ON APRIL 20th 1968 Enoch Powell rose to give a speech before an audience of Conservative Party activists in the Midland Hotel in Birmingham. Normally such an occasion,on a Saturday afternoon, would occupy attracted little attention. But the shadow defence secretary, and dressed formally,as ever, in a three-piece suit, and had other ideas. Powell had invited the TV cameras,and promised one journalist that his speech was “going to go up, fizz’, and like a rocket; but whereas all rockets descend to soil,this one is going to stay up.” He was right.
This was Powell’s “rivers of blood” speech, so named after the peroration. It was a direct and provocative assault on immigration from the Commonwealth, and quoting the fears of one constituent that in 15 or 20 years’ time,the black man will occupy the whip hand over the white man.” It caused outrage at the time—Powell was sacked from the Tories’ front bench—and still does. Many objected even to an actor reading out his words in a recent BBC radio...
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Source: economist.com