NICK CLEGG CALLS FOR MORE DIVERSITY IN THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS

5.10.12pm GMT Fri 22nd Feb 2008

In a speech Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg will pledge to make the Liberal Democrats more representative of modern Britain.

Nick Clegg speaking in Manchester at an event to raise money to fund Liberal Democrat campaigns against the British National Party and other far right parties.

In his first major speech on diversity since becoming Leader of the Liberal Democrats in December, Nick Clegg made four specific commitments:

· Liberal Democrats will increase fundraising to increase diversity

· To establish a Liberal Democrat Academy to provide training for future national and community leaders

· Support moves to permit political parties to legally choose all black and minority ethnic shortlists for candidate selections

· Increase the diversity of the senior leadership of the Party

Nick says:

"Britain is one of the most diverse societies in the world, and that's one of the things I love most about our country. But our politics hasn't caught up, and that's one of the things I dislike most about our political system.

"I want the Liberal Democrats to be a party that represents the whole of Britain. We simply cannot represent modern Britain until modern Britain is represented in us."

Speaking about appealing to people from ethnic minorities, he will say:

"I feel uncomfortable with the notion that everyone who isn't white somehow shares a single set of political beliefs and ought to vote the same way.

"But the Liberal Democrats are the party of equality and opportunity. We have over many years been the most pro-active British political party in arguing for minority rights and for measures to tackle hate crime, and to free laws on immigration and other issues from discrimination.

"But those Liberal Democrat values are the values of many, many people in Britain of every background, faith and skin colour. Freedom and tolerance are British values, not minority ones."

Full Text of Nick's speech

Manchester Fundraising Dinner

21 February 2008

Nick Clegg

Britain is one of the most diverse societies in the world.

And that's one of the things I love most about our country.

But our politics hasn't caught up.

And that's one of the things I dislike most about our political system.

I want the Liberal Democrats to be a party that represents the whole of Britain.

And we simply cannot represent modern Britain until modern Britain is represented in us.

It is totally unacceptable that, once again, we don't have a single MP from a visible ethnic minority.

But we can't deal with this failure on its own, in isolation.

We need to tackle the under-representation of Britain's minority communities in our party in the round.

I want more party members, more party activists, more councillors, more Welsh Assembly and Scottish Parliament members, more MEPs, peers, party staff, researchers and interns from minority communities.

I don't want to claim that our party is the exclusive home of people from ethnic minorities.

I feel uncomfortable with the notion that everyone who isn't white somehow shares a single set of political beliefs and ought to vote the same way.

When Labour sometimes seems to casually assume that they own the ethnic minority, or the black, vote - it makes me angry.

But the Liberal Democrats are the party of equality and opportunity.

We have over many years been the most pro-active British political party in arguing for minority rights and for measures to tackle hate crime, and to free laws on immigration and other issues from discrimination.

But those Liberal Democrat values are the values of many many people in Britain of every background, faith and skin colour. Freedom and tolerance are British values, not minority ones.

I want our party to be a gathering point for everyone in Britain who wants a new kind of politics.

And I hate to think that people from our minority ethnic communities are put off getting involved in our party, or voting for us, because we are, in the House of Commons at least, an all-white team.

So we must take immediate action - to improve the diversity of our party's membership, candidates and elected representatives so we more accurately reflect today's multiethnic Britain.

The responsibility rests with all of us, at every level of the party - local, regional, federal, including our MPs and Peers, to work to ensure we make real progress in making the Liberal Democrats a truly representative party.

I believe we must set ourselves challenging targets for membership and for candidate approvals and selection in winnable seats, to ensure we reflect our communities.

And as leader, I am today making four specific commitments.

First, Liberal Democrats will increase our fundraising to increase diversity. I hope you will support me in deepening our 'diversity fund' to support candidates and aspiring candidates at all levels and at every stage of their development.

I want to build on the fund Ming Campbell set up and make sure money goes to candidates, and aspiring candidates at every stage of their development, not just supplementing campaign funds for people who've already made it.

Second, I am establishing a Liberal Democrat Academy - which I hope will open later this year - to provide face-to-face training and online resources as a step-change in the training given to future national and community leaders.

We will put a particular focus on training and support for women, people from our visible ethnic minorities, and for those with disabilities, to encourage, assist and support them in standing for election at all levels within our party and country.

Our party's lead organisations, including Ethnic Minority Liberal Democrats, and our new Diversity Officer Issan Ghazni will be heavily involved.

And third, we will seriously consider using temporary positive discrimination as and when it is permitted by law.

I do not believe in imposing particular candidates from the centre on local Liberal Democrat parties. I want to lead the party in the way Liberal Democrats will lead the country. By trusting in people.

But I believe now is our last chance to take on the challenge of increasing our diversity without positive discrimination being written into the rules.

This is why, with our Party President, I have declared my support for a bill put forward this month by the Labour MP Keith Vaz to permit - I repeat permit, not force - political parties to choose all BME shortlists for candidate selection.

For me, this is an "insurance policy" - a backstop, making sure we really do act now, once and for all, to solve the problem.

If existing efforts do not lead to a fairly rapid change to the diversity of our party then we will have no choice but to consider using those extra legal powers to ensure speedier action to achieve the diverse politics Britain needs and wants.

I've received some stick for this position. Some people have told me it's illiberal to discriminate, with whatever noble intentions, on the basis of skin colour. I understand those views.

But if we are serious about integration in Britain, our party simply must be more diverse and integrated too.

And I'm simply not willing to tolerate failure.

Fourth and finally, I commit to you today to increase the diversity of the senior leadership of the party.

That means both in terms of positions which are wholly or partially appointed by the leader, and working with the party president and the federal executive to ensure that every effort is made to establish a team of senior party officers who better reflect the diversity of Britain.

Mike Girling

Press Officer

Liberal Democrats

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