The Caribbean Diaspora - Blacks in Britain

Wat a joyful news, miss Mattie,

I feel like me heart gwine burs

Jamaica people colonizin

Englan in Reverse

By de hundred, by de tousan

From country and from town,

By de ship-load, by de plane load

Jamica is Englan boun.

An week by week dem shippin off

Dem countryman like fire,

Fe immigrate an populate

De seat a de Empire.

Wat a devilment a Englan!

Dem face war an brave de worse,

But me wonderin how dem gwine stan

Colonizin in reverse.

Excerpt from “Colonization in Reverse” (1966) Louise Bennett

Louise Bennett’s vivid description of the influx of Jamaican immigrants to post-war Britain is the starting point for this historical perspective of the Caribbean Diaspora and subsequent attempts by the authorities to control the flow of migrants. In the UK immigration remains a sensitive and rather controversial issue but migration is a natural feature of the human experience; ever since the first humans ventured out of Africa people have been on the move.

When making reference to Blacks in Britain the focus tends to be on fairly recent history but that’s only a part of the story. What many people may not be aware of is that Black people have been in Britain for centuries, since the time of the Romans to be exact. Some 1800 years ago when Africans were Roman soldiers defending Hadrian’s Wall in the north of England. Later on with the advent of the slave trade the first group of West Africans were brought to Britain in 1555. In the Tudor period during the reign of Elizabeth I, the African inhabitants consisting of domestic servants, musicians, entertainers and slaves had apparently became so common, that in 1601 the Queen made an unsuccessful attempt to have them expelled. By the last third of the 18th century, there were an estimated 10,000 black people in Britain, mostly concentrated in cities such as London. Early Black settlers were also absorbed into the general population therefore it means that there are many white British people today who are unaware that they are descended from Black ancestors.

Following the end of the Second World War Europe underwent a labour shortage and subsequent economic boom, which persisted until the1970's with the beginning of the oil crisis. This was a period of significant migration into Europe as well as outwards and resulted in the formation of new ethnically distinct populations. As a consequence it led to Britain having a significant immigrant/ethnic minority population. The history of Caribbean migration in Britain is largely associated with the former status as a colonial power, i.e. they arrived as Colonial workers. During this period it was a fairly straightforward process to gain entry to the Britain.

In Britain prior to 1949 persons born within the British Empire were British subjects and had right of settlement in Britain. In the Caribbean, the colonial administration imbued its subject with a sense of Britishness,

"Children were taught from English textbooks about the history of the Mother Country and learned as loyal subjects of the Crown to sing 'Rule Britannia' and 'God save the King'”.

They too thought of themselves as British and spoke about coming home to the 'Mother Country', or as Louisa Bennett so eloquently puts it to “settle in de mother lan”. These loyal British subjects were actively involved in the Second World War in the military and industry. For example, Errol Barrow the former Prime Minister of Barbados served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, as did the Guyanese born Edward Braithwaite and author of ‘To Sir with Love’. As a consequence of the labour shortage following the war, the government actively recruited people from the colonies. People from the British Colonies were encouraged to come to Britain and to take up employment in major institutions like the National Health Service, London Transport and the Post Office. It’s worth noting that currently the British military has a recruitment campaign to encourage people from the Caribbean to enlist in the armed forces to provide much needed personnel to aid them in campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sadly though the former Colonials were encouraged to come to Britain, their presence was not universally welcomed. They suffered discrimination and racism. They were forced to live in overcrowded and often unsanitary conditions and then vilified for causing the very conditions to which they were subjected. As they struggled to find decent housing for themselves and their families they were often met with by the signs in the windows of rental accommodation stating, 'No Blacks, No Irish, No Dogs'.

