Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Which craft is practiced in social services?
Yesterday's Telegraph poses questions about the belief in witchcraft that exists in some African communities, and the turning of blind "PC" eyes to it by some London council social services. The article mentions the tragic case of Victoria Climbié in Haringey, that many will remember.
Thankfully these cases are rare, but of course this is the kind of subject that will never be discussed in Haringey People magazine. Until the welfare of the child is placed above all other considerations, there may well be repeat occurrences.
A witchcraft scandal on our doorstep
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Tags for Forum Posts: Council, Haringey, PC, correct, politically, services, social, witchcraft
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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I read the Daily Telegraph article you linked to, Clive.
You tell us that it refers to "the turning of blind 'PC' eyes to the belief in witchcraft by some London council social services". And "mentions the tragic case of Victoria Climbié in Haringey". I see also that you've given your comment the search tags: "Council; Haringey; PC; correct; politically; services; social; witchcraft."
The Victoria Climbié Inquiry was eleven years ago. Nobody around then will ever forget Victoria's murder and the subsequent Inquiry by Lord Laming. I went several times to listen to the evidence and - like many people - read through the daily transcripts of the hearings. And then discussed and wrote about it.
But I can't be sure that I recall every detail. So can you please refer me to the conclusions of the Inquiry or to any evidence it gathered which showed that Haringey Social Services staff turned a "Politically Correct" blind eye to witchcraft beliefs during their contacts with Victoria; or with her great-aunt, Marie-Therese Kouao; and her partner Carl John Manning. (Who were convicted of her murder.)
Just to be clear, I'm not trying to excuse or defend Haringey or other agencies involved for the gross failures in that case.
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor. And former social worker in the London Borough of Brent.)
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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If there were gross failures in the Victoria Climbie case, then I think its important to consider what might lie behind those gross failures, even if its uncomfortable to do so. A narrow, legalistic response might be, to test for the words "political correct" in Lord Lamings conclusion.
Political correctness (defined here) is of course a pejorative and I wouldn't expect you Alan, to accept any evidence of it anywhere as being an example of it, and not in social services.
It's a culture and a mentality and in this context, it could be thought of as thoughtless, un-intelligent, counter-productive anti-racism. For the record, I oppose all racism. By that I mean to include discrimination in all directions and within particular races.
I can illustrate it in a way you might appreciate: when the conduct of an ethnic minority councillor falls well below acceptable levels (indeed, brings the council into disrepute), other councillors are apprehensive to criticise, for fear of being (falsely) accused of racism. If such an individual is prepared to hector and to use such insinuations without shame or intellectual honesty, they are unchecked and can go a long way.
In, Witchcraft is growing threat to children in Britain, warn Police, the NSPCC said: “We must not be afraid to challenge these communities to out the wrongdoers within them. Sadly, this deeply disturbing case is not a one-off incident.“
I sincerely hope that our council has moved on in this particular respect in recent years.
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