London Diary: June 21 

Erasing History

Britain’s long-simmering campaign for removing statues of historical racist figures has gained renewed momentum on the back of the #BlackLivesMatter movement in America with a spate of attacks reported from across the country, including London where a statue of Winston Churchill outside Parliament House was sprayed with graffiti describing him as a “racist”.

Thanks to its 250-year long history of slavery, Britain’s town squares and university campuses are awash with racist memorials. Downing Street, the site of British prime minister’s official residence and a major tourist attraction, is named after Sir George Downing who served as a chaplain to the crew of a slave-carrying ship. So far, it has escaped the protesters’ attention but with the campaign spreading rapidly there’s no saying how long it will be able to stay under the radar.

Among those high on the protesters’ list of targets is Robert Clive, the first British governor of Bengal presidency and also known as the Clive of India. His role in causing the great Bengal famine of 1770, which killed a third of the population in some areas, has been comprehensively documented and he has few supporters even in the establishment.

But is toppling statues really a solution to racism? Many believe it’s just another form of virtue-signalling which instead of solving anything will help Britain rid itself of these daily reminders of its shameful colonial history. Let these reminders stay while ensuring that their racist actions are documented and publicly exposed.

A White Wash?

With great fanfare, the British government set up an inquiry into claims that ethnic minority groups, especially those of South Asian origin, have been disproportionately affected by Coronavirus. But its much-awaited report has been greeted with howls of protest for failing to provide any explanation for it.

Doctors’ groups, representing ethnic minority medical professionals, have called the report “half-baked” and “profoundly disappointing”.

“We have long been aware of ethnic disparities in health outcomes; sadly, this review does nothing to further our understanding, and we must express our profound disappointment,” they said in a letter to Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

According to media reports, a key section of the report was redacted suggesting a cover-up.

“We believe that unfortunately, this is a complete whitewash. We were hoping it would come out with new information and solutions – but there is no information or solutions,” Dr Ramesh Mehta, president of the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) told Pulse medical care website.

The government is under pressure to release the redacted sections to avoid undermining ethnic minorities’ trust in public institutions. So far, there’s no sign it’s in a mood to oblige.

Newspapers Sans newsrooms

For those who might be wondering how newspapers are produced under the current lockdown, here’s an interesting insight from The Sunday Times Editor, Emma Tucker:

“How do you produce a newspaper when there is no one in the office? With ingenuity, determination and a lot of home computers. It’s been two months and counting since the Sunday Times newsroom last assembled at our headquarters in London Bridge.”

“From mid-March only a tiny handful of journalists have come in to put the edition out — a couple of commissioning editors, one or two designers, a production editor, the picture editor and not many more. ...

“As more staff venture back, they will see an alien-looking newsroom — two out of three desks have a “closed” sign, the canteen is shut, there are only six chairs around the conference table and you can’t move for hand sanitiser...It may take a while, but I for one can’t wait to see life creep back into the engine room.” (From The Sunday Times)

Six is company

Six is the new magic number in social-distancing as Britain gingerly starts to open up after a three-month long lockdown amid a heated controversy over whether the government is pushing the pace too fast and ignoring the advice of scientists to hasten slowly.

Under the “new normal”, people can meet in a “bubble” comprising no more than six people, prompting a scramble for “P46” (picnics for six). There’s a buzz about “P46”.

Everybody is talking about organising one. There’s even a P46 dress: a midi or maxi-length outfit with borders and ruffles. And it’s reportedly selling like the proverbial hot cakes.

“Loose, pretty dresses in outdoor blanket prints are set to be in every garden this summer,” predicts The Times fashion writer, Hannah Rogers.

But where did the figure 6 come from? Why not 8 or 10? Or, on the cautious side, just four? There has been no explanation; and now even the 2-metre distancing rule is being questioned with some arguing that one metre would be as good. The government is under pressure from businesses, especially the hospitality sector, to halve the 2-metre rule.

“At two metres you are receiving 30% of your normal revenues; at one metre it gets up to 70% — so it is the difference between success and failure for many of those businesses,” according to UK Hospitality chief executive of Kate Nicholls.

Media reports suggest that Boris Johnson is willing to oblige and is looking for suitable scientific justification. After all, what’s a metre between friends?

And, lastly, suppressing the Coronavirus has been likened to pushing a ball under water. “We can hold it there— but release the pressure and, scientists believe, it will bounce back,” wrote The Times science expert Tom Whipple commenting on the speculation about a second wave of infection after the lockdown is lifted.