Different shades. Conflicting opinions.
MICHAEL J BLAIR
Perthshire, Scotland
In our new all singing, all dancing multicultural UK, according to government and other organisations, we are all just one big happy family.
Well, that’s the propaganda we hear, day in and day out. The reality is of course very different.
Until quite recently, I had not been affected by the racial tensions others have been noticing and reporting upon.
But two recent incidents have shown me that this is much more serious and complicated than I had imagined.
Coming from a rural background and living in a relatively small Perthshire town for twenty five years, and recently in the small village where I was brought up and spent my formative years, I was quite unprepared for the reality of a large urban conurbation.
I’m no innocent abroad, but I have always believed in the idea that there is goodness somewhere, in the majority of people. A wee bit naive perhaps, but that’s not always a bad thing.
When we read of racial tensions, it’s usually somewhere else, never on one’s own doorstep. However, I have seen the future, and it doesn’t look like it will be fun.
Twice while driving in different British cities, I have been pursued by young men in high powered vehicles, because of some perceived driving error and the fact that when questioned by my partner about their aggression, they really lost their heads and upped the ante.
Driving at one point closely behind me, and as I slowed down for traffic lights, overtook and slammed on their brakes, trying to get me to hit their vehicle.
On the second occasion, the car actually stopped in front of me and one of the occupants got out of the car in a very threatening manner.
Luckily the lights changed and they drove off, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I saw them drive straight ahead, so I cut off and headed for the motorway.
I was shocked to see the car pull alongside me, as it had no way to get back to the motorway except for the off ramp which they would have had to drive into oncoming traffic to get back to the motorway. This was exactly what they had done!
They tried the same tactic as before. Slowing down in front and braking hard. Due to the amount of traffic that evening, they had to go on ahead, and I was able to get off the road and back on the streets.
I was badly shaken by this episode and the previous one, which although it wasn’t as frightening, it still left me quite drained.
I think the objective was to cause confrontation and hopefully violence, by their actions.
On neither occasion did I contact the police. My experience with officers of the law hasn’t made me feel I could trust them to not attempt to make me the aggressor, rather than the complainer.
I’ve had time to think about what happened and I got the impression that although I felt threatened personally, I believe most of the aggression was aimed at my partner, who had asked them what they thought they were doing in the strongest Glaswegian terms!
Being told off by an attractive young lady seemed to really set them off.
Oh, did I mention that the occupants of the vehicles in both incidents, were young, very aggressive men, who looked to be of Pakistani origin?
These episodes have made me suspicious of people I had never considered any kind of threat to me in the past. This has to be wrong.
I shouldn’t have to look at the people in every single flashy new vehicle with suspicion.
We all should be able to go about our business without the fear of being chased by people who apparently are prepared to drive like maniacs, attempting to intimidate and initiate confrontation.
There is fear where there used to be harmony, and I have seen this fear rise amongst the average person, going about their daily lives. This is unacceptable to any reasonable human being.
There has to be strong action from governments, both Scottish and UK, as well as Police Scotland. We cannot have rules for one set of people and others. This is just a common sense approach to making the streets safe for both pedestrians and drivers.
Even-handed policing and justice has to be the way forward. Otherwise we face growing unrest between people who should be able to live alongside each other, without friction.
If I go to another country, I have to abide to the laws of that country, whether driving or in any other way.
If I lived in another country, I would want to assimilate with local communities and not try to make life unpleasant for everyone.
For many years, immigrants engaged with local people and became good friends with most. There was rarely any trouble, other than the usual nonsense with the usual suspects, but not the vicious hatred which exists these days.
Again, if I moved to a non Christian country, I wouldn’t insist on having to have Scottish law or British law used for any misdemeanours or crimes I committed. Nor would I demand my own religion be regarded as more important than the religion of the country to which I had moved.
This kind of behaviour would not be tolerated.
Nor should it be. We can still have our own beliefs, but not insist they should take precedence over my host country.
This seems to have been forgotten in the last few years, and has become twisted into something unrecognisable.
Politicians, police and councils have been cowed into some kind of submission by being scared to say or do anything to level the playing field for all citizens in the UK.
If we live here, we have to abide with the rule of law. Not a religious law, but laws, however stupid, laid down by democratic process in parliament. We may not always agree with these laws, or the way they are enforced, but that’s the reality.
We cannot have a system within a system, making laws only for itself. We should not have religious ghettos in this country. This will only end in tears.
Learn to live in as much harmony as possible with the people around us, and allow the authorities to deal with any complaints and laws broken.
The UK isn’t perfect and immigration is needed, but we should all be living under the same rules.
There is still time to change, but that time is running out quickly.
Follow The Party of Common Sense on Twitter, at @tpocs
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Michael J Blair contributes political analysis to DDA, and he can be reached at: michaelblair43@googlemail.com. His Twitter handle is: @mmjblair
[header photo courtesy of Basher Eyre; Wikimedia Commons]
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