Latest news with #America-brained
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
The Equality Act is a gift to grifters, and Labour wants to make it worse
As an undergraduate student, I welcomed the passage of the 2010 Equality Act. As a young minority 'progressive' of Bangladeshi Muslim heritage, I championed the fact that ethnicity and religious belief were enshrined as protected characteristics in British law. But times have changed. A new report published by campaign group Don't Divide Us (DDU) has – quite rightly in my view – identified the Equality Act as a piece of legislation which is contributing towards a more divided and fractured Britain. The research has found that over the last decade, there has been an explosion in the number of tribunal cases for racial discrimination – yet, only one in 20 claims were successful. The educationalist and director of DDU, Dr Alka Sehgal-Cuthbert, has labelled the Equality Act the cornerstone of a grievance culture which is all too ready to resort to 'lawfare' to resolve low-level disputes and imagined slights on the grounds of identity. It has become increasingly apparent that the Equality Act – which should have been a shield to protect people from genuine forms of discrimination – has been used as a sword by those who are anything but interested in the equality of opportunity. This accelerated following the emergence of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in the UK, which was ultimately America-brained radical-progressive activism in a part of the world which had some of the most robust anti-discrimination protections on the grounds of race, ethnicity, and religion. The rise of the unholy trinity of diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) has threatened to undo much of the incredible progress we have made when it comes to race relations. The pendulum has swung so far in the other direction, minorities have increasingly become the beneficiaries of preferential treatment – often at the expense of white-British men. The Equality Act, and its offshoots such as the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) and Positive Action programmes, has not brought us greater fairness, equality, and harmony. In fact, it has been weaponised in a manner which is diametrically opposed to such ideals. While there will be many on the contemporary British Left who remain incredibly protective over the Equality Act, it is perhaps in their interests to be honest over its impact and explore whether certain provisions should be tightened (if not repealed). While the PSED's current provisions state that public authorities have due regard to the need to 'foster good relations between people', this is overly vague and nebulous – there should be an explicit expectation for such bodies and agencies to promote economic, social, and cultural integration. Positive action schemes are supposed to develop the skills of people from 'underrepresented' or 'disadvantaged' groups – but the obsession with race and sexual orientation means that disability is all too often overlooked. To be blunt, it is not viewed as a 'fashionable' protected characteristic by many 'social-justice' activists. The alternative, of course, is doing away with the Equality Act altogether – which is unlikely to happen under a Labour government which wants to bring in a Race Equality Act, doubling down on the original legislation. But it could be a future manifesto pledge for parties of the Right. It could be scrapped in its entirety or replaced with a fresh Equality of Opportunity legislation which has a strong emphasis on regional inequality and seeks to address cultural deprivation in left-behind communities. As currently constituted, the Equality Act's future is far from certain. And so-called 'anti-racists' who have pursued the equality of outcome over opportunity, only have themselves to blame. Dr Rakib Ehsan is the author of Beyond Grievance Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The Queen of woke just exposed the hypocrisy of the virtue-signalling Left
In what can only be described as a quite spectacular Damascene conversion, Ash Sarkar of Novara Media has rejected identity politics and the competing grievances it has given rise to. In an interview with Lewis Goodall of The News Agents, Sarkar argued what many have been saying for years – that much of the America-brained British Left is destroying itself by embracing the politics of racial victimhood. This includes adopting divisive theories of so-called 'white privilege', with such toxic ideas spreading through the public, private, and third sectors, fuelled in part by the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Much of this proved to be a complete distraction in one of the most racially fair societies on Earth, deflecting attention away from much stronger determinants of life chances such as modern Britain – such as family structure, community norms, and young people's accessibility to civic assets. Sarkar's apparent conversion is to be welcomed – as an old-school Leftist who has always believed that class has been left by the wayside when it comes to vital matters of social mobility, I passionately believe that the so-called 'woke' focus on racial identity has been destructive for both social policymaking and community relations