Welsh Conservative Assembly leader Nick Bourne AM today called for a breaking down of barriers between communities.
And speaking at the Jamia Mosque in Newport, Mr Bourne warned that the current approach to community relations has left some communities behind.
Extracts from Nick Bourne’s speech:
“Over recent years, Britain has become a more divided and segregated society. The approach has been to treat us differently and to try and drive us apart.
“The Commission for Racial Equality’s final report spoke of people in Britain becoming ‘increasingly disillusioned and disconnected from each other’.
“I believe this had led to three results. First, it has downplayed our shared national heritage. Second, we have ignored the rich diversity of the people that now make up this great country.
“In today’s globalised world, it no longer makes sense to package people up under a single label, and put them in a single box. Today, we cherish our freedoms and rightly respect those of others.
“And third, the current approach to community relations has been to leave some communities behind.
“The figures are stark. Presently, two out of every three children of Pakistani or Bangladeshi descent live in low-income households. And consistently fall below the average in the Key Stages at school.
“People from ethnic minorities are almost twice as likely to be unemployed as the national average. They are less likely to have qualifications higher than Level 2, and more likely to enter social care. And nearly one in three ethnic minority households lives in sub-standard homes.
“There is nothing pre-ordained that suggests Muslims should accept such outcomes. There is nothing written in the scriptures. The history of Islam is a proud history. And the history of Islam in Britain is equally rich.
“Conservatives have always believed in equality of opportunity. Each person in our society must have the opportunity to make the most of their potential, and become the very best that they can be. This seems to me entirely in keeping with the Islamic faith.
“So we need to bring down the barriers, and build the Big Society – a society in which we can all take part. That’s why the next Conservative Government will make social justice and integration a top priority. Building the Big Society means encouraging service – the idea that everyone should play a part in helping each other and making their communities stronger.”
