Trevor Phillips, the chairman of the EHRC, started a legal action against the British National Party because of its membership criteria, a move supported by the British political elite in order to damage the only party who represent the interests of native Britons.

However, or maybe unsurprisingly, Mr Phillips never complained about blacks and asians-only political organizations.

We would advise him to look the register of the Electoral Commission, where he would find out that one of the parties registered there is the Ligali Party.

This party was registered the 23/09/2003, its leader is Mr Toyin Agbetu, its nomination officer Ms Oleander William and its treasurer Mrs Funmi Womack. None of those names sound British but this is not the only surprise.

Its emblem is a shield with the words “A voice for the African British Community”.

Already the use of the word African says a lot about the kind of community it represents and it’s clear that those who created this party want people to be proud of being black and of their ancestry. At the moment it’s not clear if its constitution prevents white people from joining given that its website is not working. But it’s possible to have a clue from the party’s statement of accounts for the year 2008.

Overview
The main focus of activity for the party this year was to promote awareness of our existence. We were frequently contacted to comment on the lack of credible African British politicians with grassroots support. We continue to find the financial requirements (deposits) to stand for election prohibitive and overly bureaucratic with not enough notice given for adequate preparation prior to election dates. We continue to commend the clarity of the documentation issued by the Electoral Commission in general; nonetheless we maintain that the entire process excludes smaller parties representing communities that are socio-economic disadvantaged from engaging with the political process through use of an unfair system of economic apartheid.

Membership n/a

Campaigning n/a

Review of financial activities

Overview

This was our fifth year as a registered party.

We decided not to begin any large scale campaigning
of the party until we locate sustainable finance and suitable community members who can commit long term to the Party objectives.

Receipts and Payments

Receipts nil

Payments nil

Assets nil

Even if registered, it appears this party has never been active and so far doesn’t have any members or financial resources. So will the EHRC start legal action against the Ligali Party? Don’t hold your breath.

However it may be interesting to know why no one from the African community wants to join this party.

GIUSEPPE DE SANTIS

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