From British Subject to British Citizen

1948 was significant in that it signalled the start of significant Caribbean post-War migration and settlement, when the Empire Windrush docked in England with 492 Jamaican immigrants. Not only was this a symbolic but also a rather ironic event as on the outward journey the Windrush had taken European 'migrants' to Latin America. It is difficult to imagine that their arrival would have generated the same odium. It should be noted that Jamaicans were not the only migrants on the Windrush. A young caylpsonian Lord Kitchener (Aldwyn Roberts) was on the ship. He is featured on Pathé newsreel signing ‘London is the place for me’ as the ship docked, which he wrote whilst onboard the ship.

The British Nationality Act of (BNA) 1948 brought about the transition in English law from subject to citizen, it represents the first time that the status of 'citizen' is used. However it is not until the 1981 BNA does the term 'British citizen' actually appear. The 1948 Act marked the beginning of attempts to limit the right of unrestricted access and settlement to colonial subjects. The status of citizen or subject conferred the same rights, however the 1948 Act divided British citizens into two broad categories whereas before there was only one. Another significant piece of legislation was the 1968 Commonwealth Immigrants Bill which was supposedly differentiating British passport holders by geography but in truth it was simply about race. In fact it can be argued that the immigration and policy framework is simply based on ‘race’. An historical perspective is important for there is a tendency for politicians and policymakers not to acknowledge or understate the debt owed or that they have a responsibility to, those who were colonised. This is a major factor by those in the Black Diaspora who have initiated the call for Reparation.

In Britain the public has been told by successive Governments that strict immigration control is needed to engender good 'race' relations, so racist immigration and nationality laws are actually for the protection and welfare of immigrants. The irony of this statement seems to have been missed. They were often viewed with suspicion. Their allegiance seems to be constantly questioned as in the infamous 'cricket test' devised by Conservative Member of Parliament, Norman Tebbit. It sought to differentiate the true Brits from those that were culturally disloyal by asking whether they would support England or their ‘home countries’ if the later was playing against England in a cricket. This also explains the dilemma of many from the ethnic minority communities - when does an immigrant really become a citizen? The answer maybe never, as Enoch Powell right wing Conservative politician and outspoken critic of ‘coloured immigration’ in the 60’s of stated,

"A West Indian does not become English by being born in England and by carrying a United Kingdom passport”.

But 'they' already know that but belonging is not solely dependent on acceptance by the host populace,

"…I would say … that on the whole we live with … different kinds of identities quite happily really. I can describe myself as British, as Guyanese, as African, as Caribbean and I don't have a problem with that because I think that all those describe who I am … I think part of the difficulty for a lot of people about saying that they are British is about coming to terms with what it means to identify with something that causes pain - racism" (Baroness Valerie Amos).

Unfortunately a consequence of being or being thought of as different, as ‘Other’, is being treated differently; not being treated with respect and dignity, but facing discrimination and racism. A possible way forward is by recognition of and respect for difference. The 'dislike' and mistrust of Others is atavistic and universal however the danger is that individual prejudices sometimes are adopted as state policies. As Montagu (1997) states,

"[When Hitler came to power], anti-Semitism was transformed from a personal obsession and propaganda weapon into a national policy."

This cannot be overstated. Prejudice kills and in Britain, France, Germany, in fact across Europe and across the world there are numerous examples of this.

Tobago 'blue food' lime

Thought I share a personal experience with you. Last week I was invited to a 'lime' in Tobago, traditional that is, 'blue food' where the men did all the cooking. For the uninitiated 'blue food' refers to dishes using the root vegetables such as dasheen (aka taro). It's called 'blue food' because some of the vegetables turn varying shades of blue and indigo when cooked.

