Lib Dems race report: But will they listen?

Black and minority members of the Liberal Democrats –EMLD- have thrown down the gauntlet to their party bosses.

A year ago Leader Nick Clegg asked the group to produce a report that would help the party ensure that tackling race equality was at the forefront of the party’s thinking. Moreover, as Government coalition partners the Lib Dems could ensure that those policy changes that were disproportionately affecting BME communities, such as education, policing and employment could be challenged.

Although it’s a good document, there are some glaring omissions, not least in holding the party accountable to their pledges and promises to address the zero BME representation in parliament. Just before the election Deputy Leader Vince Cable stated on an OBV –the Black Vote Decides- platform: “There is one thing I will promise you; after this election I will personally take responsibility for ensuring that we do much better in regards to BME representation.”

To date Cable and the party have no plan to deliver on that election promise.

The final report by the Task Force, out this week is a thoughtful document which makes more than thirty recommendations including:

• Opposing all attempts to weaken the Equality Act.

• Ensuring the ECHR is sufficiently funded and has its designated independence valued

• Reintroducing targets for BME teachers in schools

• Ensuring the national Curriculum adequately reflects not just multicultural Britain

But the response by their Leader Nick Clegg is hardly a ringing endorsement:

“The ideas in this report are not Government policy or Liberal Democrat policy, and I don’t necessarily agree with every individual recommendation in these pages. But the questions, challenges and issues that this report raises are important ones for all Liberal Democrats that share my goal of ensuring that we build a fairer society in a stronger economy enabling everybody to get on in life.”

In the weeks and months ahead BME communities and particularly BME Lib Dems will want to know what recommendations does the leadership agree with, and those they don’t why not. Nobody would disagree we must build a ‘fairer society’, but without the detail in regards to race inequality these statements are meaningless.

The gauntlet has been thrown down. The question is will the party respond?

Simon Woolley