Ethnic group Population % of total*
White 54,153,898 92.1%
Black 1,148,738 2.0%
Mixed race 677,117 1.2%
Indian 1,053,411 1.8%
Pakistani 747,285 1.3%
Bangladeshi 283,063 0.5%
Other Asian (non-Chinese)247,644 0.4%
Chinese 247,403 0.4%
Other 230,615 0.4%
* Percentage of total UK population

Source Wikipedia

Despite the fact that blacks are numerically more than Indians,Pakistanis,I feel UK will certainly get  a PM of Indian origin before a black man or woman.

What could be responsible for this?

Your comments please. . . .  . .


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7714056.stm

If you add up the percentage of the people who come from the Indian sub-continent, then they outnumber "black" people.

Kenezi:

If you add up the percentage of the people who come from the Indian sub-continent, then they outnumber "black" people.

You have a point,but i doubt if the representation is similar in parliment. i'll get the stats

Apathy!!

And you need some sort of financial muscle as a group to back campaigns etc

Black people wont vote or come forward to be voted for and
_{god help you if you have ever smelled ganja in your school days
the media will shred you to pieces}

I think Indians have been in the UK longer and in greater numbers than blacks.

These things take time.

There are waaaay more than 1.1 million Blacks in Britain, are you sure that's not just the number for London?

I read somewhere that Nigerians alone have a population up to 3 million and Ghanaians up to 1.5 million.

blackspade:

There are waaaay more than 1.1 million Blacks in Britain, are you sure that's not just the number for London?

I read somewhere that Nigerians alone have a population up to 3 million and Ghanaians up to 1.5 million.

I suspect the figures are for only 'Legals',also the mixed race would include a lot of 'blacks' !!!

My take is that Indians & pakis empower themselves economically,while blacks are content with odd jobs. . . .

how can there be only 1 million blacks in the UK?

blackspade:

There are waaaay more than 1.1 million Blacks in Britain, are you sure that's not just the number for London?

I read somewhere that Nigerians alone have a population up to 3 million and Ghanaians up to 1.5 million.

Here are the sources for what I said in bold:

"There is a large Nigerian community in the UK, estimated to be between 800,000 and 3 million, while up to 4,000 Britons live in Nigeria."

[url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=OHg2eXlVMykC&pg=PA158&lpg=PA158&dq=ghanaians+in+britain&source=web&ots=knW4G-kGSk&sig=x7VS5SdrxhGde_-Tl4A8c1LRHl0&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result#PPA159,M1]"However, estimates suggest that the number of Ghanaians who are officially registered with the Ghana High Commission in London is about 1.5 million."[/url]

Figures based on 2001 census !

I find it hard to believe that blacks in the UK make just over 3% of the population.

Wikipedia is not always right!!

As of 2005:

Just 13 of Britain's 659 MPs are from ethnic minority groups, he added.

I think this is about right, given the population figures. I am not sure if these figures have gone up since then or not.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4186899.stm

[size=15pt]Obama effect 'hits UK politics'[/size] 


The election of Barack Obama has made black Britons more interested in politics and optimistic about the scope for change, research suggests. A poll for the Hansard Society, in December, found 42% of black and ethnic minority respondents were interested in politics, against 27% a year earlier. Those who felt the political system can bring change rose from 31% to 41%. But black and ethnic minority Britons are still far less likely to vote compared to the population as a whole.

Importance of visibility

A recent report from Harvard and Manchester Universities concluded it would take several decades for there to be a black prime minister - arguing that the centralisation of the political system was a key barrier to progress. But political research charity, the Hansard Society, says Barack Obama's successful White House campaign has had a clear positive impact on political attitudes among black and ethnic minority (BME) voters.

[img]http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/photos/2008/05/20/obama3-cp-4888623.jpg[/img]
Can interest in Barack Obama be translated into electoral progress?

