Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

I’ve been an ethnic minority politician, & here’s why I know non-white shortlists for MPs will simply make racial divisions worse

I’ve been an ethnic minority politician, & here’s why I know non-white shortlists for MPs will simply make racial divisions worse

A Lib Dem parliamentarian's bill to legalise race-based candidate lists is undemocratic, patronising & will undo the decades of progress Britain has made.

I was so irked by an elected public servant’s recent declaration, that paraphrasing a great man’s quotation was the only response I felt could touch my exasperation.

My comments will not attract much attention in the crowded Twitterverse, but I felt that if there was even half a chance that a few might notice, then I should use the opportunity to do so.

In 1954, while trying to explain what it was to be a parliamentarian, Winston Churchill defined it as, “The first duty of a Member of Parliament is to do what he or she thinks in his or her faithful and disinterested judgement is right and necessary for the honour and safety of Great Britain. Their second duty is to their constituents, of whom they are the representative but not the delegate.”

Instead of understanding the primal importance for representative democracy exemplified by those words, on October 14, an elected Member, the Lib Dem Wera Hobhouse, proudly affirmed that she would present a bill that went against that very goal. She wants to make it legal to select politicians based solely on the colour of their skin. Ludicrously, she claims that the bill is necessary to beat racial injustice.


Her attempt to allow non-white only shortlists will do the exact opposite. Bringing forward a bill which makes it legal to discriminate against candidates just because they are white is undemocratic and downright patronising. It implies that non-whites are incapable of being selected on merit unless Caucasians are sidelined. It is ‘one insignificant step for national unity, one giant leap for racial division and disharmony’. Any candidate selected on this basis will be open to justified ridicule.

It is extraordinary that in our democratic country, in the mother of parliaments, a place less happy parts of the world can only eye enviously, we have elected politicians seeking to legalise racial discrimination.

Quotas do not work. Short lists that favour colour over merit do not work. Parliamentarians who push these divisive agendas should not work for us. Far from eradicating or helping racial injustice, this bill would only serve to stoke the flames of resentment. Our country should, and must, demand that only the best are sent to Westminster. We want candidates to prove to the electorate that they deserve their place and have been chosen on merit, not on a nod and a wink. The message must be that discrimination is always wrong, whatever the skin colour.

I fear that some politicians are taking our country on a destructive path in their crusade to right historical wrongs. In trying to put their new world order into practice, they risk tearing the very fabric of our peaceful and cohesive society. They are saying to our citizens that they are not to be trusted when it comes to fairness and justice for all. Diversity, equality and anti-racism does not mean we divide people of different races, beliefs, backgrounds, religions and ancestry into two groups, i.e. white and non-white.

I write as a person of colour, an immigrant, a democrat and a believer in fair play. I am a staunch and loyal citizen of this great country. One who believes that the majority wants to see us move forward together. But how can we when we have politicians telling us that we cannot be relied on to look out for, and after, each other? It is bad enough that some, through all-women shortlists believe that we should be politically divided by sex. Now they claim only non-whites can better represent non-whites. What message does that send to our friends, peers, children and visitors to our shores?

When I stood for election in 2019 for the European Parliament, I naively believed that I had faced optimal vitriol and abuse. Nothing would ever match the overflowing vat of bilious hate my colleagues and I faced. I had not appreciated however, that in pushing back against our country’s navel-gazing, knee-bending, finger-pointing, supine acceptance that white people are privileged racists and black/brown/mixed/Asian/none of the above-skinned people are victims in dire need of saving, I have leapt into a den of hate and scorn.

I do not parade the following messages to elicit sympathy. I just want to expose the fact that, as a woman of colour who rejects victimhood labels, I receive pretty vile abuse from both the white and non-white contingent of the virtue brigade. In the last few days alone, some of these have included:

* You’ve sold your soul because you’re so desperate to be accepted by the Right yet no matter what you say your skin colour will always be the major factor.

* So desperate to be liked by the flag waving mob that she’ll happily throw her self-respect and morals out the window.

* Christina is just a hypocrite and a sell out to get the flag waving bigots on her side.

* How can such a dark face have such a white name?

* This “christina” seems to be of Asian descent and claims to be an immigrant, not sure how she ended up with an English name

* Pulling up the ladder after her to prevent immigrants from entering the country.

* Impressing her bully boy, flag shagging fash mates.

* Off you pop good immigrant, probably have some bootlicking that’s overdue to show how grateful you are to be here.

These, and other comments, only make me more determined to stand up for our country against the monotonous, wearisome and never-ending bashing she undeservedly receives. Creating division is not the answer. Most of us live outside the political, institutional and media bubble and we get along just fine, thank you.


Christina Jordan is a Malaysian-born British politician. She served as a Brexit Party Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South West England from 2019 to 2020.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×