immigration

[bocadillo]

Hey we have a statue to our cities great sporting achievements, let that be enough!

Aye - but there was furriners in all of them teams. Not yer true British statue innit?

 

[Brauny Blue]

They do lots of stuff, you just don't notice it. May day celebrations in a few weeks, for example, the bonfire night stuff at Abbey Park, loads of christmas stuff.

I'm on about a permanent fixture, not things that are here one day and gone the next. And why in this day and age do we need a park named after Nelson Mandela. Surely there are far more appropriate local or British people it could be named after.

Yes indeed - damn that blasted regeneration of the city centre

Let it slowly decay and fall apart around our ears in the good old British tradition, and instead witter on about our 'proud history'.

That's what we really want

Regarding ' proud history ' is that aimed at me

 

[H T B]

Well i was informed today that we are having a statue of Gandhi.
We have already changed a park name for some South African bloke.
When are we going to have something for Leicesters English population? Why cant we have someone who means something, to the very people that our council would love to sweep under the carpet
I demand a statue of Gary Coatsworth.

In todays current climate I suggest a statue of Tony James might be more appropriate. (With his shoe in hand)

 

[Jeff]

I'm on about a permanent fixture, not things that are here one day and gone the next.

Are you prepared to pay more in council tax to pay for it?

 

[Brauny Blue]

Are you prepared to pay more in council tax to pay for it?

I think we are talking a negligible amount, and if so then Yes....at least i'll be paying for something that is significant to me.
Anyway, did you not mind paying more when they changed the name of the Welford Rd reccy to Mandela park

 

[Melton Fox]

Send 'em back

 

[Jeff]

I think we are talking a negligible amount, and if so then Yes....at least i'll be paying for something that is significant to me.
Anyway, did you not mind paying more when they changed the name of the Welford Rd reccy to Mandela park

You were talking about a statue earlier, something like that can be quite costly. I think the sporting one was paid for by local businesses, the Gandhi one is being paid for privately, I don't think there will be anything on that scale paid for by taxpayers in the near future.
So why don't you start raising funds if you really want one?

 

[Brauny Blue]

You were talking about a statue earlier, something like that can be quite costly. I think the sporting one was paid for by local businesses, the Gandhi one is being paid for privately, I don't think there will be anything on that scale paid for by taxpayers in the near future.
So why don't you start raising funds if you really want one?

Apart from a tongue in cheek reference to Gary Coatsworth i never pacifically said a statue. Anyway money is not the issue imo, its what it means to the City and keeping an identity which my beloved council seem happy to bury.

 

[H T B]

Apart from a tongue in cheek reference to Gary Coatsworth i never pacifically said a statue. Anyway money is not the issue imo, its what it means to the City and keeping an identity which my beloved council seem happy to bury.

When they were interviewing one of the main instigators, he even mentioned that it could become a "shrine".
Where they intend putting it will interfere with the traffic coming along the Melton Rd, so fecking up my route into town. Not happy!

 

[homer]

Apart from a tongue in cheek reference to Gary Coatsworth i never pacifically said a statue. Anyway money is not the issue imo, its what it means to the City and keeping an identity which my beloved council seem happy to bury.

The people of Belgrave wished to enhance their cultural identity within the area, and found an appropriate charity to pay for the whole deal.
They didn't rely on the Council to do it for them, as they recognise that they might have much more important things to do - their only involvement was to approve the planning application

If you feel that strongly about it then come up with what you think is an appropriate idea and do the same

 

[Macky]

why in this day and age do we need a park named after Nelson Mandela.

If they stick with the theme of terrorist freedom fighters popular in the Leicester area, perhaps it should be renamed to Osama Bin Laden park?

 

[Brauny Blue]

The people of Belgrave wished to enhance their cultural identity within the area, and found an appropriate charity to pay for the whole deal.
They didn't rely on the Council to do it for them, as they recognise that they might have much more important things to do - their only involvement was to approve the planning application

If you feel that strongly about it then come up with what you think is an appropriate idea and do the same

Firstly as i have already stated, i dont object to the statue and how they have gone about providing for it.
Secondly and more relevant to me is that nobody other than the council came up with the bright idea of Mandela Park. My point is why when given an opportunity do they not want to recognize things that are important to the families that have lived here for generations.
The only reason we have places like Mandela Park is to appease the do-gooders of our multi-cultural loving council.
Buried in Welford rd cemetery is my dads uncle.He died in 1919 after returning from the Great War. He also fought in the Boer War at the end of the 19th Century. He belonged to the Tigers regiment.
That probaly means **** all to you, but imo its a regiment like that and the brave people who served with them that are far more deserving of recognition than a contraversal South African .

 

[Jeff]

Secondly and more relevant to me is that nobody other than the council came up with the bright idea of Mandela Park.

The park was renamed 22 years ago, when apartheid was a big issue and there was a lot of support in the community as a whole for Nelson Mandela.

 

[Melton Fox]

I've got Nelson Mandela's radiator as a souvenier in my bathroom. Works a treat, don't know why he wanted rid of it.

 

[Brauny Blue]

The park was renamed 22 years ago, when apartheid was a big issue and there was a lot of support in the community as a whole for Nelson Mandela.

Well now thats its not such an issue we can have it changed.
Whilst the fight against apartheid was fully justified, i wonder how well informed Mandela's support from thousands of miles away, were of his less than worthy deeds. To those that see him as some kind of saint, i would suggest they have been badly informed.

 

[Brauny Blue]

If they stick with the theme of terrorist freedom fighters popular in the Leicester area, perhaps it should be renamed to Osama Bin Laden park?

Exactly, and I wouldnt put it past them.

 

[Dour]

Well now thats its not such an issue we can have it changed.
Whilst the fight against apartheid was fully justified, i wonder how well informed Mandela's support from thousands of miles away, were of his less than worthy deeds. To those that see him as some kind of saint, i would suggest they have been badly informed.

Quite. By the way, was your dad's uncle involved in either the implementation of the 'Scorched Earth' policy or the concentration camps in South Africa?

 

[Brauny Blue]

Quite. By the way, was your dad's uncle involved in either the implementation of the 'Scorched Earth' policy or the concentration camps in South Africa?

Why suggest that? Do you think every German Soldier in the 2nd world war wanted to murder jews.
Quite frankly some of you people on here sacrifice good debate, in order to be argumentive.

 

[Shents]

in my opinion Mandela is still relevant and important today. nearly 30 years in prison couldn't change his determination to end a terrible regime.

obviously he made some questionable decisions during his presidency to do with AIDs/ HIV, and during early life was involved in violent struggle but then again one mans terrorist is another’s freedom fighter, but you can’t say he doesn’t deserve recognition

And another thing dose any one else think its ironic that the park is right next to a
prison.

 

[Macky]

I have it on good authority that Mandella himself recognises that renaming that bit of grass after him was one of the major contributory factors in effecting his release and that it ultimately brought down the apartheid regime.
Which is fortunate, otherwise it'd look like an utterly pointless and ridiculous gesture.