The Future of Multi-Ethnic Britain

RunnymedeThe NEWSLETTER OF THE RUNNYMEDE TRUST No.323 Sept/Oct 2000 CITIZENS AND COMMUNITIES: THE FUTURE OF MULTI-ETHNIC BRITAIN To celebrate publication of the Report of the Commission on the Future of Multi-Ethnic Britain in October 2000, the opening pages of this Bulletin carry a selection of articles and statements by members of the Commission and the report’s editor on what their involvement has meant to them. Towards a National Consensus Background The Commission on the Future of Bhikhu Parekh, who has chaired the deliberations of the Commission Multi-Ethnic Britain was set up in on the Future of Multi-Ethnic Britain and brought them to the point of January 1998 by the Runnymede publication, introduces the fundamental principles which, in the Trust, an independent think-tank opinion and belief of the Commissioners, could and should become the devoted to the cause of promoting cornerstones of a national consensus on welcoming ethnic and cultural racial justice in Britain. The CommissionÕs remit was to analyse diversity to the heart of everyday life in Britain. the current state of multi-ethnic iven the fluidity of social and Britain and propose ways of political affairs, and the constant countering racial discrimination Gemergence of new ideas and and disadvantage and making insights, no report can claim to be the last Britain a confident and vibrant word on its subject, and this one most multicultural society at ease with its certainly advances no such claim. rich diversity. However, as a carefully researched and Twenty-three distinguished indivi- thought-out document, hammered out in duals, drawn from many community searching discussions conducted in a backgrounds and different walks of spirit of intellectual and moral life, and with a long record of responsibility, it represents, we hope, a active theoretical and practical major contribution to the national debate. engagement with race-related Race is too important and sensitive an issue to be turned into a political football issues in Britain and elsewhere, or approached in terms of narrow brought to their task different views electoral calculations. We hope that our and sensibilities and, after a good report will form the basis of, or at least deal of discussion, reached a pave the way for, a much-needed wellbeing. The principle of equal moral consensus. The published report1 is national consensus. worth cannot take root and flourish the product of their two years of It is informed by several fundamental within a structure of deep economic or deliberation Ð two years made principles which in our view are, or social inequalities. possible by the support of a large deserve to be, shared by most people in Second, citizens are not only number of individuals and Britain. individuals but also members of organisations, and funded by the First, all individuals have equal worth particular religious, ethnic, cultural and Nuffield Foundation, the Joseph irrespective of their colour, gender, regional communities which are Rowntree Charitable Trust and the ethnicity, religion, age or sexual relatively stable as well as open and orientation, and have equal claims to the fluid. Britain is both a community of Paul Hamlyn Foundation, to whom opportunities they need to realise their the Commission expresses its 1 The Parekh Report: The Future of Multi-Ethnic Britain sincere thanks. potential and contribute to collective (London: Profile Books, October 2000). In this Issue: Report of the Commission on the Future of Multi-Ethnic Britain and the Voices of its Commissioners ¥ Human Rights Act ¥ The GovernmentsÕs Mode of Trial Bill ¥ Holocaust Denial and ÔHate SpeechÕ ¥ CERD Report at the UN ¥ Council of Europe against Racism and Intolerance ¥ Educational Advocacy ¥ Review Essay on Citizenship and Democracy ¥ citizens and a community of source of much human suffering and of these. They require not only communities, both a liberal and a inimical to the common sense of appropriate legislative, administrative multicultural society, and needs to belonging lying at the basis of every and other measures, but also a radical reconcile their sometimes conflicting stable political community. It can have shift in the manner in which British requirements. no place in a decent society. identity and the relations between Third, since citizens have differing We approach the current state of different groups of citizens are generally needs, equal treatment requires full multi-ethnic Britain against the defined. account to be taken of their differences. background of these and related The Commission's report was inspired When equality ignores relevant principles. We believe that it is both by and intended to rethink the seminal differences and insists on uniformity of possible and vitally necessary to create a report, Colour and Citizenship, of Jim treatment, it leads to injustice and society in which all citizens and Rose and his colleagues, published in inequality; when differences ignore the communities feel valued, enjoy equal 1969. As a founder and Trustee of the demands