A Tangled Web

Welcome Solidarity

 

I was very pleased with the messages of support offered to Belfast man, Mohammad Hossain, following a spate of appalling racially-motivated attacks on himself and his family.   I hope he decides to continue to live and work in Northern Ireland, thereby showing the thugs who attacked him that ethnic minority communities in the Province will not be intimidated.



Recently, I opined that London was an example of too much multiculturalism.  Northern Ireland is an example of too little.  I don't think it has occurred to the thuggish prols who attacked Mr Hossain that the vast bulk of ethnic minority members are, like themselves, citizens of the United Kingdom and wish to be considered as such.



Ethnic minorities are now the fastest growing demographic in Northern Ireland: a statistic which I welcome.  They doubled in size between 1991 and 2001 (even though they still only constitute 0.5% of the total populace) and look set to double in size again by the next census in 2011 - to approximately 22,000.  Longer term projections put the ethnic community at 40,000+ by 2030.  That's an extra 40,000 potential pro-Union votes.  However, they won't be enticed towards Unionist politics if they believe members of the pro-Union community seek to target them on the basis of their skin colour and ethnic origins.  Not only are these racist idiots blind to the concept of diversity, they are also found wanting when it comes to political long-term planning.