I'd argue that it'll be hard to make much progress on all this if the response to you making a good point rather badly is rather a lot of vitriol.

No, it's mandatory as in forced. The total distribution is, I believe, 18 months between the two parents and can be distributed as please (potentially 15 months for one or the other).

Totally right.

You say that, but when the local government in Tower Hamlets is pretty much sown up by the South Asian community, blacks are shut out in a way they aren't in virtually any other borough. Is it not institutionalised when black concerns and black enclaves are ignored by the council?