The Labour party had the whole of the Scottish parliament’s first term to take positive action to help members from ethnic minorities to be nominated and contest winnable seats. Yet, come this year’s election, we were still at the stage of working groups – a great tactic to give the impression that something is being done. But we know what has to be done – it is the same as has been done for women. That is, positive action to ensure that individuals are represented within the next Scottish parliament.
As a prospective candidate for two Scottish elections I was struck by a feeling of tokenism. There was no real impetus within the party to assist in contesting a seat. It was left up to me to find my way through the maze of party structures. This is not to say I expected any preferential treatment, just action that demonstrated the commitment of the party in ensuring that candidates from ethnic minorities got off the starting blocks.
We are the Labour party. It is time for individuals from ethnic minorities to join forces with other members who are committed to a true representation of society, and make their voices heard. We must not settle for crumbs being offered by the party hierarchy. We need to ensure that in three years time there are a number of candidates from ethnic minorities who can represent Labour and contest winnable seats – and not only in communities which are dominantly black.