I was very much looking forward to the trip. I love the ocean and the thought of the white sandy beaches and blue water was all I could think of, anything else was a bonus. I had been fortunate to be invited to take part in the lime, which also featured a rhythm section – a percussion band, in this instance fuelled by hard liquor. I suggested that the boat would be exciting way to travel, I was right. I hadn't slept the night before and hadn't had any breakfast but ate some had some saltfish as soon as I got on board. Not a good move. It was very salty and oily and I could feel my guts start to quiver almost immediately.
As we headed out to sea it started getting rougher and rougher. It was almost impossible to walk upright and in a straight line, it was more of a drunkards dance, staggering from side to side. Sometimes we hit a big wave and there'd be a collective sigh. It was exciting. The crew started handing out sick bags and a lot of people were using them. My guts were playing up and reluctantly I headed for the toilet. I really wasn't thinking about what was awaiting me, my attention was on the motion, (bowel not nautical) my need to as the Yanks say ‘take a dump’ had clouded my mind, or should I say not to do so until it was appropriate, had become my main preoccupation. When I got to the gents it was packed, and the toilets were all taken, men were vomiting into the washbasins, urinals, even the waste bins. I think most guys would have used a urinal at some time in their lives, so you'll know that you've got to be pretty desperate to stick your head in a urinal, the smell alone can kill!

An in all it was quite a spectacle and the background noise or maybe more accurately the sound effects were quite startling. It's a bit hard to describe but it was like a scene from a sci-fi horror movie, the air was filled with ghostly guttural sounds. I was fascinated to see two guys sharing the waste bin, one short and the other much taller, vomiting one after the other. I was certain that I'd witness the spectacle of one of them spewing his guts over the head of the other but it was like an elaborate dance, with background music, as they took turns to throw up, in sequence and with precision timing.

By now my pressing need to use the toilet had turned into a full blown emergency; in my darkest moments I saw myself losing control and the unspeakable happening, it was not a good picture. I looked at the waste bin and reasoned that it would be the lesser of two evils; I would have to use it and hoped that the others could understand why I was driven to take such drastic action. But before that eventuality, I quickly darted out of the gents and asked one of the crew if there was another toilet I could use, I was told that was it. She didn't seem sympathetic and I wasn't in a position to argue, just concentrate on maintaining the clench reflex. I returned to the gents. Luckily one of the toilets became free; I jumped in ahead of the others. Sanctuary, saved from a fate worse than death, ok a bit dramatic I know, but at the very least it would have been acutely embarrassing. The toilet was a mess, the lock was broken and there was sick everywhere. I had to gingerly but speedily positioned myself on the loo and let nature take its course, relief turned to apprehension when I realised that the huge toilet paper dispenser was empty, I nevertheless pulled at it in the hope of retrieving something. Lesson number one; always travel with a pack of tissues or wet wipes.

I searched my pockets over and over again but to no avail. I could see the napkins lying on the table in the cabin area, if I'd only stuffed a couple into my pockets, no good thinking about that now. I was left with but one option, cash money. I selected the softest of my one dollar notes; it would have to do, needs must. It wasn't perfect but it did the job and I was able to leave decency intact. Thing is though it didn't flush. I tried to slip out quickly but of course someone was waiting to use it. He quickly went in and backed out as though he'd stumbled upon a decomposing corpse. Poor guy, I felt a bit guilty, but hey shit happens.

Youngest ever man to fly solo around the world

Type the words 'young black men' and do a Google search and it's akin to lighting the blue touch paper of a firework, one should stand well back. The stuff coming back is all negative, over-representation in a range of categories, crime statistics, both as victims and perpetrators, prisons, HIV/AIDS, gang violence, educational underachievement, the list goes on, as one result states, 'Life keeps getting worse for young black men!' That being the case you'd think it only right that in addition to highlighting the bad, there should also be an acknowledgement of the good. So major props to this 23 year old young man Barrington Irving, who becomes the youngest ever to fly solo around the world. What an achievement but that's not all. He had all sorts of problems trying to get a plane to attempt this feat. Finally as a last resort he had to acquire the individual components to build his own plane. Read the story below and please let others know!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/outlook/news/story/2007/07/070717_irving_jamaica.shtml

