ABSTRACT
The theme of racial politics in Britain appears to operate at two, possibly three, reasonably distinct levels. First, there is the phenomenon of the electoral participation of Britain’s ethnic minorities. This topic, as this volume has demonstrated, has been the focus of quite considerable academic, media and party interest over the years. Underlying much of this attraction has been the search for explanations for both mass and elite participation that are empirically well-informed, whilst consistent with a range of theoretical views of ethnic minorities’ immigrant, class and geographic features. As different contributions to this volume have made clear, the interpretation put on actual patterns of ethnic minority electoral behaviour (EMEB) remains inconclusive and trapped in the quagmire of conceptual and methodological dispute. This somewhat blurred picture has, not surprisingly, allowed politicians almost unrivalled opportunities to put their own partydriven spin on the political attitudes and behaviour of ethnic minorities. The “ethnic vote”, as it has been dubbed, has become more-or-less whatever politicians desire.
