DOCSLIB.ORG

Pacts Annual Report 08

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Pacts Annual Report 08 Annual Review 07/08 Dedicated to improving transport safety for the public benefit Contents Executive Director’s Report Background of PACTS Aims Research Reports The Parliamentary Advisory Council To be at the forefront of shaping policy for Transport Safety (PACTS) is an development in transport safety in order Events associate Parliamentary group and to be a strong advocate for research-based registered charity. Its charitable objective change Working Party Reports is: To protect human life through the promotion of transport safety for the public benefit. To be the leader in advocating Honorary Treasurer’s Report the integration of transport safety PACTS was established in 1982, following considerations across the breadth Statements - Financial Activities the successful campaign for the compulsory of relevant policy development use of seat belts in the front of vehicles. Full Membership It has always focused on the advocacy of research-based solutions to transport safety To be the pre-eminent independent Parliamentary Membership issues. Its prime audience comprises authority in transport safety for politicians and civil servants, encouraging Parliamentarians, practitioners Governance the adoption of research-based solutions. and the media It prides itself on its independence and on Why become a PACTS member? its ability to act as a ‘critical friend’ in the transport safety arena. PACTS’ prime area of interest is in what is happening in Parliament and Government. It provides an independent advisory service for Parliamentarians on all aspects of transport safety matters. It also identifies and promotes research-based solutions to transport safety issues, pursuing them through Parliamentary access and contacts. Based in the heart of Westminster, PACTS has three full-time staff and an income which comes from membership subscriptions, sponsorship, event income and research funding. The combination of a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee means that the Directors carry the overall legal and financial responsibility for the organisation. The current Board of Directors comprises politicians, academics, private sector leaders, consultants and retired civil servants. Executive Director’s Report Parliament External involvement In some respects this year has been I would like, at this point, to pay my Because of its position at the meeting a quieter one on the Parliamentary front. tribute to Gwyneth Dunwoody, the chair point of research and policy, PACTS is Legislation on safety has not been high of the committee and a long-standing regularly invited to take part in working on the political agenda. Both the railways PACTS’ member, who died shortly after groups and events. During the year, for and aviation have maintained their the inquiry began. Much has been said example, I have been a member of the exemplary safety records. On the roads, about Gwyneth. For my part, she had an National Level Crossing Working Group, politicians have been more concerned with overwhelming commitment to improving the Pan London Road Safety Forum, the congestion management measures rather the safety of all transport users, however National Driver Offenders Retraining than specific safety interventions. they chose to travel. She will be sorely Group and the Rail Safety and Standards missed by both Parliament and the Board Safety Advisory Committee. At the same time, the House of Commons transport community. However we are Transport Select Committee has maintained delighted that Louise Ellman MP has PACTS was also invited to make its commitment to an annual inquiry on a become the new chair of the committee. contributions at a number of conferences road safety issue. In March 2008, it began Louise has been a member of the and events. These have included the joint an inquiry into the current record on road committee and its predecessors since she ACPO/Police Federation roads policing safety and further measures for casualty was elected to Parliament in 1997. She is conference, Safe Highways of the Future reduction beyond 2010. As Executive also co-chair of PACTS. It is clearly good in Brussels, the Fleet News Risk in Fleet Director, I was once again invited to act news for transport safety that Louise has conference and the annual motor as Special Adviser to the Committee on been elected and PACTS looks forward to insurance conference organised by the this issue and was delighted to accept. continuing to work with her. Association of British Insurers. I have also been involved in the Motorists’ Forum working group looking at Intelligent Speed Adaptation. LOUISE ELLMAN MP During the year, we have continued to be involved in other Parliamentary activity. One example is the work that we undertook with ROSPA and the British Association for Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions. This was joint work to persuade MPs and Peers of the overwhelming evidence in favour of the adoption of Single/Double Summer Time. During the year, we have met politicians of all parties on this issue and pressed for a Ministerial meeting in which to make the point that this measure will save lives, improve the quality of life for many and help both leisure and sporting activity. Staffing changes Research As a small organisation, PACTS relies PACTS’ key policy contribution this year The adoption of a risk management enormously on the commitment shown lay in the