On communities and voting
One positive aspect of the election was that cultural and ethnic tribalism in voting patterns is clearly disappearing, which as Britain is clearly now a multicultural society is a good thing.
According to a recent thread on Political Betting,
"New research finds that the tories took a third of the ethnic minority vote at GE2015."
You can read about this research at British Future at
http://www.britishfuture.org/articles/ethnic-minority-votes-up-for-grabs/
Conservative candidates apparently received 38% of the Asian vote - almost identical to (in fact about a point above) our share among the electorate as a whole.
The party also passed the million barrier in the total number of ethnic votes received for the first time.
Part of the reason for this is that more members of ethnic minorities than ever before are now both putting themselves forward as Conservative candidates and actually being selected on a colour-blind basis. (We no longer have the infamous "A list" because we no longer need it - and it was an Asian woman, Sayeeda Warsi, who scrapped it.) People like Priti Patel and Sajid Javid are now serving in the Conservative cabinet and nobody in their right mind would argue that either got there on anything other than ability.
That has to be a good thing: people should be elected on the basis of what they stand for and what they can offer, not their skin colour or a tribal view of their culture.
According to a recent thread on Political Betting,
"New research finds that the tories took a third of the ethnic minority vote at GE2015."
You can read about this research at British Future at
http://www.britishfuture.org/articles/ethnic-minority-votes-up-for-grabs/
Conservative candidates apparently received 38% of the Asian vote - almost identical to (in fact about a point above) our share among the electorate as a whole.
The party also passed the million barrier in the total number of ethnic votes received for the first time.
Part of the reason for this is that more members of ethnic minorities than ever before are now both putting themselves forward as Conservative candidates and actually being selected on a colour-blind basis. (We no longer have the infamous "A list" because we no longer need it - and it was an Asian woman, Sayeeda Warsi, who scrapped it.) People like Priti Patel and Sajid Javid are now serving in the Conservative cabinet and nobody in their right mind would argue that either got there on anything other than ability.
That has to be a good thing: people should be elected on the basis of what they stand for and what they can offer, not their skin colour or a tribal view of their culture.
Comments
the fact that the others were all in cloud cuckooland probably helped too, but mainly by keeping their voters away. The main thing was the referendum, and we all know its going to be a played up "great victory" when DC comes home with a "new treaty" which is really a very sligtly reworded part 3 of TFEU on freedom of movement, but which will be lapped up by the media and the conservative party just as much as a none existent "treaty veto".
thing is the electorate can see through it, happy days
Of course that does not leave time for a treaty change, but it does allow for slight amendment of part 3 of the Treaty Of The Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), formally known as the Treaty of Rome, under the "simplified procedure" of Article 48 Treaty of European Union (TEU, Formally known as The Maastricht Treaty) by the Treaty of Lisbon. (we confused yet? good)
also as the uk will have the rotating presidency of the EU Council in the second half of 2017, then expect the vote to be around August. 2017 was not a date plucked from thin air, its an oportunity to be seen "right at the heart of, and in a controlling position of the EU" that the IN side won't want to miss.
Trust me on this one.