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Ken: London needs more black teachers, police and cab drivers
Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor15.04.08
Ken Livingstone called for many more black teachers, police and taxi drivers today as he unveiled his race relations manifesto for London.
The Mayor pledged tough new targets to ensure that the staff of the Greater London Authority, Transport for London, the London Development Agency and the Metropolitan Police reflect the capital's ethnic diversity.
Launching his policy document in Upton Park, Mr Livingstone said he would use new powers to ensure that black and Asian teenagers get more jobs, particularly on the Olympics site. He said he would set up an annual State of Community Equality report to monitor the number of ethnic staff in public services.
Mr Livingstone said that his Tory rival Boris Johnson was not racist "in his heart", but claimed he had "no understanding" of the way multiculturalism had fostered unity in London. And he suggested that if the city abandoned its multiculturalism it could return to the riots of the 1980s.
The Mayor said that the Met still took only eight per cent of its officers from black and Asian backgrounds even though a third of Londoners were now from such communities. He also said that "the teaching profession still does not fully reflect the make-up of communities" and said more role models were needed to help black boys in particular.
He wants more cabbies from ethnic backgrounds, saying: "It is still the case today that little more that five per cent of Black Cab drivers are Black or Asian."
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Why does anything race related always centre on the need for more black people to be involved in things? Of course they make up a significant percentage of the community, but following unbounded immigration, London is so much more than simply black and white. Can we have more Chinese, Filipino, Brazilians, Pakistanis and Australians please?
- Headhunter, London
I cannot wait until the 2nd of May to see Kens ugly mug grimace when he is booted out by the voters in London, the man is a Marxist Bully who can insult Jewish reporters by calling them concentration camp guards with impunity whilst pandering to Militant Muslim Extremists and kicking the indigenous white population in the nether regions with his anti white views. Maggie kicked him out from the GLC so Boris now can kick him into touch.
- Andrew Geeves, Feltham, Middlesex
Wow it seems to me like Mr. Livingstone really has no concern for his own people; white English people. Every other word out of his mouth is Black, Asian, ethnic minority or diversity! It won't be too long until the "ethnic minority" will be ruling the English in their own country! London needs to seriously halt immigration at once so this does not happen. This is why the BNP must gain power to make these changes. Other wise you will end up having sharia law in England. Newham is already a third world country. When does it stop?
- Gus, New York,NY
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