REIN Gone; NREA Arrives
It seems that the longstanding third-sector group supporting people from minority communities in Newham is about to go. Race Equality in Newham (REIN) seem to have lost their special place in their relationship with the council and REIN are about to be replaced with NREA. I know, it sounds like an unpleasant health condition but please don’t encourage such thoughts, somebody is bound to think that it is racist!
Have we discovered a new euphemism? Does ‘ethnically diverse’ now simply mean ‘non-white’? Surely a diverse community would be allowed to have white people in it. While we are at it, as white people are now only 28% of the Newham population, are they now a ‘minority’?
We look forward to hearing from Councillor Dr Dasgupta.
We are not sure why it is that Councillor Dr Dasgupta has felt the need to set up a new organisation, but there are several possibilities.
It may be that REIN is a dried-up organisation that seems to have lost any sense of direction and purpose.
Having given up on delivering quality services for the public it may be that this is part of the mayor’s latest virtue signalling idea to promote her manifestly ill-named initiative to make Newham an Anti-Racist Council.
Or it could be that in order to appear to be doing something, Deputy Cabinet Member for Equalities, Councillor Dr Dasgupta has settled for starting a new organisation. Giving the appearance of activity is far more rewarding than actually doing something. It is certainly easier. And setting up more quangos is clearly the way forward for Newham.
The borough, it seems are in the process of recruiting members of the community. And we are thus about to see the council give birth to a council organised, council recruited, council funded wholly independent organisation, with a wholly independent chair.
We are happy to announce that after an extensive recruitment campaign, inviting invitations from across the borough, and a process that will be open and transparent and run to the highest possible standards, the new independent Chair of NREA will be Gargi Bhattacharyya, (or so our sources on the Fourth Floor tell us). Apparently, Prof. Bhattacharyya of UEL is an expert on “racial capitalism”, so that will be helpful in her new role, as will her experience in writing for Socialist Worker.
We are sure that the 72% of the population that Cllr Dr Dasgupta refers to will be pleased with the way in which the borough changes for the better with the addition of the work of NREA.
P.S. If you are thinking of putting your hat in the ring for the role of independent chair, you might be wasting your time.