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Asian Voice | 28th October 2017
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Joe Irvin Joe Irvin is chief executive of Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking. The charity is currently campaigning to pedestrianise Oxford Street in London and works with over 3,500 schools encouraging children to walk to school. He has 35 years’ experience at senior level in the voluntary, public and private sectors, as well as trade unions. He was previously political secretary to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, special adviser to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and Director of Policy for the Transport and General Workers Union. He is an elected trustee of ACEVO – the Association for Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations – and serves as a judge for the Guardian Charity Awards. 1) Which place or city or country do you most feel at home in? Though from Central Lancashire originally, I have lived in London with my family for many years - I feel very at home in Hackney, and Walthamstow Islington where I have spent most of my time. I love the mix of people, the secret neighbourhood and hidden treasures, and the vitality of
the place amidst the hustle and bustle of the capital city. 2) What are your proudest achievements? Taking part in the UN climate change negotiations in Kyoto supporting John Prescott – against the odds, coming out with the world’s first agreement to cut greenhouse gases with binding targets. The environment is important to me
and Kyoto didn't solve the whole problem but it was an essential first step. 3) What inspires you? People making personal sacrifices for the sake of others – you see instances all the time in the charity world. I am especially in awe of people who bring us all together, bridge divides and strengthen our sense of community. An example would be a Community centre in Cumbria which embraced refugees and made them welcome and safe in a council estate previously unused to immigration. 4) What has been the biggest obstacle in your career? People in power being reluctant to embrace change, even if it is obvious they need to. 5) Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date? I come from a socialist
DIWALI OF MANY FIRSTS Continued from page 1 On 16th October, Rt Hon Priti Patel, Secretary of State for International Development hosted a Diwali for 10 Downing Street on behalf of Prime Minister Theresa May, who was travelling. The evening was attended by almost all UK Hindu organisation representatives, members of the Armed Forces, children from faith schools, MPs and Peers. It was the first time, an Indian origin MP (the only in May's cabinet) hosted Diwali at the PM's residence and office- a moment of pride for BritiIndians. Mrs May in a statement said, “I want to send my very best wishes to everyone celebrating Diwali here in Britain and all around the world. “The Festival of Lights is a special time for families and friends to come together, to share wonderful gifts and sweets, and to draw confidence from the knowledge that ultimately good will triumph over evil; hope over despair and light over darkness... “As Prime Minister, I want to take this opportunity to say a special thank you - on behalf of the whole country for the immense contributions you all make to every sphere of life in the United Kingdom. “From the doctors and nurses serving in our NHS, to the soldiers, sailors and airmen serving in our armed forces, the entrepreneurs creating jobs across our communities, and the stars of arts and culture inspiring and entertaining us, Britain's Indian communities are a shining example of what makes our country great. “As successful and integrated communities you maintain your unique traditions while contributing fully to our national life. And you help to show the world that our United Kingdom truly is a place where people from all backgrounds and beliefs can live their lives in freedom and achieve their full potential.
“So this Diwali let us celebrate the values and freedoms that we share – and let me wish you all a happy, peaceful and prosperous new year. Shubh Diwali.” PwC Hindu Network hosted a Diwali at the Lalit Hotel on 17 October, followed by an event by Hindu Forum of Britain on Wednesday 18 October. The Diwali events conclude on 27 October with events by Metropolitan Police Hindu Association and a dinner by the City Hindus Network. BAPS Swaminarayan Neasden temple organised their annual Diwali celebrations and Annakut on 19 and 20 October and Bhaktivedanta Manor hosted their celebration on Sunday 22 October. In Leicester, the Diwali lights were switched on, in early October. Leicester's Wheel of Light arrived at Belgrave Road and remained lit at night to provide a glittering centrepiece to the festivities. For the first time Birmingham Victoria Square saw Diwali celebration attended by HE Y K Sinha and Mayor Andy Street. Wales also saw festivities at Cardiff, attended by First Minister Carwyn Jones. Lord Jitesh Gadhia in an article on Diwali and British Indians in the Evening Standard wrote about the apprehension among UK's 1.5mn Indians. He said, “This week London’s half a million Indians celebrate Diwali the Festival of Lights, in a pensive mood. For sure, there is a lot for them to be positive about. The data from the Government’s race disparity audit last week showed how British Indians, far from being a disadvantaged minority, rank top for earnings and educational attainment. Yet there is an air of anxiety hanging over the community too. British Indians are not immune from the existential angst pervading the country at large, as reflected in a recent Ipsos poll showing that 72 per cent of Britons feel the country is off on the wrong track.”
