At The Guardian: Boris, Ken & Community Relations

My latest:

Boris Johnson has been working hard to repair his reputation for deriding people who are black or brown. His mayoral campaign website majors eagerly on his mongrel genes, stressing his self-description as a “one man melting pot”. Limiting the damage done by his past reference to “piccaninnies” and “watermelon smiles,” allowing publication in The Spectator of an article endorsing scientific racism, himself writing one arguing that Islam is intrinsically problematic – oh dear, there’s been quite a lot of it hasn’t there? – has been a central preoccupation of his campaign.

Two weeks ago he made a sincere apology to New Nation magazine for past offences. Yesterday, he participated in the launch of a poster campaign organised by Operation Black Vote aimed at encouraging high turnout and thereby reducing the chances of the British National Party being represented on the London Assembly - an endorsement whose political importance to him was heightened by the BNP’s (sharply rejected) suggestion to its supporters last week that they vote for the Tory candidate as their second preference for mayor.

Tonight, at the largest public meeting of the campaign, he will respond to a proposition (scroll down to number four) favouring an ‘earned process of regularisation’ for long term ‘irregular’ migrants and asylum seekers.”by giving qualified support for amnesties. This is a clear and significant break with Conservative national policy and, given that attitudes to immigration are often interpreted as attitudes to race, a measure of how urgently Team Boris has sought to re-position its man as a candidate for all Londoners.

Johnson’s efforts in this regard have been helped by the high profile backing of black youth worker Ray Lewis and his Ken-hating allies on the Evening Standard, who’ve made great efforts to erode support for Livingstone among ethnic minorities, some outright malicious – note choice of photograph - others highly inventive. But he still needs all the help he can get, as shown by last week’s ICM poll for the Guardian, which found strong support for Livingstone among ethnic minorities endures.

It isn’t hard to figure out why. This lunchtime he visited my home borough of Hackney during a campaign journey down the north London line. His interaction with the people of one of the most multi-ethnic places on Earth confirmed what has long been apparent: that he is totally at ease among inner city Londoners "of colour."

Yet he can afford no complacency. At the weekend I was talking to a neighbour, a black Londoner from a French-African background. A scientist, his colleagues include a number of Hindus. He said he agreed with them that Livingstone’s form of multiculturalism was not as even-handed as it should be, and that he was too eager to please Muslims. I don’t know how widespread or justified such views are, but they chime with Livingstone’s critics who accuse him of appeasing Islamists and, more importantly, with Johnson’s accusation that Livingstone practises “the politics of division.”

A lot of rubbish has been talked about both candidates’ attitudes to race and its overlaps with religious affiliation. Boris Johnson is not “a racist”. He has a history of demonstrating that he fails to take racism seriously, which is a bad thing that suggests a worrying flippancy, but not the same. Ken Livingstone is not anti-Semitic. However wounding his remark to a Jewish reporter from the Standard, however ill-judged his conduct over Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, the idea that he hates Jews is nonsense. Ask any Jew who’s worked with him or even talked to him at any length.

I do, though, wonder if Livingstone isn’t reaching out as widely as he could be as he seeks to personify a London of infinite and enriching diversity. Perhaps he needs to do more to challenge those perceptions – fuelled so avidly by his political enemies – that his multiculturalism is selective, divisive and has been implemented in too close accordance with the opinions of his personal coterie. To do so would also assist him in the general task of convincing undecided voters that not only is he is the competent candidate – he did himself no harm on Newsnight last night in that respect – but also that he a moderate, fully-inclusive city-statesman truly alive to all Londoners’ concerns and needs.

His visit to my backyard gave me a good feeling about him, one I haven’t always had just recently; a sense that he’s plumbed-in to the life of the capital in a way Boris Johnson will never be. He needs to spread good feeling further around.

Also here.

Comments

[Chairman Meow]

The last time I checked, someone's ethnicity had no bearing on the appropriateness of their racial commentary. As you have stated, the gaffes have been bountiful and simply can't and shouldn't be bundled away and sped off in a sidecar full of genealogical spin. We need to remember that whilst a Mayor who has a deep understanding and belief in equality we also need a Mayor who is adept at acting on the World stage on behalf of a leading World City. Can the electorate put their hands on their hearts and say that they are willing to put the reputation of London and the UK in the hands and mouth (so to speak) of Boris?

[Rob]

"we also need a Mayor who is adept at acting on the World stage on behalf of a leading World City"

I agree with Chairman Meow. Which is why we don't need a Mayor who calls the US Ambassador a "little crook" - that is not how the Mayor of a leading city acts on the world stage.

And we don't need a Mayor that tells Jewish property developers to "go back to their own country" rather then question his own judgements.

And we don't need one that throws around accusations of racism like it's confetti.