OBV Press Release: London Lib Dems face Black backlash

Accusations of 'Shameful', useless, and 'racist' and others that are unprintable were some of the many responses coming from BME Lib Dem party members after the announcement of the Lib Dem top up list for the GLA elections.

Not one BME candidate made it in the top eight of the Lib Dem London Assembly top up list. To date the Lib Dems like the Tory's have never had a BME GLA elected member. Due to its complicated selection structure, the top up list is the only mechanism that the party has to ensure greater political representation from BME communities. And on this showing-only the top 2 or 3 stand a chance of being elected; the party has failed miserably.

Simon Woolley, Director of Operation Black Vote said: "Ming Campbell, Simon Hughes and the wider party leadership have spectacularly failed their Black members and Black Londoners. In London where 1 in 3 are from a BME community the Lib Dems have behaved like an oligarchy hell bent on maintaining an unrepresentative status quo. The consequences for the party as a whole could mean a meltdown of BME support."

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said: "The LibDems failure to select any black, Asian or other ethnic minority candidates in winnable positions on the Assembly list is simply not sustainable. The LibDems say they’re formally against racism and in favour of the diversity of London but that it doesn’t actually apply to their candidates for the London Assembly. London is the most diverse city in Europe - it deserves an Assembly that reflects that fact, which means not just selecting black and Asian people as token candidates but selecting them in winnable seats. Unless the LibDems step in to correct the selection of their list candidates they will be totally out of step with London."

Cllr Fiyaz Mughal, former Chair of Ethnic Minority LibDems said: “It is not only embarrassing, it is shameful and the Party consistently fails to have a strategy in place to deal with it. Political posturing with Joseph Rowntree Funds is not the way forward but changing the innate suspicious attitudes to BME candidates within the Party rank and file is something that should be taken head on. Until the leadership do not make a bold move, the status quo will be maintained and in 2007 that is a sure fire way of a Party looking like it is out of touch with the electorate.” 

Karen Chouhan, Director of the 1990 said: "It is unacceptable that the most diverse city in the world, where 40 per cent of the population is non white, the Lib Dems have failed to select a single BME candidate for the London Assembly. Warms words from the Lib Dem leadership cannot substitute for real action on this important matter. The majority of Londoners will feel deeply offended that a mainstream party has  produced an all white candidates list for the forthcoming London elections. The Lib Dems will therefore be joining the BNP in offering an all white team of potential candidates to London’s electorate."

Ashok Viswanathan Assistant Director of OBV said: "The Labour Party has 13 Black MPs and the Tories 2 Black MPs. Furthermore, both parties have shown leadership and been bold in policy - Labour announcing black-only shortlists and Cameron's Tories introducing the A list. The Lib Dems have failed Black communities at this critical time. Black communities are fed up waiting for politics to catch up with the 21st century and deliver racial equality."