Perhaps reading the article you linked to might be of some assistance. Human meat was not being sold as bush meat (which implies cannibalism), but sold for vodoo purposes after smuggled in. Still disgusting I agree, but hardly cannibalism.

Your rant is a perfectly good description of your own blog. This for example.

“Human flesh is being sold as bush meat in London markets.”

A link would be nice.

Two things:
“Seriously must you charicature him that way? Does story give you an oppurtunity, not to find out what has happened to some of your fellow citizens but to lambast your political opponent?”

1. GG rarely needs any help, he is a walking caricature. But I enjoy takling the piss out of him and his merry band of medievalists.

2. Am very interested in what happened to those poor girls. As I mentioned earlier, Anne Cryer has been campaigning on this for years – often in the face of ‘Elder’ opposition. Try reading my posts.

“However, speculating that these 33 children are involved in forced marriage and tying certain communities into this practice deflects us from this priority.”

Well, it is a line of inquiry. That does not mean that it should be the only line, but as children have disappeared from school before and ended up married, it would be silly not to investigate this possibility.

Refresh:

“The reported 3-digit disapperances have been around for a while and has been used repeatedly to castigate a section of the community; but its only now we realise its not over 200 hundred. But I imagine the tabloids are not interested in correcting their initial coverage. I do not imagine that they have the welfare of the children at heart unlike like you or me.

So what I was suggesting to you is that there is a parallel story which is the coverage and that agenda. It would be a pretty decent thing to do to draw up a table of where these 170+ children were traced to. Do not assume or presume.”

It was 205, but now most of the children have been accounted for. I agree that the tabloids should point this out, and as you say, press doubly hard for information about the whereabouts of the remaining 33.

“So what I was suggesting to you is that there is a parallel story which is the coverage and that agenda. It would be a pretty decent thing to do to draw up a table of where these 170+ children were traced to. Do not assume or presume.”

I will look for that information, but I suspect that it is not easily accessible, especially with the data protection act.

“I wasn’t aware of this. Given schools are highly responsible bodies, do you want to elaborate on their reasons?”

The example I have is from Derby:

“One of the concerns about schools was that they were refusing to push DV education for fear of upsetting what they saw as ‘local’ opinion. Jasvinder Sanghera related her experiences with Derby Council. When appearing before them, several councillors ridiculed her for trying to force this issue on schools. A later question established that the offending councillors were British Asian. Some school governors did not want the information posters on FM and ‘honour’ killings for fear of stereotyping Asian pupils. Jasvinder Sanghera was suitably scornful. Martin Salter MP labelled Derby as the test case for how well these type of school initiatives will be accepted.”

http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/1719#comments

To quote er… me.

“Am sure GG will find a way to blame Jews, Israelis and Neocons in some way…..”

Seriously must you charicature him that way? Does story give you an oppurtunity, not to find out what has happened to some of your fellow citizens but to lambast your political opponent?

Am sure TCH will find a way to blame Respect, GG, and SWP in some way…

I’d say that this cold be a significant reason behind the poor performance of inner city Bangladeshi and Pakistani children in schools?

Have deadline and grumpy boss.

Does anyone else remember this Ch4 or Newsnight story?

If only PP wasn’t so interesting!

TCH

And another aspect is that it is depressingly common in the Asian community for kids to be taken out of school for extended visits to BD, Ind, Pak. Especially to visit relatives on their death bed. Are local authorities liaising with the FMU section of BHC Islamabad?

so far it seems the schools may have objected to the posters. I can presume many reasons why. But will wait for more when you have the time and access.

‘I would be interested to know s/he proposes to tackle the vanishings of British Asian children without shining a spotlight on sections of the British Asian Community.’

Its not the tar and brush that’s at work.

‘Tough, frankly’ – maybe, but irresponsible too.

Better to focus on getting results than joining the frenzy.

Either they or an NGO have been running an awareness raising campaign, an element was a poster and thats where the poor response from Secondary Schools started.

Ch4 News might still have a link and the story on their site.

Apologies for the vagueness but am not in a situation where I can check up. Will be this weekend and will investigate.

TCH

My reading of what Ashik is saying, do something about it – but do not stereotype, and do not presume.

Running debates based on presumptions, prejudices and stereotypes is no debate.’

Granted, some in the ethnic minority communities may well feel tarred by the same brush. Candidly, if they stand so close to those at whom the tar rightly is aimed it is not easy to miss. It may well be that there are stereotypes – tough, frankly. I will leave others to consider how justified the stereotype is in sections of communities.

Ashik may well want something done about these vanishings, I do not question his/her intent. I would be interested to know s/he proposes to tackle the vanishings of British Asian children without shining a spotlight on sections of the British Asian Community.

I wasn’t aware of this. Given schools are highly responsible bodies, do you want to elaborate on their reasons? Assuming you are correct of course, and there is such a thing as DCLG(?) and that they themselves are doing what you presume they are trying to do. In a responsible way.

But do stay on topic, like the rest of us.

I think that is spot on and I also think that 99% of people who swing past this site do display those abilities.

Forced marriages are abhorrent and need to be addressed. The recent refusal by some secondary schools in areas with high numbers of ethnic minority pupils to co-operate with the (I think) DCLG campaign to highlight the issue is very troubling.

Refresh, GG is a first order cock and I reserve the right, this been a free country and all (Unlike the countries GG has a hard on for) to take the piss out of him and his sad little communulist back to the middle ages party as much as possible.

My reading of what Ashik is saying, do something about it – but do not stereotype, and do not presume.

Running debates based on presumptions, prejudices and stereotypes is no debate.

Grow up, or better still stay on topic.

You might not smear a section of Bradford citizens, but there seems to be plenty in the media who seem to delight in it.

I suggest the issues are split and dealt with accordingly. If you can genuinely say that the media coverage is not without an agenda then that’s fine – that will be your position.

If as most of us know and some happy to support the tabloid agenda at demonisation then it is right for the rest of us to challenge it as best we can.

The reported 3-digit disapperances have been around for a while and has been used repeatedly to castigate a section of the community; but its only now we realise its not over 200 hundred. But I imagine the tabloids are not interested in correcting their initial coverage. I do not imagine that they have the welfare of the children at heart unlike like you or me.

So what I was suggesting to you is that there is a parallel story which is the coverage and that agenda. It would be a pretty decent thing to do to draw up a table of where these 170+ children were traced to. Do not assume or presume.

With regards the remaining 30+ children, it is vitally important that all agencies, and schools are able to respond as early-warning systems, do all they can to identify vulnerable young people and act accordingly.

And given in the area we are still hoping that the missing schoolgirl, Shannon, is found unharmed – it would be a good thing to deal with the issue initially as missing children enquiries. Presumably that should give the enforcement agencies as much power as they could want.

And if necessary shame the parents where there is collusion. It needs to be stamped on.

But being disingenuous ain’t the way.