The youngest man to fly solo round the world

Barrington set off round the world with only 600 previous flying hours experience.
The youngest man to fly solo around the world has spoken to Outlook.
Barrington Irving Junior, who is 23, landed a small plane in the US state of Florida in late June, three months after starting his journey from the same place.
Listen to Barrington on Outlook
Barrington explained to Outlook presenter Fred Dove that his motivation had been to combat what he saw as negativity in his community.
"I came up with the idea to fly around the world just to prove a point to other kids in the community that they too can do something amazing in aviation and follow their dreams," he said.
What makes the story even more remarkable is that, in effect, Barrington had to build his own plane.
"No-one wanted to rent me a plane, lease me a plane, let me borrow a plane," he said.
Barrington said that the most difficult part was flying over the north Pacific - because of the thick fog.
"That's when I came up with the idea of going after the individual components - the engine, the cockpit system and so forth for the Colombia 400 aircraft which I chose and then have it assembled by the aircraft manufacturer.
"First I was able to get the small things and then when I was able to get the engine, it was a snowballing effect.. Everyone wanted to jump on board."
Once the plane had been assembled and despite only having 600 hours flying experience, Barrington set off eastwards, confronting a dangerous flight across the Atlantic rather than an easier flight westwards across the United States.
"It's a good thing I didn't realise what I was getting myself into," he said.
The flights across open water - over eight hours across the Atlantic, nine across the north Pacific - were, according to Barrington, the most hair-raising.
Among the highlights was the food that he tasted in the Mediterranean.
Barrington who originally comes from Jamaica and who moved to Florida when he was six years old, had never previously travelled outside the United States and the Caribbean.
Barrington was in touch with his mentor Gary Robinson practically every day.
He was inspired by a commercial airline pilot from Jamaica, Captain Gary Robinson, who first showed him round a cockpit when he was 16 and then acted as Barrington's mentor.
On the world trip, Barrington says that he was in touch with Robinson practically every day.
In completing his flight, Barrington also became the first black man and the first Jamaican to fly solo round the world.

Caught with your pants down!

The wearing of low slung sagging pants (trousers) is fast becoming an issue of some concern in several communities across the USA. An increasing number of them are planning to ban the wearing of sagging pants which exposes underwear, for example in Florida there have been several arrests all of whom were African American males. http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/0911081baggy1.html

Some view this as further evidence of the criminalisation of black urban youth, an infringement of basic human rights and freedom of expression guaranteed by the constitution. There are disputing claims as to the origins of this fashion, it is said the practise is based on prison culture where the degree of sag was indicative of your availability – homosexually that is. This explanation has become quite popular, I am reminded of my father-in-law's warning to his sagging pants wearing grandson on the eve of his departure to attend university,

"Son you should be careful walking about the campus like that, some people might think you're advertising!"

Now if this is the case, it begs the question as to why this should be something that our supposedly homophobic homeboys would want to emulate. I think this is something of an urban myth and it more likely that the practice came about as a consequence of ill-fitting prison clothes and belts being withheld because of their use as weapons or a ligature risk in suicides.
Whatever the explanation it does beg the question, of all institutions where does the attraction for prison chic come from? Since when has prison grab become the latest must have?

My worst saggy pants experience occurred during a long escalator ride on my way to work. I was standing behind a young man whose pants were beneath his bottom exposing his boxers. I took a step backwards so as not to be too close but nevertheless that still left his underwear exposed backside at head height. To be honest that was the last thing I wanted, Monday’s are traumatic enough without having someone’s arse in my face. Call me old fashioned but as a fashion statement as far I’m concern it’s a major faux pas.

When the introduction of such a ban was muted in Atlanta, Debbie Seagraves, head of the local branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), said the proposal was, by its nature, discriminatory because it aimed to forbid something that has its roots in black culture. Black culture, gimme a break, are we led to believe that the Black presence in America and the thousands of years of African history and culture has been reduced to a fashion statement in which you metaphorically bare your arse! This is nothing to do with Black culture, this explanation is far from convincing, it’s simply a feeble post-cultural definition of blackness, since when has exposing your crack been exclusively black!

