The renowned social historian David Kynaston observed at the weekend that multicultural Britain has made huge progress compared with 60 years ago, when local Conservatives ran a notoriously racist election campaign in the West Midlands constituency of Smethwick. He is, of course, quite right. It is impossible to imagine a serious political figure delivering a speech like the inflammatory 1968 “rivers of blood” address by Enoch Powell. But the response of some on the contemporary right to the recent disorder in Leeds shows that there is no room for complacency.
After rioting broke out in the deprived multi-ethnic district of Harehills following the removal of children from a Roma family into care, the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, swiftly condemned the violence, which saw a police car tipped over, officers attacked and a passing bus set on fire. A series of arrests have since been made, with more likely to follow. Leeds city council has, meanwhile, announced that it will undertake a review of the case that sparked the unrest, which took place in an area with a large Roma population. That review should also seek to address known causes of alienation and mistrust in a troubled community.
