Rivers of Blood

**knowhowe** · 04-20-2008

Today, April 20th, is 40 years to the day that Enoch Powell made his infamous 'Rivers of Blood' speech,

"As I look ahead, I am filled with foreboding. Like the Roman, I seem to see 'the River Tiber foaming with much blood.."

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What thoughts?

Bert Hardy's wonderful 1949 photograph of Berkley Street, Liverpool. The man leaning against the lamppost is Pee Wee the barber and the young girl is Jean Davis, who lived in the house on the left.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivers_of_Blood_speech

**lindylou** · 04-20-2008

'What thoughts?' I'm not going to be drawn in on that one .. oh no ! ( I shall sit here with hackles slightly raised - waiting for the comments.

(how does the saying go ? .. 'oh Lord help me to keep my big mouth shut' ) .. well -

Great photo anyway.

I have seen a similar photo taken in the same street (my in-laws family photo taken 1950s).

Pee wee - a legend. Even on that photo with his face slighly obscured I can see how much his son looks like him.

L8 a fascinating community with so much history, diversity, characters and lots of tales to be told.

**Waterways** · 04-20-2008

If it was meant as a conflict of cultures and religion, well he clearly had point. There have been numerous race riots over 40 years and I'm sure more to come. British born Moslems have killed other Britons by bombs in their own land.

Liverpool 1 and 8 had natural immigration that large ports always have. It was the quick, swamping influx of other races, cultures and religions that was bound to have an adverse affect - and it did. Too many, too quickly. It was irresponsible to have to done that to the ethnic British people. And only someone naive could have done it and not foreseen any fallout.

Saying that the country has coped pretty well.

**SteH** · 04-20-2008

There was an article by Rageh Omar -himself born in Somalia- in the Express (or may have been Mail) last week that Powell's predictions may be coming true given the new wave of imnmigration in recent years.

**Howie** · 04-20-2008

UK need to shed 'shadow' of Powell
Apr 20 2008

Britain needs to shed the "40-year shadow" of Enoch Powell's Rivers of Blood speech and begin a renewed debate on immigration, the head of Britain's race watchdog has said.

Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), said the infamous speech had left the country with suppressed political debate on the subject.

Speaking to a crowd of about 200 people at the same Birmingham hotel Enoch Powell gave his speech, Mr Phillips was speaking 40 years after the Wolverhampton South West MP's notorious pronouncements

He said: "For 40 years we have, by mutual consent, sustained a particular silence on the one issue where British people most needed articulate political leadership. Powell so discredited any talk of planning that we have plunged along with an ad hoc approach to immigration."

Mr Phillips said it was necessary to take a renewed look at immigration to ensure Britain kept up with a "tide of talent" that was washing across the globe.

He said it was necessary to achieve a level of integration that would allow Britain to realise the potential skilled immigrants could bring to the economy.

He said: "Whatever we feel about immigrants, immigration is part of our future. The real question will be whether we can, as a modern economy, seize the restless tide of talent that is currently sweeping across the globe. So far we are lagging behind our competitors.

"There is creeping resentment in all directions which can only be halted by policy of manifest fairness. I believe that the more we talk about immigration the better. The 40-year old shockwave of fear has gagged us all for too long."

Addressing representatives from local authorities, police, and a range of equality groups present at the MacDonald Burlington Hotel, Birmingham, Mr Phillips said he thought Mr Powell's dire predictions had not been fulfilled.

In his speech, delivered on April 20, 1968, the Tory frontbencher had warned of disastrous social consequences if immigration levels were not reduced, speaking of 'rivers of blood' flowing through the country.

Source: Liverpool Daily Post

**shytalk** · 04-21-2008

Originally Posted by Howie

UK need to shed 'shadow' of Powell
speaking of 'rivers of blood' flowing through the country.

Source: Liverpool Daily Post

Misquoted yet again. What he did say was "As I look ahead, I am filled with foreboding; like the Roman, I seem to see "the River Tiber foaming with much blood."