Merlene Emerson
Building bridges between the Liberal Democrats and the silent majority
Greater London Authority
My Priorities
- Improving Londoners' quality of life - by pressing for more affordable housing, safer streets, improved transport and a greener environment.
- Challenging the Tories in Local Government - by being an independent voice against the 3 Tory controlled Councils (in the boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea and City of Westminster)
- Better accountability - by using my legal skills to hold the Mayor to account, to ensure greater transparency and value for money services.
The Liberal Democrats are the Real Alternative to the Labour Government and to the Tory Local Government, neither of which are open nor sufficiently accountable to you. Only with the Liberal Democrats can you be assured of an open and transparent government that puts the people and community at the heart of decision making. Not spin and image. And not arrogance and complacency.
We pledge to create a fairer, greener and safer London for you. And remember, ALL LONDONERS, no matter what your background or aspirations, have a right to be heard and have your views represented.
Diversity
Ethnicity and politics an article from Lib Dem News
Make Chinese Votes Count
The Making Chinese Votes Count campaign
I took part last year in a programme ‘Make Chinese Vote Count’ partly funded by the Electoral Commission and debated on the issue of the introduction of ID cards.
According to the Electoral Commission, one in three Chinese in Britain do not vote at the elections and feel politically disengaged. Perhaps this is not too surprising given that only 36.9% of the general population had voted in the GLA elections in 2004.
Why I started Chinese Liberal Democrats
Picture of a fortune cookie from the Chinese Liberal Democrat website.
It is the objective of the Chinese Liberal Democrats to work towards bridging the gap between the Party and disengaged communities and the Chinese in particular. We wish to encourage more members from minority communities to step forward and play a greater role in civic and political life and not be content to stay as part of the silent majority. At the same time we will assist local parties to canvass Chinese voters, understand their needs and educate and communicate the Party's policies through targeted mailing and Focuses.
‘Multiculturalism’ or Integration?
Many politicians have coined terms such as 'multi-culturalism' and 'integration'. In my opinion one does not negate the other. Young people today can tap into and draw for themselves the best of eastern and western cultures and values. Afterall, London is a global village!
Growing importance of China
Trade between China and the UK has been increasing dramatically in the last decade. The Mayor, Ken Livingstone opened offices in overseas Beijing and Shanghai last year. As the Olympics moves from Beijing to London from 2008 to 2012 there is much that we can learn from the Beijing experience.
Ethnicity and politics in Britain Today
An article by Merlene Emerson on reaching out to ethnic minorities, from Lib Dem News, 3 Aug 07, pg 5
The recent by-elections in Ealing had caught the media’s attention, eager as always for news of defections and speculating on the implications for the various Party leaders.
What the media has been more shy to discuss was the significance of the ethnicity and religions of the candidates and whether these were relevant in the minds of the electorate in Southall, an eclectic mix of Sikhs, Hindhus and Muslims.
The ethnicity of the final three candidates for the Lib Dems, must also have been a factor for consideration by the 'star chamber'. They finally chose a candidate who was Sikh over a Christian Asian and a Muslim candidate. We will never know what weight the selection panel had given those considerations and it may be that the strongest point in favour of Nigel Bakhai was the fact that he was local.
Ethnicity however is without doubt an issue that will be of growing importance for us as well as for the other parties as the demographics of our country continue to evolve. In London an estimated 40% of the population are non-white. Voters will wish to see candidates that they are able to relate to and who can represent their needs and interests.
What is not so easy to predict is the voting intention of each of the ethnic groups. As the results in Ealing show, this is perhaps a bit too close to call.
At the Dragon Boat Race on 1 July held at the London Regatta Centre, Albert Docks, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the handover of Hongkong, the Chinese Liberal Democrats had a stall where we conducted a quick political survey targeting members from the Chinese community.
Making every vote count
Granted the group surveyed was slightly self-selective in that those disinterested in politics would have declined taking part in the survey. Nevertheless the results were quite illuminating. For example, we were surprised that 70% of those surveyed were in fact in favour of ID cards. We were pleased to note that the Environment had rated very high in importance.
Other issues of importance were those surrounding crime and health, which were given priority over the economy and taxes. A high number said that they knew what the Labour policies were but were less clear on Tory and Lib Dem policies.
The most important lesson for us I believe is that our policies can be effectively communicated through as many forms of media as possible to reach out to the different communities. The public need to understand what we stand for before they can identify us as a Party that matches their interests and needs.
And, oh yes, ..it would also have been brilliant if Nigel could have been our first elected non-White MP ..but hopefully that day will not be too far away.
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