tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3732919976442735382.post1846625607483463219..comments2023-10-08T10:24:24.396+01:00Comments on Stephen's Liberal Journal: Question For Iain Dale "Why Aren't the Tories Doing More?"Stephen Glennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027718551675624433noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3732919976442735382.post-91509296039436365512010-03-04T16:36:02.303+00:002010-03-04T16:36:02.303+00:00Good post Stephen.I also blogged about this today ...Good post Stephen.<br><br>I also <a href="http://markreckons.blogspot.com/2010/03/how-can-we-increase-diversity-of.html" rel="nofollow">blogged about this today</a> pointing out that STV with multi-member seats would likely help to improve representation too.Mark Reckonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00744387583593537268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3732919976442735382.post-41401316128981921532010-03-04T18:37:33.089+00:002010-03-04T18:37:33.089+00:00Cheers Mark I had read yours too. But seeing LibCy...Cheers Mark I had read yours too. But seeing LibCync's post the figures just up at me and rang alarm bells. Just knew there was a statistical error in Mr Dale's comments.Stephen Glennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027718551675624433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3732919976442735382.post-42364000939095240202010-03-04T21:35:27.179+00:002010-03-04T21:35:27.179+00:00Stephen,I have consistently engaged with this issu...Stephen,<br><br>I have consistently engaged with this issue from a position of arguing that cross party progress is what matters, and putting accurate evidence on the table in an often highly mythologised debate. I have given credit to the LibDems for now improving on gender. Where the other two parties are now making faster progress on ethnic diversity than gender; with the LibDems, it is very much the other way around.<br><br><br>But your statistical claim of something like parity with the Conservatives doesn't fit the evidence. If you compare like with like, it is clear the LibDems are since 2005 now running a distant third on (i) party held seats; (ii) top target seats though keeping pace with the Tories on (iii) all candidates, including long-shot and unwinnable seats. A <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/nov/06/race-uselections2008" rel="nofollow">summary</a> as at end 2008 is here. (The overall picture hasn't changed much since: both Labour and the Conservatives have made further selections at a broadly similar rate in party-held and target seats, with the LibDems making only a little progress in long-shot targets). <br><br>I think your pejorative "parachuting" riposte to my piece rather reinforces the point I was making. You risk saying 'we only want local candidates' but the problem is also that a hyperlocalist approach can see BME candidates as only perceived as "local" in high BME population areas. <br><br>The LibDems risk falling into a regressive, outdated and potentially illiberal way to think about Brits from different ethnic origins: it risks <a href="http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2008/03/minority-shortlists-british" rel="nofollow">ghettoising non-white Brits</a> in politics as primarily "community representatives" of particular ethnic communities; there is much more flux in reality once we are in a 2nd/3rd/4th generation situation, and a great many people don't fit those boxes. (That is why I am against all black shortlists).<br><br>I was offering an alternative to "parachuting" which could do something about a situation where the effective LibDem strategy for not having an all-white top team in the Commons does too little to go beyond hoping to occasionally snatch a high ethnic minority area seat like Leicester.Sunder Katwalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06671411534003530927noreply@blogger.com