publication of the research approach to road safety will be a by its staff and the knowledge that they report “Beyond 2010 – a holistic approach challenging one for the next decade. acquire to help us run smoothly and to road safety in Great Britain” in October. However, the report rightly highlights the efficiently. It was a great shame to lose The report rightly attempts to place road comparable approaches in both Sweden two key employees last year in William safety in a wider policy context, providing and the Netherlands that have led to these Moy who left in May 2007 and Emily the background against which the next countries overtaking Great Britain in Crawford who resigned at the end of round of casualty reduction targets will their reductions of deaths. The Beyond August. Both made strong contributions need to be developed. It is, in many ways, 2010 debate will be an important one for to our work during their time with us, an unusual report for PACTS: it does not all transport safety professionals in the Will in updating our IT capability and comprise a “shopping list” of policies for coming months. Emily in setting out the new agenda for government to adopt but sets out the road safety in the “Beyond 2010” report. broad direction of travel for the next Having completed one report, a shorter I am also grateful to Helen Smeed for target period. analysis of road safety and behavioural working with us during the summer change is currently being undertaken months on a temporary basis. At the same time, it also sets road safety with a view to publication in December in the context of transport safety as a 2008. Once again, this has been part- However, new opportunities have opened whole. The level of risk of death or injury funded by the Rees Jeffreys Road Fund up with the appointment of Rebecca on the roads would not be acceptable on and the GEM Motoring Assist Road Gwilliam as our Policy and Campaign the railways or in aviation. Yet, in road Safety Charity. I am grateful to both Officer and Gillian Reeves as use, society appears to tolerate a risk that these organisations for their long-term Communications and Conference Manager. could easily be reduced. The report rightly support of our research work. Rebecca and Gillian both hit the ground asks why this is the case. Why do we running when they began working with accept death on the roads when we will me last autumn. With a new team in place, not do so when using other forms of I believe that we now have plenty of travel? What can those other forms of opportunity to maintain our position as transport teach road safety about a more the key multi-modal transport safety systematic approach to risk reduction? If organisation. such an approach were to be adopted, how far would we be able to go in cutting casualties on our roads? The report itself suggests that we could easily cut road deaths to around 1000 a year if we were more consistent and systematic in risk management. Challenges ahead And finally I have already referred to the multi-modal Finally, I am delighted to report that in nature of PACTS. This has always been one December 2007 PACTS received a Prince of the specific selling points of the charity: Michael of Kent Road Safety Award. we are not concerned with one mode of This reflects the hard work that many travel but can take a broader view in organisations and individuals have put improving safety overall. into PACTS to make us an effective advocate for research-based and evidence- The good news, of course, is that rail led policy proposals. The approach adopted safety is continuing to maintain its safety by PACTS has always been to start with an record. Most of the risk on the railways understanding of the scale of the problem, PHOTO: ROADSAFE / PRINCE MICHAEL OF KENT is imported to the sector by road users, of the cost and benefits of the solution, ROAD SAFETY AWARDS especially in the context of level crossings. and of its achievability and acceptability. As we know, there is only so much that Only in that way can we distinguish the rail industry can do to improve road between what is worth doing and what user behaviour. It is therefore encouraging may be good for the headline but will to note that the Law Commission intends otherwise do little to improve safety.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 'The Left's Views on Israel: from the Establishment of the Jewish State To
    ‘The Left’s Views on Israel: From the establishment of the Jewish state to the intifada’ Thesis submitted by June Edmunds for PhD examination at the London School of Economics and Political Science 1 UMI Number: U615796 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U615796 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 F 7377 POLITI 58^S8i ABSTRACT The British left has confronted a dilemma in forming its attitude towards Israel in the postwar period. The establishment of the Jewish state seemed to force people on the left to choose between competing nationalisms - Israeli, Arab and later, Palestinian. Over time, a number of key developments sharpened the dilemma. My central focus is the evolution of thinking about Israel and the Middle East in the British Labour Party. I examine four critical periods: the creation of Israel in 1948; the Suez war in 1956; the Arab-Israeli war of 1967 and the 1980s, covering mainly the Israeli invasion of Lebanon but also the intifada. In each case, entrenched attitudes were called into question and longer-term shifts were triggered in the aftermath.
