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Our first black PM, our own Obama? After a century perhaps, I said, and made my son very cross. He, a young barrister, is more upbeat and hopeful than his grumpy mum. It seems new research agrees with him. A study comparing race and opportunity in the US and UK finds many reasons to be cheerful about our situation.
First we are not "sleepwalking into segregation", as some warn. Even in cities with high Asian populations there isn't a single ward which can be described as a "ghetto", unlike the US, where de facto residential segregation persists. When I visited New Orleans, poor blacks and whites lived in separate neighbourhoods; successful African-Americans were confined to their own affluent quarters. That simply does not happen here.
Obama proves racial attitudes in the US are shifting. Here, too, according to this latest research: "People born after 1960 are permanently less prejudiced than their parents." Fewer white Britons object to mixed marriages - in fact, the opposition comes now from the "ethnic" side, as I found when writing a book on the subject of mixed- race Britons. In the rest of Europe segregation and overt discrimination remains common.
Here, a young black child can see black power. Our Attorney-General, Patricia Scotland, and peers such as Valerie Amos all exert influence, as do Trevor Phillips, David Lammy, Trevor McDonald and other names in arts, popular culture, sports and design. Tidjane Thiam is the new CEO of Prudential; Damon Buffini is a multimillionaire private equity operator.
But look closely and gloom spreads across the picture. White Britons may think it is great to love across racial boundaries yet too many still find it hard to accept that a person of colour can climb to high places or should. Twelve years ago I was the first non-white weekly newspaper columnist in this country. I still am. And I still get letters telling me Asians should be cleaning toilets.
Black men get it even worse says one, a lawyer who cannot get a parliamentary seat: "They think lurking behind the smart suit is a mugger or rapist." Does he think we can have an Obama? Maybe, but not any time soon. If this new evidence is right, such pessimism is out of date. I hope so. This is an argument I want to lose, and conclusively.
Reader views (9)
You can have our Messiah ! He is putting us in the poor house. He has run up the deficit more than the last three Presidents combined and in only two months. God help us ! Never thought I would go along with the French and Germans but I agree with them on the spending. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH ! If spending our Grandchildrens money is a qualification-then he has that. When did we start thinking we could spend and borrow our way out of debt. Very stupid indeed. Remember-Obama has never had a REAL job.
- Ruckus (Ex Pat), Myrtle Beach USA, 01/04/2009 05:14
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Yasmin: please remind us of the Jewish and female Presidents of the Land of the Free.
- Dectora, London UK, 30/03/2009 13:46
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I remember in 1975 ALL of the male members of my immediate family stating emphastically over dinner that we would not have a female Prime Minister for at least another 50 years. Hah hah.
- Northern Lass, Wigan Lancs, 26/03/2009 16:58
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Obama has been elected because he has many outstanding qualities...as a politician & man. He was elected for these reasons, not the colour of his skin. I am sure that a black or coloured person, with talent, will have as much chance to become Prime Minister of this country as a white person. I think that it will happen sooner than most of the commentators think.
- Brian Church, London, 26/03/2009 16:25
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Yasmin, how about say a white person to be elected in Africa or in the Middle east as President or Prime Minister where the white population are the ethnic minority ?
- Joe, Swanley Kent, 26/03/2009 15:04
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Instead of fixating on a candidate's colour, perhaps we should examine more closely their manifesto promises ?
And ensuring they keep said promises.
Inverted snobbery, it seems has now become inverted racism.
- Madmax, London, 26/03/2009 12:58
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Once black people are fully integrated, respected for their honesty, admired for their hard work and contribution to society then a black candidate will attract votes.
Until then . . .keep smoking because pipe dream is highly appropriate.
- J Norris, Shoreditch, 26/03/2009 11:45
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We don't want our own Obama . He is in the process of destroying the economy of the USA . He may well turn out to be the worst , and certainly the most incompetent , President that the USA has ever had .
We want a Prime Minister who is elected for being a person of competence , integrity , ability and proven performance - tried and tested over time . This can only be done by their ascent through our system of party selection , Parliamentary representation and an electoral mandate following a General Election .
Americans will rue the day that they voted emotionally and in haste - they will surely be repenting at leisure .
- Marcus J. Tyson, London, 26/03/2009 10:39
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It is not the general public but the political parties in this country which drastically reduce the chances of non-white candidates leading the parliamentary parties. The US has bigger race problems than the UK in many ways, but the US political system allowed Obama to by-pass UK type hurdles to lead his party in a presidential election.
- Bloke, London, 26/03/2009 10:36
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