Should Enoch Powell get a blue plaque ( in Wolverhamton)?

[bikepacker]

As he was a good MP and well liked in Wolverhampton, I suppose those who knew him other than that one speech, voted 'yes'. It would be interesting to know if any of those who voted 'no' had ever met the man or even lived in the area.

[Cyril Haearn]

As he was a good MP and well liked in Wolverhampton, I suppose those who knew him other than that one speech, voted 'yes'. It would be interesting to know if any of those who voted 'no' had ever met the man or even lived in the area.

If he did some good maybe he should be remembered
I would like to know what the Asian people in Wolverhamton think of him, or whether many have forgotten, I have not been to Wolverhampton for many years unfortunately

[pete75]

On similar lines perhaps?


https://www.change.org/p/theresa-may-mp ... ald-mosley

[Cyril Haearn]

Germany is good at remembering, there are thousands of memorials outside the places where Jews who were killed in WW2 lived, lest we forget

In the East there are still lots of memorials to the Soviet soldiers who finished off the names, lest we forget
But the interpretation of history has changed a bit since 1990 when the BRD (west) assumed the Geschichtsdeutungshoheit (right to interpret history), the USSR is seen in a different light now

[Cyril Haearn]

The Grauniad reports again, there is a lot of opposition, fifty years after the speech Wolverhampton elected a black female MP, +1
Powell must be spinning in his grave

The Express & Star reported that the majority of those polled wanted a plaque

[Si]

The Express & Star reported that the majority of those polled wanted a plaque

yeah but the express and car sees powell as a bit of a moderate

[pete75]

The Grauniad reports again, there is a lot of opposition, fifty years after the speech Wolverhampton elected a black female MP, +1
Powell must be spinning in his grave

The Express & Star reported that the majority of those polled wanted a plaque

They obviously didn't poll the people who voted for Eleanor Smith ...

[horizon]

Just to be boring her are the criteria for London (the original Blue Plaques scheme) but Wolverhampton may have different criteria:

To be eligible for an English Heritage blue plaque in London the famous person concerned must:

Have been dead for 20 years or have passed the centenary of their birth. Fictional characters are not eligible;
Be considered eminent by a majority of members of their own profession; have made an outstanding contribution to human welfare or happiness;
Have lived or worked in that building in London (excluding the City of London and Whitehall) for a significant period, in time or importance, within their life and work; be recognisable to the well-informed passer-by, or deserve national recognition.

Just to day also that the plaque doesn't commemorate the person - it commemorates the link between the building and the person - it isn't AFAICS see an adulation. jack the Ripper cannot have one or my Uncle George but I would say still that it is the building that is being noted not the person.

[Vorpal]

As he was a good MP and well liked in Wolverhampton, I suppose those who knew him other than that one speech, voted 'yes'. It would be interesting to know if any of those who voted 'no' had ever met the man or even lived in the area.

It wasn't a sinlge speech. He doubled down. This account contains several other topics, but the information about Powell's second speech on this topic, and a subsequent investigative piece is about 2/3rds of the way down https://www.newstatesman.com/2018/04/ex ... ten-speech

I'm not suggesting he was all bad https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tva ... acist.html

gives a somewhat different perspective. I haven't lived there, and never knew him. It's unfortunate that he made speeches that were so wrong and racist that that is mostly what he is remembered for.

[thirdcrank]

No doubt he was a very clever man. One of his suggested good points above is that he could make a persuasive speech. That's quite a talent, especially in a politician, and a lot depends on how it's used. It has always seemed odd to me that good old Enoch was happy to encourage economic migration of black people when it suited his purpose as Health Secretary, but raved against the results when he was playing the race card to suit his personal political ambitions. Having failed to get to the very top of UK politics, it seemed to me that he became increasingly bitter.

Fifty years ago "Good old Enoch, he had the right idea" was something I heard quite a lot and to the extent that his perceived views encouraged and to some extent legitimised crude racism, it's not a legacy to cherish or commemorate. Let's remember him, by all means, but let's not celebrate him.

[mercalia]

well you can hear his Rivers of Blood speech spoken by an actor on Radio 4 tonight on Archive on 4 at 8pm

[Mick F]

Just read it now.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/364 ... peech.html

[horizon]

As he was a good MP and well liked in Wolverhampton, I suppose those who knew him other than that one speech, voted 'yes'. It would be interesting to know if any of those who voted 'no' had ever met the man or even lived in the area.

If he did some good maybe he should be remembered

As I said above, it is his link with the building that is being remembered. I haven't seen yet which building it is. Nor, despite my quote, do I think it is clear in the Blue Plaque scheme what is being commemorated.

[Cyril Haearn]

As he was a good MP and well liked in Wolverhampton, I suppose those who knew him other than that one speech, voted 'yes'. It would be interesting to know if any of those who voted 'no' had ever met the man or even lived in the area.

It wasn't a sinlge speech. He doubled down. This account contains several other topics, but the information about Powell's second speech on this topic, and a subsequent investigative piece is about 2/3rds of the way down https://www.newstatesman.com/2018/04/ex ... ten-speech

I'm not suggesting he was all bad https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tva ... acist.html

gives a somewhat different perspective. I haven't lived there, and never knew him. It's unfortunate that he made speeches that were so wrong and racist that that is mostly what he is remembered for.

There was so much reaction to his speech and attitude, one might really say he *provoked* progess

[Cyril Haearn]

Not sure if this should be on 'a positive thread'
Wolves FC has been promoted to the top division!
The team manager is a foreigner , he speaks imperfect English, +1!
Where may one bet on Wolves winning the premiership like Leicester? Are the odds better than 5000:1?

Wolverhampton: left at the centre?