    [Show full text]
  • Minority Ethnic Matters Overview Contents Immigration and Asylum
    25 May 2009 ISSUE 176 Minority Ethnic Matters Overview MEMO is produced by the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities in partnership with the Black and Ethnic Minority Infrastructure in Supported b y Scotland . It provides an overview of information of interest to minority ethnic communities in Scotland, including parliamentary Activity at Holyrood and Westminster, new publications, consultations, forthcoming conferences and news reports. Contents Immigration and Asylum Other News Race Relations Bills in Progress Equality Consultations Racism and Religious Hatred Events/Conferences/Training Other Westminster Useful Links New Publications Note that some weblinks, particularly of newspaper articles, are only valid for a short period of time, usually around a month. Please send information for inclusion in MEMO to [email protected] and requests to be added to circulation to [email protected] Immigration and Asylum Holyrood Parliamentary Motion Ian McKee (S3M-4189) : Migration and Scotland —That the Parliament acknowledges the Equality and Human Rights Commission conference that took place in Edinburgh on 13 May 2009, which highlighted the importance of migration to Scotland and called for potential consideration and research into adapting immigration control to a Scottish context; notes that Scotland’s long-term GDP growth performance is closely affected by population trends and that, in comparison to the rest of the United Kingdom, Scotland has seen a population decline between 1995 and 2001, with considerably fewer people aged 14 and under
    [Show full text]
  • Brief Amicus Curiae of the Senate of the United Mexican States, Et
    No. 08-987 IN THE RUBEN CAMPA, RENE GONZALEZ, ANTONIO GUERRERO, GERARDO HERNANDEZ, AND LUIS MEDINA, Petitioners, v. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Respondent. On Petition for a Writ of Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI ON BEHALF OF THE SENATE OF THE UNITED MEXICAN STATES, THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF PANAMA, MARY ROBINSON (UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, 1997- 2002; PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, 1992-1997) AND LEGISLATORS FROM THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNTRIES OF BRAZIL, BELGIUM, CHILE, GERMANY, IRELAND, JAPAN, MEXICO, SCOTLAND AND THE UNITED KINGDOM ______________ Michael Avery Counsel of Record Suffolk Law School 120 Tremont Street Boston, MA 02108 617-573-8551 ii AMICI CURIAE The Senate of the United Mexican States The National Assembly of Panama Mary Robinson (United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 1997-2002; President of Ireland, 1992-1997) Legislators from the European Parliament Josep Borrell Fontelles, former President Enrique Barón Crespo, former President Miguel Ángel Martínez, Vice-President Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou, Vice-President Luisa Morgantini, Vice-President Mia De Vits, Quaestor Jo Leinen, Chair of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs Richard Howitt, Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights Guisto Catania, Vice-Chair of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Willy Meyer Pleite, Vice-Chair of the Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly Edite Estrela, Vice-Chair
    [Show full text]
  • A Surveillance Society?
