News

Something has happened that I haven’t seen for a very long time. Our communities –Black and minority ethnic communities are not only talking politics- which we’ve always done- we are doing politics too. Grime artists, young intellectuals, activists, campaigners and many others have all shown an appetite to engage in this election, many for the very first time.

We all know that today’s politics is a ‘blood sport’; If you are faint hearted and or have thin skin, then don’t go into politics.

But what  Diane Abbott has been forced to endure, and not just in this election campaign but over many years, has gone way beyond the ‘punch and Judy’, hurly burly of British politics.

Why should people vote Conservative? I could follow the typical route of using the same narratives pushed out by the news and the so-call typical sound-bites, but I want to adopt a different approach.

It is clearly accepted from the outset, that politics, especially leading up to a General Election is never an easy ride. Not all will agree with the policies of either parties whether one leans to the right or to the left. One thing, which is without question, is that it is imperative that we, the BME community, should be part of the process.

No, there are not too many elections. Elections are about the people exercise their right in a democracy and we must all endeavour to go out on June 8th and vote in this very interesting election.

Though billed as an election to determine who is the best candidate to lead Britain into the Brexit, none of the leaders have been able to explain to us what a soft or hard Brexit is about and we are none the wiser how it will affect us.

Liberal Democrats believe that every person is entitled to the same opportunity to succeed in life. That means breaking down the barriers that hold people back, fighting discrimination and defending individuals against an overreaching government. We strive for a country that is welcoming and open-minded. One that is optimistic, that rejects prejudice and embraces diversity.

Of all the political parties, the Labour party has the longest and proudest history of tackling race inequality in the UK, and long may it continue. 

The political leaders have responded to you!

The collective work of 20 BME organisations, which has included writing a race equality manifesto; undertaking research highlighting the power of the Black vote; and the voter registration campaign with OBV’s media partner, Saatchi & Saatchi, has ensured many more thousands have engaged and registered to vote, along with persuading political leaders to directly respond to BME issues.

A UCL undergraduate, originally from Stratford, has launched a crowd funding campaign to help him raise enough money to spend a year studying at Harvard.

Isaiah Wellington-Lynn, of African-Caribbean descent, has been offered a place on Harvard’s prestigious Visiting Undergraduate Student Class of 2018 programme. However, the source of funding that he was relying on has now unfortunately fallen through, meaning that he has to try to raise £64,000 by June 8th.