Supreme Court ruling opens way for legal action against Michael Gove and Liz Truss for racial discrimination and victimisation

Supreme Court ruling opens way for legal action against Michael Gove and Liz Truss for racial discrimination and victimisation

Read our guest blog by David Hencke UPDATE: At a Press Gallery lunch in Parliament last week I raised the issue of the Supreme Court ruling and the potential case to be brought by three judges with David Lidington, the current Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary. He did not want to comment about the Supreme…

Social integration report: more questions than answers

Social integration report: more questions than answers

Last week, the APPG on Social Integration led by Chukka Umunna MP, released its interim report, centred on 6 principles. Some of the recommendations are welcome, but it left us with more questions than answers. More clarity is needed on what the recommendations would look like in practice. Welcome news The inquiry suggested government create…

Researchers reveal that diversity is good for your health

Researchers reveal that diversity is good for your health

It has become a commonplace idea that the more ethnic diversity there is in a society the more conflict and ill-feeling there is. Difference and diversity are seen as negative and dangerous rather than as positive and engaging. Actually this assumption is highly questionable, but of course the Sun, the Daily Mail and the Daily…

Mad World

Mad World

A quick Google search defines mental illness broadly as, ‘a condition which causes serious disorder in a person’s behaviour or thinking.’ When we live in a context where a “serious disorder” is often attached to acting and speaking out about racism rather than being racist, we must be critical about our own understandings of mental…

The Importance of an Intersectional Approach in Social Research

The Importance of an Intersectional Approach in Social Research

“There is no thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” – Audre Lorde In researching BAMER issues in the UK, it is important not to homogenise racial struggle and instead understand the diversity of identities that are present in different racial groups. For this, it is important that we view…

Post Referendum Racism

Post Referendum Racism

Pandora’s Box has been opened by the Brexit referendum and it is difficult to see how the evils that it has allowed to escape can be put back in the box. Already there are reports of increasing race hate crimes – many directed at Polish and other European migrants but also directed at Muslims and…

Spreading Confusion, Potentially Inciting Hatred – Trevor Phillips’ Route to ‘Active Integration’

Spreading Confusion, Potentially Inciting Hatred – Trevor Phillips’ Route to ‘Active Integration’

Anyone reading the recent ‘Civitas’ publicationRace and Faith: The Deafening Silence byTrevor Phillips with commentaries from David Goodhart and Jon Gower Davies, who knew nothing about Phillips could be forgiven for assuming that he was a protégé of or speech writer for Donald Trump, or at least a spokesman for UKIP. His credentials as given…