Reflecting Britain is launching a new challenge. With all three Lib Dem leadership contenders now signed up to the campaign, we are switching our focus to finding new talent within the party.

We are asking party members to encourage their own “diamonds” to put their names forward as Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (”PPCs”). This could be someone in your local party, a friend or a member of staff you think has the Right Stuff.

A lot of the party’s brightest and best MPs only decided to put themselves forward because they were encouraged by friends and colleagues. By meeting our challenge you could be finding one of tommorrow’s true stars. Possibly even a future leader!

We’ve made it extremely easy for you. Simply fill in this form and we will send your “diamond” a message, pointing them in the direction of the Gender Balance Task Force and the Ethnic Minority Election Task Force as appropriate.

It will be up to them to take the first step, but your little bit of encouragement may be all that they need!

Despite initial scepticism, recent events have made Alan Beddow decide to support Reflecting Britain:

As Liberal Democrats we exist to promote equality and tolerance, one way in which we can do this is by increasing our representatives in government to use the democratic process to ensure these freedom’s are maintained. Another way is by example, we need to show each community that they can make a difference and participate fully in the democratic process of our country, where they can live in, and promote a tolerant society without living in fear of their neighbours or resorting to extreme acts. Where we can build strong community leaders and role models.

…

If one way to overcome the serious threats to our country is to provide additional focus and support to candidates that can be the role models that will bring into the party those from across all our communities then my qualms about positive action are a very small price to pay.

You can read his full article here. Great to have you on board Alan!

If you would like to join Alan, you can do so by signing up here.

Vice Chair of the Liberal Democrat Federal Policy Committee Jeremy Hargreaves comments:

Simply hoping that candidates who reflected Britain’s full diversity would just come forward may have been a reasonable approach forty years ago – but you only have to look at our benches now to see how comprehensively it has failed.

Making our party reflect Britain’s diversity is a hard-headed decision about our party’s self-interest – bluntly, if we want people to vote for us, we have to look like them.

We need to take the difficult decisions so that we actually do that.

South East Lib Dem MEP Sharon Bowles has become the first MEP to sign up to support the Liberal Democrat’s “Reflecting Britain” campaign.

Sharon said: “I know from my work in the European Parliament, where our Lib Dem team is 7 women and 5 men, how important it is to have people in teams with different skills, opinions, backgrounds and cultures. Our Westminster Parliament should be no different. We have enormously talented people, male and female, in our party who come from a whole range of different backgrounds, and we should be making every attempt to ensure we are using those talents at the top of our Party. I wish the Reflecting Britain campaign every success.”

Sharon is now urging other Liberal Democrats to sign up to support the campaign too. She said “This campaign will only succeed if Parliamentarians, Councillors, activists and members from all over the country really get behind this excellent new initiative. I would urge party members at all levels to join me in supporting this campaign.”

You can join Sharon by signing up here.

Councillor Nasser Butt from Sutton, former Chair of Multi-Faith Forum, EMLD, Muslim Forum, and former PPC for Mole Valley, writes:

Most of my time with Liberal Democrats over the last 14 years has been spent on trying to make our Party more reflective of Britain. In the process I have seen the loss of many very good and hard working EM PPCs, Councillors and ordinary members to other Parties due to blockages they experienced they experienced in our Party. I am delighted at this Reflecting Britain campaign, which appears widespread from across the membership for the party to become more reflective of our Diverse Society.

If the current candidates are signing up to the support on this issue, than we will have to hold them to account to “Walk the Walk” and chase thru the delivery on their pledge. If we can do this, we can hope for a change. We only have to look at the news to know how desperately Britain needs to become inclusive.

Thanks for those of you who have contributed suggestions for people thinking of applying to become approved Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidates. You can read what people have written here (if you have something to contribute but haven’t yet, please do have your say by commenting on that page!).

Steve Guy has three good basic starting suggestions:

1. Don’t be shy - if you think it may be for you, take the plunge (or else you’ll never know)
2. It would be great to have a one on one chat with someone who’s been through it
3. Get active with you local party

Andy Darley has some good news for people who believe that candidate selection is all about creating “election-fighting robots”:

The ideal Liberal Democrat candidate isn’t assessed on how they look on TV, they’re judged by what they believe.

