No more claiming to speak for 30 million people, 29 million of who consider you to be an annoying wide-eyed loon. If you want the votes of a non-regional constituency, whether environmentalists, muslims, small businessmen, or motorists, you have to engage with and persuade them that you are talking more sense than the alternatives.

_One man, several votes_, not _one nutter, one headline_.

I would qualify that by saying it’s a reflection of a hierarchical/centralised society…

“People who rise to the top in a representative democracy will simply be comfortable dealing with other people who act as representatives. They will most likely see representation as a natural and just form of social organisation and discipline. It is after all, the one in which they thrive and which we are all now familiar with.”

Quite – what we seem to forget when we focus in on ‘minority’ representativeness – is the whole basis of ‘representation’ in our society and concept of democracy in the first place.

People who rise to the top in a representative democracy will simply be comfortable dealing with other people who act as representatives. They will most likely see representation as a natural and just form of social organisation and discipline. It is after all, the one in which they thrive and which we are all now familiar with.

Without meaning anything by it, they divide and rule. If we don’t like it, we have to work out what they can do instead. And ideally show that the alternative is possible in our own thoughts, words and deeds. I wonder if it is possible in a mass society.

The National body I think is terribly weak, but it is so difficult to change from within. It is only a mirror image of the larger institution. It has a poor structure, and some of the people supposed to represent us, represent only themselves, they are less qualified then the people inside who should be there but the organisation, the NBPA, and the service does not allow good people in. it’s corruption in my opinion, institutional racism to the core. Sometimes the NBPA barks without any substance and those in power are so clued up that nothing changes.

Sunny I agree with you. Black people are not all the same ( I have South African decent which is vastly different from say someone from Nigeria). But this does not negate my central point. When my back is against the wall, I simply don’t have the time or the inclination to see subtle shades of grey. In a straight up fight, even white jews, irish and english people are honourary blacks as far as I’m concerned. After the battle is won then we can argue the toss but not until.

There are some like Ghaffur who have finally stuck their heads up, but hitherto they played the game of the Masters. It is a bit too late but no doubt they might get awards and consultancy posts thereafter.

Worse still, Asian people, even amongst themselves/ ourselves are not united. There is a lack of togetherness, lack of a common experience, or even a lack of humanity.

Yup! Black does include Asian in certain circumstances in my opinion. It cannot encompass everything when in certan cases (like education) their needs and experiences are different.

When you use a specific term for a part to represent the whole as well, things tend to get forgotten about.

It’s not like there is a word shortage, so different groups have to time-share the same small fixed set.

One would think having such allies that are probably middle aged, means if one scrubs the others back, the other may get an OBE or something in the essence of time.

This is not engaging with Brown people at all, but engaging with the Jones’s of the Asian world, who actually behave White, and to all intents and purposes do not share the wider Asian views or have not touch on the reality of Being British and Asian.

Not really — they arent linked, as far as the demand for media oriented towards them is concerned, if anything it increases when they get more disposable income.

I’d have to disagree and say that they are linked. To a point you are correct, initially they want media orientated towards themselves. Past that point they just want to be like everyone else in society albeit more conservative about social mores.