Elections have consequences. Britain’s immigration policy is shaped by colour, and directed at Black people. Britain’s modern immigration policy started life with the ‘River of Blood’ speech that Conservative MP, Enoch Powell, made on 20 April 1968 in Birmingham. Powell’s prediction of an immigration Armageddon has not materialised nevertheless, the legacy persists. The Conservatives are now sending Black immigrants  and asylum seekers to Rwanda for internment as if they were prisoners captured at war.

In October 2012, Theresa May, then Home Secretary, revived Labour’s ‘Hostile Environment Policy’. The Labour Party had brought the Windrush Generation from the Caribbean to Britain because Britain at that time needed workers to help fill post-war labour shortages and rebuild the economy. In 2018, as a consequence of the ‘Hostile Environment Policy, the Windrush people were wrongly detained, denied their legal rights, threatened with deportation, and some indeed were wrongly deported. Because they were elected into office, Labour and Conservative parties could inflict these inhuman and degrading immigration policies on Black people.

Election is an equaliser. Everyone has the right to vote but many do not vote, even larger numbers are not registered to vote. Not registered to vote are: 20% of people living in inner London, 38% of people in rented accommodation including council housing, 36% of Commonwealth citizens, and 20% of people under the age of 25 years. Under registration means that inaccurate data is used to draw constituency boundaries. Under registration means under-representation and low voter turnout.

Many Black people do not vote, and many are not even registered to vote. The electoral process is available to Black people, as it is to everyone else. Black people must use the electoral process to amplify their voices and ensure unfettered participation in the national debate on how to build a better Britain for all.

This is why we founded The Yoruba Party in the UK (YPUK). The YPUK  intends to have candidates for the forthcoming parliamentary elections. Join us. Donate at PayPal.me/YorubaParty.