Can Britian have a black PM?

Can Britian have a black PM? (Full Version)

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missturbation -> Can Britian have a black PM? (11/8/2008 10:08:40 AM)
quote: Now the US has elected its first black president, how long until the UK has a black or Asian prime minister? When Barack Obama claimed that his story could only have happened in America, he might have been looking across the Atlantic for evidence. The odds of a black or Asian person taking the keys to 10 Downing Street any time soon are slim. Tony Blair acknowledged as much in 2001, when he suggested the US was ahead of the UK in having people from ethnic minorities occupying some of the top political posts. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7714056.stm quote: A report by the commission says there is too much "vertical" division in Britain between social classes. It states: "We are not just limiting our description [of inequality] by gender or race but we are also looking at this extremely important issue of class." Mr Phillips said: "We have to tackle the causes that drive inequality in our society and I think, to be honest, the public is very, very keen on this at the present time. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7518207.stm Any thoughts ?

meatcleaver -> RE: Can Britian have a black PM? (11/8/2008 10:17:41 AM)
Yes. There has been several black and Asian ministers but you have to remember, the electrate doesn't choose the Prime Minister, the winning party in the election does so there will never be an Obama phenomena in Britain. Britain doesn't have an equivalent to a President, the head of government and head of state are two completely different positions. No one shows the Prime Minister the respect and deference that Americans show their President.

FatDomDaddy -> RE: Can Britian have a black PM? (11/8/2008 11:13:12 AM)
I don't mean this to sound sound foolish but are there even elected black MP's? One needs to be a MP to be Prime Minister correct? Next time I watch Prime Minister's Questions I'll need to keep a sharper eye.

meatcleaver -> RE: Can Britian have a black PM? (11/8/2008 11:19:57 AM)
Yes there are black, Asian and Jewish MPs. Only 3% of the British population is black, about 5% various Asian so there in lies a problem if it is a numbers game. Blacks and Asian are under represented by about 50%, the Jewish community over representation by several hundred percent. Not that is makes a difference unless you're counting which I suppose asking the question does mean counting.

Termyn8or -> RE: Can Britian have a black PM? (11/8/2008 11:22:12 AM)
Pursuant to the title of this thread - YES YOU CAN ! It is a simple process, just tell a White PM that he is a dictator doing God's will or whatever he wants for eight years and you might just get one no matter who elects him. T

SL4V3M4YB3 -> RE: Can Britian have a black PM? (11/8/2008 11:53:42 AM)
People make all this sound like some kind of fashion accessory. Yes MP’s should be representative of the people they are errm representing. The main problem in the UK has always been that most ethnic minorities are concentrated in certain areas of the country. Elsewhere the MP’s are representing their mainly white populations and there are more of these mostly white constituencies up and down the country. This means ethnic minorities are represented by a small number of MP and the only way to change this is to have ethnic minority MP’s representing white constituencies. The other thing to consider is that only a small number of Joe public get any say in who the actual PM is. i.e. those that vote in the constituency each party leader represents. I don’t know that the establishment is ready to put forward a ethnic minority party leader from the sparse selection of candidates they have available. On the subject of me living in David Cameron’s constituency (which I don’t) and being a conservative supporter (which I am not) I’d vote Labour just to prevent the smug grin on his face, the world should be spared that at least if not his party.

