear any reports of Black Britons publicly calling their White peers any kind of racist names. So is that the preserve of White folks?

Let's get one thing straight. Racism is an ignominious and offensive form of action. It takes a particular mindset to be racist against another. Racism robs someone of their value and their dignity, it derogates their race and identity and it treats them as undeserving and inferior to everyone else. Above all that, we are talking about the absence of MUTUAL RESPECT when we practise any kind of racism, yet we all seek respect for what we value, for what we cherish and what we hold dear to our hearts. We also give three strong messages about ourselves when we use racist terms against others.

First, that we are so low in esteem that we have to boost our ego, to get our kicks, to feel superior at the expense of another person who might be far less fortunate than we are and whose only 'crime' as the butt of selected 'in jokes', is the colour of their skin. No one can change their skin colour to what others might wish it to be, so to use racist terms against another is to define the actual value we too place upon ourselves. Simply because if we really love ourselves, and value who we are, we would understand how someone else feels about themselves too, the pride and joy in being a unique individual.

Second, the language we use identifies us and our mindsets, where we are coming from and where we are going. It shows what we value and care about by the words we actually choose to utter. Most people do not go round using a term like 'golliwog' to describe a Black person, especially in 21st century Britain, because the word was deemed publicly offensive some time back because of its questionable roots and its deliberate unflattering caricature of a Black image. When we easily use racist and derogatory words, we say a lot about how we perceive others who are different, how we regard people who might not share our skin colour and how we easily relegate them to be undeserving of our respect and inclusion in order to maintain our feelings of superiority.


Personal fears as barriers
Third, we allow fear to dominate our perspective as we foster a deliberate 'them' and 'us' mentality where people are identified in a purely derogatory way: by the colour of their skin, no other factor included. It shows a lot of personal fear because racism is the worst form of exclusion. Fear is a terrible thing when it comes to dealing with others because it allows for unnecessary barriers in appreciating who they are, it focuses on their differences negatively while completely ignoring the similarities we might all share. When we are not sure of how to deal with difference, we usually select the most obvious feature to transform into something worthless.

But there are other more practical concerns with this incident. This Frenchman is a guest in our country. Do we get our kicks from bashing visitors now instead of protecting them? What does it say about us and how we view our European neighbours, while pretending that we are much more advanced in racial matters? How would we like one of our treasured stars to be racially abused in another country?

Many White Britons still don't understand the nature of racism and why it is simply wrong to use racist terms. It has nothing to do with being 'pc', a term mostly used by people with power to excuse bad behaviour against more vulnerable members among them. Racism is the worst action in a mixed society because it is the majority group, the White section, that has the economic power, that controls the media (how many Black faces do you see or voices do you hear in Britain's media, especially in the positions that really matter?), that has the political clout, that makes the laws, sets social standards and controls the country's resources. It means they have the power to do whatever they like against anyone who might be different simply through sheer numbers, history and exclusivity. Being openly racist is also a part of that power, especially in the absence of minorities in positions of authority to give alternative inputs.

In a year when the first Black person has been elected to be President of the United States, and to lead the Democratic Party; when the first Black person has also been elected to lead the Republican Party, it is time Britain moved into a new exciting phase of its own and ditch the racism. We are well behind America now and it is time we stopped behaving as if we are so inclusive, so respectful of each other or so understanding of our heritage, if we can still easily condone racist acts. Time to stop the racist smugness and start the healing process. Time to get out of the 'golliwog' and racist era and join America in celebrating difference. Time to be much more genuinely inclusive of minorities by ensuring their voice and valuing their contributions instead of simply derogating them because we can. Perhaps we might even learn to truly appreciate ourselves as a nation in the process.

It might only have been a simple word. But words define who we are, what we wish to emphasise and how we truly value ourselves and others. For a privileged lady, whose mother set such a remarkable example for this country, Carol Thatcher's action was thoughtless and shameful and should be condemned as such by every person who is proud to be British.

Thank you, BBC, for your very prompt and professional action.