An article I have written for the SNP Independence Magazine, June 2021, Issue 68
Editor: Jack Paterson

At the risk of repeating what every other participant, observer, candidate and commentator has already said, the Holyrood election was like no other – other than being another stunning success for the Party.

The route map out of the pandemic played a key role in the final weeks of campaigning, but lockdown was far from being the only difference.

The election produced an increased mandate for our people’s right to ask themselves the most important question: do we want Independence – while simultaneously providing a model for the delivery of a successful referendum without risking another outbreak of Covid-19.

Sadly it also allowed the public to witness misogynistic harassment of our Party leader, but happily it saw the departure of a small number of disruptive members to whom I bid a polite farewell.

All this in addition to another other significant development: the first use of an equality mechanism in candidate selection.

I am well aware that not all members agreed with this strategy, posing the question, should selection of candidates come down to the person most capable, or is there more to it?

We all know that we have a fair number of people within the Party from minority ethnic groups who are more than capable of becoming an elected member. So why so we have so few?

This is evidenced through each election campaign; most recently the constituency selection process saw one new ethnic minority candidate come through from a possible 22, plus an incumbent.

As branch members, office bearers and executives we must examine our internal structures and ask, why? Be prepared for uncomfortable truths.

Inclusion, diversity and equity for a truly representative Parliament, was my maxim for the campaign as it will be for the upcoming Council elections.

In an ideal world, there would be no need for any sort of equalities mechanism because our governments would be populated with, at least, minimal proportional representation.

So how to do we get there and what has this issue got to do with the Independence referendum?

Voters considered ‘hard to reach’ may feel like outcasts due to negative schooling, neighbourhood, employment, benefits, police or local authority experiences.

This leads to another question: why would an individual participate in societal matters when that same society has marginalised them?

The simple solution would be to reach out and be inclusive. However, if this were the case we wouldn’t have the problem in the first place. So we must continue to address the issue.

The strength of the SNP BAME Network lies within proposed strategies to maximise voter and membership engagement:

• Actively involve identified branch members in discussions and encourage their participation. There is no such thing as a stupid question.
• Overcome communication barriers by using everyday English, and where possible, provide written and oral formats.
• Provide alternatives to the pub to show respect to those who don’t drink or feel uncomfortable in an alcohol environment.
• Encourage diverse members to come forward for office bearer positions or vice positions. This helps provide experience, confidence and guidance as they learn.
• Listen to their perspectives with an open mind; these members have valuable lived experience, and chose the SNP to bring about political change. Let them know their opinion matters.

Being active within the Party helps activists communicate within their communities – a skill necessary to promote conversations around Independence and build rapport.

If local people see a member of their own community elected then they are far more likely to engage in conversation, thereby encouraging trust and helping us gain support.

We all have the same goal. Experiences from the BAME Network add quality to our efforts to spread our message of Independence, peace, respect and hope further than ever before.