I understand that for parliamentary selections, anybody who self-defines as an ethnic minority is entitled to be considered for selection in the BAME category, "and that includes Scottish and Irish" according to the regional office, and several white Europeans have been nominated in this category in London.

If the Black Socialist Society changes its name to the Black Asian and Minority Ethnic Socialist Society, does that mean that white European ethnic minorities like Poles, Greeks and Irish can now join?

Surely there are more pressing issues for the Executive Committee of the BSS to be dealing with, like ensuring that Labour's NEC pays greater regard to the ethnic minority population of a constituency prior to deciding whether to impose an AWS.

Walthamstow, 40% BAME has an AWS.  Easington 97.5% White, has an open selection.  Where was the voice of the BSS standing up for increased opportunities for ALL BME Labour party members?

Who cares what the organisation is called, if it doesn't stand up for its members.

Of course BSS members must decide this themselves. But why would you want to drop the word 'socialist'?

BAME Labour sounds good.

John51 says "Walthamstow, 40% BAME has an AWS.  Easington 97.5% White, has an open selection.  Where was the voice of the BSS standing up for increased opportunities for ALL BME Labour party members?"


I think he makes two points...one valid and one not. Firstly we should not use the lack of black representatives to knock the AWS and positive action to achieve proportionate representation of women in the Commons. The AWS is technically linked to getting women selected in winnable seats and there should be no going back on it til we achieve that proportionate representation. We can see that the other parties who criticise positive action have terrible representation of women and just expose the sexism in their selections.

However John51 is right to ask what the BSS is doing about poor black representation. They should also be pushing for some form of positive action to increase it, I think years of under-representation shows even our enlightened members are holding back good black candidates.

Diane Abbott makes the case for all-black shortlists in SCGN. The BSS would do well to take up the argument.

I think it's great that they'd consult the rest of the membership.

Here's a question for them and us to consider - is there a contradiction in having a seperate BME section to this party whose main aim is eqality?

Isn't it comparable to a Liberalist section of the Liberal Democrats or Free Market wing of the Conservative Party?

(It's actually two questions - but on a theme!)

Guess I would qualify, but why pigeon-hole oneself like this? It's almost like discriminating against oneself because of one's colour! In principle I am against "ethnic" associations like this - what's wrong with a Left-wing society for everyone in the community? The same I fear can be said of the Black Police Officers Association and the like.