Parliamentarians Need a Dose of Inspiration

After an important decade of political changes,there are nine Black and Asian members in the House of Commons and ten in the House of Lords. They are symbols of minority access into electoral politics. But to play a valuable lobbying role the legislators must divulge and debate their priorities for minority progress.

Black and Asian Parliamentarians have gone through an intensive period of change, from Conservative to Labour-led government. Urban issues, left on the back burner far too long, must be confronted. Political leverage at the highest national levels is necessary to make the needs of cities, where most black and Asian people live, a key issue in all debates. See Blacks and Europe's Melting Pot Cities in the archives.

The voices and votes of parliamentarians can make a difference to urban communities where barriers still prevent equal esteem and access to opportunities. The proving ground of democracy is still the local neighbourhoods, streets, schools, workplaces, and enterprises.

Innovative ideas and actions are needed. To get the priorities straight, the parliamentarians should convene a national policy institute for Black and Asian Leaders in the Public and Private Realm. The institute members would seek to identify key urban issues facing their communities, and the means for tackling them.

Nine Black and Asian member entered the Commons in the General Election of 1997. All Labour M.P.s, their names are Dianne Abbott, Paul Boateng, Bernie Grant, Oona King, Piara Khabra, Ashok Kumar, Mohammed Sarwar, Marsha Singh, and Keith Vaz.

Full backgrounds of the MPs are given here. Re-elected members, Abbott, Boateng, Grant, and Vaz, are given first; newly elected members, thereafter.

For information, the names of the House of Lords members of Black and Asian backgrounds are: Lord Taylor, John; Baroness Amos, Valerie; Baroness Scotland, Patricia; Lord Paul, Suraj ; Lord Desai, Meghnad; Baroness Flather, Shreela; Lord Citnis, Pratap; Lord Sinha, Anindo; Lord Dholakia, Navnit; Lord Bagri, Raj Kumar.

Black and Asian Parliamentarians of 1997
House of Commons

Dianne Abbott
Representing the London constituency of Hackney North and Stoke Newington, Diane Abbott was Britain's first Black woman MP. Born in London of Jamaican parents, Abbott was educated at Harrow County Girls' Grammar School and Newnham College, M.A.Hons. History, Cambridge University.

A journalist by profession, she had worked as an administrative trainee with the Home Office; Race Relations Officer for the National Council for Civil Liberties; a reporter with TV AM and Thames Television; Public Relations Officer with the GLC and Head of Lambeth Council's Press Office.

Abbott was active in the Black Sections movement within the Labour Party and in community politics, including OWAAD (Organisation of Women of African and Asian Descent); the "Scrap Sus" campaign to ban police stop-and-search tactics levelled at Black youth, and was a founder member of the Black Media Workers' Organisation.

Active for many years in the trade union movement, particularly on race equality issues, Ms Abbott served for a year as Britain's first Black female Equality Officer in the Association of Cinematograph Television and Allied Technicians. She also served as an elected local councillor in the London Borough of Westminster for four years, during which she was a member of the Environment, Grants and Social Services Committees.

Paul Y. Boateng
Born in the Gold Coast (now Ghana), West Africa, Paul Boateng was educated at the Ghana International School and Accra Academy, and later at Apsley Grammar School and the University of Bristol, England. Boateng qualified as a solicitor in 1976, and was called to the Bar in 1989. His political life began with membership in the Labour party in 1966 and he became a prominent member of the Greater London Council 1981-86, serving as chair of the Police Committee. Elected as M.P. for Brent South in 1987, he severed links with the Black Sections movement in 1988, and became Opposition spokesman on Treasury and economic affairs. He is now Parliarmentary UnderSecretary for Health in the Labour Government.

Bernie Grant
Born in Guyana, and resident in Britain since 1963, Bernie Grant worked as a British Railways clerk, National Union of Public Employees area officer, and as a partisan of the Black Trade Unionists Solidarity Movement. In the political sphere he joined the Labour Party in 1975 and was elected as Member of Parliament for Tottenham.

Grant had served for a decade of service as local councillor in the London Borough of Haringey, of which he was elected Leader in 1985. He was the first ever Black Leader of a local authority in Europe, and in this capacity had responsibility for an annual budget of some &#amp;#163;500 million, and the well-being of a quarter of a million people, many of them Black and ethnic minorities.

Bernie Grant brought to parliament a long and distinguished record as a leading campaigner against injustice and racism. He was a founder memebr of the Standing Conference of Afro-Caribbean and Asian Councillors and a member of the Labour Party Black Sections. Grant was a member of the National Executive of the Anti-Apartheid Movement in Britain, with a longstanding concern about the situation in Southern Africa. He also had a keen interest in the affairs of the Caribbean region, and of Central America, Ireland and Cyprus. He was also involved in efforts to tackle racism on a European wide level, in association with European Members of Parliament and European anti-racist groups.

Keith Vaz
Born in Aden, South Arabia, Keith Vaz's family originated from India. He was educated in Twickenham and Hammersmith schools and at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge University, and gained BA Law Hons. and MA Hons. degrees. Before his election he was solicitor to the Highfields and Belgrave Law Centre in Leicester. He stood as a parliamentary candidate in Richmond, Surrey when he was just 25, and a year later contested Surrey West in the European election.

