The 'thought police are still active says MP

Last year, Warwick University published a report confirming my worst fears: that the Sikh and Hindu communities are doing extremely well, the indigenous population not so well but the Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities are massively under-achieving.

My view is, after lengthy discussions, that the riots were led by a criminal minority responding to fascist taunts.

The criminals were supported by hundreds of young Asian men hell bent on causing havoc, mainly for their own community but were also determined to punish the police officers present and prevent them from carrying out their legitimate duties.

We need now to examine why these Asian young men were so keen to join in the criminal activity. Could it be that they had little to lose and little else to do and, therefore, that they felt that this was a way of making their pressure felt since they had not impressed the world or Bradford with anything else?

Do they and many other young Bradford Asian males feel that they have little if any stake-holding in the growing prosperity of the UK, created by our government?

Do they feel disaffected, disenfranchised and let down by the country of their birth and, what's more, do they ask why the qualifications, good jobs, nice houses and powerful cars go to the whites? This is a rough guide to attitudes I have come across over many years.

There is no point in blaming the situation on racism or Islamophobia. We must, instead, look in detail at what causes the under achievement.

The main reason is a lack of a good level of English which stems directly from the now established tradition of bringing wives and husbands from the sub-continent, often with no education and no English.

This leads to the vast majority of Keighley households having only one parent with any English and children going to school with only Punjabi or Bangla.

This in turn frequently gets them off to a slow start which can damage their progress and mean they leave school with little if any qualifications and many either cannot get paid work or can only get poorly paid jobs.

These may be regarded as controversial by Asian 'leaders'.

l Asian parents should consider arranging marriages for their children with Asian Muslims brought up and educated in the UK, which would: avoid the present importation of poverty into the families; avoid the problems for the next generation; and stop the increasing number of cases dealt with by myself of young men and women having an extremely unhappy and difficult marriage due to having little in common with their spouse from the sub-continent.

l Months off school for extended holidays in the sub-continent should be avoided - instead add a week before and a week after the long summer holiday.

l When possible, English should be used and encouraged in the home in addition to Punjabi and Bangla.

l Much more should be provided in Further Education colleges and community centres for non-English speakers by way of high quality teaching of English as a second language and should include creche provisions.

The funding coming from both central and local government. So much better than finance going towards extra policing. Encouragement should be given to sponsors to enrol husbands and wives entering from the sub-continent on a full time course in English.

If, after five years, we are no nearer achieving the above ambitions, and the deprivation and all that flows from it continues, then the government should consider having an element of English as a requirement for entry clearance for husbands and wives seeking permanent settlement.

Plus a further requirement for them to take a full time course in English until a reasonable level is achieved.

These requirements should, of course, apply for all applicants outside of the European Union. These comments are in line with immigration requirements in many countries including the USA, Canada and the Netherlands.

Very many of Ouseley's recommendations dove tail in to my above comments for example his remarks on page 13/14 (2.514 'Other education concerns'). While many of us who have been working with the Asian community over the past 30 years may claim that he says 'nothing new', my view is that it is good to see it in print.

Hopefully it will enlighten debate particularly for those who have not had the good fortune of a good relationship with our Pakistani and Bangladeshi constituents over the years.

Ouseley's repeated remarks about the need for understanding between the communities of each other and the advantages of integration particularly for the Asian community must be taken on board by all. This will be easier to achieve when all the Asian community have some grasp of English and when whites and Asians recognise that there can only be gain on all sides from living together in peace and understanding. The alternative is a Belfast like situation in which we will all be losers.

I am encouraged to express all this by Lord Ouseley's comments on the 'fear of talking openly and honestly about problems'. He has helped me to overcome my own fear of verbal abuse from the so-called 'leaders' among the Asian community and the 'politically correct' whites. The 'thought police' are still active!