So don’t be ashamed of idealism, and don’t be afraid to go in to the candidate selection process with your heart on your sleeve. You’ll be expected to prove you understand the practical methods of turning your ideals into reality, sure, but don’t focus so much on the practical that you ignore the point of it all.

Linda Jack tends to agree:

So, who ever you are, you have something to offer, we live in a society governed by packaging, for me its far more important to know where your heart is. Its not about Oxbridge degrees, its about wisdom, compassion and a commitment to ensuring that EVERYONE has a stake in our increasingly divided society. So………whoever you are……go get em!!!!

Stephen Glenn has this to say about the approval day that all applicants have to go through:

The thing is the exercises you have to prepare for to get approved are things that a candidate really has to go through to a greater of lesser extent depending on the constituency and your profile in that race. Having now observed up close my second by-election and a key seat campaign in the general election since I have seen how this is good grounding in the skills that you require. The assessors are not so much trying to catch you out as test you to the limit. If you are going to be a candidate and more if you get elected and become an MP you have to be up to challenge.

Allan Siao Ming Witherick has this good advice, coming from someone still going through the process:

Don’t give up and don’t see it as the be all end all…

By not getting diverted on General Election Day I was able to stand for a County seat- and win - by 10 votes! If I had been distracted by being a PPC somewhere else I don’t know if I would have won…

Now I am a County Councillor, Police Authority Member and about to Chair my first Topic Group while facing District Council elections.

That’s more experience which means when I do PPC I’ll be in a far better position.

So don’t give up- and look at all the opportunities in the party!

Thanks for all the really great advice folks! And please, keep it coming!

The Ethnic Minority Election Task Force have called a ‘Special’ Leadership Hustings to specifically address the issue of how the Leadership Contenders intend to move forward the agenda of making Liberal Democrats more appealing to ethnic minorities. They also want to hear their views on what they intend to do to ensure we have proper ethnic minority representation in Parliament and on local councils across the country in order to reflect the diverse culture of modern day Britain.

Venue: National Liberal Club, Whitehall Place, London SW1A 2HE,
Date & Time: 14th. February 2006, at 6.30 pm

The Candidates have now all signed up to the Reflecting Britain Campaign. Now they are being asked to go further and outline their plans in more detail. They are being asked to say how they intend to make the Party’s Policies more relevant to the modern day diverse multi ethnic Britain as well as to expand on their plans, end the ethnic deficit within the Party structures – both Parliamentary and organisational.

Although these hustings have been organised specifically with the ethnic minority PPC, Councillors and members in mind, EMETF wants the attendance to reflect the Party as a whole. Please pass the details of this hustings on to your colleagues.

If you plan to attend, please email Rabi Martins to allow EMETF to keep an eye on numbers.

Ethnic Minority Election Task Force member Baroness Kishwer Falkner writes:

Unless we improve representation from diverse candidates in this party, we risk looking white, pale and male. I don’t want to give our supporters the impression that we do not care, as we obviously do. But we now need to translate talking the talk into walking the walk. Let’s go for it.

Last week, blogger Steve Guy pondered his moral dilemma about whether to support the Reflecting Britain campaign.

Steve has now made up his mind, and we are delighted to have his support:

I think the Reflecting Britain initiative is a genuine attempt to focus more attention on our failure to get more female and ethnic minority candidates - and for that reason I applaud it. But I would also like to see the campaign focus on why we fail to attract more grass roots activists from ethnic minority backgrounds, for it is from the local activists that the politicians of the future must emerge.

You can show your support like Steve, Ming Campbell, Simon Hughes and Chris Huhne by signing up here.

As part of our new drive to encourage people to consider applying to get on the Lib Dem’s approval list, we’d like your feedback.

• What are the most rewarding aspects of going through the process and being a candidate?
• What are the greatest challenges?
• What hints and tips would you give to people thinking of applying?

Please add your views in the comments section below - thanks a lot.

Note: comments on this site are moderated and there may be a short delay before your comment is approved and posted. Thank you for your patience.