Lord John Taylor of Warwick

Getting to Know Lord John Taylor of Warwick

Lord John Taylor of Warwick’s passion lies in creating positive change and peacemaking. The son of Jamaican immigrants, Lord John Taylor struggled against racism as a child growing up in Birmingham. After a visit to Westminster Abbey at a young age, however, Lord Taylor knew that he was meant to one day impact the lives of the people of Britain …

UKIP, Lord John Taylor of Warwick, Endeavour Magazine

Is UKIP Half Baked?

“Fruitcakes and loons”. That is how David Cameron described the United Kingdom Independence Party, when he became Prime Minster in 2010. That could prove to be a dreadful strategic mistake, as he prepares for the next General election, in 2015. Unfortunately for Mr Cameron, the fruitcakes are on the rise. By labelling UKIP also as “closet racists” Mr Cameron is in danger of insulting millions of small “c” Conservatives who …

Lord John Taylor of Warwick, Endeavour Magazine, Britain

The Empire Strikes Back

“No Blacks, No Irish, No Dogs”. That was the sign in many windows in Birmingham 1950, when my father was looking for accommodation. Rooms that were advertised for rent had somehow “just been taken, ” shortly before he knocked on the front door of that particular address. When he was growing up in Jamaica, he had thought of Britain as the motherland. …

Skills Pays The Bills, Lord John Taylor of Warwick, Business, Education

Skills Pay the Bills

“Black people don’t become Barristers. Don’t you think you should set your sights a little lower?” That was the less than inspiring Careers Advice I was given at 16 years of age, when I told one of my teachers I wished to become a lawyer. Fortunately, I did not listen to him and achieved my goals. But decades later we are still failing …

Lord John Taylor, House of Lords, Endeavour Magazine, Race, Politics, Immigration

Winning the Race

“It was sure great to meet you and maybe we can catch up in London. Have a nice day”, said the slim young man. We were walking into an international leaders’ breakfast in the Hilton Hotel, Washington DC. We didn’t know each other, but shook hands and exchanged a short greeting. I did not think much more of it. A few …

Lord John Taylor of Warwick, Endeavour Magazine, oil prices

Will it be Oilright?

Government ministers are experts at saying dumb things. On 20 January, in a House of Commons debate about the oil industry, David Mundell MP stated boldly: “We can deal with the volatility of oil prices and continue to provide the stable regime that is so important to the industry”. Just 48 hours later the death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia provoked an immediate rise in oil prices and sent the …

Lord John Taylor of Warwick, terrorism, terror

The Terror Tax

21 November 1974 is a date etched in my memory. I was a university student, enjoying a drink with a couple of friends in Birmingham’s Mulberry Bush Pub. By the time I got home I saw the news on the TV. Less than an hour after we had left the pub, it had been blown up by an IRA bomb. The nearby …

Ebola, Lord John Taylor of Warwick, House of Lords, Britain

Ebola Takeover

There are some startling facts about Ebola. One is that since March 2014, over 3,000 people have died from the rapid spread of the virus, throughout some West African countries. Another is that there has not been one full debate about the Ebola crisis, in either the House of Commons or House of Lords. I am not saying that electric …

Face Value, Lord John Taylor of Warwick, Multiculturalism, society, education, values

Face Value

Addams Family Values was a Hollywood hit film of the 1990s. No one could dispute this featured a tight knit family with firm values. The problem was that gory Gothic horror was what defined their values. So when the Government recently announced that all schools will be required to promote “British Values”, many were left asking “What does that mean? …

Are the Chips Down for the Internet?

Why did the chicken cross the Web? To get to the other Site. Well, the Internet may not have improved the quality of my jokes, but there is no doubt the Web has had a huge impact on our lives. The World Wide Web was invented 25 years ago. It is difficult to imagine how we coped back in 1989. …