Calthorpe’s Corner

Regrettably, today has seen the 98th; 99th, and 100th deaths of British service personnel in the Afghanistan conflict.  Not surprisingly, the media have seized the opportunity to revisit the question as to whether it has all been worth it.

The answer is undoubtedly….yes.

There is very little to be proud of in this country today, but thank God for the fact that the selfless bravery of British troops remains unchanged.  My heart goes out to the three families that have today heard the terrible news that their loved ones have been killed in action.  These 100 fellow Britons have indeed sacrificed themselves on our behalf for a cause many in this country don’t understand.  I believe that such ignorance is as a result of the “business as usual” attitude of many in this country.  The problem is that for the X-Factor/Celebrity Come Dancing/Britain’s Got Talent generation the fact that thousands of our fellow citizens are fighting in a war (because that is what it is) doesn’t even register.

To be controversial,  who amongst the indigenuous population has pride in their country’s troops these days?  Certainly, not the majority of those who are the same age as Private Nathan Cuthbertson (R.I.P) who at 19 has lost his life for his country.  This hero joined the army at the age of 16 and unlike some of the “wasters” who discredit their communities via a spate of anti-social behaviour and drunkenness, he will have achieved more in his short life than some of these “wasters” will in their decades old state-dependent existence.

It is heartbreaking.

Meanwhile, as the majority of Britons moan at the £1.30 for a litre of diesel, the plight of our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq is largely ignored.  To most of us, Britain is not at war.  There’s no rationing, no real curtailment of freedoms, just the “same old same old” of daily life in complacent Britain.

Our indifference is not improved by the fact that our government pays troops less than a traffic warden expects for an eight hour shift.

Ignored by most of us, taken for granted by our government, sneered at by the left-leaning media, our troops will not return as the heroes they deserve to be.

One wonders if all those Afghan asylum-seekers could be persuaded to show their appreciation for what our troops are doing to bring hope to the land they fled.

I think it would make a difference.

So why doesn’t it happen?

We’re all feeling the pinch at the moment, rising food prices, utility bills, and petrol, all are causing us to tighten our belts.  There are now real grounds to believe that Britain is heading for recession, and the latest warning of the calamity that could hit us comes from the OECD.

With the public finances worsening one would think that Labour would begin to rein in their spending and curtail some those stunts for which they are renowned….not Gordon Brown.  Apparently, by the end of the year OAPs will have free entry to public baths - with the rest of the country getting entitlement by 2012, the year of the New Labour Olympics.

The torture that is living in Labour’s Britain is akin to waterboarding, so the last thing I want to taste is chlorine.

The Stirrer is reporting that the Chairman of Birmingham’s Central Mosque, Dr. Mohhammed Naseem has defended West Midlands Police’s actions in backing a PCSO who allegedly warned Christian preachers that they were committing a “hate crime” in spreading the word of God in a “muslim area”.

Calthorpe isn’t surprised that Dr Naseem has run to WMP’s defence.  One assumes he felt obliged to do so, especially after they put themselves out on a limb protecting Birmingham mosques accused by Channel Four’s Dispatches programme of hosting extremists and their views.

Dr Naseem said:

“My information is that people were being told that their religious beliefs were wrong, and that youngsters were arguing about this”

So is he saying that the preachers’ version of events are false?  Of course not, he’s far too canny for that.

He also has little understanding of the communities in inner-city Birmingham, stating that Jehovah’s Witnesses were allowed to operate freely in areas such as Handsworth and Lozells.  I would remind Dr Naseem that there are far more different faith communities operating in those areas, i.e. Afro-Caribbean and African Christians, Sikhs, and Hindus.  Unlike Alum Rock, Handsworth and Lozells are not mainly muslim enclaves.

Dr Naseem’s contribution to community cohesion has long been in doubt.  When Police raided properties in the Alum Rock area investigating a plot to behead a British Muslim serviceman, Dr Naseem was hardly a man of calm responsibility, accusing Police of enforcing the government’s political agenda.

The Christian preachers’ allegations remain a real concern to the people of Birmingham, it reinforces a suspicion that there are de facto no-go areas in Birmingham.

No amount of weasel words from Dr Naseem nor the pathetic rearguard action reporting in the Birmingham Mail will divert Brummies’ search from the truth.

Hearty congratulations to Conservative Councillor Len Gregory - Birmingham City Council’s Cabinet Member for Street Services and Transportation.  The council, with the fantastic assistance of Birmingham residents has announced that its waste recycling rate for 2007/08 has increased by 8% from the previous year.  Well over a quarter of the city’s waste - some 122,000 tonnes is now recycled.

The council is making great progress towards its target to recycle 37% of its waste by 2013.

When Labour ran Birmingham, they talked a good fight about recycling, but did nothing. It has taken the enthusiastic and tenacious Conservative leadership to put Birmingham well on the road to becoming a more environmentally responsible city.