Actors There and Here.

Idris Elba at this year's Golden Globes 

     There's a growing number of Black British actors making names for themselves in Hollywood today. Idris Elba, one of the most successful, is a prime example. A friend and colleague (Fellow actor) of Elba's, David Harewood, told the observer that he remembers talking to Elba about his decision to move to America. Intially, Harewood was skeptical, but became to realize that it was a successful move, and decided to follow suit. The moves both driven by the same force: The lack of roles available to Black British actors. Harewood is quoted saying: "Unfortunately there really aren't that many roles for authoritative, strong, black characters in this country. We just don't write those characters, that's a far," he then goes on to say "I don't want to trash this place, but I do think there is a certain lack of ambition in terms of telling a global story."
     But even in the U.S. there are issues with regards to race and the film industry. As Spike Lee puts it, "They know nothing about black people," they being a large amount of the producers, writers, and directors in Hollywood. This is the reason stereotypical roles have been the vast majority of the roles offered to Blacks for so long, even today. Many would like to believe that we are beyond the days of such prejudice and discrimination, but we are not. When Hollywood heavyweight George Lucas wanted to raise money for the production of the movie Red Tails---a story of the Tuskegee Airmen--, he was surprised to observe that lack of support from Hollywood. But it still seems that situation in the UK with Black actors is much more limiting than it is in the U.S. I guess the move from U.K. to the U.S. is a classic "Lesser of two evils" decision. 








Thorpe, Vanessa. "Why Black British Actors Are Heading for the US." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 02 Apr. 2012. Web. 02 Mar. 2012. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2012/feb/05/black-british-actors-america>.

     England's economy is one of the top in the world-- Of course, this stature is due to the fact that the UK (The actual sovereign state) is composed of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.England is rich in natural resources, thus making it a major player in trade. Their economy was the most powerful on the planet at a time-- even enjoying a "century of unchallenged rule." But, like the U.S. the UK has also experienced a great recession-- their greatest since the 1930s. England is rich in natural resources, thus making it a major player in trade. Their economy was the most powerful on the planet at a time-- even enjoying a "century of unchallenged rule," up until the rise of both U.S. and Germany. In 2010 Philip Aldrick, a journalist from The Telegraph, said: "Britain has emerged from its worst recession since the 1930s, contracting 6.6pc, and is not expected to return to pre-crisis output levels until 2012." But even here in 2012 we see that the economy is still on the "bumpy road"--what the English economy was characterized as-- presented in the Aldrick article. The politics of of it all have been laid out, but what does this mean for the average citizen? Well according to The Daily Mail, in 2011 the financial crisis wass making direct impact with paychecks, reporting "The cost of living is increasing by 5.1%, [and] the average worker is suffering a 3.3% drop in their wages." 

Production sector, which includes manufacturing, declined 1.4 percent.

(England is a major exporting country)

Aldrick, Philip. "UK Economy Could Contract in 2011, Warns Bank of England's Paul Fisher." The Telegraph, 22 Dec. 2010. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/8220185/UK-economy-could-contract-in-2011-warns-Bank-of-Englands-Paul-Fisher.html>.

"Economy Watch - Follow The Money." England Trade, England Exports, England Imports. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. <http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/england/export-import.html>.

"Feeling the Squeeze: British Workers Facing £750 Cut in Annual Salary." Mail Online. 17 Feb. 2011. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1357824/British-workers-facing-750-cut-annual-salary.html>.

"Over to You, George." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 18 Feb. 2012. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. <http://www.economist.com/node/21547817>.

"PressTV - British Economy Shrinks 0.2% in Q4 2011." Press TV. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. <http://www.presstv.ir/detail/228440.html>.

Government

     The government in England is called a Parliamentary Monarchy. It has one legislative body, and the head of this body is the equivalent to our President; This body is known as parliament and its chief executive is the Prime Minister. The prime minster, amongst other things, is also the head of their party. Like the United States' legislature, England's Parliament is composed of two houses: The House of Commons and the House of Lords. Members are elected to five-year terms and are then dissolved by the Crown (The acting Head of State-- monarch) on advice of the prime minister. While the Crown is theoretically in charge of a number of appointments and departments, all decisions are made on "advice" from the prime minister. Unlike the U.S., however, it does not have three institutions in place that serve as checks and balances. Their major political parties consist of: the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. The political ideologies of the Conservatives promote maintenance if of traditional institutions and advocate for very little change in society. The Labour Party, however is a more left, and currently describes the selves as a "Democratic socialist party".

Bernie Grant
Credit: TheLatest.com

     A CNN corespondent reported that although the number of Blacks in Britain were no where near the number of Blacks in the U.S., they faced some of the same oppressive and racist obstacles. Bernie Grant, a black former British Parliament member, once said, "Racism is an international phenomenon", and British institutions have serious barriers that prevent Blacks from advancing. 


Article link: http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9510/mmm_britain/index.html



     "How We Work | The Labour Party." A New Generation for Change | The Labour Party. Web. 14 Feb. 2012. <http://www.labour.org.uk/how_we_work>.
     "Conservatism (political Philosophy) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 14 Feb. 2012. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/133435/conservatism>.

Welcome

     England, in relation to the diaspora, is a major actor. There's research and scholarship that illustrates the presence of peoples of African origin and decent during the time of Roman, and pre-Roman, Britain. Black history in Britain both correlates to, and deviates from, that of the United States. On the one hand there are a number of experiences held by Blacks in Britain that are parallel to those of Blacks in the U.S., such as the slave trade, pan-Africanism, and a long and exhaustive fight for civil rights. One thing that it holds that is comparatively unique to it, however, is the immense amount of historical content-- Seeing as how the U.S. is a product of England and was established far after.

"England Large Color Map." World Atlas including Geography Facts, Maps, Flags - Worldatlas.com. Web. 6 Feb. 2012. <http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/lgcolor/ukecolor.htm>.