Thread by @TheTrashiesUK

If you’re only Asian to use that as a cudgel to make life as hard as possible for fellow Asians then I would suggest you’re just Asian enough for a Conservative electorate.

Also class isn’t being discussed in what Priti and Sajid means for South Asian representation in politics. Loudest South Asian supporters of token representation on twitter are comfortably middle class and for them it’s enough to have a brown face and celebrate it.

There is a South Asian middle class that is predominately Indian. The vast majority of other South Asians are working class and thus have different priorities or idea of what South Asian representation means.

There is a small but growing South Asian middle class who will see Sajid and Priti as representation of their South Asianess. But there are other South Asians (majority reflected in their voting patterns) who will always push back on Sajid and Priti being representation of them.

Then we have to talk about Religion. Are South Asian Muslims celebrating Sajid and Priti as representation of them? Voting patterns would suggest not. If you’re a South Asian who isn’t Muslim you might feel differently and celebrate Priti and Sajid appointments.

Problems arise because British South Asians are always covered as a monolith. No attention given to class, religion and nationality. That’s why we’ve got such a disconnect between Blue Tick Asians celebrating appointments of Sajid and Priti and other South Asians pushing back.

Then let’s talk about generational representation. Mum voted Tory until Cameron. She had a busines and was able to purchase a home under Thatcher (she is Indian). Her children (me) vote Labour, because we are unable to buy a home. Asians also have Boomer vs Millennial dynamic.

Nobody and mean nobody objects to BAME Tories. The pushback is that we are all as South Asians expected to celebrate this as a achievement. When the diversity is only truly skin deep and their policies would give Enoch Powell a raging boner.