Tories accuse race panel of McCarthyism

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, APRIL. 21. The race row in the run-up to the June general elections has turned nasty with the Conservatives accusing the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) of a ``witch hunt'' and ``McCarthyism'' by making public the names of M.P.s who have refused to sign its proforma pledge not to stoke racism in the election campaign.

In what is seen even by its sympathisers as a botched- up exercise in political correctness, the Commission has been putting on its website the names of ``refuseniks'' in a bid to shame them. This, it is stated, is unnecessary because, for one thing, the pledge is entirely voluntary and, more importantly, the leaders of the three major parties, including the Tory chief, Mr. William Hague have already signed it on behalf of their members. Why should then individual M.P.s be asked to sign it again and why should their reluctance to do it be seen as coded racism when their leaders have committed them to the pledge?

The difficulty inherent in such public demonstrations of good intent is highlighted by the fact that whereas the right- wing Shadow Home Secretary, Ms. Ann Widdecombe, known for her hardline on a sensitive issue such as asylum, has signed the pledge, the Tory's in-house liberal intellectual, the Shadow

Chancellor, Mr. Michael Portillo, has refused. Does it make him less committed to racial equality than his hardline party colleague? ``I don't think there are many people who have been quite as outspoken as I have been about the need for inclusiveness and equality of esteem. I think that speaks volumes, much more than signing bits of paper, honestly,'' Mr

Portillo said.

Ms. Widdecombe said though she was signing the pledge, she thought it was a ``great insult'' to her to suggest that she might ``wish in any way to stir up racial hatred.'' Other Tory members have been more outspoken accusing the Commission of resorting to ``blackmail'' tactics. A former Tory Minister told the Commission to ``go to hell'' denouncing the pledge as a ``loathsome, offensive document'' while another prominent Tory said: ``This is where it ends up - a McCarthyite witch hunt where you are what you pledge.''

The Commission's clarification that it is not forcing anyone to sign up to the pledge or making any value judgment about those who refuse has not washed. Nevertheless, the row has embarrassed the Tory leadership and Mr. Portillo's intervention on behalf of ``refuseniks'' - mostly hardliners - is seen as an attempt to broaden his appeal within the party as part of a power struggle in which he is pitted against Mr. Hague. ``There was also speculation over Mr. Portillo's motives in refusing to sign, with one Shadow Minister suggesting that he was trying to shift back towards the right to ensure he was not outflanked by Ms. Widdecombe in any future leadership contest,'' a newspaper reported.

The leadership has been less than consistent in its handling. First, it asked its M.P.s to sign the pledge but when faced with a virtual revolt it said the fact that Mr. Hague had already endorsed it was enough. It also irritated its M.P.s and prospective candidates by warning them against using racist language during the election campaign which the Opposition quickly seized on to suggest that it implied there was latent racism among the Tory rank and file.

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Section  : International
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