What is it to be Politically Significant?

An organisation or community is politically significant when political parties, a government body or civil service when planning new or amending existing policy feel you are important enough to be consulted in a meaningful way to address any positive or negative impacts arising in the proposed policy.

Dharmic community reality check on political significance – We have a very poor record and influence. To understand why, we need to understand who sets policy and how they each set policy.

Organisations that set policy that could have an impact on a community and its members.

  1. Political Parties
  2. Elected Govt. and local councils
  3. Public bodies – police, NHS etc (to be discussed in a later paper.)

What processes do they use to formulate & set policy?

1. Political Parties -

The primary motive of a political party in setting out any policy is to set out polices that they feel will win over enough voters to get their councillors. MPs or MEPs elected to form a Govt. or to gain control of local councils.

The first step in the process is broadly for the Party leadership to see where and how they can differentiate their party from other parties. i.e. broadly target certain sections / parts of communities.

The second step is research, consultation and testing feedback. This is the “first” opportunity for community and interest groups to lobby to influence policy. The Party will use a process of using research, focus groups, Party conferences and Manifesto “commitments” to set out their key policies.

2. Elected Govt. and local councils

The first step any Govt will take when they want to set new or shift an existing policy is to publish consultation white and green papers which set out the policy, what it intends to achieve, how this will be implemented and what will be the potential impact on the public/community or an individual.

This is the time for community and interest groups to study the papers and assess the potential impacts these will have on their members. And to lobby the department, Minister or their local MP etc. to raise community and individual concerns.

The second step is the legislative process – Again community organisations and individuals have an opportunity to lobby elected MPs, Peers and councillors as the case may be to request they vote in their interests.

When negative impact policies have been passed and imposed on communities, then the third phase of lobbying or direct action comes into play. With the caste legislation, this is where the Dharmic community is at today.

So how does the Dharmic community become politically significant?

There are a few simple and basic structures and processes to follow.

1.Policy Unit. - The Purpose of the Policy Unit is to have the people, skills and resources to identify what policy papers, discussions are being planned or under way, and at what stage, by key political and Govt. led organisations.

The objectives from the Dharmic Communities point of view is to have the Policy Unit asses and advice the Dharmic communities of what the policies are, their aims and the possible impacts that these will have on the community.

Here we may ourselves initiate a drive for a fresh look or amend an existing policy by engaging with the right structures and processes. This may be to reduce any negative impacts or to improve the quality of life for the Dharmic communities.

2.Dharmic Organisations – They have two key Roles -

2.1 Each Dharmic Organisation needs to set up Policy committees to discuss ALL areas of policies.

2.2 Set up Activists to develop Skills and the capacities to effectively deal with policy processes.

3.Communications, Engagement and Lobbying Loop -

3.1 Communications – An effective communications loop needs to be set up between the Policy Unit, Dharmic Communities and the grass roots to both feed information into and critically have the means, processes and capacity to feed back information and lobbying actions to the right Policy making organisations to “standard” and on time.

3.2 Engagement – The Policy Unit, Dharmic Organisations and the grass roots. We need to engage with as many organisations as possible and with a high % of the grass roots. Dharmic Organisations and the grass roots need to know what is coming up and how it could impact on them. Here the communications is the process and key.

3.3 Lobbying Loop – The surprising fact is that to achieve effective political significance, the Dharmic Community needs a low % of people to lobby the policy making organisations to take note of our views and concerns. e.g. for an MP to take note it needs a few hundred letters / emails. To get an MP to call a public meeting on an issue and raise a debate in parliament, approximately 1,000.

The next big step is to replicate this across 60 / 70 constituencies where our community resides / works.

4.Will this work? Has anyone done it? - Yes, it rarely fails given time, commitment and resources. From women getting the vote to getting justice for the Hillsborough victims to the scrapping of the Poll tax.

