Saturday 10 June 2006

Churchill and immigrants - 1954

On 3 February 1954, the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Norman Brook, minuted the thoughts of Winston Churchill thus:

"Problems... will arise if many coloured people settle here. Are we to saddle ourselves with colour problems in UK? Attracted by Welfare State. Public opinion in UK won't tolerate it once it gets beyond certain limits... Question is whether it is politically wise to allow public feeling to develop a little more before taking action."
After saying it would be 'fatal' to let the situation develop too far, Churchill added:

"Would lke also to study possibility of 'quota' number not to be exceeded."
At the same Cabinet meeting, David Maxwell-Fyfe, the Home Secretary, was recorded as saying:

"There is a case on merits for excluding riff-raff. But politically it would be represented and discussed on basis of colour limitation. That would offend the floating vote viz. the old Liberals. We should be reversing age-long tradition that British subjects have right of entry to mother-country of Empire. We shoulds offend Liberals, also sentimentalists...

The colonial populations are resented in Liverpool, Paddington and other areas by those who come into contact with them... Those who don't are apt to take a more Liberal view."
Florence Horsbrugh, Minister of Education and Conservative MP for Manchester Moss Side, added:

"Already becoming serious in Manchester."
At another meeting discussing the re-introduction of corporal punishment on 20 November 1952, Churchill is quoted saying:

"Should we clutter ourselves up with enquiry when public opinion may give us chance to restore flogging for all crimes of violence and cruelty? Alternative is to devise much stiffer conditions of imprisonment. What about a plebiscite on corporal punishment?... re-introducing for 3 or 5 years, to see if it does reduce crime?"
I'm with Winston on immigration and flogging.

How about you?

Sir Norman Brook's original Cabinet observations can be seen in the 5 August 2007 edition of The Observer.

2 comments:

  1. what Churchill was the cause of it all. he took us to war with our fellow anglo saxon brothers, the jewbankers demanded several things in exchange for funding the war to give germany back to the jewbankers thrown out by adolf hitler.
    One of which was to import in millions.
    remember that in 1945 at the wars end, the armies were letting men back into civvy street, the men were all desperate for work, what did the government do ?they advertised in jamaica and west indies saying the british were too lazy to work
    so please come in and do this work
    bastards

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  2. You won't get any argument from me regarding Churchill's responsibility for our ills. Point is, most folks are never going to know what we know. Thus, whenever their icons say things that might affect them positively I am liable to pass it on.

    If the Devil tells the truth, quote him. If God lies, expose him.

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