After the third and concluding part of Rageh Omaar’s documentary ‘Immigration The Inconvenient Truth’, the programme-makers will be here in the Dispatches forum to discuss the programme with you.
If you have any questions for them you can leave them below now or join us here from 9pm on 21st April.
To find out more about 'Immigration The Inconvenient Truth' visit the Dispatches website.
Watch Episode 2 You can watch last week's episode on 4oD or a sample clip here.
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Question 1: Since the 1970s there has been a tremendous amount of work conducted on many of the themes touched on in this series. Stuart Hall, Paul Gilroy, Homi K Bhabha and Les Back amongst others have critically examined debates about race, racism, multiculturalism and immigration in the UK. Why were they not included? I’m sure channel 4 viewers could have handled a bit of informed discussion.
Question 2: The programme was framed as if it was a great scoop and brought to the spotlight issues that are not otherwise discussed. The idea that Britain is at breaking point because of immigration is hardly a hidden debate, nor is it a new one. It’s discussed endlessly. Where are the stories about multiculturalism working?
Question 3: The Toxteth Estate riot was misrepresented. Why wasn’t the inclusion of white people in the riot discussed?
Why are the programme makers still walking on egg-shells? this "Inconvenient Truth" is discussed endlessly in pubs all over the country - I think that NOT ENOUGH emphasis has been put on the fact that we are suffering from Immigration Fatifue now!!
This country cannot deal with the Social Housing/Education/Health problems of its' indigenous population - why is there not more coverage of the appeals to halt immigration in order to try to facilitate the immigrants/migrants already here?
If you're interested in reading some of the other discussions on 'Immigration The Inconvenient Truth' we've selected some links from elsewhere on the forums.
If you want to join the post-broadcast discussion tonight make sure you stay on this topic though!
Originally posted by C4 Admin: If you're interested in reading some of the other discussions on 'Immigration The Inconvenient Truth' we've selected some links from elsewhere on the forums.
If you want to join the post-broadcast discussion tonight make sure you stay on this topic though!
Good call! We are always thinking about words on the forums. Check back in a minute.
Top Admin Unit! Perhaps you could convince some of your friends to be so personable and chatty - especially in respect of removals. Thanks in anticipation.
Very interesting three programmes. However, I have two points to raise. 1) Where have the Africans gone? Near to where I live, in Hertfordshire, we used to have a lot of Africans waiting outside employment agencies before they opened, presumably in the quest for work. Of course, as soon as the Eastern Europeans started to come to England, the Africans disappeared, almost overnight. Where have they gone to? Have they gone to Poland - to do the work left behind over there? Or have they slipped further down the economic scale in England? 2) Also, more should have been made of positive changes, as in the field of mixed marriages. My own wife is Nigerian and I am a white punk rocker - you could not get two more diverse people in a marriage. However, it works. This message should have been got across more, with the inclusion of a few couples, such as ourselves, to stress the positives of immigration. You can read more about such matters in the book: One Love Two Colours, by Margaret Oshindele-Smith.
If Britains wanted to work abroad they would already be doing so - I think saying we need to "educate" future generations to search the global market for work is about as desirable as moving to Odessa!!
Where was the UK tax disc on the Polish car that was returning back to Poland? It has been here long enough to require it in law.
Why does the program focus mainly on white christian migrants and not black or aisan asylum seekers?
Why didn't Rageh explore the high level of welfare dependency in the non EU asylum seekers, especially Somalians who top the welfare dependency charts?
I know why, because the media continues to insult the public. Rageh and all the lot of you down at channel 4 and other public broadcasters would be jumping up and down if the incomers where taking YOUR jobs.
Originally posted by ozeki: Yes, I have three questions.
Question 1: Since the 1970s there has been a tremendous amount of work conducted on many of the themes touched on in this series. Stuart Hall, Paul Gilroy, Homi K Bhabha and Les Back amongst others have critically examined debates about race, racism, multiculturalism and immigration in the UK. Why were they not included? I’m sure channel 4 viewers could have handled a bit of informed discussion.
Question 2: The programme was framed as if it was a great scoop and brought to the spotlight issues that are not otherwise discussed. The idea that Britain is at breaking point because of immigration is hardly a hidden debate, nor is it a new one. It’s discussed endlessly. Where are the stories about multiculturalism working?
Question 3: The Toxteth Estate riot was misrepresented. Why wasn’t the inclusion of white people in the riot discussed?
We did feature Paul Gilroy in the series ... and I am not sure whether Homi NBaha's particular brand of posst colonialism would be readily understood by non literary theorists. But there were other informed voices in the programmes as well.
2, The programme was designed to confront some hard questions, not least the degree to which the debate in this country has been framed in sime respects by Powell, pro and ante.
3, The point we highlighted in Toxteth was not that there were no white people involved but rather than it marked a particular response by black people to the way in which they had been treated. Not to mention the whites is not to misrepresent the issue.
I find it all very depressing. Is this what everyone who comes here is after 'money'. The 'i can get more if i go here attitude' is really depressing. Are true values of community and national pride dead in a world where money comes first, it seems to be a priority for the Polish. I had a bit of a probelm with people that come here to drain as much as possible from us then strike their tents and bugger off home. A vulture springs to mind, pick the last pieces of off a corpse before you find a better option.
Hi Samir, congatulations on the programme. It was a big step toward opening a dialogue and allowing British people to express themselves about a matter that they have felt gagged. My opinions are probably a little contraversial to write in here (after looking at the level of censorship people are complaining about) but I think it's really, really important that we British ARE allowed to have a say...even if people are upset by what is said. There's growing resentment about the 'gagging'.
Check back in a minute.
