Labour’s historic breakthrough in African-Caribbean representation came 1987 with the election of Bernie Grant, Diane Abbott, Paul Boateng and Keith Vaz. Along with 23 African-Caribbean and Asian colleagues I was elected as member of parliament for Brent Central in May. We have had some progress in increasing ethnic minority representation since then, but there is still more to be done. Frankly progress has been too slow.
The Tories were a long time in recognising this democratic deficit, but they have caught up fast. From just two BAME MPs in 2005, they now have 18.
Analysis last year suggested we need 120 BAME MPs for the House of Commons to be fully representative of the British population. We have a long way to go. The under representation of the African-Caribbean community is particularly striking which is why we have relaunched Bernie’s List with the backing of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Named after the inspirational Tottenham MP Bernie Grant, it will target support for African-Caribbean members seeking selection as councillors, MPs and other elected positions. It is modelled on Emily’s List, which helped bring about the surge in women MPs and councillors.
As chair of the all-party parliamentary group on governance and inclusive leadership I genuinely welcome the progress the Tories have made. However, analysis produced by Democratic Audit last year showed that Tory MPs are less inclined to take up issues of special concern to their ethnic minority constituents.
While I am passionate in pressing all parties and organisations to increase representation I am determined that Labour will lead the way. I am delighted that Jeremy Corbyn shares that determination.
Jeremy was a personal friend of Bernie’s from their days on Haringey council, where Bernie was leader before becoming an MP. Jeremy joined Bernie’s widow Sharon and me at a Black History Month symposium in the House of Commons to relaunch Bernie’s List. We were also joined by shadow equalities minister Kate Green MP and of other Labour MPs including Diane Abbott, David Lammy, Kate Osamor, Chi Onwurah and Keith Vaz, along with leading African-Caribbeans from community organisations and business.
Our task will be to reach out into every constituency and enthuse members, new and old, to recognise that we need a party that looks and sounds like the communities we represent. That can only happen if we can recruit and develop the African-Caribbean talents in our midst. We will engage members of the community with business, legal and communication skills to help develop potential new councillors and MPs. Bernie’s List is a valuable tool in for Labour’s in our ongoing fight for equality.
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Dawn Butler is member of parliament for Brent Central
The title of this article is confusing. I assume that there has been a previous drive to get more African Caribbean MPs which failed so there has to be this new one. What happened to the former drive, I must have missed it?
Then we have to ask, I certainly do, why we need more of those MPs when the ones we have had haven’t been particularly good. Bernie Grant had to apologise to the widow of PC Keith Blakelock murdered by a black gang in Tottenham thirty years ago when he said black youth had given the police a good hiding. Keith Vaz isn’t black and Paul Boateng had nothing to do with the Caribbean. Dianne Abbott is one of the worst MPs we have ever had with her anti white comments about blonde Scandinavian nurses and the racial prejudices of white teachers against black male pupils in London schools as an excuse to explain away why a disproportionately large number of African Caribbeans are expelled.
This is nothing more than the last vestiges of political correctness which never went mad it always was. The assumption is that, give a level playing field, there would be an exact replica of the racial mix of society in every aspect of the legislature, the legal system and the business world. Rubbish! Some communities are more involved in politics than others. Asians, particularly Bangladeshis, are disproportionately represented in Tower Hamlets whilst Turks are not involved in politics almost at all in the north London boroughs of Hackney and Tower Harringay where there are very large communities.
All this article is, like a similar one in today’s London Evening Standard by Chuku Ummuna and Vince Cable calling for quotas for the boards of FTSE companies to be packed with ethnic minorities so that there is the right racial mix. A completely rubbish article which, fortunately, was countered by one directly above it by the writer Ed West which completely demolished their arguments. Anyone who wants to read a sensible and well argued account of why all political correctness is mad should read West’s book The Diversity Illusion, a breath of fresh air in a PC world.
Well, it’s been sixteen hours and nobody has commented which means one of several things. The subject matter isn’t controversial or important enough so no one has bothered or I have won the argument with one post. I would have thought that Ms Butler would have at least tried to defend her position but maybe after the train wreck interview on television she is so embarrassed she is keeping her head down.