The publisher of a newspaper in West Yorkshire has hit out at what he calls 20 years of failed multi-culturalism in the area.
Danny Lockwood launched independent weekly title The Press in Dewsbury in March 2002 in direct competition to the Dewsbury Reporter and Batley News, which he used to edit.
He has now written a book entitled The Islamic Republic of Dewsbury after witnessing what he terms ‘the hard-hitting chronicle of the massive social changes in the district.’
The 320-page paperback, which sold out in six weeks, lifts the lid on what he describes as ’20 years of failed multi-culturalism’ and examines a wide range of issues from crime to corrupt politics.
Said Danny: “I approached a couple of book publishers, but not surprisingly the title alone sent them running for cover.
“An editor friend read the manuscript and he just said ‘get a good lawyer.
“But the red-hot topics the book covers have all been ‘tested’ previously. Most of them came out in our two week libel trial with Dewsbury’s former MP Shahid Malik, which ended in a hung jury and Malik dropping the case.
“I wondered if we might hear from Baroness Sayeeda Warsi’s lawyers but there hasn’t been a peep.
He added: “I suppose I could have given right of reply to the drug dealers I ended up slugging it out with at 6am, the police, politicians and race industry professionals we name and shame, but they’ve all had their chances in the past.
“In fact we haven’t heard a negative word from a single person who has looked beyond the title and actually read the book. No fatwas, no boycotts of the business, and in no time at all no books left, despite us only selling it from our town centre office and online.
“It’s back in stock now and we’re looking at marketing it beyond Dewsbury, because this is a message that will resonate in far more towns and communities than ours.
“Meanwhile The Press continues doing a cracking job despite the tough economic times and the sob stories we hear regularly from across regional and local papers.”
To celebrate the landmark anniversary The Press will publish a month-long series of features on the people and events that have marked the paper’s own story.
The Islamic Republic of Dewsbury is available from www.thepressnews.co.uk, priced £14.95, or via Amazon in Kindle format.
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Now there’s a word I’m looking for here…
No, it’s gone
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Knowing Danny well, this book will for sure expose the multicultural mess that is so many cities and towns across the north of England.
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Almost forgot … looking forward to the review in the books section of the Guardian sometime soon, perhaps?!!!
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Mr Lockwood’s views on ‘multi-culturalism’ are well known and quite distasteful. I imagine ‘polemic’ would probably best describe this tome.
It won’t be on my Christmas list – and neither is he.
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Why pick such a controversial, and potentially inflammatory, title? Can’t help but feel it panders to people of a certain unsavoury mindset, regardless of the actual content or messages therein.
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I haven’t read it but it sounds as if it might be telling the truth.
The job of a journalist is to tell the truth regardless of where the pieces might fall.
I fail to see how that ‘panders’. ‘Ill-informed’ (comments) may be a good pseudonym.
Mr Lockwood has picked a good subject that many people do not have the guts to tackle. If it has been done well, he will have done society a service.
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I’m with Ill-informed on this. If you want people of all beliefs to not “judge the book by the cover”, pick it up, read it and then make a judgment, why pick that title? It clearly puts many people off reading it, judging by the editors who were sent “running for cover” by the title. It does seem designed to appeal only to those of a particular mindset.
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The title of the book is meant to be controversial for a reason, to attract comment and thereby attract readers. There has been more comment on the title than the content, which is a shame.
I was born and raised in Dewsbury and think the book gives an honest and fair account of the changes in the area. I would be willing to bet that there will be no libel charges on anything said because it is all true!
Along with a fair majority of people who live or have lived in Dewsbury, I am ashamed of how the town is now, dirty, unloved and unloveable. It really has lost it’s heart.
Read the book, try to imagine that this could happen to your own home town. If you do neither of these things then it very well might!
Great book, entertaining and very, very honest
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