Anthony Walker Law Scholarship Scheme 2009

[GrandOldTeam]

Just been looking at careers within the Crown Prosecution Service and noticed a Law Scholarship Scheme. Fairly decent, I thought. Then I read this;

Eligibility

The scholarship is open to any Black or minority ethnic person who has secured or intends to apply for a place to study the LPC or BVC full-time in the 2009/10 academic year

That can't be right, I thought. It MUST be a misprint. So I done some more reading and on another seperate page;

To be eligible to apply candidates must come from a black or ethnic minority background and have secured or intends to apply for a place to study the LPC or BVC full-time in the 2009/10 academic year.

and

The scheme will offer one place in CPS Merseyside to a trainee solicitor who wants to become a fully-fledged solicitor or barrister. It is open to any black or ethnic minority person who has secured or intends to apply for a place to study the LPC or BVC full-time.

To apply, the first stage is also;

CPS Application
The scholarship is open to any Black or minority ethnic person who has secured or intends to apply for a place to study the LPC or BVC either full-time or part-time in the 2009/10 academic year. We will also accept applications from those already part-way through their LPC or BVC at present.

Do you meet this criteria?

If you haven't got the picture yet, you must be Black or a minority ethnic person in order to apply for a position - which I, unfortunately a white person, would have liked to have applied for.

Whatever happened to equal opportunities?

 

[Rugby Toffee]

Couldn't that be derived as a form of racism? I thought we had overcome these types of hurdles....but there again there is a employment agency near me just for the Polish, all the adverts in the windows are in their language....

 

[Nebbiolo]

It's equalising opportunities, or at least that's the intention behind it. No doubt the CPS is not representative of the culture it operates in. I think sometimes these schemes are worthy of pursuing, if only to get a more representative feel to the organisation. You would hope at some point in time, it would no longer be necessary.

 

[GrandOldTeam]

It's equalising opportunities, or at least that's the intention behind it. No doubt the CPS is not representative of the culture it operates in. I think sometimes these schemes are worthy of pursuing, if only to get a more representative feel to the organisation. You would hope at some point in time, it would no longer be necessary.

I thought that was the poor logic behind it too Neb - but that intention method has long gone - and lets not forget, thats not what equal opportunities represents. Theres no such role/scheme within the CPS that a non BME person can apply for. I've done a fair amount of work on this and I think it falls under the likes of the below in that political goal pursuit has caused reverse racism...

There are arguments that over-emphasis on police racism has effectively ‘paralysed’ some officers who are reluctant to enforce the law upon BME individuals due to senior managers placing emphasis on pursuing political goals (Rowe 2004). Such political goal pursuit has also attributed towards ‘reverse racism’, with senior managers allegedly fast tracking under-qualified ethnic minority officers to high positions in order to meet race representation targets. As such, controversial race diversity employment targets have been dropped, having been deemed unlawful (Slack 2009).

 

[davek]

You can blag your way through that ethnic minority criteria. Just tell them you consider yourself white Irish. I know that doesn't answer your point, like.

On the issue itself: it is the Anthony Walker scholarship. It'd be an insensitive person who argued the toss on some black kid getting a leg up via that post.

 

[Nebbiolo]

I thought that was the poor logic behind it too Neb - but that intention method has long gone - and lets not forget, thats not what equal opportunities represents. Theres no such role/scheme within the CPS that a non BME person can apply for. I've done a fair amount of work on this and I think it falls under the likes of the below in that political goal pursuit has caused reverse racism...

Reverse discrimination, rather than reverse racism. I doubt the CPS has racist attitudes to white people.

The problem you have when you talk about equal opportunity, is that it is apparent that no such thing is physically possible. Some people are cleverer than others. Some had a background that is conducive to getting on in life. It doesn't take long to conjure up many examples of why things are not, nor ever will be, equal.

Is this not just one little way in which an institution can at least make a small change to its own structure? Surely the more diverse it is, the better it is?

Obviously the above assumes that employment is only offered to people that are of a very high calibre.

 

[Whitebootman]

CPS Press Release.

CPS law scholarship in honour of Anthony Walker
18/05/2006

The Crown Prosecution Service today launched a law scholarship in memory of Anthony Walker, a young man with ambitions of becoming a lawyer, who was viciously murdered because of the colour of his skin.

The Director of Public Prosecution, Ken Macdonald said: "The Attorney General proposed, and I am pleased to announce, the launch of this law scholarship scheme.

