In defence of post-race politics in "black" thought. First Draft

Huey P Newton once said that "revolution is a struggle between the old and the new", for Newton there was always generational struggle between the new and the old order. Today, I am in a revolutionary struggle against the old order of "black" politics in the UK. Lester Holloway a former disgruntled Liberal Democrat and former employee at the 1990 Trust has decided in a frenzied act of spite that my ideas on "race" politics are dangerous and worthy of not only a challenge but an assassination of my character.

Lester Holloway here http://lesterholloway.com/2014/12/16/the-problem-with-post-racial-bloggers/

argues that in my previous blog "the problem with black politics in Britain" I have argued against efforts to improve race relations; that my arguments against "race" specific politics are counter-revolutionary; that I have called for an end to struggle against racial injustice and that I ignore statistics regarding "black" unemployment amongst other things. Mr Holloway has also argued that my political ideals are an attempt to be a slave to the Liberal Democrat party whilst adding that my ideas lack support amongst activists and campaigners and the BME electorate.

It is clear to me that arguing that "race" politics is ineffective and divisive in a multi-racial society is not arguing against an improvement in race relations, on the contrary it is thinking about race relations in the UK with the highest level of idealism and seeking much more improved race relations in the UK. It is my belief that the rhetoric and methods of the older activists is not conjugal to improving race relations and can descend into explosive tirades that border on racial prejudice and inflame wounds rather than try to heal them. I am seeking for Britain to heal itself after Empire and looking towards a new post-racial vision of British identity, to move forward as one nation into the future because it serves all of our self-interests. 

If race-relations in Britain is as bad as Mr Holloway believes then it would seem that the campaigning tactics that he and other's have used are not effective in improving race relations or tackling racism and it is time for fresh thinking on "race". I am arguing that the only enlightened thought that we can have on the issue today is to recognise that the decolonisation of the British mind demands a rethinking of 19th Century "race" ideology. I am looking towards an inclusive British identity that judges one by the content of their character rather than the colour of their skin. I believe that is an enlightened doctrine that if repeated enough will do more to improve race relations than the type of rhetoric that Mr Holloway likes to use and the posture that he uses to share his rhetoric.

In his attack Mr Holloway attempts to paint me as a Conservative and part of a Conservative political tradition that was attacked by Martin Luther King. His statements prove to me that Mr Holloway is a political infant. Mr Holloway is aware that I am a Liberal Democrat; that I believe in the philosophy of John Mill. A liberal cannot be painted as a conservative; it makes no sense. I am open about my support for decriminalisation of cannabis and sex work. I have been clear that I want to tell the story of modern Liberal Britain and the revolution that birthed it. I am not attempting to maintain the political tradition of the "Head Negro in Charge" that Mr Holloway is championing; it is Holloway that is seeking to pursue what is now in the black community a conservative politics that harkens back to the 60's, 70's and 80's.  

Holloway claims that I am calling for withdrawal from the struggle. He wants the world to believe that there is something called "the struggle" that he is the moral guardian of when in fact there are many struggles. Because I am struggling for a post-race mindset it does not mean that it is not a struggle in itself or a contribution to elements of the struggle that Holloway has been engaged in for more than 30 years. For me what I am arguing for is the logical next step towards a better world and racial equality.

Holloway has an issue with the concept of equality of opportunity and wants to pursue a Marxist inspired equality of outcome. I believe that it is not feasible or necessary to ensure that all outcomes are equal; it is possible to try to move towards an equality of opportunity and I believe that there are enough stories such as the story of Sharon White, the newly appointed Head of Ofcom or the story of Lewis Hamilton Britain's Sport's Personality of the Year 2014 to support an argument that equality of opportunity does work and that policy's to ensure equality of outcome are too emotive for consideration in the political climate and environment that we live in.

Holloway falsely claims that I have argued that "race" is a thing of the past when in fact I have argued that "race" specific politics is a thing of the past. I am aware that "race" as an ideology exists but I am challenging that ideology and seeking another way to overcome racism which is to unlearn the racist ideology that we have been taught which weighs on our shoulders like a boulder; to find new ways of classifying mankind that acknowledge human identity is not limited to "race"; to truly decolonise our minds in the spirit of Franz Fanon.

Holloway deceitfully misinterprets my analysis of "race" politics by insinuating that I have argued against cultural community self-organisation. In a multi-cultural society it is accepted that community's self organise and this adds diversity to a city like London. However community self organisation in the spirit of multiculturalism is not the same as "race" specific politics. Cultural communities exist and people in those communities have different politics but they come together for cultural festivals like Diwali or Christmas and I believe that this is a good thing that makes London diverse.

