St Andrew's Kenton elder Richard Potts introduces a compelling read.
"Queue up in an orderly line and buy this book now!" he tells us......
ONE BY ONE is the title of a short book, a "novella", by Peter Sagar, Secretary of Amnesty International in the North East and a member of the congregation of St Andrews URC, Kenton, Newcastle upon Tyne.
One by One was first published towards the end of 2007 and is an intriguing tale well worth reading. The story revolves round a reading group of eight women. One of them, Catherine, the latest to join, despairs of the other seven for she had hoped she would readily fit in, as they are all of similar age and occupation ‑ but quickly discovers she is the only one to defend asylum‑seekers during discussion. She equally rapidly realises these refugees are blamed by the others for many of this country's ills. Catherine finds it difficult to comprehend and counter their strong opinions and narrow‑minded bias when multicultural issues are discussed, and wonders if she should continue meeting her fellow members.
Little by little, however, as the chapters proceed, six of the other seven members of the group experience unexpected situations which modify or profoundly change their attitudes, correcting previous misconceptions and propaganda misleadingly peddled by sections of the British media, although the author is careful not to over‑emphasise this aspect.
Lyndsay's mother suffers serious injuries in a car crash; the consultant who saves her life is an African immigrant who came to the UK as an asylum‑seeker and was allowed to stay ‑ and practise his professional skills.
Philippa, much to her own surprise, stops to talk to a clearly‑ill man with a foreign accent. Her solicitor husband reluctantly drives them to hospital before rushing off home; there is friction between husband and wife as Philippa elects to stay until the man has been seen by a doctor. She discovers the stranger is an Iraqi, threatened with deportation by the Home office. She is amazed he has been sleeping rough when she knows all asylum‑seekers are given generous handouts when they arrive; she is speedily disabused of this myth, discovering refugees are only eligible for a fraction of the benefits available to the indigenous population and are often treated like slaves in this country. The hospital is eventually able to provide a bed for this Iraqi and, thanks in part to nurses from overseas, there are sufficient staff to look after him.
Jo is one of several teachers in the group. Her Head takes her aside one day to tell her she is to have a new pupil ‑ from Angola ‑ in her class. Despite her previous strong prejudices, when she meets her new charge and his mother, she is drawn to them, immediately aware of their misery and resentment. As she talks to them she has to agree we all have the same Maker and are worthy of comparable treatment, and that people in this country are dependent in many ways on the labours of others elsewhere. The mother is an exceptionally well‑educated woman of great ability and perception ‑ and bitter that the USA and UK have exported arms, death and injury to Angola.
Yvonne turns on the car radio while travelling to work, and is alarmed to hear a man from the Refugee Council speaking up for asylum‑seekers. Stuck in a traffic jam, she participates in the radio phone‑in, forcefully expressing her views about an overcrowded country ‑ only to be contradicted by the Refugee Council representative, who adds that the supposed problem fails to take account of the numbers who emigrate from these shores each year.
Emma listens to a television news report about failing house prices, which are said to be a cyclical blip ‑ but she knows full well this fall is entirely due to the unwelcome influx of asylum‑seekers. Then the TV news switches to the fighting in an African state, providing viewers with the grisly sight of dead bodies, the, wounded and the intense mourning. Emma is moved because she lost a child a few years earlier ‑ a child who in one brief unsupervised moment had rushed out into the road and been struck by a passing vehicle. She keeps the news on, learning that the weapons used by both sides in the conflict were mostly manufactured in Britain. Overcome with emotion, she pens a letter to the local paper, admitting she used to regard asylum‑seekers as inveterate scroungers but, having seen the telecast, now realises that if we cause this misery then the least we can do is accept and welcome them. When the letter is published she is surprised to find this does much to assuage the guilt from her own loss.
Sarah and her boyfriend John are out walking and it starts to rain. They seek refuge in a church (St. Andrew's!) John is unhappy in the building and wants to leave as soon as he can. Sarah however absorbs the implications of the Christian Aid poster before appreciating the beauty of the stained‑glass window depicting Jesus with outstretched arms ‑ underneath which is a text (Matthew 3, 31‑35 ‑ look it up, if you cannot recall it!) A few days later, Sarah is almost attacked by a youth with a knife, but is saved when an asylum‑seeker rescues her. She asks him to use his mobile phone to call the police and is amazed he does not have one, for she has it on good authority that they all receive a mobile phone amongst the other 'goodies.' provided when they land in this country. This Kurd gently persuades her she has been misinformed. When the police are summoned and arrive, they have to be convinced not to take her rescuer into custody. By chance, a journalist hears of the incident and interviews her; despite her clear statement that an asylum‑seeker has helped her in her time of need, any reference to an asylum‑seeker is omitted in the subsequent newspaper report. That enables Sarah to realise she has found her brother (see text reference above!)
When the eight women meet again for their reading group, the atmosphere is very different from last time. Compassion and tolerance are manifest. There is only one discordant voice ‑ that of Michelle, still completely hostile to asylum‑seekers and increasingly irritated by the others changed views and tones.Eventually, however, having vainly tried without success to resist the reasoned arguments of the other women, Michelle breaks down utterly and, in floods of tears, confesses she was born in Czechoslovakia and came to the UK with her parents in the 1970s. She was told when growing up that immigrants here are badly treated and was advised to change her name and take on a British identity. The other women assure her of their continued acceptance, friendship and new understanding.
By describing One by One at such length, I may have deprived Peter Sagar of sales! I sincerely hope not for his book is one to cherish, with an easy style and an important message. For me this short volume was both riveting and powerful, and Peter is to be congratulated on this first work. It deserves a wide audience and I hope it will achieve this.
Queue up in an orderly line and buy it now! One by One [ISBN 978 ‑ 1 ‑ 84401 ‑ 978 ‑ 61 is available from Athena Publications (Queen's House, 2 Holly Road, Twickenham, London, TW1 4EG) or direct from Peter Sagar price £5.99 + postage.
St Andrew's Kenton Jubilee Booklet