Almost half of this number live in London and almost 300 different languages are spoke in all of the capital’s schools. Two areas of London have become the first in the UK to have a non-white majority – Newham and Brent. Races are mainly of Indian, Pakistani, Afro-Caribbean and Chinese origin.

The recently published 2001 Census shows that England is becoming a more complex and divers society, needing plans and structures to be able to cope with new demands on many new issues.

Over half of those of Afro-American and Pakistani origin were born in England, with those of Bangladeshi and Indian origin coming close. In the Chinese group only about 30 percent were born in England, with almost seventy percent were born in the Far East. What can be said of the ethnic minority groups as a whole is that they tend to be considerably younger than the population at large – the average age of whites is 37, that of Afro-Caribbean being 33, Indians 31 and Bangladeshis 18.

On the other hand, a recent BBC poll found that 44% of those asked believe immigration has damaged Britain over the last 50 years.

For example, there is more of a widespread acceptance of mixed-race relationships.

All in all this paints a positive picture for the British government, and signals from the upcoming third-generation non-Britons are also encouraging. Today these ethnic groups are well represented in every section of society and on educational and political levels. From the very beginning of his career, Tony Blair indicated that he truly valued the Muslim community which until then had been largely by-passed. Iraq has overtaken the questions of race relations in Britain as for the first time Muslims found themselves not having to justify their opinion. But as the war continued the atmosphere became increasingly hostile – The Muslim’s image was irrevocably damaged after September 11th, though it is fair to say that this is also a world-wide issue.

A quote from the WBG sums it up in this manner:

Blair’s commitment to making Britain a modern and multi-cultural land is more than just fulfilling Britain’s colonial commitments. In all levels of life, Britain has an infrastructure that is open to all races and ethnic groups, that in many ways also provides for the integration and actively promotes a multi-ethnic society. It has also shown positive results in the last years, and one may say the framework has been laid down. In general it is likely that the majority of people have a fairly ambivalent / slightly positive attitude towards a multicultural society as they see the numerous cultural benefits it can bring, and Blair’s government seems to be headstrong in it’s projects both at home and on European level.

British trade unionists and related associations may be against the idea of exploiting ethnic minority workers as it results in the minimum wage for all remaining low. Although they may find the Race Relations Act justifiable, there may be criticism of laws being a bit too politically correct.

Some topics in this essay:
Employment Directive, Canada Britain’s, Relations Act, British Council, Bangladeshi Indian, Pakistan Bangladeshi, West Indian, Britain Muslims, , National Party, race relations, british council, wish remain traditionalist, relations act, wish remain, percent born, immigrant community, world british, ethnic minority, remain traditionalist, race relations act, remain traditionalist despite, blacks asians,