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Role of the TEA Party in American politics

Karen Hatter's picture

Karen Hatter

A desire for smaller government, abolishing taxes and getting government out of US citizen’s lives are just a few of the unifying  themes among all those affiliated with and identified as supporters of the TEA party.

submitted by Karen Hatter on July 15th 2010

Why Black MPs should stand up to be counted

 

Why Black MPs Should Stand Up to Be Counted 
My friends at Operation Black Vote and previously the Labour Party Black Sections have worked their butts off to help increase the number of African Caribbean and Asian members of the British parliament. As a result the figure has risen from 15 at the last General Election to 27 in May. 
Yet, at the first solidarity test set for the 16 new Black Labour MPs the result has not been promising. After veteran Black MP Diane Abbott announced that – in the interest of racial and gender diversity – that she would stand in the all male, pale and stale Labour leadership contest I expected a majority of our MPs to back her. 
That was what the vast majority of Black Congress people in America did when Barack Obama threw his hat into the ring to become US president. But, no. Diane has so far been able to muster just three nominations from her sisters and brother; those of fellow Labour Party Black Sections stalwart Keith Vaz, David Lammy, a neighbouring MP in Tottenham, and just one of the newcomers, the principled Chinyelu Onwurah. 
Diane’s seven other nomination come from white MPs. Labour’s acting leader Harriet Harman said she would stay neutral in the vote because of her position but bravely urged her comrades in parliament to follow her example and nominate Diane to ensure there was at least one woman candidate. 
Hot favourites, the Miliband brothers have already passed the 33 nominations threshold to guarantee a place on the ballot paper. Of the Black MPs, David Miliband has garnered the support of ambitious former member of the government Virendra Sharma and newbies  Anas Sarwar, Valerie Vaz and Yasmin Qureshi.  And his mildly more left-wing brother Ed has won over Chuka Umunna, Lisa Nandy and Sadiq Khan’s support. 
Ed Balls is backed by Marsha Singh and Khalid Mahmood. Three Black MPs remain undecided: Mark Hendrick, Rushanara Ali and Shabana Mahmood. I hope, if only in the name of sisterly solidarity that Rushanara, Shabana and Lisa side with Diane. 
The black MPs have got to learn how to play big people’s politics. You do not get respect from white folk by being disunited. The same white folk wax lyrical about Obama as America’s first Black president but baulk at the idea of a major political party having a Black woman as its leader. 
If the black MPs had all nominated Diane, no matter what their misgivings about her, they would have presented themselves as a powerful bloc to be reckoned with. As David Lammy pointed out, who they voted for thereafter would have been less important than the symbolic and historic act of supporting a Black sister for Labour’s top job. 
  
* Marc Wadsworth was Chair of the Labour Party Black Sections (1986-1988) 

Marc Wadsworth

Labour's acting leader has nominated Diane Abbott MPLabour's acting leader has nominated Diane Abbott MPMy friends at Operation Black Vote and previously the Labour Party Black Sections have worked their butts off to help increase the number of African Caribbean and Asian members of the British parliament. As a result the figure has risen from 15 at the last General Election to 27 in May.

submitted by Editor on June 8th 2010

Campaigners applaud pledge to end jailing of child migrants

 

Campaigners applaud pledge to end jailing of child migrants
Emma Foster - Community Newswire
Britain's new coalition government has been praised by a legal charity for announcing an end to the the detention of children for immigration purposes.
Refugee and Migrant Justice (RMJ), which provides legal representation to asylum seekers and other vulnerable migrants, said it applauded the new government for say it will stop the practice.
The Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition agreement document, published on Wednesday, stated: "We have agreed that there should be an annual limit on the number of non-EU economic migrants admitted into the UK to live and work. We will consider jointly the mechanism for implementing the limit.
"We will end the detention of children for immigration purposes."
Caroline Slocock, chief executive of RMJ, said: "We are delighted at the decision to end child detention for immigration purposes and applaud the new Government for recognising the inhumanity of this practice - which treats children like criminals when they have done no crime and can leave scars for life.
"We hope that this will be implemented immediately and that whatever measures brought in to replace detention will put the welfare and safety of these children first.
"We hope that this change of policy will also extend to migrant children currently being imprisoned in this country due to disputes about their age.
"In all cases, children should be given the benefit of the doubt rather than running the risk of locking up children with adults.
"We also call on the new Government to review inhumane practices toward migrant children as highlighted in our report Safe at Last.
"The report exposed the fact that exhausted and often unwell children are being interviewed on record on arrival at Dover, without legal representation and without regard to their welfare needs."
* Refugee and Migrant Justice, formerly the Refugee Legal Centre, is a national provider of legal representation to asylum seekers and other vulnerable migrants. For more information or to read the Safe at Last report visit www.rmj.org.uk.

Emma Foster - Community Newswire

Britain's new Conservative-Lib Dem government has been praised by a legal charity for announcing an end to the detention of children by immigration officials.

submitted by Editor on May 12th 2010
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