The idea of banning saggy pants has been endorsed by a number of Black legislators, but in truth the issue is not really about fashion, it represents an attempt by the authorities to try to curb the rising criminality and gang violence, to address black underachievement and over-representation within the criminal justice system. As such it simply highlights the paucity of ideas and lack of an effective strategy to deal with black inequality and inequity. But the bottom line is that people have their own ideas about how they should live their lives and ultimately it's impossible to legislate against stupidity.

For some commentators this fashion is seen as an outward manifestation of the excesses of hip hop culture, however like the music the fashion has crossed the ethnic and racial divide and is no longer just a black thing. It’s not gender specific either, as it’s adopted by both males and females, and like many things American it's spread worldwide.

Like it or not we have to assume that saggy pants wearers have adopted the style because they deem it fashionable, for some it may even be that it marks them out as outsiders, gangstas, gang members and gang bangers. But the young have always been rebellious and used fashion as a medium of expression; in the 60’s it was miniskirts, now its saggy pants, it’s just something that young people do. But as much as I find it just plain stupid and unattractive I don’t think it warrants banning. If we imprisoned people for bad taste, most of America would be a prison camp.

I felt most uneasy as I viewed the mug shots of the 12 black guys who’d been arrested in Florida, the last thing the African American community needs is legislation to incarcerate more black males. According to data from the US Census Bureau in 2006, blacks made up 41 percent of US prison inmates, but only account for around 12 percent of the population.

People do all sorts of things that I find objectionable but in a democracy it is their right as long as it doesn’t harm anyone. How they dress has to be pretty low down on the list of misdemeanours, it might very well be a crime as far as the fashion police are concerned, but the transgression probably needs a major injection of style rather than imprisonment and a fine!

Hi, I'm David and I'm a Sex Addict

The David I'm talking about in this instance is the famed X Files Hollywood actor David Duchovny who apparently has entered a rehab clinic for sex addiction. The story goes that Duchovny has 'voluntarily' entered rehab (can people be compelled to do so?) in an effort to cure his addiction. He has asked that the public to respect his privacy and for his wife and children to be left alone as they struggle to deal with this situation as a family.

Duchovny is married to actress Tea Leoni and has two children. Call me a cynic but this sounds to me like just another actor who can't keep it in his pants. Is there really such a thing as 'sex addiction', is it like alcoholism, is there a twelve step programme of recovery, do recovering sex addicts meet to share each others experiences and for support, 'Hi, I'm David and I'm a sex addict'.

As far as I can ascertain at best the jury is out, some health professionals see it as an illness but most do not. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), published by the American Psychiatric Association is the handbook for mental health professionals, it lists different categories of mental disorders and the criteria for diagnosing them, sex addiction is not listed in the DSM-IV the most up-to-date volume.

I'm really intrigued by this 'sex addiction' label and wonder what sort of treatment Mr Duchovny would be receiving. Would he have to go 'cold turkey' or get withdrawal symptoms (if you'll excuse the pun)? Do you have to avoid going into certain places, so-called high risk situations where you might be tempted and fall off the wagon, (so to speak)? Do you get cravings like when you're deprived of alcohol; is there a patch you can wear or maybe some kind of gum you could chew? I'd bet the treatment is bloody expensive whatever it is, those sort of clinics usually are. My partner has promised that if I was ever unfortunate enough to be struck down by such a malady it wouldn't cost us a penny. She'd treat it herself by swiftly removing the offending parts – radical surgery she calls it! I do hope she keeps that one to herself.

Why is it that you never hear of any women being addicted to sex is it only something that men get? I wonder how do you determine what is too much sex anyway? David Duchovny is addicted to sex; I wish I could be so lucky, maybe being a Hollywood A-lister helps. I'd love to jump just about every woman I meet and for all I know some of them might even be interested in doing the same with me but I don't because I'm in a long term relationship. And doing something like that would jeopardise it, notwithstanding my partner's promise to give me a Jesse Jackson (remember he wanted to cut Obama's nuts off) and have me neutered!

