Tristan from A Liberal Alone writes…

I have decided I support the Reflecting Britain campaign. There is a clear imbalance in the party which needs to be addressed just as the gender imbalance is being redressed. There is no reason why we should not have a party which is representative of the entire population.

The campaign is also not campaigning for all-women shortlists. Such measures are detrimental to other groups and create a hostile atmosphere for the group which is meant to be helped.

Peter Black AM weighs in:

I am supporting the Reflecting Britain campaign because I believe that the Liberal Democrats need to better reflect the diverse society we live in at all levels. In particular we need more Parliamentarians who are women or from ethnic minority backgrounds.

This though is not just about the Liberal Democrats. If the mainstream political parties fail to be open and welcoming to all then disillusion with and alienation from the political system will grow. This campaign is about engaging with people at the broadest possible level. It must not become yet another badge or label, it must be the start of real action to secure the inclusive society that Britain needs.

I’m backing the Reflecting Britain campaign because although the party has made some progress on representation in recent years, I’m worried that the progress is too slow. Our message should appeal to many more people than it does, and it should inspire many more people to join the party and stand in elections. But we just aren’t getting through to everyone. There needs to be a coherent approach and Reflecting Britain is proposing some excellent measures.

Dr Richard Grayson is the former Liberal Democrat Director of Policy and was the Liberal Democrat candidate for Hemel Hempstead in 2005.

105 107 Liberal Democrats, including dozens of parliamentary candidates and councillors, 4 MPs and 2 members of the House of Lords, have now signed up to the Reflecting Britain campaign, which was launched last week.

The Reflecting Britain campaign is calling on the Lib Dem leadership contenders to support the work of the Gender Balance and Ethnic Minority Election Task Forces. These groups exist to encourage more women and BME members to put themselves forward as parliamentary candidates and helps them by providing training, support and mentoring. The Gender Balance Task Force successfully lead to a marked increase in female MPs at the last General Election, but it has always struggled to receive adequate funding.

The MPs signing up in the last couple of days include party high-flyer and spokesperson on Europe Nick Clegg.

The former chair of the Gender Balance Task Force Baroness Harris has signed up. Commenting, she said:

“It is imperative that women play their part in political policy and decision making. Our party may have accepted this tacitly, but it is now time to ensure our new leader addresses this question as a matter of urgency.”

The Chair of the Ethnic Minority Election Task Force Cllr Rabi Martins has also signed up. He said:

“I honestly cannot see how the Party will make the breakthrough in the next general election without significant support from our ethnic minority citizens. And we are unlikely to get that support until we are seen as a Party that is inclusive at every level. That is why it is important that we hear what the leadership candidates have to say on this subject.”

The Reflecting Britain Campaign has asked the leadership contenders to sign up to a statement supporting the Gender Balance and Ethnic Minority Election Task Forces. In addition, it has asked them to respond to five questions about how best to ensure the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party is made more diverse. The answers received from the candidates will be published on the website on 1 February.

The Chair of the Ethnic Minority Election Task Force Cllr Rabi Martins has explained his reasons for supporting the Reflecting Britain campaign, and calls for the Lib Dem leadership contenders to outline their position:

It is good to see the spirit in which the leadership contest is being conducted..open, frank and friendly…. in other words … Very Lib-Dem!!!

Clearly all the three contenders have the capability to continue the work Charles started of building support for the party to maintain our postion as the real opposition and prepare us for even greater presence in the next Parliament.

However, I honestly cannot see how the Party will make the breakthough in the next general election without significant support from our ethnic minority citizens. And we are unlikely to get that support until we are seen as a Party that is inclusive at every level. That is why it is important that we hear what the leadership candidates have to say on this subject. We need to know what practical steps they plan to take to ensure our Parliamentary groups in the Commons and the Lords are more representative of the country and our membership. We need to know what policy initiatives they have in mind to create a society where all citizens regardless of ethnic background are as one when it comes to feeling and thinking “British”

This is particularly important as the many inner city areas where we hope to win council and parlimentary seats have very significant ethnic minority populations.

Former Chair of the Gender Balance Task Force Baroness (Angie) Harris has leant her support to the campaign, commenting:

All the candidates need to address this crucial question. It is imperative that women play their part in political policy and decision making. Our Party may have accepted this tacitly, but it is now time to ensure our new Leader addresses this question as a matter of urgency. The responses of the candidates for that Leadership position will be interesting!

Stephen Glenn poses this question:

Why am I, a white, middle-class male supporting the latest initiative by the Liberal Democrats to encourage more female and ethnic minority candidates? The answer is simple…

Read the rest here.

Natasha Walter writes in the Guardian today about how women appear to be vanishing from public life.

A few years ago, when [Naomi] Wolf published Fire with Fire and I wrote The New Feminism, there was a sense of optimism about how women could become more equal and make freer choices in their lives. Those books chimed in with the early years of the Clinton administration and the start of New Labour, when the centre-left seemed to have a mandate for real social reform.

Although some advances were made and no ground has been lost, that optimism has now dissipated. This is not just about what has happened at Westminster, though part of the new cynicism is about that, since the promise that the beginning of the 21st century would see a more women-friendly politics has foundered in the macho, centralised culture of New Labour. It is symptomatic of these depressing times that people have stopped even drawing attention to the absence of women at Westminster. Now we can move from one leadership struggle to another in which women do not even come within touching distance of the robes of power and nobody seems to get angry about their absence.

Muslim News reports:

The next leader of the Liberal Democrats must take into account and address the lack of ethnic minority in the British parliament, according to Muslim representative Fiyaz Mughal.

“The party has single handedly failed to take issue on of the most important aspects around political inclusion and democratic participation,” Mughal warned in a statement obtained by IRNA Monday.

“The Liberal Democrats have no MP’s in the House of Commons from a black or minority ethnic community,” said the chair of the Liberal Democrat’s Black and Minority Ethnic Forum.

Mark Valladares writes:

Given the scheduled debate in Harrogate, it would seem that everything is falling nicely into place to really make some meaningful progress on diversity issues within the Party at last, and I’m truly delighted. And now I await the response of the leadership candidates… we’re watching, gentlemen…