The world is changing. We have just marriage on equal terms in California, we have an equality bill in the UK (although it must surely only represent a start, given that 70% of businesses in the economy won’t be covered by it), and even Ireland is instituting a civil partnership bill. It’s a relief that legislatures, executives and judiciaries everywhere are acknowledging the benefits of diversity, and that actually enforcing equality benefits us all – just look at Sweden.
Unlike Britain’s proposal, Sweden has mainstreamed specifically gender equality into all policy making since 1994, rather than instituting just pockets of equal rights legislation. And Norway’s Gender Equality Act requires:
…that all publicly appointed committees, including the cabinet, should be made up of at least 40 per cent men and at least 40 per cent women. This rule was extended in 2004 to state-owned companies. Then in 2006, the government legislated to impose an extraordinary ultimatum on Norway’s public limited companies – either have a minimum of 40 per cent of women on the company board by 1 January 2008, or be closed down. Despite the dire prophecies of economic catastrophe, the law has come into force without driving out any major company.
That’s not to say that the UK couldn’t go down that route, particularly looking at the two year gap between public and private implementation in Norway – we can only hope. What is already proposed however puts Boris Johnson’s behaviour as Mayor of London to shame. His Director of Policy, Arts, Culture and the Creative Industries Munira Mirza, when justifying the removal of the Rise festival’s anti-racism remit, said in justifying her strategy:
Although the event was supposed to be inclusive and attract people from ethnic minorities, the GLA’s own research (conducted while Ken was mayor) shows that 65%-70% of attendees in the last two years were white. That is disproportionately whiter than the population of London. It seems reasonable to conclude that the political baggage and relentless sloganeering was actually putting people off. And no doubt many individuals and families who did come on the day were there primarily for the music or a nice day out.
Except that’s patronising rubbish. Surely the entire point of an anti-racist festival is not just an inherently political one, but an educational tool too, one which would disproportionately target white people. I suspect Daniel Martin is right when he says:
Emphasising “cultural diversity” over overt anti-racism probably fits in more with the narrative Johnson wants to put across – one that implies that racism in London, and so in Britain, is not such a problem anymore. But that view, of course, is wrong.
Indeed it is. Mainstreaming anti-racism, anti-homophobia, anti-gender discrimination works, it doesn’t put people off and it is successful with authorities who have the guts to try it. Failing to do so only emboldens the haters like BNP GLA member Richard Barnbrook:
Labour Party supporters and various other anti-British elements were given a timely reminder today that the days of public money being used to prop up their Marxist ideology have gone.
Curious that he and Mirza should both complain about a ‘political element’ neither of them likes, and alarming how Mirza & Johnson’s laid back approach – hoping that the mere existence of anti-discrimination legislation is enough (Johnson himself was quite open about this in his appearance at the Stonewall ‘gay hustings’ before his election) – plays into his hands. Good for Harriet Harman for at least pushing a normally timid government, afraid to make radical decisions, down at least the slip road leading to the road of mainstreaming equality. Hopefully Johnson and Mirza will realise the failure of their strategy before it does real damage, particularly with it being at odds with the direction of national policy
2 responses so far ↓
Cal // June 28, 2008 at 6:15 pm |
You are wrong, simply wrong, in your understanding of which way the tide is running in Britain. Boris and Mirza represent the new thinking which will inform the Cameron government in less than 24 months time. Harman, in contrast, represents the last gasp of old-style preachy, authoritarian ‘equality’ legislation. The BNP loves Harman because she is their best recruiting sargeant.
Is it any coincidence that white upper middle class Harman is almost 60 while working class Muslim Mirza is barely 30?
Salute to Israel « Cosmodaddy // July 6, 2008 at 7:32 am |
[...] and/or her boss might disapprove of (this, for the easily offended is a continuing reference to the Rise Festival’s being stripped of its relevance on political grounds) , so hopefully along with Pride tomorrow there’ll be many more events [...]