of equality, they result in opportunities to develop their respective Runnymede Trust, Jim took a keen discrimination. Equality must be defined talents, lead fulfilling lives, accept their interest in our work and was most in a culturally sensitive way and applied fair share of collective responsibility, and anxious to see its publication. Sadly he in a discriminating but not discrimi- help create a communal life in which the died last year. We salute his memory with natory manner. spirit of civic friendship, shared identity pride, remember with sadness those who Fourth, every society needs to be and common sense of belonging goes died victims of or in the course of cohesive as well as respectful of hand in hand with love of diversity. struggle against racial injustice, and diversity, and must find ways of Having sketched our vision of a relaxed express our deepest gratitude to those nurturing diversity while fostering a and self-confident multicultural Britain countless white, black and Asian people common sense of belonging and a shared with which all people can identify, we in Britain who are continuing the identity among its members. analyse the obstacles standing in its way struggle in small and large ways. Every Fifth, although every society needs a and propose policies most likely to generation owes its successors a duty to broadly shared body of values, of which overcome them. The obstacles include bequeath them a better country than it human rights are an important part, there racial discrimination, racial inherited. This report suggests one way is a risk of defining the values so disadvantage, a racially oriented moral of discharging that great historical narrowly that their further development and political culture, an inadequate obligation. is ruled out or legitimate ways of life are philosophy of government, a lack of Bhikhu Parekh (Lord Parekh of suppressed. While affirming such carefully thought-out and properly Kingston-upon-Hull) is emeritus essential procedural values as tolerance, integrated administrative structures at professor of political theory at the mutual respect, dialogue and peaceful various levels of government, and a lack University of Hull. This is an abridged resolution of differences, and such basic of political will. version of his preface to the ethical norms as respect for human The policies we propose address each Commission's report. dignity, equal worth of all, equal opportunity for self-development and equal life chances, society must also respect deep moral differences and find Modernising the terms of debate ways of resolving inescapable conflicts. Human rights principles provide a Trevor Phillips, who was chair of the Runnymede valuable framework for handling differences, but they are never by Trust when the Commission was set up, recalls its themselves enough. background and aspirations, including the hope of Lastly, racism, understood either as division of humankind into fixed, closed developing new terms and concepts. and unalterable groups or as systematic domination of some groups by others, is hen, in new challenge for all those concerned an empirically false, logically incoherent the mid- with race and ethnicity. and morally unacceptable doctrine. W1990s, For me, as a working journalist who Racism is a subtle and complex the Runnymede Trustees sat in an office wrote and broadcast often about these phenomenon. It may be based on colour perched high above London to consider issues, there was a further problem. The and physical features or on culture, the Trust’s future, two things were language of race was largely borrowed nationality and way of life; it may affirm evident. First, that after nearly 30 years from the United States, and looked equality of human worth but implicitly of being in the vanguard of race relations increasingly inappropriate. We spoke of deny this by insisting on the absolute thinking and research, it was time to take black and white in a nation where people superiority of a particular culture; it may a reality check on our own understanding of South Asian origin felt uneasy about admit equality up to a point but impose a of the British people. Second, that the being bracketed with others of very glass ceiling higher up. Whatever its growing diversity of the UK, particularly different backgrounds. We argued about subtle disguises and forms, it is deeply in cities like London, presented a major race in a country where new faith divisive, intolerant of differences, a 2 The Runnymede Bulletin September 2000 immensely generous with their time, and Predicting the Future in the attention they have given to writing, re-writing and commenting on Kate Gavron, a Runnymede trustee and vice-chair the text of the Report, as Robin of the Commission, places the Commission within Richardson describes in this Bulletin. the wider context of Runnymede's work. She begins Our three funders have shown an active by referring to a media discussion of Britain's interest throughout and provided venues and support for meetings.

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