Labour-run Birmingham City Council is promoting a raft of new ‘inclusive‘ (read: patronising) street names for a new development. These include the distinctly David Brent-esque:

1. Equality Road
2. Diversity Grove
3. Destiny Road
4. Inspire Avenue
5. Respect Way
6. Humanity Close

No doubt these new names in Birmingham will serve as inspiration for other Labour councils, which are busy compiling lists of offending bits of history in their areas – Lambeth Council recently published a document detailing offending “Street Names, statues and memorials”. These included:

• Tradescant Road – “John Tradescant the Elder and the Younger, Lambeth gardeners who made occasional use of slave trade vessels travelling to N America and Africa for the transport of botanical and anthropological specimens.”
• Tomb of Capt. William Bligh – “Transported breadfruit from the Pacific to the Caribbean, which became a staple food for those labouring on slave plantations. Subsequently admiral and governor of New South Wales.”
• St. Thomas’ Hospital Statue – “Commemorates Charles Murchison, medic to the East India Company.”
• Juxon Street – “Archbishop of Canterbury whose family was involved in the sugar trade in Jamaica and whose family coat of arms has four African heads.”
• Lilford Road – Lilford’s father was “compensated after the abolition of slavery for their slaves and plantations in Jamaica.”
• Tulse Hill and Tulse Hill ward – “Named after the Tulse family who held local manors in the early 17th century. Sir Henry Tulse was a later 17th century descendant and a Lord Mayor of London whose wealth came from profits from the slave trade.”
• Henry Tate Libraries – “Tate gifted three libraries in the borough. His wealth derived from his family’s sugar business which post-dated the abolition of slavery.”

Ahead of the game, Lambeth Council renamed Tate Gardens as Windrush Square in 2010. Perhaps the residents of Lambeth will soon too be seeing their own Equality Streets and Diversity Groves. The revolution marches on…