Dai Havard

Labour Party | Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney

Merthyr & Rhymney Express /s Article:  Race Hatred is Self Hatred!

Meeting with PC Jackie Whittle and members of the Community Race Relations Group in Merthyr, I was impressed by the work they do on an issue that is often uncomfortable to discuss and which many would wish to avoid. The voluntary support being given to migrant workers who move to our communities is impressive but has also highlighted an exploitation of vulnerable people. I see some of these difficulties through my surgeries and case work and I am trying to help make this exploitation illegal - but it must also be unacceptable; morally; socially and politically. We pride ourselves on our Internationalism in the Valleys but the dark truth is often different. There are some who have too readily forgotten what their parents; grandparents; great grandparents and others fought for only sixty years ago. Racism and fascism takes many guises and groups from the far right have tried to target our Valleys to stir up racial hatred. Our Police Service has won awards for their actions on race crimes and I applaud them for their continuing work. I recently met with both Divisional Police Commanders for Merthyr & Rhymney and they made clear the determination to continue that work. Wherever I go in the world from Kabul to Los Angeles I always meet one or more people from Merthyr or Rhymney. We have colonised the world and play a great part within it and hope to be welcomed wherever we go. We have the same concerns as any other ordinary people whatever their race or origin - to live in peace and to secure a good future for our children and families. To those who parrot the prejudices of the ‘yellow press’ and who might say - even as a bad joke - that ‘Enoch Powell was right’ - I say think again. Think long and hard about what comes as a consequence of such hatred and prejudice; in Bosnia and Northern Ireland; in modern countries not too far away. There are those who would divide us and those who would readily fall for myths and hatred; their behaviour will never give us progress and is unacceptable.