at large. Indeed, recent research by Policy Exchange revealed that the majority of the British public – including ethnic minorities – believe that class is more important than race when it comes to people succeeding and doing well in Britain. Its report recommended that the Government and public bodies such as the Social Mobility Commission (SMC) ensure young people's development is primarily analysed through a class lens (not a racial one) and that there should be a particular focus on expanding opportunities for schoolchildren in left-behind areas to build social and cultural capital. Some may be cynical about Sarkar turning her back on identity politics. After all, she often defended BLM, with her Novara Media organisation striking parallels between the social movement and the politics of Martin Luther King Jr. Anyone with a basic understanding of the American civil rights movement would know that at the heart of his vision was a harmonious, post-racial American nation state which addressed rampant socio-economic inequalities in access to opportunities, high-quality public services, and private ownership. This is a far cry from what I have long considered to be segregationist tendencies at the heart of BLM-inspired racial identity politics. Sarkar's reckless forays into matters of integration include referring to Britain's so-called white-supremacist state. Novara once posted a video titled: The unbearable whiteness of Brexit. While Sarkar is now right to flag the corrosive effect of racial identity politics on social solidarity, this is quite a departure from her previous record. As such, some might be in an unforgiving mood. But Sarkar's public trashing of contemporary identity politics should be treated as a victory by those who have been challenging its toxic divisiveness for a long time. The politics of racial grievance is on the back foot – it is time to press home the advantage. Dr Rakib Ehsan is the author of Beyond Grievance Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
23-02-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
The Queen of woke just exposed the hypocrisy of the virtue-signalling Left
In what can only be described as a quite spectacular Damascene conversion, Ash Sarkar of Novara Media has rejected identity politics and the competing grievances it has given rise to. In an interview with Lewis Goodall of The News Agents, Sarkar argued what many have been saying for years – that much of the America-brained British Left is destroying itself by embracing the politics of racial victimhood. This includes adopting divisive theories of so-called 'white privilege', with such toxic ideas spreading through the public, private, and third sectors, fuelled in part by the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Much of this proved to be a complete distraction in one of the most racially fair societies on Earth, deflecting attention away from much stronger determinants of life chances such as modern Britain – such as family structure, community norms, and young people's accessibility to civic assets. Sarkar's apparent conversion is to be welcomed – as an old-school Leftist who has always believed that class has been left by the wayside when it comes to vital matters of social mobility, I passionately believe that the so-called 'woke' focus on racial identity has been destructive for both social policymaking and community relations at large. Indeed, recent research by Policy Exchange revealed that the majority of the British public – including ethnic minorities – believe that class is more important than race when it comes to people succeeding and doing well in Britain. Its report recommended that the Government and public bodies such as the Social Mobility Commission (SMC) ensure young people's development is primarily analysed through a class lens (not a racial one) and that there should be a particular focus on expanding opportunities for schoolchildren in left-behind areas to build social and cultural capital. Some may be cynical about Sarkar turning her back on identity politics. After all, she often defended BLM, with her Novara Media organisation striking parallels between the social movement and the politics of Martin Luther King Jr. Anyone with a basic understanding of the American civil rights movement would know that at the heart of his vision was a harmonious, post-racial American nation state which addressed rampant socio-economic inequalities in access to opportunities, high-quality public services, and private ownership. This is a far cry from what I have long considered to be segregationist tendencies at the heart of BLM-inspired racial identity politics. Sarkar's reckless forays into matters of integration include referring to Britain's so-called white-supremacist state. Novara once posted a video titled: The unbearable whiteness of Brexit. While Sarkar is now right to flag the corrosive effect of racial identity politics on social solidarity, this is quite a departure from her previous record. As such, some might be in an unforgiving mood. But Sarkar's public trashing of contemporary identity politics should be treated as a victory by those who have been challenging its toxic divisiveness for a long time. The politics of racial grievance is on the back foot – it is time to press home the advantage.
