The MK Mix

 

The latest polls indicate that the Conservatives are still going strong in terms of support and confidence from the public, while there seems to be some doubt over the leadership and competency of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Liberal Democrats (Lib-Dems). 

My inkling is that this drop in support and uncertainty in the minds of some voters is at least in some part due to the ethnic minority electorate. May’s elections saw a great shift in Labour supporters crossing sides to the Liberal Democrat camp. Of these voters, a significant number belonged to the UK’s BME communities. One of the most convincing explanations for this sudden switching of sides is that many of Britain’s Muslim voters, the majority of whom are Asian, voted against the Labour government because of its stance on the Iraq War. Another, more general explanation is that ethnic minority voters felt a great desire to see marked improvement in the country’s economic situation and health and welfare systems and this led them to vote for a complete change. When you consider that many members of our ethnic minorities have historically aligned themselves with the Labour Party, rather than the Conservatives or Lib-Dems, it’s not to be wondered that some may now be feeling slightly unsure of their new political choice. 

So what did Labour have that attracted so many votes from the UK’s BME communities all these years? One reason may be due to the Party’s humble beginnings. Since its birth during the early part of the twentieth century, the Labour party (or movement) has represented the struggle of the working class, of people working tirelessly under difficult conditions who are in dire and unfair financial situations, people who are striving to improve their lot by fighting for fairer rights and so on. Have parallels ever been drawn between the poor, white, working class of post-World War II and those immigrants who came to Britain in the 1960s and 70s from the Caribbean and Indian sub-continent? Focus seems to have always centred around the racism and animosity endured by one and inflicted by the other during that latter period. In reality, similar social and working conditions between the two groups in the middle of the last century could be a very satisfactory explanation for initial voting patterns and sustained loyalty towards the Labour Party in our ethnic minority communities today.  

I have often noted that many Asian people I am acquainted with have chosen to vote Conservative as they have moved up the social and financial ladder. I have never fully understood why this is, but my hunch has always been that they see their change of vote as being a sort of political and social ‘upgrade.’ To them, the Labour Party remains the party of the working class, poor and deprived, while the Conservative Party is seen as being the party of the more privileged, those with social standing. In short, a party more fitting to their own new social and financial station. It seems ironic that these very connotations that have been so heavily criticised by others, and swatted by its members, are exactly what draw in the richer, more status-minded Asians in the first place. 

 I realise this may all sound rather patronising, as if our ethnic minority electorate base their votes on nothing more than emotional and social links and possess very limited knowledge about British politics, the electoral system and political parties, but this may not be that far from the truth. England is actually one of the only countries in the world that does not teach the workings of government and the electoral system as part of its national curriculum. As such, most of the population, white, black, brown or any other colour under the rainbow, are in fact very ignorant of the detailed realities of Britain’s political system and so, their votes tend to be based on many other reasons. Ethnic minorities, of course, are not exempt from this, though their reasons may differ to those voters from other communities. Deliberately seeking out information is much more difficult than being taught and explained certain details and intricacies at school. That is not to say that English voters stupid, but rather that they use logical reasons that are personal to them, when there is a lack of knowledge, to bestow their votes.  

However, if the new make up of the House of Commons is anything to go by, it would seem that this is definitely changing, in at least some scions of our ethnic minority communities. The last general election saw a notable number of new MPs from BME backgrounds, such as Chinyelu Onwurah, Priti Patel and Helen Grant. Both Patel and Grant are Conservative MPs, which further illustrates that there are members of our BME communities that actively seek greater political knowledge and do not just consider party origins when aligning themselves politically.  

I am sure many would argue that the historical beginnings of our political parties hold little relevance to the way people vote in 2010, but for some members of the UK’s BME communities, I think this is still considered to be a rather valid reason to vote for one party and shun another. For others in our community, voting allegiance is decided upon for more information-based reasons, perhaps due to better political education and increased political interest. As with many issues, it seems that economic disparity and education are two definite key factors in influencing the views and voting behaviours of the UK’s ethnic minority communities. Whatever the reasons, it can not be denied that 2010 has seen a great reshuffle in terms of party loyalties from the ethnic minority electorate and that because of this, along with recent events in Government, many people from these communities may be feeling a sense of uncertainty about the future.