For the first time in six years of research, BME respondents were more optimistic about how government works than their white counterparts and feel they have more impact over decision-making, both at national and local levels. "There may well be an Obama effect at play, suggesting that representation and visibility do matter in politics," said Fiona Booth, the Society's chief executive. The research was carried out in the period between Barack Obama's election and his inauguration. But the findings suggest black and ethnic minority Britons are still significantly less likely to vote than the rest of the population. Among BMEs asked, 35% said they were "absolutely certain" they would vote in the next election, against 53% of all those polled. "The challenge for everyone involved is how to harness this opportunity to better engage BME people in mainstream politics," the Hansard Society said. Parliament is looking at ways of boosting representation of female and minority MPs from current low levels. Just 3% of MPs are black or Asian compared with 10% of the UK population.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7981106.stm

Jairzinho:

Ethnic group      Population        % of total*   
White                54,153,898           92.1%
Black                   1,148,738            2.0%
Mixed race         677,117                1.2%
Indian                1,053,411             1.8%
Pakistani            747,285                1.3%
Bangladeshi       283,063                0.5%
Other Asian (non-Chinese)247,644 0.4%
Chinese           247,403                  0.4%
Other 230,615                    0.4%
* Percentage of total UK population

Source Wikipedia

Wikipedia must always be used as a GUIDE for information not a definitive source:

Every British subject knows that Indians are the largest ethnic group, 'Black', in the U.K refers to Africans, Carribeans, British Africans, British Carribeans and people of mixed race origin (Asian + White or African +White etc ):--

Indians were the largest of these groups, followed by Pakistanis, those of Mixed ethnic backgrounds, Black Caribbeans, Black Africans and Bangladeshis. The remaining minority ethnic groups each accounted for less than 0.5 per cent of the UK population and together accounted for a further 1.4 per cent.

source: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=455

suspect the figures are for only 'Legals',also the mixed race would include a lot of 'blacks' !!!

My take is that Indians & pakis empower themselves economically,while blacks are content with odd jobs. . . .

I quite agree with you, but to me i think Blacks dominated America during the slave trade era, it was rated that able blacks are taking to the new world (US) to work in there plantation and other odd jobs, , during these period it was noted that blacks contributed to the economic growth in us, the blacks developed the European continent because the blacks where used to faced all sort of wars and other terible things. by these Blacks where diasporal all over the continent.

can illegals vote though? There numbers won't matter if they can't.

Blacks are definately more than 1.1 million as shown by the link above . If Nigerians could amount to btw 800k and 3 million then blacks will be around 4 million at least.

The asians especially indian and pakistani in the 50s to 60s ensured their children had high education while the blacks in the UK then were of carrebean origin did not really go for education.

It is a known fact that African blacks are more educated comparaed to their carrabean brothers. Witihin the asian bangladeshi are the least educated as they go into restaurant business and other businesses after high school. You need quality education to get into politics in this country and if you look at the background of the MP's majority of them were educated in private schools (which is damn expensive here) , studied at oxford , cambridge (i think about 60% of intakes are from private schools). Not many ethnics have this priviledge but things will change here steadily i am sure but calling for a black PM might be 20 yrs away but it will happen if obama is a successful president.

Well said

Lagosboy:

Blacks are definately more than 1.1 million as shown by the link above . If Nigerians could amount to btw 800k and 3 million then blacks will be around 4 million at least.

The asians especially indian and pakistani in the 50s to 60s ensured their children had high education while the blacks in the UK then were of carrebean origin did not really go for education.

It is a known fact that African blacks are more educated comparaed to their carrabean brothers. Witihin the asian bangladeshi are the least educated as they go into restaurant business and other businesses after high school. You need quality education to get into politics in this country and if you look at the background of the MP's majority of them were educated in private schools (which is damn expensive here) , studied at oxford , cambridge (i think about 60% of intakes are from private schools). Not many ethnics have this priviledge but things will change here steadily i am sure but calling for a black PM might be 20 yrs away but it will happen if obama is a successful president.

Exactly . . . wha you just explained here is that the problem is socio-economic class, not race/ethnicity
Because even the Indian MPs are middle class . . .

blackspade:

Here are the sources for what I said in bold:

"There is a large Nigerian community in the UK, estimated to be between 800,000 and 3 million, while up to 4,000 Britons live in Nigeria."

[url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=OHg2eXlVMykC&pg=PA158&lpg=PA158&dq=ghanaians+in+britain&source=web&ots=knW4G-kGSk&sig=x7VS5SdrxhGde_-Tl4A8c1LRHl0&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result#PPA159,M1]"However, estimates suggest that the number of Ghanaians who are officially registered with the Ghana High Commission in London is about 1.5 million."[/url]

You do realise that the foreign office figure is just an estimation right? There is a wide gulf between 800k and 3 million and for the Foreign office to not give an exact figure shows that they don't have a clue either.