Maybe it's something only celebrities get, the rich and famous, for example, I seem to remember reading that Bill 'I did not have sexual relations with that woman' Clinton, was also having treatment, 'religious counselling' for his sex addiction. There was a time when men who couldn't keep it in their trousers, the errant, unfaithful husband was not that big an issue; in fact it was a man's prerogative. Women just had to put up with it; it just goes to show how times have changed. Way back in 1963, the Mighty Sparrow, Calypso King of the World was proud to boast about his prowess in his calypso, the Village Ram;

"Is me the village ram...

Not a woman never complain yet with me

I eh boasting, but ah know I got due ability

And if a woman ever tell you that I

Ever left her dis-satisfy

She lie, she lie, she lie"

From Sparrow's perspective far from seeking treatment for an illness Duchovny should thank his lucky stars he's so blessed. In some countries having a mistress or mistresses is expected, since when has infidelity become a medical issue? I think it's a sign of the increasing medicalisation of life, the way in which human experience and behaviour is increasingly seen through a medical lens. Now there is a medical plaster for every behavioural sore and every deviance is a psychiatric or psychological illness.

Should Duchovny be subject to the attention of health professionals or divorce lawyers, I'll leave it up to you to decide. After all is said and done only David Duchovny knows whether he's is addicted to sex or not I'm certainly not in a position to say. For all I know it may very be true, on the other hand like Sparrow said of the woman in his calypso, it could be that,
“He lie, he lie, he lie.”

Guyanese Pilots

I've added this out of pure self-interest and also because I have had the experience of flying (in a de Havilland Twin Otter) into the interior with Captain Astil Paul, in the mid 90's, while exploring the Guyanese hinterland.

Guyana is a beautiful country, it's roughly the size of the UK and has a population of some 800,000. Sights like Kaiteur Falls is quite spectacular, and I visited mining villages, like Imbaimadai, which is a jump off point for gold prospectors and also Lethem on the Guyana/Brazil border. But the flights were an adventure in themselves, packed with people it was like an air bus, but not the Boeing type. And like a bus you could have a bumpy ride. I remember one flight which a bit choppy, a woman being sick next to me, unfortunately she didn't have an sickbag! We landed on some airstrips that could cure constipation. It was pretty exciting stuff I can tell you. But I never felt the least bit worried with Captain Paul at the controls. He was the consummate professional and a pilot of great experience and skill, who had flown jets internationally and took his job very seriously indeed. It might add he was also the pilot who flew the ill-fated group of American senator Leo Ryan who was killed in the events leading up to the Jonestown massacre. But that's another story!

Here's the story by Frank Roman on Guyanese pilots:

Added by Miles Williams to the group "GUYANESE PILOTS"

Hello Miles, here are some of the photos. In the early to mid 80's I was a trader to Brazil and flew on the HS 748 weekly, we nicked named her flop hat, not sure why. At that time GAC had daily service into Lethem and the daily arrival of flop hat was the high point of the day. The only way in and out. After a short time we could tell which aircraft was approaching sky van, 748, islander or DC 6 .by the sound of their engines.

The Lethem flights were always over booked; having a confirmed booking was not reason to think you had a seat in or out of Georgetown or Lethem. Many flights were late or canceled due to mechanical problems weather pilots sick plane gone to Trinidad or just because. As a result when we got to Lethem we never knew when we would be lucky to get on a flight back to Georgetown, shopping in Boa vista would take 2 days tops and it took at best a week of going to the airfield each day to make it out of Lethem. Our early warning signal for the arrival of flop hat was the sweet distinctive wine of her turbines at which time all 150-200 of us traders would make a mad dash to the airfield. Flop hat will forever have a place in my heart.

After moving to the New York one day I was driving along the Grand Central Parkway passing LaGuardia airport and I heard it that distinctive wine, all the memories of Lethem came flooding back and I almost ran the car of f the highway trying to see the approaching aircraft, as it came into view I was disappointed and confused it was not a HS 748 but a Fokker 28. I could not believe I was fooled but later learned that the F 28 uses the same engines as the HS 748.