"Anthony had dreams of becoming a lawyer. These dreams were ended in a vicious and completely unprovoked racist attack. I hope this scholarship will help people like Anthony to aim high and to achieve their full potential. I want to let people see that the CPS offers interesting and varied careers, careers that are open to everybody, where people are judged on their merits and not on their background or the colour of their skin.[/B]

The Attorney General Lord Goldsmith said:

"Anthony Walker wanted to be a lawyer but the opportunity to fulfil his potential was taken away when he was brutally murdered by racists.

As a Liverpool man myself, I am extremely proud that the Anthony Walker law scholarship will open doors for young people from Merseyside, especially if they come from black and minority ethnic communities, who are currently underrepresented in the CPS locally.

I wonder at what point a reasonable policy promoting equality, became a policy of exclusion. The press release seems to say this scholarship is open to everyone on merit irrespective of background and especially (but not exclusively) if they come from black and minority communities, yet now it clearly excludes people. Why the change? I wish I had an answer.

 

[Azzbot]

Don't be silly. Only the whites are racist to black people..remember!?



Seems stupid that like.

 

[Nebbiolo]

Don't be silly. Only the whites are racist to black people..remember!?



Seems stupid that like.

Nobody said that, lid.

But it is true that it is much easier to get to the top of the tree if you're white.

 

[GrandOldTeam]

Reverse discrimination, rather than reverse racism. I doubt the CPS has racist attitudes to white people.

Both from the same hymn sheet. I doubt it too, but police discrimination has led to the police being widely branded racist.

CPS Press Release.

CPS law scholarship in honour of Anthony Walker
18/05/2006

The Crown Prosecution Service today launched a law scholarship in memory of Anthony Walker, a young man with ambitions of becoming a lawyer, who was viciously murdered because of the colour of his skin.

The Director of Public Prosecution, Ken Macdonald said: "The Attorney General proposed, and I am pleased to announce, the launch of this law scholarship scheme.

"Anthony had dreams of becoming a lawyer. These dreams were ended in a vicious and completely unprovoked racist attack. I hope this scholarship will help people like Anthony to aim high and to achieve their full potential. I want to let people see that the CPS offers interesting and varied careers, careers that are open to everybody, where people are judged on their merits and not on their background or the colour of their skin.[/B]

The Attorney General Lord Goldsmith said:

"Anthony Walker wanted to be a lawyer but the opportunity to fulfil his potential was taken away when he was brutally murdered by racists.

As a Liverpool man myself, I am extremely proud that the Anthony Walker law scholarship will open doors for young people from Merseyside, especially if they come from black and minority ethnic communities, who are currently underrepresented in the CPS locally.

I wonder at what point a reasonable policy promoting equality, became a policy of exclusion. The press release seems to say this scholarship is open to everyone on merit irrespective of background and especially (but not exclusively) if they come from black and minority communities, yet now it clearly excludes people. Why the change? I wish I had an answer.

Don't you underline me pal

I'm telling you as fact, you can only get on that scholarship if you are BME.

https://www7.i-grasp.com/fe/tpl_cps...3&c=418765787723&pagestamp=dblebtiquiokjkhkxg

Click no and see were it gets you.

 

[Azzbot]

I can't view that page.

Say's I'm white.

 

[GrandOldTeam]

Nobody said that, lid.

But it is true that it is much easier to get to the top of the tree if you're white.

Research is very conflicting, often from manipulation. I have found plenty of instances were the contrary is true.

Take the police for instance. People argue theres a lack of BME at higher positions. 5% of top positions are BME - 3% short of the BME population representation. Its often neglected that those BME officers reached their position much quicker than white counterparts.

Also read Yesterday that theres a massive shortage of BME blood donors. A shortage of representation doesn't necessarily attibute as foul play, as some would have you believe.

Anyway, thats going off on one. Point is, at this moment in time, if you want to work for the CPS in Merseyside - you can only do so if your Black or from an ethnic minority group. You can sugar coat it and flog the old representative culture all you like but the fact is, its blatantly not equal opportunities. Equal opportunity can't discriminate against any person.

 

[Whitebootman]

Sorry if this sounds cynical, In doing my family tree I found I am part Gypsy. If I ever see a job adverstised where I work I'm going to milk that part of my ethnicity for all its worth. Us Gypsy folk are well in the minority here.

Worth a try.