Britain after Brexit

In spite of voting leave, many well informed advocates of Brexit would agree that the immediate economic effects of Britain’s leaving of the European Union would not be entirely positive. The less knowledgeable supporters of Britain’s leaving of the EU promote the notion that Brexit will control immigration. Pre and post the referendum, this idea has been giving a voice to racism in Britain.

It is hard to predict today what the future of Brexit will turn out to be in a decade or even five years time, but it is obvious that Britain’s planned exit of the EU is already provoking serious economic consequences. The most infamous, immediate and, arguably, the most important economic fatality of Brexit has been the value of the pound. Having sank to an alarming low against the American dollar and euro, in simple words, it seems as if us Britons have become poorer as a result of Britain’s decision to leave the EU. The pound lost 11 per cent of its value in the short space of two trading days, which raises the question that should have been answered to many less knowledgeable voters before they voted leave: how will Brexit immediately affect our economy?

Having dropped in value by around 13%, the pound, which was worth $1.50 on 23 June, is now trading at around $1.30, which is a new low for this decade, seeing as the sterling has not been at levels this low since the 1980s. On 23 June the pound was worth €1,30, but now trades at about €1,19, another alarming low.

Conversely, as a result of Brexit, the percentage of race hate crimes has vastly increased. In the weeks before and after the vote to leave the European Union, race hate crimes increased by 42%. Reports of racism have been amassing in the media, and this is no surprise. Immigration was highlighted as a common reason for Brexit amongst voters, and with the vote to leave stealing the coveted victory, those who were against immigration for racist reasons were revelling in their success.

With the value of the pound falling and the amount of race hate crimes increasing, the future of Brexit is not seeming as bright as advertised. However, some argue that the pound was overvalued before and there are, in fact, some benefits that come with a devalued pound regarding British exports and its net worth. Though there is no way to justify racism, some people believe that Brexit simply means reports of racism are piling up in the media, not the incidents themselves. Today, many people link racism in Britain with Brexit, albeit the vote for leave triumphing or the ‘problem’ of immigration may not have been the motive for all of the racist acts that have been occurring as of late.

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US Caucuses: So What's Bernie's deal?

With American caucuses on the way, the public is undoubtedly curious of the candidates' pasts. Many claims have been made by the candidates about their history and life altering events, a lot of which, unsurprisingly, have been proven to be false.

Bernie Sanders, a candidate for the Democratic Party - who instead identifies as being a democratic socialist - made claims about protesting for civil rights in 1963. Sanders spoke of his increasing political involvement during his time at the University of Chicago, where he studied Political Science. He focused, particularly, on his involvement in Congress on Racial Equality (CORE), through which he protested segregated housing in his university.
Sanders' involvement in the Willis wagons(racially segregated housing) protest, and in the civil rights movement itself, has much been debated since then.

However, in late February, Kartemquin Films released video footage online, depicting two police officers roughly handling a young man resembling Sanders, particularly due to the strikingly similar thick-rimmed glasses. (shown on the left - 1963, Chicago Tribune).

Understandably, some claimed that the picture was ambiguous, despite Sanders confirming that the young man was indeed him. In response, Mother Jone magazine released an article about Sanders' past, including the newspaper clipping below, confirming that Sanders was arrested during the protest mentioned. It also states that he was later fined $25 for resisting arrest, as displayed in the photograph above.

In his campaign, Sanders brings focus onto injustices in the US, particularly focusing on a recent social movement 'Black Lives Matter'. This was sparked by the acquittal of a racially motivated murderer, George Zimmerman, and two other racially motivated murders, which occurred as a result of police brutality. Sanders continued to mention, 'as far back as I can remember, and I can't tell you why...but, injustice is something I've always fought throughout my life.'

As a politics student who is upset about these issues, it is greatly comforting to hear a democratic candidate, who has a chance of becoming US president, recognise one of the many big problems in America, regarding race. Not only this, but Sanders has been much more independent, especially with donations for his campaign, unlike his democratic counterpart, Hillary Clinton.

If we look at some claims Clinton has made about her past, such as 'landing under sniper fire' in Bosnia, for which she 'ran with (her) head down' to get to a safe base, some queries have been made in response to this serious event. This is mainly due to the fact that those accompanying Clinton that day described it as being routine, and video evidence disproving her statements was released. In this clip, she was greeted by a group of people, including a young girl, who read her a poem and then kissed her.

Much to the great shock of those questioning Clinton, she later retracted her words, regarding them as a mere misstatement. Clinton then said, 'So I made a mistake. That happens. It shows I'm human.' I completely see where Clinton is coming from, just the other day I mistook a group of primary school children for an assassination squad shooting down at the public. It's an easy mistake to make.

However, despite all of this, it pleases me to see that no one has had any doubts whatsoever about Mr. Trump's 'small loan of million dollars' claim.

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Racial Inequality in the USA

A revealing new report highlighted by the Guardian here which shows a significant wealth gap between blacks and whites in the US where the average white family is five times richer than the average African American family of the same class. It suggests various reasons both economic and social. Recommended by the Tutor2U site, this is evidence to suggest that racial inequality is going to remain a feature of American politics...

Barack Obama - election & race

Make sure you watch the programme aired on Saturday night entitled 'By the people: the election of Barack Obama' - here is the link. It has obviously been edited positively but it is nevertheless a fascinating insight to his election and the election campaign in the USA more generally.

On another Obama note, what do you think about Harry Reid's comments for a book that have resulted in calls for him to step down? Do you think he should resign or have his comments been blown up out of proportion? Here is the Guardian story, here some comments from CNN and look at Mark Mardell's comments in his most recent blog (on the right of the screen).

Race, religion and the UK Supreme Court

An interesting case being taken up by the Supreme Court here. The Jewish Free School (JFS) in north-west London is being accused of racial discrimination in prioritising those children of Jewish faith. This is the result of a case brought on behalf of a boy, known as M, who was refused admission to the JFS because his mother converted to Judaism in a procedure not recognised by the office of the chief rabbi. The Court's decision may have consequences for all religious schools, as discussed here. What do you think?

Ex-President claims anti-Obama mood 'racist'

The level of partisanship in US politics has increased to such a level over the summer that ex President Jimmy Carter claims the mood has turned so ugly that hidden racial slurs are now being used against President Barack Obama. Do you think the level of debate in the US is too negative?

Race Row Beer

Good links from the rather unexciting footage of four men having a beer in the garden here to the whole sorry story of Professor Gates, Policeman Crowley and President Obama. Did you think the USA had entered a post racial world with Obama - think again!

Race and Religion in the USA

Two great articles from the Economist here, one about the change in the nature of religious observance by the Latino community which may have political connotations and the other about a summer camp for atheists who make up only 1 in 12 of the population, a reflection of the religious nature of US politics and society.
Also an article here about Obama's recent speech to the NAACP which aimed to raise the aspirations of young black people.

Street Fight

A clip below from an award-winning documentary about the mayoral election in Newark in 2002 in the USA that symbolises old v new in black politics. The 'new', Cory Brooker, is now Mayor and is making a splash nationally whereas the 'old', Sharpe James, has just been sentenced to two years in prison for corruption.