stella41b -> RE: Can Britian have a black PM? (11/8/2008 12:16:02 PM)
I go along with what Mr Phillips said in his article and feel that the biggest single issue we have in the UK is finding unity through the social classes. This is a bigger issue than racial integration. We may not seem as forward as the United States it would seem when it comes to racial integration but this I feel is more due to the fact that our history is different than for any other reason. The majority of black and Asian people are here because their relatives were encouraged to come here after the Second World War to help fill labour shortages and take on the more menial jobs in industry, public transport, hospitals and the civil service and this has been a pattern which was repeated in more recent years by Africans and Eastern Europeans. There have also been waves of immigration from refugees and asylum seekers, for example Jews after the pogroms in Eastern Europe and during the Second World War, the Vietnamese in the 1970's and others such as Somalians, those from the Balkan states, Kurds and so on. However it is important to remember that in a country where 25% of the population live in and around London, ethnic diversity really only exists in the larger towns and cities and elsewhere the UK is predominantly white. From my own observations and experience in London where I live - and which may not be same as for the rest of the country - racial integration is more successful within the black community than the white or Asian communities. There has been some racial tension between those with ancestry from the Caribbean and those with African ancestry but this appears to have been resolved, especially among the younger generation. Within the Asian community particularly among those from the Indian subcontinent the divisions of the 1947 partitioning still exist especially between Indians and Pakistanis. Also within the white community a large influx of Eastern European migrant workers has caused tension among the indigent white population mainly through competition for jobs and basic cultural differences. I don't feel we need to look at Obama becoming the next US President to see how much further the United States is when it comes to racial integration as you only have to look for example at the film industry where you have a number of high profile black actors and actresses - Eddie Murphy, Denzil Washington, Whoopi Goldberg to name a few. How many British films have starred black British actors in leading or supporting roles? Can Britain have a black Prime Minister? Yes it can, but IMHO that day will not come until we have managed to break through various stereotypes and that in itself to me requires replacing that class struggle with unity.

Aneirin -> RE: Can Britian have a black PM? (11/8/2008 12:34:47 PM)
Yes, Britain has historically been more about social classes than racism. Racism exists, but it is not something those engaged in the class struggle are concerned about. Historically it has been lower class, middle class and upper class; http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=w0DUsGSMwZY A black PM is a possibility, but the parties I hear are institutionally racist, like the police and every other part of the establishment, why, I am not sure, but cannot help thinking it is a left over from the Empire days.

MadAxeman -> RE: Can Britian have a black PM? (11/8/2008 12:37:15 PM)
The most impressive black poitician Britain has produced is Paul Boateng. He was the first black member of the cabinet. I saw him at Snaresbrook Crown Court performing excellently in a human rights case when he was still a lawyer. He was next in line when David Blunkett resigned as Home Secretary, but Charles Clarke got the promotion. Boateng didn't stand at the last election and became Britain's High Commissioner for South Africa. There are Asian MPs, but they have a very mixed record. More commonly they can be found on councils, especially in the north of England where the Asian vote can be racially motivated. There has been much evidence that Afro Caribbean voters have very low turn out numbers and this is continually addressed by black lobby groups. Politics in Britain is increasingly safe and congested into the middle between left and right. There probably needs to be another generation of successful black political role models, performing well in the hgher offices before one rose to prominence within one of the main parties. First past the post voting does not lend itself to minority candidates. This is a failing of the system I feel.

Lucylastic -> RE: Can Britian have a black PM? (11/8/2008 12:38:18 PM)
I think so, I also think it is more of a class struggle than a race issue, but not having lived in the UK for 20 odd years,its from a memory aspect, not knowing what is going on. Lucy

meatcleaver -> RE: Can Britian have a black PM? (11/9/2008 3:07:08 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: stella41b I go along with what Mr Phillips said in his article and feel that the biggest single issue we have in the UK is finding unity through the social classes. This is a bigger issue than racial integration. Well I have to admit, as a white workingclass Brit, I've never felt represented which is why I stopped voting when Kinnock became a Tory in the miners strike. Tony Benn was right when he said, the battle for reforms are won outside Parliament and then rubberstamped by Parliament and claimed as Parliament's idea in the first place.

MzMia -> RE: Can Britian have a black PM? (11/9/2008 5:29:45 AM)
Simple answer, NO they will not have one in our life time, next question.

