Yue Parkinson

Opinion | How running for office in UK local elections helped me, a mainland immigrant, feel accepted by British society

Stereotypes about British people being racist persist but voters, it seems, don’t care about a candidate’s looks, accent or whether they are an immigrant

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People arrive at a polling station at Langsett Barn in Sheffield, England, on May 4. The ruling Conservative Party lost more than 1,000 seats in a series of local elections, the latest blow to a party that has struggled to manage a cost-of-living crisis and surging energy prices. Photo: EPA-EFE

Yue Parkinson

Published: 3:30am, 14 May 2023

The experience of running for office in this month’s UK local elections was a profound and quick way to dispel a stereotype that had existed in my mind for many years – that the British look equal but are actually deeply racist. I was surprised and heartened to discover that the British electorate really did not care about my looks and accent.

Before I started canvassing, my biggest concern was my immigrant status and my accent. As soon as I opened my mouth, my strong Chinese accent showed I was a first-generation immigrant. Had I not been unexpectedly invited to stand for election, I would not have considered myself eligible to be a candidate for the local elections.

I have not experienced much racial discrimination in British society in the almost 20 years I have been here, something I have always found surprising and admirable in the progress of equality in the UK.

However, my interactions with the mothers of my children’s classmates have led me to believe that, in general, British people deliberately ignore my presence and don’t want to talk to me. I met other mothers every day when dropping off and picking up my children from primary school. It was not a comfortable experience; most deliberately ignored me.

Was I just being paranoid? I don’t think so. I proactively sought to engage them, testing the waters with my eyes, but there was no response. Those few mothers who were willing to interact took the initiative and waved or said hello.

Apart from those who turned a blind eye, I still remember the reaction of two mothers when I tried to be friendly and talk to them one day some 10 years ago. They acted as if they had been insulted, their faces flushed red and, while being polite, answered as if they were talking to a lesser species.