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Well Kate, welcome to Scotland 2024. As you may or may not have noticed, we have imported America's purposeful, cynical methods of racial division and tension - because that is exactly what they are - wholesale over the last few years. The wannabe-American middle class in this country bend over backwards to show how 'progressive' they are because they have never had to work or live beside black people before, are scared of them, and being called a racist is the worst thing that can happen to a person these days. Apparently. So they will keep their mouths shut, and lecture us all and sermonise and moralise in windy halfwit fashion...and there is zero common sense applied. Ask the victims of Operation Cerrar.

More to say, but really, can't even be bothered. Would fill this screen.

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I worked in North Philly for 3 years. Tons of money pumped into an area rife with poverty, addiction, crime, gangs- the lot. Is is any better today- 35 years on? No. Google 'Philadelphia Zombies'. Heather MacDonald hits on the head quite succinctly when she speaks of the 'culture' within *these* communities. That's not 'black' culture - the fact there is a high concentration of 'black' people there is irrelevant. We see plenty of 'black' people achieve immense success in the states. The idea that their poverty and problems could be boiled down to the pigment of their skin is an affront and will only create MORE problems. The fact that we are importing these stupid notions to the UK is beyond absurd. There is nothing relative between that area I worked in and 'communities of colour' here in the UK. None. It's a money hustle. I can see how it's weaponised to create industry for *some* whilst leaving the poor, poor. As always. Funny how much things change and yet how they stay the same. I will say this about North Philly. The two areas I saw kids 'be ok' were in the small Catholic school and the boxing gym. Kids who went through those programs seemed to do better/ok. One of the kids I worked with (now grown) contacted me some years ago - has a regular job, a family, is stable. Cannot say the same for most of the kids I saw worked with in the local state run community centre. So much wasted money.

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