    House of Commons Home Affairs Committee A Surveillance Society? Fifth Report of Session 2007–08 Volume II Oral and written evidence Ordered by The House of Commons to be printed 20 May 2008 HC 58-II [Incorporating HC 508-i–iv, Session 2006–07] Published on 8 June 2008 by authority of the House of Commons London: The Stationery Office Limited £24.50 The Home Affairs Committee The Home Affairs Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Home Office and its associated public bodies. Current membership Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP (Labour, Leicester East) (Chairman) Tom Brake MP (Liberal Democrat, Charshalton and Wallington) Ms Karen Buck MP (Labour, Regent’s Park and Kensington North) Mr James Clappison MP (Conservative, Hertsmere) Mrs Ann Cryer MP (Labour, Keighley) David TC Davies MP (Conservative, Monmouth) Mrs Janet Dean MP (Labour, Burton) Patrick Mercer MP (Conservative, Newark) Margaret Moran MP (Labour, Luton South) Gwyn Prosser MP (Labour, Dover) Bob Russell MP (Liberal Democrat, Colchester) Martin Salter MP (Labour, Reading West) Mr Gary Streeter MP (Conservative, South West Devon) Mr David Winnick MP (Labour, Walsall North) The following Members were also members of the Committee during the inquiry: Rt Hon John Denham MP (Labour, Southampton Itchen) Mr Jeremy Browne MP (Liberal Democrat, Taunton) Mr Richard Benyon MP (Conservative, Newbury) Powers The Committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No 152. These are available on the Internet via www.parliament.uk.
    [Show full text]
  • PSA Awards 2005
    POLITICAL STUDIES ASSOCIATION AWARDS 2005 29 NOVEMBER 2005 Institute of Directors, 116 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5ED Political Studies Association Awards 2005 Sponsors The Political Studies Association wishes to thank the sponsors of the 2005 Awards: Awards Judges Event Organisers Published in 2005 by Edited by Professor John Benyon Political Studies Association: Political Studies Association Professor Jonathan Tonge Professor Neil Collins Jack Arthurs Department of Politics Dr Catherine McGlynn Dr Catherine Fieschi Professor John Benyon University of Newcastle Professor John Benyon Professor Charlie Jeffery Dr Justin Fisher Newcastle upon Tyne Jack Arthurs Professor Wyn Grant Professor Ivor Gaber NE1 7RU Professor Joni Lovenduski Professor Jonathan Tonge Designed by Professor Lord Parekh Tel: 0191 222 8021 www.infinitedesign.com Professor William Paterson Neil Stewart Associates: Fax: 0191 222 3499 Peter Riddell Eileen Ashbrook e-mail: [email protected] Printed by Neil Stewart Yvonne Le Roux Potts Printers Liz Parkin www.psa.ac.uk Miriam Sigler Marjorie Thompson Copyright © Political Studies Association. All rights reserved Registered Charity no. 1071825 Company limited by guarantee in England and Wales no. 3628986 A W ARDS • 2004 Welcome I am delighted to welcome you to the Political Studies Association 2005 Awards. This event offers a rare opportunity to celebrate the work of academics, politicians and journalists. The health of our democracy requires that persons of high calibre enter public life. Today we celebrate the contributions made by several elected parliamentarians of distinction. Equally, governments rely upon objective and analytical research offered by academics. Today’s event recognizes the substantial contributions made by several intellectuals who have devoted their careers to the conduct of independent and impartial study.
    [Show full text]
  • Policing Process of Home Office Leaks Inquiry
    House of Commons Home Affairs Committee Policing Process of Home Office Leaks Inquiry Fourth Report of Session 2008–09 Report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 30 March 2009 HC 157 Published on 16 April 2009 by authority of the House of Commons London: The Stationery Office Limited £13.50 The Home Affairs Committee The Home Affairs Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Home Office and its associated public bodies. Current membership Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP (Labour, Leicester East) (Chairman) Tom Brake MP (Liberal Democrat, Carshalton and Wallington) Ms Karen Buck MP (Labour, Regent’s Park and Kensington North) Mr James Clappison MP (Conservative, Hertsmere) Mrs Ann Cryer MP (Labour, Keighley) David TC Davies MP (Conservative, Monmouth) Mrs Janet Dean MP (Labour, Burton) Patrick Mercer MP (Conservative, Newark) Margaret Moran MP (Labour, Luton South) Gwyn Prosser MP (Labour, Dover) Bob Russell MP (Liberal Democrat, Colchester) Martin Salter MP (Labour, Reading West) Mr Gary Streeter MP (Conservative, South West Devon) Mr David Winnick MP (Labour, Walsall North) Powers The Committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No 152. These are available on the Internet via www.parliament.uk Publication The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications of the Committee (including press notices) are on the Internet at www.parliament.uk/homeaffairscom.
