'The Rivers of Blood' Speech, Birmingham, April 28 1968, by Enoch Powell, MP

[Luke of Suffolk]

Enoch Powell, Tory MP for Wolverhampton, shocked the very foundations of British Society with his infamous 'Rivers of Blood' Speech against Commonwealth Immigration.

So Infamous, in fact, that the famous Beatles made three satirical song about Enoch Powell ('Enoch Powell', 'Commonwealth' and 'No Pakistanis')

What is your opinion on this speech?

 

[notgivenaway]

he simply said what the average person was thinking at the time.

that said, immigration was needed due to labour shortages.

 

[Nemowork]

Enoch Powell was a frighteningly talented and intelligent man, you only have to look at his military service for that.

Unfortunately he also had become out of date and too unaware that what he thought he was saying about cultural change and assimilation isnt how it was taken by the average pleb in the street on either side of the argument.

 

[Ancientgeezer]

he simply said what the average person was thinking at the time.

that said, immigration was needed due to labour shortages.

By the time Powell made that speech there was no general labour shortage as there had been in the late 1940s and in the 1950s, in fact in 1967 and 1968 (when Powell delivered the speech) unemployment was the highest it had been since 1940.
When listening to Powell's speech--in full, not just edited highlights, one must take into account the perceived rising crime rate among some immigrant groups and clear friction beginning to appear--all against the contemporary background of the race riots in America seen on British TV night after night right through the mid 1960s. There had been 16 major riots in the US in 1967 involving loss or life and property and the week before Powell spoke there were race riots in 125 US cities with 14,000 Federal troops on the streets. Back then American blacks made up some 17% of the US population, while in the UK it was less than 3%. Powell forsaw unlimited immigration leading to a US scenario.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MtIF6tw-Io"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MtIF6tw-Io[/ame]

 

[Domnall Ballach]

I think it's wholly-removed from context to unjustly demonise an exceptional man.

 

[johnincornwall]

Vastly misinterpreted

He simply said that the immigration - and the subsequent formation of closed communities which we British seemed to specialise in - would lead to blood on the streets.

It came true in just over 10 years.

 

[Haesten]

"Last Whites of the East End"

BBC One - Last Whites of the East End

 

[Commodus]

This is a difficult question, and frankly depends on how well one perceives immigrants to have integrated into our society.
My gut dislikes it, because at heart I think we should defend immigrants and champion their rights to live here free of persecution and suspicion. But I know many think differently.