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The Commission for Racial Equality boss, Trevor Phillips, opened the floodgates to this erroneous debate about multiculturalism two years ago. Like the BBC newsreader George Alagiah, writing in yesterday's Daily Mail, he blamed the "policies of multiculturalism" for the alienation and radicalisation of British Muslims.

It was the prime minister's protege, Trevor Phillips, who was sent out to put up a smokescreen debate to explain the radicalisation of British Muslims. Calling for a discussion about multiculturalism, he claimed it had segregated communities, and must be replaced by a programme of integration. In a statement he would later have to apologise for, he infamously remarked, "we are sleepwalking into segregation." Every national media outlet covered the story, frightening middle England and empowering the British National Party to their greatest ever show at the polls.

OK, Patrick Mercer MP has been booted out the shadow cabinet and consigned to the political scrapheap along with other outdated Tory bigots such as John Townsend and Norman Tebbitt. Whatever Edward Pearce might say, that's where he belongs. And you can almost hear a collective sigh of relief from the Tory frontbench.

During a recent conversation with a journalist about the history of the Labour group black sections, I was asked: "How long has Operation Black Vote been going for?" "Actually', I answered, it only then dawning on me, "July 16 was our 11th anniversary."

The fax that organisations including the 1990 Trust and Operation Black Vote received on the May 19 2004 from the foods giant Masterfoods, a division of Mars UK Ltd, would forever change the relationship between big business and Britain's black communities.

It was the Prime Ministers protégé, Trevor Phillips, who was sent out to put up a smoke screen debate to explain the radicalisation of British Muslims.

As part of the Radio 4 Great Debates series I took part in the debate that pitted the ideas of two of the greatest African Americans that ever lived: Dr Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. How their ideas differed then and what is their relevance today formed the platform for the four combatants; the theologian and scholar Dr David Muir, and myself to make the case for Dr King, against the Historian Dr Hakim Adi and Toyin Agbetu the founder of Ligali, the African British Equality Authority, arguing for Malcolm X.06/02/2006

Simon Woolley, 01 Aug 2003 

Laurence Wedderburn, a would-be Conservative Party MP wants a debate about immigration and asylum. So, thinking that he will please his party bosses he -wrongly in my opinion-adopts a position that would not be out of place at a British National Party convention. Oh, and by the way, Wedderburn is Black. Writing in the Voice newspaper, Wedderburn launched an astonishing attack on an asylum seekers, explaining that, 'Black immigrants were invited to Britain.

Simon Woolley, 12 Aug 2002 

What is unmistakably a Black cultural event, the Notting Hill Carnival is the largest public event in Europe's calendar. Over a two day period an estimated two million people will cram into this pocket of West London. 

Simon Woolley, 02 Apr 2002 

For a brief moment the 2002 Oscars awards belonged to Black America.