    [Show full text]
  • The House of Commons Modernisation Committee: Who Needs It?
    The House of Commons Modernisation Committee: Who Needs It? British Journal of Politics and International Relation (2007), vol.9, no.1, pp.138-157. Alexandra Kelso Department of Politics and International Relations, School of Social Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK. [email protected] Abstract Modernisation has been rhetorically important for the Labour government since 1997, and it found a dedicated outlet through the House of Commons Modernisation Committee. This committee has pursued a particular type of modernisation, which this article seeks to explore. It does this by focusing on three issues. First, it examines the role of the Leader of the House of Commons in the chair of the Modernisation Committee. Second, it looks at the work of the Modernisation Committee in comparison to that of the Procedure Committee. Finally, it contextualises the discussion of modernisation with reference to the distinction between efficiency reforms and effectiveness reforms, and explores what this reveals about the complexity of executive–legislative relations at Westminster, and about the course of the modernisation debate since 1997. Introduction New Labour came to power in 1997 committed to a modernising agenda informed by its adherence to the so-called Third Way, and its promise of renewing social democracy (Giddens 1998 and 2000; Clift 2001). The discourse of the Third Way signified a ‘reconfiguration of relationships between economy and state, public and private, government and people’, in which ‘modernisation was a label attached to a wide-range of institutional reforms, including those of government, party and the political process itself’ (Newman 2001, 40).
    [Show full text]
  • Youth and Local Community Engagement in Devon in the 1960S: Voluntary Sector Or State Control After the Albemarle Report?
    Youth and Local Community Engagement in Devon in the 1960s: Voluntary Sector or State Control after the Albemarle Report? Submitted by Lyndy Pooley to the University of Exeter as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History In December 2019 This thesis is available for Library use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other University. 1 Acknowledgements Firstly, I would like to thank Mark Jackson who has given me encouragement and supportive criticism over the years, and helped me to believe in myself. His humour and kindness cannot be underestimated. Secondly, I would like to thank Matthias Reiss for his enduring support and encouraging words, and for occasionally challenging me when I needed it. I would also like to thank the interviewees for this research who made me laugh, inspired me and not only answered my questions, but provided me with insights, photographs, books, pamphlets and other primary sources which have added unique perspectives and information to this thesis. I would also like to thank the staff at the Devon and North Devon Records Offices for their kind help in sourcing the many elusive local authority records that I needed to find, and suggesting others I didn’t know existed. And thanks also go to my family and friends who gave me encouragement and support.
    [Show full text]
  • Hansard New Politics Book
    New Politics, New Parliament? A review of parliamentary modernisation since 1997 Alex Brazier, Matthew Flinders and Declan McHugh Hansard Society 2005 New Politics, New Parliament? A review of parliamentary modernisation since 1997 Text and graphics © Hansard Society 2005 Published by the Hansard Society, LSE, 9 Kingsway, London, WC2B 6XF Tel: 0207 395 4000, Fax: 0207 395 4008, [email protected] All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission of the Hansard Society. The Hansard Society is an independent, non-partisan educational charity, which exists to promote effective parliamentary democracy. The Hansard Society’s Parliament and Government Programme works on all issues relating to the reform of Parliament, engagement between Parliament and the public and promoting effective parliamentary government through a range of conferences, publications, public and private meetings. We set the agenda on parliamentary reform through our work with parliamentarians and others to improve the operation of parliamentary government and encourage greater accessibility and closer engagement with the public. For information about other Hansard Society publications visit our website at www.hansardsociety.org.uk The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors. The Hansard Society, as an independent non-party organisation, is neither for nor against. The Society is, however, happy to publish these views and to invite analysis and discussion of them. ISBN 0 900432 62 4 Cover design and photography by Ross Ferguson Printed and bound in Great Britain by Banjo Design & Print Limited Authors Alex Brazier is Senior Research Fellow on the Parliament and Government Programme, Hansard Society.
