I’m pretty much a hardliner on the action we need to take to improve representation and engagement of ethnic minorities at senior levels within our party. Quite simply, if we want to aim to be a party of government then we have solve this problem, in our own narrow self-interest as a party - let alone because it is fair and will lead to better governance of Britain. The various ’soft’ strategies we have followed for achieving this - for example to encourage more BME candidates, and support them better, simply haven’t worked. Just take a look at our benches in any Parliament or any party committee. So even if those were the right strategies before, if we want results then we now need to take ‘hard’ action.

I suspect the ‘diversity premium’, through which the Bones commission recommended that any target seat selecting a BME candidate should receive £10K extra, may become something of a test for where people stand on this. I see all the problems with this, but I firmly support it (and I also don’t think that it should be extended also to other under-represented groups too, such as the disabled, for reasons I’d be happy to go into further. I’ve done a lot of work to promote access within the party for people with all kind of disabilities, but basically I think that in this case we have a specific problem with BME candidates which needs to be solved).

One of the many events that I would have liked to get to last week in Bournemouth, but was unable to for simple pressure of having too many of them, was the launch of a new Diversity Engagement Group (DEG). Now, over the last few years, autumn conferences have seen new initiatives launched to get more BME candidates, at a rate of approximately one a year. The teams behind most of them have worked hard, and some have achieved things - I applaud those who have put a lot of effort into them.

But, to be blunt, they haven’t succeeded in cracking the problem. What makes this one different is that it is being led by the party’s Deputy Leader (and indeed current god) Vince Cable. I have high hopes that this will give it a quantum leap higher chance of actually identifying the problems and being able to agree and implement solutions with the relevant people. The fact that Vince is leading sends the right signals that the party leadership has decided that it really does have to take some effective action on this pronto. I look forward to seeing - soon - what it achieves.