The long awaited Conservative Party leadership battle is afoot, with now 8 MPs in the race.
From the off, this was set to be a ‘juicy’ leadership race. For those on the right - there’s been a mass ‘celebration’ of how diverse the candidates have been; and for those on the left - what appears to be a dissatisfaction that ethnic minorities can be right wing, and don’t need our hands holding to reach the top. I would say it surprises me in 2022 that people remain focused on the colour of one's skin to decipher how well and far they’ll go - in whatever walk of life they chose, but I suppose this is what happens when both those on the left and right remain obsessed.
For myself personally, and for those of you that know who I am, you’ll know that I have a deeply rooted interest in British-Indian voting behaviour; and the impact upon the Conservative Party - which I will begin researching for my PhD starting this September. Which is why, when I was asked by a lecturer who I keep in contact with from De Montfort University to write a piece on the Conservative Party leadership, I decided I would write something - once we knew exactly how many candidates would be standing.
In regards to the candidates themselves; I’m quite pleasantly surprised that the years of experiences these MPs have - vary. Jeremy Hunt has been an MP since 2005, and the most recent is Kemi Badenoch who was elected in 2017. The reason for this pleasantly surprising me, is the days of having a Prime Minister who completes their education and then goes to work straight in politics is over - MPs finally have a bit of life experience! In addition to this, I know some on the left are obsessed with essentially being ‘gate-keepers’ and acting as a ‘helping-hand’ to help people who do so happen to be of an ethnic minority background; however when I look at the 8 candidates, one cannot help but recognise the diversity and confidence that those who do have an ethnic minority background have of the Conservative Party is something that has been in the making for a few decades now.
When asked to write this piece, I was asked whether people of Indian descent - putting their name forward to be leader of the Conservative Party was something that was envisioned 20 years ago. After giving it some thought, it’s something that I remembered has been in the making under Margaret Thatcher's leadership of the Conservative Party (arguably controversial, I know). Saying this however, it can be backed up by an article written by Matthew Francis in 2017, titled ‘Mrs Thatcher’s peacock blue sari: ethnic minorities, electoral politics and the Conservative Party, c. 1974–86.” Within this, Francis discusses the strong work ethic, the drive to do well, strong family life and some other key points as to why the Conservative Party should target ethnic minorities, specifically British Indians in order to gain their trust and support.
This is why I do personally think it’s fantastic to see Rishi Sunak as one of the favourites. Whilst I personally haven’t decided who I’ll be voting for, it’s refreshing that we have a candidate who actually has family values, not afraid of hard work - valuing education (something I do think this country needs a big boost of!), and previously favouring low taxes. I think the other great thing about Rishi Sunak, is he doesn’t live in a ‘fantasy’ word; you only have to watch his campaign video and read his ‘About Me’ on his website to see he genuinely comes from a family who work hard. In saying this, this doesn’t mean I’m supporting Rishi Sunak to be the next leader of the Conservative Party (as of yet, I’m seriously undecided).
But of course, at the current moment - we do face an upheaval of challenges. Challenges which couldn’t have been tackled whole-heartedly by the former Prime Minister, who really was just in place to “Get Brexit Done.” Looking at the candidates, I do hope they realise the era of doing the upmost bizarre things, needs to be put to bed. Politics at the end of the day, really isn’t a circus (although at times it may seem like it); there’s real problems that need sorting out before they go from bad to worse; including but not limited too - the rise in taxes - for which we see no benefit in those extra pounds the Government takes off us; gas and electric bills; a serious lack of housing and necessary infrastructure and even families and childcare. These problems cannot be fixed by a new Prime Minister who is obsessed with the idea of being a celebrity. The ‘celebritisation’ of politics is, in my view, drivel and doesn’t deserve a place in British politics, and most certainly not in the Conservative Party. Politicians don’t need to be worshipped; and the formation of a ‘cult of personality’ as we’ve witnessed with Boris Johnson is dangerous. I just hope whoever wins the leadership election - whatever their race and gender, genuinely takes the role seriously.
(Image uploaded 25/10/2022).