The only accurate source is the 2001 census and even though that is 8 years old it is still relevant. That census states that there are less than 2 million Black people in the whole of the UK and given that the population as a whole has grown by about 3% since 2001 the figure for black people (Nigerians included) should now be over 2 million.

There are more Asians, Kenyans and Caribbeans in London than there are Nigerians. Of  course if one spends all their time in places like Woolwich, Peckham et al they would get the impression that the UK is at least 50% Nigerian but that is simply not the case.

SeanT21:

I find it hard to believe that blacks in the UK make just over 3% of the population.

Wikipedia is not always right!!

Have you been to the UK before? I ask because some of your responses on Nairaland concerning the UK always seen to imply that you are the be all and know all of my country when really you are just another African immigrant in the US.

Lagosboy:



It is a known fact that African blacks are more educated comparaed to their carrabean brothers.

Not true.
Most of the Caribbean blacks are second or third generation and therefore have a UK education.
Most Africans are first generation and have an African education.

In politics, Caribbean blacks far outnumber African blacks.
Concentrating solely on MPs is also misleading. Nearly every single authority in the UK has black councillors.

Bastage:

Not true.
Most of the Caribbean blacks are second or third generation and therefore have a UK education.
Most Africans are first generation and have an African education.

In politics, Caribbean blacks far outnumber African blacks.
Concentrating solely on MPs is also misleading. Nearly every single authority in the UK has black councillors.

Are you having a laugh?? Everyone knows that Black-Africans are more educated than the Afro-Caribbeans


By using councillors instead of MPs, u're enforcing the concept of the glass ceiling.
And that's painting a far worse picture.

Looking at the number of Blacks in London you'd think the rest of the UK is the same. Blacks mostly live in cities. you'd find Indians in the smallest town in Scotland. Lol !

Bastage:

Not true.
Most of the Caribbean blacks are second or third generation and therefore have a UK education.
Most Africans are first generation and have an African education.

What has the place of education got to do with this issue. Education is education. Talking about Africans been first generation is not strictly true as most africans are now well into the 2nd generation especially africans born here in the 80's.

Bastage:

In politics, Caribbean blacks far outnumber African blacks.
Concentrating solely on MPs is also misleading. Nearly every single authority in the UK has black councillors.

You must be having a laugh at this. I have travelled and lived in every single region of this country from London to the North west to Teeside in the North East , Cumbria, South east and west, East and west midlands, Inverness, Shetlands and oarkeny , currently in Aberdeen, Scotland. I tel you there are some towns you will struggle to find a single black. Travel to a place called cambellstown in scotland and tell me if there is a single black there not to talk of black councillors. I probably think you meant councillors in london otherwise your statement is absolutely false.

Carrebean politicians outnumber blacks because of the reasons in my earlier posts. They were here first simple!!!

Lagosboy:

What has the place of education got to do with this issue. Education is education. Talking about Africans been first generation is not strictly true as most africans are now well into the 2nd generation especially africans born here in the 80's.

You must be having a laugh at this. I have travelled and lived in every single region of this country from London to the North west to Teeside in the North East , Cumbria, South east and west, East and west midlands, Inverness, Shetlands and oarkeny , currently in Aberdeen, Scotland. I tel you there are some towns you will struggle to find a single black. Travel to a place called cambellstown in scotland and tell me if there is a single black there not to talk of black councillors. I probably think you meant councillors in london otherwise your statement is absolutely false.

Carrebean politicians outnumber blacks because of the reasons in my earlier posts. They were here first simple!!!

I agree. The country is over 90% white while Black people are a measly 2% if that. Anyone with basic maths skills would be able to figure out there wouldn't be enough Black people with skills to fill councillor posts around the country given these figures.

Most Black Mps and other government officials are of Caribbean origin. Nigerians have been in the UK almost as long as Carribeans but tend to always look back to Nigeria instead of integrating into the wider society like the Caribbeans do and so their aspirations are not here in the UK, again unlike the Caribbeans.

There are still some places in the UK where a black person would be treated as a novelty because one had not been seen in those parts before.

true,