    [Show full text]
  • Analysing Political Institutions: the Case of Constitutional Reform in Britain
    ANALYSING POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS: THE CASE OF CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM IN BRITAIN BEN SEYD School of Politics University of Kent February 2010 This is a working paper and not to be quoted. Comments are very welcome: [email protected] Abstract Over the last ten years, Britain has undergone major reform of its political system, encompassing the territorial organisation of power, the method of electing representatives, the nature of the legislature, the role of the judiciary, the status and operation of political parties, the scrutiny and oversight of the executive and the allocation of policy competences between elected and unelected actors. For political analysts, two questions arise from these changes: what caused the reforms, and what are their effects? This paper focuses on the latter. A light industry of research has been devoted to the British reforms. However, much of this work is descriptive or only lightly analytical; little attention has been paid in theoretical terms to the way the new institutions will work and their implications for policy decisions. Yet there is a well-developed literature, based on abstract or rational choice models of politics, devoted to the role and effects of political institutions. The paper draws on this literature to provide an account of the likely effects of institutional reform in Britain. Words: 11,773 1 Over the past decade, the British state has undergone a profound restructuring. Political authority has been decentralised to new tiers of government, the judiciary has been granted more extensive powers to review government actions, new systems for electing public representatives have been introduced, the membership of the second chamber has been recast, access to official information has been liberalised, power over monetary policy has been delegated to an independent agency and the financing of political parties has been formalised.
    [Show full text]
  • The Speaker of the House of Commons: the Office and Its Holders Since 1945
    The Speaker of the House of Commons: The Office and Its Holders since 1945 Matthew William Laban Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2014 1 STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY I, Matthew William Laban, confirm that the research included within this thesis is my own work or that where it has been carried out in collaboration with, or supported by others, that this is duly acknowledged below and my contribution indicated. Previously published material is also acknowledged below. I attest that I have exercised reasonable care to ensure that the work is original, and does not to the best of my knowledge break any UK law, infringe any third party’s copyright or other intellectual Property Right, or contain any confidential material. I accept that the College has the right to use plagiarism detection software to check the electronic version of this thesis. I confirm that this thesis has not been previously submitted for the award of a degree by this or any other university. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without the prior written consent of the author. Signature: Date: Details of collaboration and publications: Laban, Matthew, Mr Speaker: The Office and the Individuals since 1945, (London, 2013). 2 ABSTRACT The post-war period has witnessed the Speakership of the House of Commons evolving from an important internal parliamentary office into one of the most recognised public roles in British political life. This historic office has not, however, been examined in any detail since Philip Laundy’s seminal work entitled The Office of Speaker published in 1964.
    [Show full text]
  • Racism and New Labour
    COOL BRITANNIA OR CRUEL BRITANNIA? RACISM AND NEW LABOUR H UW B EYNON AND L OU K USHNICK ost-war British society has witnessed a very significant inward migration of Ppeople from the ‘New Commonwealth’, and the complex diaspora this immigration has created in many British cities is widely recognized as having fundamentally altered British society. Some observers have emphasized the posi- tive aspects of the change, suggesting that the new kinds of identity and forms of living which it has produced have resulted in a transition towards an ethni- cally plural society. Others, while welcoming the changes, have drawn attention to the inequalities experienced by ethnic minorities and the persistence of racism in daily life, and in the major institutions of British society. The role of the state, and the ways in which ‘the race card’ has been played in British politics, have from the outset been the subject of extensive and often heated debate. A key focus of this debate has been crime and policing. In 1979 the Institute of Race Relations raised policing as a central issue for ethnic minorities in Britain. It concluded that there was powerful evidence to suggest that arrest and police powers were being used to keep the black community in its place both physically and psychologically.1 In 1983 the Policy Studies Institute extended this finding by examining the operation of the ‘sus’ law. This law (originally insti- tuted to control the working class in the early nineteenth century) made it a criminal offence to be ‘a suspicious person loitering with intent to commit a crime’.
    [Show full text]