family and spent over 20 years working in trade unions – I always have in mind how hard life is for most people and how we can overcome injustice by acting together. 6) What is the best aspect about your current role? Working with enthusiastic people to change people’s lives for the better. I recently heard from Arun in Leicester who, suffering from Alzheimer's, lost his confidence to go outdoors. His wife persuaded him to join a Living Streets walking group and he told us: 'I enjoy the walks. With a guide I don't worry about where I am; I can just enjoy the walking in the park. I enjoy the fresh air, seeing flowers and trees, hearing the birds, and it makes me feel refreshed.' 7) And the worst? Like most charities, we end up with periodic uncertainty over how we can fund our work. But I
suppose this makes us work hard to make every penny count. 8) What are your long term goals? For our charity, to turn Britain into a country where walking is the natural choice for everyday local journeys such as the journey to school, to work or to the shops, with a better attractive walking environment. 9) If you were Prime Minister, what one aspect would you
change? Ensuring big corporations pay their share of tax. 10) If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why? Nelson Mandela – probably the greatest hero of my lifetime, who suffered greatly, achieved so much and was a very funny story-teller. He could also certainly survive on an island with very little.
Shadow Foreign Secretary promises Labour party will not turn its back on Modi and India Rupanjana Dutta Shadow Foreign Secretary Rt Hon Emily Thornberry has vowed that India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi will receive a warm welcome from the Labour party and leader Jeremy Corbyn if they come to power in the next general election. Party leader Jeremy Corbyn had sponsored a motion two years ago asking the British Home Department to reinstitute the ban on Narendra Modi for his 'role in the communal violence in 2002' in Gujarat. The motion stated: “This House calls on the Secretary of State for the Home Department to reinstitute the ban on (then) Gujarat’s Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, from entering the UK, given his role in the communal violence in 2002 that claimed the lives of hundreds if not thousands of Muslims, including British nationals; expresses its concern that the ban was lifted for economic and diplomatic reasons, ignoring the role Mr Modi and his administration played in the violence that warranted the ban that stood for more than 10 years; notes that Mr Modi was previously denied a visa on grounds that he was 'responsible for or directly carried out…particularly severe violations of religious freedom'; and calls on Mr Speaker and the House authorities to ban Mr Modi from entering the Palace of Westminster.” Corbyn was also one of the 40 British MPs who signed an Early Day Motion calling on the then UK Prime Minister David Cameron to take up the issue of
human rights with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit in November 2015. The Motion had also raised a number of issues such as the release of political prisoners in detention in India (it mentioned the Amnesty Special Report on violation of human rights in Kashmir); it condemned the ban on Indian Greenpeace activist Priya Pillai from visiting the UK; and questioned the government’s ban on the BBC documentary “India’s daughter’ and efforts to block it from being shown in the UK as well. When Modi had delivered a speech to Parliament, Corbyn was not present in the royal gallery. This prompted Rt Hon Keith Vaz, the British-Indian Labour MP, to tell the Sun that he was “disappointed” with Corbyn. He said, “If the British Prime Minister can make the time to listen to PM Modi, so can Jeremy.” Speaking about Labour's position towards India and Narendra Modi, Thornberry told Asian Voice, “Modi is a democrartically elected leader of India, the biggest democracy in the world. He is the legitimate leader, so we begin with that. I have been in many meetings with Jeremy with people who would seem to be our friends and with people who would not seem to be our natural allies. “Jeremy is always the same — he will always criticise where he believes criticism should be levelled. But I think it would not be right to say that he is not a pragmatist and it would not be right to say that he wishes to turn his back on one of the largest and most important
countries in the world. So yes I imagine his meetings with PM Modi would be heated, but I think proper friendship should be based on honesty.” Shadow Foreign Secretary Rt Hon Emily Thornberry met the Indian Journalists Association members in St James's Hotel on Friday 20 October and discussed many issues including trade relations between India and UK, immigration, Sikhs demanding a separate ethnic identity in the UK, as well as climate change. While the issue of Kashmir and Operation Blue Star were a part of the Labour manifesto, partly drawn up by Thornberry herself, she insisted the Kashmir issue particularly needs to be settled by India and Pakistan, and Britain had no role in it. “It is our place to keep saying that it needs to be resolved in a peaceful way. This is not radical, this is common sense,” she said. But she also adeed, “Our current position on Kashmir comes from a concern for human rights. We hear a kaleidoscope of stories, from the extremes to the less extreme. The human rights of Kashmiris continue to bubble up. I have spoken to the Indian high commissioner about this. “Kashmiris want to live in peace. That should be our starting point. I know there are people in India who say these stories are exaggerated or indeed downright lies. And if that’s right, it does seem to me that India has nothing to fear from allowing human rights monitors into Kashmir in order to be able to support that it isn’t true.”