Oona King
Labour (majority 11,285). Bethnal Green and Bow. Oona King was born October 22, 1967: educated Haverstock Comprehensive Secondary School; York University; Berkeley-University of California (Scholarship) (BA Hons Politics). Trades Union: Southern Region Equality Officer, GMB. Profession. Trade Union Regional Organiser. She has worked as Researcher, Socialist Group, European Parliament; Political Assistant to Glyn Ford MEP, and on John Smith's Labour Party Leadership Campaign Team.Memberships include: Oxfam, Campaign for Pension Fund Democracy, Amnesty International, Jewish Council for Racial Equality (J-Core), One World, and the 1990 Trust. Committee interests include: International Development; Education and Employment, and Home Affairs. Special Interests are Race, Employment, Education, Health, Development, Women's Issues. Countries of Interest.- Bangladesh, Nicaragua, USA, Italy, France, South Africa. Languages Spoken: French, Italian. Recreations-. Running, music, attempting to learn languages.

King holds a safe Labour seat in the borough of Tower Hamlets. Boundary changes resulted in an additional 13,000 voters being moved into the constituency from the old Bow and Poplar seat, a change which made the seat slightly more marginal. It remained, however, a safe seat for Labour, though the party selected its winning candidate, Oona King, at the eleventh hour, A black, Jewish, female candidate, she.beat the Conservative candidate by 11,285 votes.

Although much of the constituency is working class, the seat includes the Tower of London and newer, 'yuppie' developments near St Katharine's Docks and Wapping, But, statistics reveal a picture of deprivation. The seat has one of the highest rates of council rented accommodation (57.2%), an ethnic minority population approaching 40%, high levels of unemployment and the highest rate in the country of multiple room occupancy (12% of houses have over 1 person per room). The area has a history as a centre for immigrant settlers - Jews from Eastern Europe and more recently Bengalis.

Piara S. Khabra
Piara S. Khabra, JP MP. Labour (21,423). Ealing Southall Born November 20, 1924; educated Punjab University (SA Social Services, BEd Teaching). Trades Union: Member, MSF Armed Forces, Served Indian Armed Corps 1942-46,Profession: Teacher- Councils, He has served as Councillor, London Borough of Ealing, Chairman, Indian Workers'Association, Southall, Middlesex. His interests include: International Development; Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; and Home Affairs. His special interests are: Employment, Education, Race Relations, European Affairs. Countries of lnterest: India. Languages Spoken. Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi.

The simple explanation for Labour's success, or Tory failure, here is the size of the non-white population. The Asian population in this seat is the second largest in the country, after Sparkbrook &#amp;#amp; Small Heath in Birmingham. The white population amounts to only just over 50% of the total. Other factors do not necessarily point to Southall being 'a Labour area - this is not an inner city seat, council housing amounts to only 13% of homes, unemployment is by no means unusually high and there are more non-manual workers than manual.

Dr. Ashok Kumar
Labour (majority 10,607). Middlesbrough South and Cleveland East; Majority: 10,607. Dr. Ashok Kumar's Education and career include: Rykneld School for Boys, Derby; Aston University: Chemical Engineering (BSc); Process Analysis and Control Theory (MSc);Fluid Mechanics (PhD); Research Fellow, Imperial College, London; Research Scientist, British Steel. He is a Member, Institute of Chemical Engineers and Member, Institute of Energy. Previous Parliamentary Career: MP for Langbaurgh (by-election) 1991-92. His interests include: Cricket; Badminton; Reading History &#amp;#amp; Philosophy; Listening to Jazz.

Mohammed Sarwar
Labour (majority 2,194). Glasgow Govan Born August 18, 1952; educated University of Faisalabad, Pakistan (BA Political Science); Mohammed Sarwar has served as Member, GMB, Director, United Wholesale Ltd. His council memberships include: Councillor: Glasgow District Council and Glasgow City Counciland he has been a member of Scottish Labour Executive. His special interests include: Housing, Employment, Economy, Devolution, International Affairs. Countries of Interest. Pakistan, Middle East, Developing World. Languages Spoken- Urdu, fluent, Recreations: Family and friends. He has been accused of bribery and voting irregularities in the aftermath of the election.

Although the constituency has the highest proportion of ethnic minorities of all the Glasgow seats, it is a predominantly white electorate. On the south bank of the Clyde in central Glasgow, Govan is famous for its (now largely defunct) docklands. There are major contrasts however. Though much of Govan is a depressed working-class industrial district, it also contains both Queen's Park and Pollok country park and the owner-occupied suburbs of Pollokshields and Shawlands. Govan is contains one of Glasgow's premier tourist attractions. The Burrell Collection is an eclectic gathering of works of art left to the city by shipping magnate William Burrell, is housed in Pollok Park, and includes many famous French Impressionist pieces and Rodin's The Thinker. Also located in the seat is Ibrox, home to Glasgow Rangers FC.

Marsha Singh
Labour (majority 3,877). Bradford West Born October 11, 1954, Marsha Singh was educated Belle Vue; Loughborough University (BA Hons Languages, Politics and Economics of Modern Europe): Trades Union: Member, UNISON- Profession: Health Service Manager. Her committee interests include: Home Affairs, Education and Employment, and International Development. Her Party Groups include: Chair: Bradford West Labour Party and District Labour Party. Her special interests are: European Union, Health, Education. Languages Spoken: Punjabi, French, German. Recreations: Chess, Bridge, reading.

Most of Bradford's Asian community live here(31,9% of this seat's population). Marsha Singh won this seat with a modest majority despite an unanticipated 5. 5% swing from Labour to the Conservatives.

The seat is one of great contrasts, stretching from the inner city areas out to the more select and rural fringe of the city. The University is surrounded by some of the most deprived housing and commercial property in the city. The Council however has successfully promoted Bradford as a tourist destination with attractions such as the Alhambra Theatre and the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television. Bradford found it difficult to recover from the decline in the textile trade and unemployment is still high. It is a youthful city; nearly 43% of the population are under 24.