A Comparative study of how the Current Dharmic and the Muslim communities “operate” to deal with Policy impacts[Prakash S1]

Muslim Organisation / Muslim Process / Muslim Communications / Muslim Feedback Loop / Dharmic Organisation / Dharmic Process – True for 90% / Dharmic Communications / Dharmic Feedback Loop
Policy Unit
There are Muslim academics and intellectuals who are available within universities and research centres who actually do research and are available to be consulted to provide a view (to media, policymakers) which is friendly or favourable to any claims being made, backed up by reasonable arguments. E.g. Tariq Modood (top level) regularly researches issues of concern to Muslims and nobody criticises that he is being partial, communal etc. And there are many such people/centres / Examines Policy impacts on the community & shares it at National & local levels[Prakash S2] / Briefing papers / meetings / conferences / Have high levels of political engagement with all policy makers / Policy Unit – Non existent / On Policy matters - Non existent / On Policy matters - Non existent / On Policy matters - Non existent
National Organisations & Local Branches / Discuss and formulate actions with “policy committees” / Effective communications within the organisations and to its branches / Effective not only at the lobbying levels but also media / National Organisations / No Policy committees / people or skills or capacity. Possible reason – Confusion with policy lobbying v being “apolitical” / Non existent No coverage in newsletters or at events will time be set aside for Policy impact information & lobbying / Non existent
Activists / Have a network of Activists who follow up to ensure sufficient numbers of letters / emails / votes cast or attend lobby meetings or demonstration / Activists play a very effective role in informing and galvanising the members to play their part. / A good conduit for effective two way feedback / Activists / No policy Activists / Non existent / Non existent
Grass-roots / Sufficient numbers respond and play their part in the lobbying actions / The proof of the effectiveness is in the numbers who take the required actions to plan and respond on time. / A good conduit for effective two way feedback between Grass-roots & Muslim organistions / Grass-roots / Very, very few organisations and individuals do any lobbying. If any it is done for personal issues v community / On Policy matters - Non existent / On Policy matters - Non existent
Result / The Muslim community have a high level of Political Significance across all political parties, Govt. Dept., Public sector and even extents to the private sector. Take the case for Halal meat whereby Halal meat has become the “default” offerings in UK across supermarkets and catering establishments..[Prakash S3] / The Dharmic Community has to a large extent been Politically marginalised and ineffective. Except for some key Policy changes that the Sikh Community have won on issues that impacted on the Sikh Community. For Hindus the planning permission at the ISKON Watford temple was a huge event but compare that to getting planning permission for approx. 110 Mosques in Leicester has been achieved with relative ease[Prakash S4].

What was the purpose in detailing thisComparative study of how the Current Dharmic and the Muslim communities “operate” to deal with Policy impacts?

An excellent case study of this is the 2003 Iraq war when Tony Blair under Labour took UK to war. For a period, the Muslim community shifted their votes from Labour to LibDems in all the by elections and local elections across the country . Result - as per the example In a Leicester South by-election in 2004 a Labour majority of 13,243 was turned into a Libdem Majority of 1,654. A swing of 13,897. Guess what? The Labour Party learned its lesson and came to respect and listen to the Muslim community sufficiently for Labour in the 2005 General Election to be returned with a majority of 3,717 and in the by-election of 2010 with an increased majority of 12,078. That is political significance. Check this link for further details:

In addition Labour lost control of Leicester City Council. This was replicated across key seats and councils across the country.

Credit to the Muslim community in being so effective at addressing their requirements. In discussions often this question is raised “Why are Muslims so effective at ...”. The reasons are, we rarely articulateit in a way that provides a logical, rationale or an effective remedy.

The Muslim community is even more diverse and “divided” than the Dharmic communities. But the easy excuse is, we are divided and too fragmented. All the excuses for lack of political impotence is exactly that – EXCUSES. By people and organisations who are too engrossed in themselves to think through the structures, processes, communications and the evaluation of desired outputs v actual results for the wider Dharmic communities. It is not rocket science. We need to keep refining the structures and processes to get better results.

Mukesh Naker

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Political Significance Presentation v3 1 of 7Published by Dharma Sewa Purvapaksha

[Prakash S1]I would suggest having a further row on academic and intellectuals who are available within universities and research centres who actually do research and are available to be consulted to provide a view (to media, policymakers) which is friendly or favourable to any claims being made, backed up by reasonable arguments. E.g. Tariq Modood (top level) regularly researches issues of concern to Muslims and nobody criticises that he is being partial, communal etc. And there are many such people/centres

[Prakash S2]e.g? MCB? Or is that national organisation below?

[Prakash S3]This will need explaining – I guess you mean something like how widely the provision in catering is recognised.

[Prakash S4]But could one suggest that this was ISKCON actually asking for Hindu support but does not always consult Hindu community when other issues are involved and sometimes presents as separate from Hindu. Hindus walked into this one as usual 