There has been a huge transfer of power to the government and a fundamental change in relationship with the populace.

At the same time our politicians feather their own nests.

All police states start somewhere.

In my opinion we live in a Thought Police State.

Antipholus Papps wrote … Erm.. isn’t that exactly what they’re doing? Where have been for the past ten years? …

According to Yak40 at IanDale, Labour have destroyed more that’s good about Britain than just about anyone would have thought possible. Indeed Labour is malignant, not incompetent

Have you ever spoken to or met someone who has lived in a real police state or authoritarian country?

This whole, ‘New Labour is making Britain a police state,’ line makes me very angry not only because of the lazy thought. It is actually not that far short of an insult to those who have actually experienced the real deal.

Saying something over and over again doesn’t make it true.

Erm.. isn’t that exactly what they’re doing? Where have been for the past ten years?

‘Blears Attacks White Community’ could be another reading of this, after all we do dominate quite a few areas of the UK, not least rural Suffolk where my school of 1200 had 2 Asians and one black girl. However, I don’t think that’s what she meant, somehow.

Round here, I’m glad to say, we’re reaching the community nirvana of having absolutely no idea at first sight where someone comes from, and having to actually talk to them to find out. I presume we’re not uniquely gifted in this?

‘No neighbourhood should be dominated by one group in ways which make others feel alienated or unsafe. We must ensure community cohesion is maintained. No one faith or ethnic group can dominate a locality to the exclusion of all others.’

I don’t see anything particularly to disagree with on the face of that. It is written in civil service-ese which makes it all a bit opaque, but that aside I don’t see anything deserving of a talk-board lynching.

Looking at the Mirror article, the phrase, ‘break up,’ does not appear to be a direct quote and it looks like the journalist has put words into Blears’ mouth a little. Sunny also puts the words, ‘smash muslim ghettos,’ in inverted commas, but I can’t see that in the Mirror article either.

Granted, the rhetoric Blears uses is unwise and it sounds pie-in-the-sky around the edges to say the least. Equally though I think that the article rather stretches what seems to have been said, in no small part to grind axes with Blears.

Perhaps a more valuable exercise Sunny would be to draw attention to areas where white and brown have been rubbing along nicely for a long time now, looking out of my window I am quite confident that this mixed area won’t be the scene of a race riot. Hazel Blears or not.

Sorry.

That’s my village ****ed then.

I wonder how she proposes to “break them up”. Bulldozers ?

See Phil Woolas for other Labour examples.

Its Blears not Borg.

This proposal is ham-fisted, half-cocked and obviously made up on the hoof. I don’t know London, (and Shariq’s analysis sounds reasonable) but in Newcastle recent immigrants tend to live in the areas where housing is cheapest. I’m guessing that is fairly common. After a while, people drift towards the leafy suburbs if they can afford it. It’s mostly about money, does Blears have a plan to change that?

The Chinatown caveat is just weird. It’s not a ghetto, it’s themed.

It reminds me of Auf Wiedersein Pet when they go to a curry house and the asians don’t speak English and they compalin about that asking what can be more English than a curry!!

It is natural that communities live together, but to say there are no go areas is nonsense.

That is proved by the fact that Blears own party has MPs from these so called no go ghettos and they go there and campaign in an area which is apparently no go!

The woman has it in for Muslims because what she is saying the other minorities are ok its just them Muslims. Phil Woolas is the same.

East london for example has a large ethnic population and high demand for property. Minorities may choose to stay in the area because of the ability to access mosques/temples, be close to large extended family and have food and spice shops at hand.

On the other a fair amount of the wwc who are unwilling to pay that premium for living in a dense urban environment, have chosen to move out to places such as canvey island in essex.

Their they have access to larger properties, maybe better schools and less stress.

Just more PR for a bit of vote winning and Blears not beiong so close to Muslims is ideal to pick on them.

As will all members of the Ruling Class, I wonder where does she live and exactly how are her children educated. Should she not set an example by moving into a non-indigenous ghetto herself, together with her children?