The Great Pokemon Go Debate

Growing up all I ever wanted to do was one of two things.

• Turn my cap backwards, pull a red and white poke ball out from my belt and go out to ‘catch ‘em all’.

Or 2) Fall through a hole on a golf course and end up playing basketball with Michael Jordan and some Looney Tunes

With the shrink ray still unavailable to be downloaded from the App Store, and no proof as of yet of any colourful characters running around in an underground world, it turns out the anime adventure is more plausible today.

First of all, let me apologise if this article does not flow as well as one would expect. With the Pokemon Go app flashing away in the corner of my eye, it is hard to concentrate, even if it is just another Weedle entering my close proximity.

As a child, I tried my best to catch ‘em all. I bought the cards, I watched the show and I even completed Pokemon Blue on my Gameboy Colour on a number of occasions.

If, back then, I had the Pokemon Go app, I know my commitment to becoming the best Pokemon trainer this side of Pallet Town would have been second to none.

Today, I unfortunately have to work between the hours of 9am and 5.30pm with the occasional evening or weekend shift thrown in there like some sort of fiendish plan concocted by the notorious Jessie and James - Team Rocket.

What I am able to do is play the game in my free time. I enjoy the occasional pit stop at a Pokemon stop and have even ventured to a gym once or twice.

I may not be a very high level (currently nine), but the nostalgic feel I get is certainly worth tapping on a button on my phone.

In a world which we are expected to be grow up and follow protocol, the news of people quitting their jobs to become Pokemon trainers is something I warmly welcome.

You only get one life so why waste it in an office? Oh yeah, the whole salary thing...

Anyway, if you can do it, I, along with my many Pokemon pals out there salute you.

Go catch ‘em all. Go find yourself a Brock and a Misty to venture with. Go and earn your badges.

Go Pokemon Go.

No Pokemon No

I won’t be downloading Pokemon Go because I’d rather flick my bogeys at a squirrel in the park than virtual balls at an ‘imaginary’ Snugglyfluff -  or whatever those pesky Japanese creatures are called.

I hear that it ‘helps people with exercise’ - but if you’re craning your neck downwards at your smartphone, then I don’t know how you can really enjoy the great outdoors.

Pokemon’s well-loved catchphrase is: “You gotta catch ‘em all”, but since when has catching anything ever been positive? A cold?

Pokemon STOP! We don’t have to catch you,  you seem better off out there in the wilderness of Yorkshire, wiggling away in front of lamp posts and pubs.

I’d feel mean stuffing the plump and rounded Pikachu into a tiny red ball. I’m more of the ‘Born Free’ type: I’d like to release my newly found, sunshine-yellow friend into the wild and hope he bounds back in years to come like Christian the Lion on YouTube.

I’ve got a much better idea. Why not buy some ping-pongs, paint them red, and then ping them at annoying Pokemon Go fans? The more stupid they look, the more imaginary points you can heartily give yourself.

On a serious note, authorities in New York are about to ban registered sex offenders from playing the popular mobile phone game while they are on parole.

The measure will bar nearly 3,000 people now and others in future.

It is aimed at safeguarding the children who walk through the real world looking for virtual characters.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said new technologies must not be “new avenues for dangerous predators.”

He said: “Protecting New York's children is priority number one.”

However, we can’t let fear-mongering become the status quo, so if you must, then Pokemon Go!

EU referendum: Debate affects 8 million of BME people in the UK

IMPORTANT ISSUE: Dr Mohammed Ali OBE says the question about whether the UK should stay in the EU is an essential political debate for BME communities

Ethnic minority vote is key to EU referendum

A national charity, based in Bradford, says that black and ethnic minority communities could decide the EU referendum but only if they turn out to vote.

Chief executive of QED-uk, Dr Mohammed Ali OBE, said: “The debate about whether or not to stay in Europe concerns many of the most important political issues of our time.

“It affects every one of the 8 million people of ethnic minority origin in the UK.

“Many of them are likely to have very different opinions from their white neighbours but we are concerned that they are less likely to register to vote.”

QED Foundation works to promote the social and economic advancement of disadvantaged communities with a particular emphasis on ethnic minority groups.

It urges everyone to find out more about the issues involved in EU membership, such as talking to people who are for and against it so that a decision can be reached and a vote casted in the forthcoming referendum.

The United Kingdom has very different demographics to other European countries, which could affect our attitudes to EU membership.

For example, we have the largest Pakistani population outside the Middle East at over 1.5m, while many nations have less than 1,000.

A 2015 Ipsos Mori report showed that more than half of white Britons saw immigration as a top concern, while less than one third of ethnic minorities shared this viewpoint.

However, they are often affected by related policies and should be included in the debate according to a December 2015 report by the race equality think tank Runnymede Trust.

For example, EU membership might result in immigration restrictions focusing on other countries.

Although people from black and ethnic minority communities are less likely to take advantage of free movement, the Runnymede Trust report says that they  may be pro-Europe because they believe it will offer more protection from discrimination.

They may also be affected by wider implications of EU membership such as the possible effects on trade and investment, competition for resources and legislation.

For more information contact Dr Mohammed Ali OBE on 0300 500 1000, email m.ali@qed-uk.org or visit www.qed-uk.org