News & Press
Race Equality from a Tory MP's Perspective
13 January 2010
In his paper, Grieve outlines a Conservative vision of a multi-ethnic society free from an over-interfering state, with an emphasis on the promotion of shared British values.
He also argues that a British Bill of Rights should be introduced to help achieve national unity, adding that the teaching of national history can help cement core common values.
Placing community cohesion in a human rights framework, Grieve condemns the introduction of a 28-day detention period without charge. He also dismisses multiculturalism as being divisive and over-reliant on state intervention, which in turn leads to 'political correctness'.
Leading academics' responses to Grieve’s approach are also in the report, including comment from Lord Bhikhu Parekh, who led the Commission on the Future of Multi-Ethnic Britain.
Lord Parekh offers another perspective on multiculturalism, arguing that Grieve’s critique is one-sided.
Meanwhile Professor Shamit Saggar of the University of Sussex praises Grieve’s paper as being ‘helpful to a Conservative vision for community cohesion’, adding that some reformulation is needed, however, over Grieve's assertions about the role of the state.
Professors Montserrat Guibernau (The Queen Mary University of London) and Ludi Simpson, (The University of Manchester), whose contributions are also in the report, were present to debate its contents in person with Grieve at a breakfast briefing held at the House of Commons on 12 January, 2010.
At the event, hosted by Runnymede, Grieve claimed that there had been ‘enormous change’ in the Conservative Party at representative level in relation to race equality.
The full report, now available to download for free, is the first in a new series of Runnymede Perspectives on race equality, each to be written by senior politicians.
Essays from senior members of the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party will also be published over the coming months, each one focusing on the relationship between core political principles and decision-making on race equality.