In some African states, in Nazi Germany and in failed states in Eastern Europe ethnic and "race" politics has led to genocide and war. It is not acceptable politics in the 21st century to speak about "race" in such straightforward terms as those that Holloway wants me to use. Public policy, governance and citizenship of Britain must be post-race lest we become a balkanised society with ethnic antagonism that threatens to destabilise peace and security and further erode race relations. 

Politics is about governance and in a multi-racial society one has to govern for all people and not attempt to stir resentment for personal gain. "Black" people are not a British "other", they are British citizens and when we speak about unemployment we are speaking about unemployment on a whole. Any progressive government would have to seek to improve employment for British citizens regardless of their skin colour. They would have to seek better skills training for all citizens. The point for me is that we should accept that we are British citizens and we are already assimilated. 

Holloway takes a dig to claim that I have no support from activists, campaigners or the BAME electorate. I am a British citizen and seek to speak to British people regardless of their skin colour. I have both "black" and "white" relatives and come from Britain and consider my "black" peers to be British and I am very clear that they are not as "race" conscious as previous generations. Today a young "white" girl listens to Fekky or Wiley and relates to it; a "black" boy listens to N-Dubz and relate's to it and they are all British.

Holloway recently left the LibDem's after 8 years in membership; because he was not successful in the party he has decided to ignore other personal factors that could have impacted on his political career or more precisely his lack of one. If Holloway was so interested in "blackness" and seeing "black" people in British politics why would he think it necessary to interfere in my business to attempt to write an article to character assassinate and discredit my politics? It is clear to me that Holloway's posture in his attack is not the one of "black" solidarity... Holloway proves my point that "race" politics is a hollow shell and not the political reality. If he was such a "race" man the proof would be in him stepping away from interfering in my work and trying to discredit it...

If there was unanimity in the "black" politics would Holloway be writing an essay to challenge my ideas? I am a Liberal Democrat and Holloway is not. Lee Jasper supports the Respect Party; David Lammy supports Labour; Sam Gyimah supports Conservatives and Winston Mckenzie supports UKIP?! There is no black voting bloc; it is impossible. We are no different from the host community who support different political parties and political ideals. Holloway is really ignoring the facts. The facts are that we do not all have the same political ideals in the "black" community so therefore we cannot have a "black" voting bloc. 

It is no secret that the Hip-hop Generation have not sought to pursue the "race" politics of the past; they have not created "black" political groups or tried to organise for the "black vote". We have not created organisations for the purpose of "race" politics. We are the generation that have come up with Obama and Jay-Z. We have not grown up in the segregated US. We have grown up in an era where "black" hero's were not only Martin Luther King or Mandela that were struggling for freedom but also some successful people who were not engaged in black liberation. We were not born in the era of anti-colonial struggle; we missed the anti-apartheid struggles; we were not part of the Black Power generation or the Civil Right's generation... 

I believe that the live's of "black" people can be changed through policy that is not "race" specific such as a living wage or migrant's amnesty. I support an overhaul of stop and search and more funding for mental health research as well as mental health waiting times. I support the decriminalisation of cannabis and prison reform; I have argued for a new narrative of British identity that includes all those within the British Empire. All these policies can contribute to tackling issues that impact the "black" community but they do not rely on the racial antagonism that Holloway like's to promote.

Campaigns such as the living wage campaign have lifted millions of people out of poverty many of whom are "black" but it has had no need to fall back into "race" rhetoric to bring about those changes. The campaign to end child detention in migrant case's has impacted the lives of thousands of people many of whom are "black" but it does not depend on trying to gather a following by racialising every issue. The recent Parliamentary Act to commit Britain to spending 0.7% of its income on aid impacts on "black" people but it is not race specific policy. Improving facilities for those experiencing mental illness impacts on the important issue of mental health in the "black" community but it is not framed in "race" terms.

There is no space in Britain for the "race" politics of Lester Holloway. There is no space for those that use the emotive language of "race" to gain a following whether they be BNP, EDL or Nation of Islam. It is divisive and does not work to improve race relations in Britain but only to further fracture them. In the 21st Century the language of "race" that Holloway espouses is only a barrier to racial harmony and togetherness and a thorn in the side for those that desire to create a new identity for a New Britannia that is post-race.