Dominic Bascombe, Contributor
THE FORMATION of a black political party is the best means to ensure that black parliamentary members are able to work effectively for the black community, said campaigners recently.
Emma Pierre Joseph of media watchdog Ligali told The Voice that she and her group were preparing to enter the political arena at the next election on a 'black community ticket'.
"We need a party for the African British community that will be uncompromising," she said.
Joseph was responding to questions about the lack of an elected black Cabinet member in the recent reshuffle by Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The only black member is Guyanese-born Baronness Valerie Amos, in her capacity as Leader of the House of Lords.
Amos lost out in her bid to head the United Nations Development Agency.
There are no black senior government ministers.
David Lammy, MP for Tottenham, has been relegated to a junior post in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Paul Boateng, the first black Cabinet minister in the last Government, stepped down at the election in order to take up a role as the British ambassador to South Africa.
The lack of black Cabinet members, like the absence of black candidates across the three main parties in the election, has been a cause for concern.
However, Joseph believes that their absence is not a cause for concern.
"I can't say I'm too bothered," she said, "because when we do have Members of Parliament from our community, they don't always represent us as they should."
She continued: "It's quite well known in our community that as soon as certain representatives get into power, they change and say 'I got here through my own hard work'."
"Parties like Respect have a large representation from different ethnic communities, but I am hesitant about supporting something that was not from our own community in the first place," she said.
Lawyer and black rights activist Dave Neita said: "It's a two-stage process. There needs to be black people in the Cabinet and they need to be accountable. We need to know how to hold our politicians to account."
Story reprinted from The Voice.