Aneirin -> RE: Can Britian have a black PM? (11/9/2008 5:37:09 AM)
Probably not, it is not just the establishment that has reservations, but also the great unwashed, the nitwits that see colour before reason, the very same people who believe it is immigrants that are responsible for our declining standard of living. The thing is they don't realise, if it were not immigrants that were their problem, it would be some other group, they always need a scapegoat to blame, when the problem as they see it, might very well be because of the attitude that they have adopted.

meatcleaver -> RE: Can Britian have a black PM? (11/9/2008 5:52:28 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Aneirin Probably not, it is not just the establishment that has reservations, but also the great unwashed, the nitwits that see colour before reason, the very same people who believe it is immigrants that are responsible for our declining standard of living. The thing is they don't realise, if it were not immigrants that were their problem, it would be some other group, they always need a scapegoat to blame, when the problem as they see it, might very well be because of the attitude that they have adopted. The great unwashed have little to do with it because their influence on parties is very limited as we have seen, workingclass people are vastly under represented in the British political system. The problem anyone has to overcome in British politics are the party machines and that means making alliances, stabbing people in the back and probably the hardest part, sitting through endless tedious meetings knowing the intricacies of points of order. Anyone with half a brain and not driven by self interest and mindless ambition will not make it through the system. We don't have an equivalent of a Presidential race where someone appeals above the heads of the party hierarchy to the members of the party and then to the electrate. The great unwashed nor any other part of the electorate, votes for a party leader.

pahunkboy -> RE: Can Britian have a black PM? (11/9/2008 6:04:38 AM)
HEll yeah. Brittan can have a purple PM, which ever flavor that will enhance the wealth of the globalists. the puppet color doesnt matter to them, as long as they can enslave us all. ...at least with globaliaztion folks of every color are now slaves.

michaelOfGeorgia -> RE: Can Britian have a black PM? (11/9/2008 6:06:07 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: pahunkboy HEll yeah. Brittan can have a purple PM, which ever flavor that will enhance the wealth of the globalists. the puppet color doesnt matter to them, as long as they can enslave us all. ...at least with globaliaztion folks of every color are now slaves. i can see it now, Prime Minister Barney...LOL

FullCircle -> RE: Can Britian have a black PM? (11/9/2008 6:07:47 AM)
I concur furthermore…. It's high time we started handing out the tin foil hats to stop them from intercepting our thoughts with their spy satellites...

MadAxeman -> RE: Can Britian have a black PM? (11/9/2008 6:08:27 AM)
There's the rub. Without being trite, we have absorbed much of Asian and black culture. There is a generation that speaks 'black' even when they grew up outside of an area of ethnic population. If the equivalent of a political black/Asian Jesus came along he would have to be approved by commitee, focus grouped to infinity and undoubtedly die on the cross of infighting.

pahunkboy -> RE: Can Britian have a black PM? (11/9/2008 6:16:41 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: SL4V3M4YB3 People make all this sound like some kind of fashion accessory. Yes MP’s should be representative of the people they are errm representing. The main problem in the UK has always been that most ethnic minorities are concentrated in certain areas of the country. Elsewhere the MP’s are representing their mainly white populations and there are more of these mostly white constituencies up and down the country. This means ethnic minorities are represented by a small number of MP and the only way to change this is to have ethnic minority MP’s representing white constituencies. The other thing to consider is that only a small number of Joe public get any say in who the actual PM is. i.e. those that vote in the constituency each party leader represents. I don’t know that the establishment is ready to put forward a ethnic minority party leader from the sparse selection of candidates they have available. On the subject of me living in David Cameron’s constituency (which I don’t) and being a conservative supporter (which I am not) I’d vote Labour just to prevent the smug grin on his face, the world should be spared that at least if not his party. SL4, LOL, thats what Obama is, a fashion accessory. Even Lord Obama is just a front for the globalists. we got tired of the pale white guy.

pahunkboy -> RE: Can Britian have a black PM? (11/9/2008 6:21:36 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Lucylastic I think so, I also think it is more of a class struggle than a race issue, but not having lived in the UK for 20 odd years,its from a memory aspect, not knowing what is going on. Lucy Lucy, since the 50s the US has took on the class status to more resemble UK. by that I mean that even tho we dont have titles we have compartmentalized people into a highearky of more and lessor people. more of us then before at lower rungs then higher. so- the rising tide elevate all ships? hardly.

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