Rise 2008: What The Mayor's Office Says

In view of this and this I solicited a response from the mayor's office. Returning from a powerfully trendy Islington lunch, I found an email containing the following statement:

"The Mayor is unequivocal that there is no place for racism or division in London. Major festivals and events are an important way of bringing Londoners from diverse backgrounds together, to celebrate what we share in common and enjoy the rich cultural contribution of different communities.

Boris has made a commitment to go ahead with the Rise Festival this year but wants to emphasise its cultural and community dimensions. The idea is to promote it as a major festival that brings together Londoners from all backgrounds in a joyous celebration of music and culture. We are also working to bring in a number of grassroots ethnic and community organisations from across London that have not previously been involved. We hope that as a result, Rise will attract an even larger and more diverse audience."

There's also a press release with details about who's playing, which ends with the following:

"Rise festival is a free event celebrating diversity, organised by the Greater London Authority and supported by Canary Wharf, Transport for London, British Transport Police and Kato Enterprises. Additional sponsorship is being sought."

Interesting. No mention of Rise also being supported by Sertuc and Unison, though both are mentioned on the draft poster for Rise 2008. Also, it seems the new regime is content, at least in this context, to describe Rise 2008 as "celebrating diversity" but not to market it as anti-racist. The politics of language, eh? Or do I mean the language of politics?

Comments

[Tory Troll]

It looks like you got sent a slightly adapted press release to everyone else. Here's the standard one:

http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=17353

"The Rise festival is a free event organised by the Greater London Authority and supported by Canary Wharf, Transport for London, British Transport Police and Kato Enterprises. Additional sponsorship is being sought"

No mention of 'diversity' there. However they do make space for this:

"Amongst those performing at this year's festival are CSS, whose new album 'Donkey' is due out in July, a unique opportunity to see for free one of the most exciting bands on this summer's festival circuit."

So what's this festival promoting again?

[Dave Hill]

Well spotted Troll! I've learned that someone else has been sent the "celebrating diversity" version too. Was this a late amendment prompted by attention being drawn to the removal of the "anti-racism" element of Rise - one that has yet to be made to the GLA website version?

[angela]

I think Mayor Johnson is concentrating on the positive, not the negative, which is a good approach. He probably does hate the PC approach and I have to say, I totally agree.

I just loathe the patronising sound of the phrase "womens' issues". I don't even think rape is a womens' issue, it happens to other genders too. I particularly hated the recent US election when we were told women were voting for Hillary "because she was a woman", also very patronising. When she lost, people screamed sexism, rubbish, she is just a massive pain in the rear.

Any job should go to the best candidate, and that's it. We are just as good as you men and should be allowed in showers and locker rooms and such places. (JOKE)

No seriously, can't we delete the damn silly phrase "women's issues" as well as the toxic provocative word "racism".

ps. And I STILL think that if you concentrate on what we all have in common and rejoice in our differences and treat people like individuals and we are all kind to each other, in time, racism will disappear and it will disappear a lot quicker than if we are having festivals about it.

[Phil Taylor]

Hey Dave,

Your previous posting on Rise included quotes from NAAR. Is Lee Japser still chairman and secretary of this august body? Their website doesn't let on but a quick look indicates that it is effectively a left front.

[Tory Troll]

Does the fact that Lee Jasper is involved with NAAR change the story about Rise in any way Phil? Or do you think that just popping up occasionally to shout 'Lee Jasper' at everybody, is all your party will have to do for the next four years to keep clean?

[Dave Hill]

Remember, Troll, Cllr Taylor is still fighting the Cold War. By the way, did you know he writes for Policy Exchange? It's a "right front" group, you know....

[Tory Troll]

I always saw Phil more as a 'right behind' but there you go.

[angela]

Anyway, aren't festivals supposed to be occasions of celebration and merriment, so surely including something in a festival that is "Anti" anything makes for a contradiction in terms? You can march for "Anti" issues, but including them in a festival seems illogical. You don't have Anti Nazi festivals or Anti Anti Semitism festivals. If you are the subject of sexism, would you want to have an anti Sexist event at a festival? I feel awful, because I am always disagreeing with everybody else, but I really respect Dave for being so democratic as to let me voice my opinion, and I hope I am not getting up anybody's nose.

[Dave Hill]

Angela: As far as I'm concerned your contributions are always welcome.

[Trot Watch]

It's disgraceful that the Mayor's New Year fireworks aren't dedicated to the fight against climate change. Boris obviously has no concern about global warming. And why isn't St Patrick's Day in Trafalgar Square explicitly linked to the peace process in Northern Ireland? Boris must support the men of violence.

Imagine holding an event like Rise without ramming officially-approved political slogans down people's throats. Boris simply MUST be a racist.

[Chris]

Ahh, now this changes matters. Celebrating diversity is a positive approach for anti-racism. And very new-Tory... we won't tell you there's no place for racism, but we will tell you to celebrate diversity. It's not a bad 'fresh approach', BUT ONLY if they actually make the diversity message clear. Let's see if they do that, or whether Boris himself (what's he up to these days?) gives a positive message...

[Phil Taylor]

Dave,

Policy Exchange is explicit about looking at issues from a right of centre perspective and it names the people involved in it, see:

http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/About-Us.aspx

NAAR is rather coy about both its Executive and its politics, see:

http://www.naar.org.uk/contact/aboutNAAR.asp

In their latest newsletter, which is pretty out of date as it talks about the 2007 Labour Conference, Lee Jasper is named as a NAAR speaker. I think we can take it that any press release from NAAR is the work of a leftist cell.