{"id":27982,"date":"2023-01-01T22:00:57","date_gmt":"2023-01-01T21:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1757345"},"modified":"2023-01-02T02:13:48","modified_gmt":"2023-01-02T01:13:48","slug":"call-the-midwife-tackles-enoch-powells-chilling-rivers-of-blood-speech","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/call-the-midwife-tackles-enoch-powells-chilling-rivers-of-blood-speech\/","title":{"rendered":"Call the Midwife tackles Enoch Powell\u2019s chilling Rivers of Blood speech"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Abby Robinson\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Sunday, 01 January 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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From the moment it arrived on our screens, Heidi Thomas has used Call the Midwife<\/a> as a vehicle to both entertain and highlight challenging real-world issues<\/a>, and tonight\u2019s episode was no exception.<\/p>\n

Poplar becomes a community divided following Enoch Powell\u2019s 1968 Rivers of Blood speech, in which he delivered a scathing attack on UK immigration.<\/p>\n

The Conservative MP was addressing party members in Birmingham ahead of the second reading of the Race Relations Bill, legislation designed to prohibit racial discrimination in employment, commerce, housing and public services. But Powell believed that it would be harmful to \u201cthe indigenous population\u201d.<\/p>\n

Tory leader Edward Heath described the 45-minute speech as \u201cinflammatory\u201d and \u201cliable to damage race relations\u201d, with Powell removed from his role as defence spokesperson the following day.<\/p>\n

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Leonie Elliott as Nurse Lucille Robinson and Zephryn Taitte as Cyril Robinson. BBC\/Neal Street Productions\/Olly Courtenay<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Both Lucille and Cyril are aggrieved and troubled by what has unfolded. \u201cIncitement to racial hatred in this country is a crime,\u201d says Cyril.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s going to arrest a politician?\u201d responds Lucille. \u201cIt won\u2019t stop people from acting on his words.\u201d<\/p>\n

And she\u2019s not wrong. There was some support for Powell, with approximately 1,000 London dock workers protesting in support of him, which is also depicted in Call the Midwife.<\/p>

One of the pregnant women Lucille is caring for also launches into a furious anti-immigrant tirade during her labour. Lucille is so distressed by the incident that she walks out.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll is not well,\u201d she says to Sister Julienne.<\/p>\n

Lucille was already pining for her family in Jamaica, but her sadness looks set to morph into something much more acute in the coming episodes.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n