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The Conservative Party and racial justice: Demos and Runnymede essay collection
17 October 2011
In partnership with Runnymede, the Progressive Conservatism Project at Demos has published a collection of essays from leading Conservative thinkers, writers and politicians laying out a new centre-Right approach to racial justice and inequality.
The collection, Are we there yet? urges David Cameron to concentrate on 'both sides of the deal' instead of appearing to focus only on ensuring that Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) British citizens live by 'British values'.
It floats a series of policy recommendations explaining how the Big Society can help to overcome entrenched racial injustice in British society.
"Are we there yet?" recommends that government:
- Supports the development of Free Schools in BME communities in order to help overcome the entrenched disadvantage faced by young black men and other BME groups.
- Nurtures faith and community groups working in BME communities - and foster the development of role models and mentors.
- Order Police Forces to resume recording the ethnicity of suspects who are subject to stop and search.
- Engage in a more positive discourse about 'multiculturalism' - continuing to dismantle 'state multiculturalism' whilst demonstrating pride in the plethora of cultures and communities that make Britain what it is.
The collection contains contributions from Gavin Barwell MP, Andrew Boff AM, Ray Lewis, Paul Goodman, Fiona Melville and others.
We are planning similar essay collections with the Liberal Democrats and Labour Party shortly.
You can read the essay collection on the demos website.
