‘I will not be afraid to speak out on bigotry’
I WILL never apologise for calling out and standing up to hate, bullying, bigotry and fascism.
When Donald Trump was elected President of the United States a great fear spread across the world.
This was proven when he started signing laws to divide and separate.
He will now give a voice to the very thing that divides us as a society.
He will bring hate where there is unity.
These are the very things that start the flames of war and division.
I have heard today that those without US passports living in America are having stars put on their passports to identify them.
When at the Holocaust Memorial event I asked the speaker what effect this kind of fear that someone like Donald Trump would have on society especially towards refugees and those fleeing hate and persecution.
His answer was dignified and straightforward – we have to show love and compassion.
He stated in his speech history has a habit of repeating itself.
If my question and views on Donald Trump has offended certain Conservative councillors in the audience, is it because they may share Trump’s ideology or they are to embarrassed to speak out?
And then to bring it up at full council to try to make it political, only to show themselves up in the process, then I make no apology.
Evil thrives when good people don’t speak out.
Joe Baker,
Leader of Redditch Borough Council
‘We must say with one voice…never again’
THE HOLOCAUST commemoration this year included a moving talk from Mirsad Solakovic, a survivor of the the Srebrenica massacre.
His words put me in mind of another migrant I know. After living in their adopted country for 30 years the government wrote to him, asked for his identity documents, copied them and returned them to him with a star emblazoned on the front.
The letter that accompanied it said he must carry these documents with him and should be prepared to surrender them to any government official that asked.
Anyone who has read anything about the Holocaust will know just what that means.
Chillingly that’s not a tale from Germany 1933 but from Illinois in January 2025. Just weeks after Trump entered the White House. The experience is that of my old school friend Marty Adams.
Coun Joe Baker made some personal remarks about the Trump administration at the Holocaust event. Conservative councillors accused him of ‘politicising’ the commemoration.
An accusation they repeated in the council chamber.
The Holocaust survivor Primo Levi said most people he knew were neither pro nor anti-fascist. They were in the ‘grey zone’.
I believe some councillors are in the grey zone. Subconsciously defending their own side’s values. I have done it myself from the other end of the spectrum. I’m not criticising.
But to quote George Orwell there is a power in ‘facing difficult things’.
Orwell, a very English socialist was calling out Stalin’s Communism when he used that phrase.
So I will say this – Trump isn’t a Conservative.
That’s why what Coun Baker said is so important.
The dedication at the end of the Holocaust service ends with two words – never again – because the fight against murder and hate is eternal.
I’d like to end with a bit of hope. The display in Redditch Library shows our kids aren’t born into hate. That is something to build on.
It’s time all of us who love this country followed that example, stepped out of the grey zone and said never again one more time.
Coun Ian Woodall,
Headless Cross and Oakenshaw Ward
‘Starmer starting to reverse Tory cuts’
SO, THE UK’s most senior civil servant has dismissed Robert Jenrick’s lies and smears about the Attorney General, Lord Richard Hermer.
This simply underlines how Robert Jenrick is nothing more than a snivelling hypocrite and political opportunist.
All coming from a Conservative Party that opposed breakfast clubs, opposed reduced school uniform costs for parents, opposed better controls over home schooling and hate the fact that NHS waiting lists are coming down.
Indeed, under a Conservative government, three times they failed when the Southport killer was referred to Prevent, ten times he was known to the police for having knives and on numerous occasions social workers visited him with security due to concerns. All due to cuts in frontline public services by the Conservatives.
Cuts that are thankfully being gradually unpicked by a Labour government under the magnificent leadership of Sir Keir Starmer.
Geoffrey Brooking
‘Don’t miss chance to celebrate your cat’
CATS Protection invites cat owners to nominate their pets for the UK’s biggest celebration of cats – the National Cat Awards.
The event recognises our special relationship with cats, honouring heart-warming tales of devotion, courage and friendship.
As one of the nation’s favourite pets, cats bring fun, comfort and companionship to millions of people.
They live alongside us in all sorts of ways, from the sociable cat who greets all the neighbours to the homely lap-cat on our sofa.
Entries opened on January 15 and owners have until noon on February 28 to nominate their cat in one of four categories:
Owners or colleagues can also nominate a vet who has provided exceptional care for a cat in the Vet of the Year category.
The public will get a chance to vote for their favourite cats, with their owners invited to a star-studded ceremony in London on September 24 when the winners will be revealed.
To nominate your cat, or for further information about the National Cat Awards, visit www.cats.org.uk/national-cat-awards
Catherine Cottrell,
Cats Protection Director of Marketing and Income Generation
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EDITORS COMMENT
WELL done to Redditch Borough Council for agreeing to fund a Damp and Mould Team to address issues with its housing stock.
The death of Awaab Ishak in 2020 shocked the nation brought this prevalent problem to everyone’s attention. No-one should be at risk from mould and other issues in the place where they live.
The fact the council has sorted out its policy now, rather than waiting for the law to be implemented, shows how seriously it is taking the issue.
The £500,000 investment has the potential to improve and transform the daily lives of so many people.