One more foot note, Lethem's runway had a problem with cows over running it and as result many landings had to be aborted. Tony Austin and I do not recall who made a wheels up landing there after having to make a go around and they forgot to but the gear down on the second approach. Captain Astel Paul would get really pissed off when this happened, he was know for buzzing the cows off the runway. I happen to be on an early morning flight with Captain Paul into Lethem when he spotted cows on the runway, he did some flying that morning with a plane load of us, came in at tree top height up wind so the cows would not hear the aircraft approach and chased them off the field, this took about 4-5 passes of aerial acrobatics at a tree top level. I think I was the only one on board who was having the time of my life, I loved it but the lady in the isle seat next to me was not having as much fun, she had okra cook up that morning and became air sick vomited right in the isle I had the isle seat next her and with Capt Paul doing all those stunts the vomit was all over the floor, in the middle of all that I took off my seat belt folded my feet under me. Bibles came out from no where, people who for one reason or the other who were not speaking at the time were now holding hands. But he got the runway clear then on the final just before touch down the second before a voice rang out in the cabin "oh s*^%t did he remember to put down the f*&^%$g wheels?" then touch down thank God the wheels were down. That was the best flight ever !!!!! That picture was taken on one of my trips.

Frank Roman (Jeff Romans brother)

Ugly women need love too!

Now I wouldn't profess to know a great deal about women but I was rather intrigued by the appeal for aesthetically challenged women from the mayor of Mount Isa, a town in the Australian outback. If the objective is to get women to come to your town for forlorn men seeking love and relationships, maybe describing them as ugly is not a good starting point! I would have thought that simple courtesy, if not common sense would have meant him choosing his words more carefully. Didn't anyone think to mention this to him. I would really love to hear his chat up lines or be a fly on the wall to his conversations whilst on a date. It's literally not a good advertisement for Aussie (Outback) men. They do say that stereotypes have a kernel of truth which is then exaggerated to a ridiculous extent. In this case it would appear that no exaggeration is needed. As you can imagine the women of the town aren't too happy with that kind of publicity, I wonder if the mayor is married and what's his wife's take on all of this, we certainly have some idea about what she has to put up with. If this is the best the men of Mount Isa can muster then my advice would be to give up on enticing women to their town, they're hardly likely to be mounting anything in the foreseeable future. They should stick to the ungulates that have spawned a thousands jokes - Australia where men are men and sheep are nervous!

Ugly women wanted in Australia
Monday, August 18, 2008 | 5:23 PM

AP

The odds are good, but the goods are odd

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Life can get a little lonely for bachelors in the Australian Outback mining town of Mount Isa. So the mayor has offered up a solution: recruit ugly women.

Mayor John Molony found himself under attack Monday over comments he made to a local newspaper that read: "May I suggest if there are five blokes to every girl, we should find out where there are beauty-disadvantaged women and ask them to proceed to Mount Isa."

The mayor added that many women who already live in the remote Queensland state town seem quite happy.
"Quite often you will see walking down the street a lass who is not so attractive with a wide smile on her face," he continued. "Whether it is recollection of something previous or anticipation for the next evening, there is a degree of happiness."

The quotes, published Saturday in the Townsville Bulletin, sparked outrage among the town's female population, led to furious online debates and drew criticism from the local chamber of commerce.

"There's a lot of anger circulating among the community at the moment - a lot of passionate anger," Mount Isa Chamber of Commerce manager Patricia O'Callaghan said Monday. "There's a lot of women voicing their opinions."

Molony declined to elaborate on his comments Monday except to say they were "twisted and warped" by the newspaper.

"I've been shredded," he added, before hanging up the phone.

The situation may not be quite as dire as Molony noted. According to the 2006 census, males made up 52.6 percent of the town's population of nearly 20,000.

And several local women said there aren't a lot of gems to be found among Mount Isa's men, either.

"We've got a saying up here that the odds are good, but the goods are odd," 27-year-old Anna Warrick told The Brisbane Times.

(Copyright ©2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)