6 8
Drum: IN FOCUS
Met, he was clear. “I was not asked to join and be
one of the good and the great. I was asked to call it
as I saw it. I did. For example we concluded that
there was no common understanding of what
diversity meant. At best it was tick box and at worst
it was an instrument which when applied was
creating a disproportionate response in the way that
black people were treated.”
more productive to find what happened and how
it can be put right and how you can help get an
institution to be more responsive.”
“I’m not here to make the
numbers up or provide the
decoration around the table.”
Whilst institutions assess the impact of his findings,
Sir Bill still casts his all-seeing eye on a community
that is not always engaging with the political process.
He blames some politicians who are keen to “jump
on populist platforms” and not lead but instead be led
by the people. “Of course you start to lose faith
when people say one thing but do another.” That
does not stop some of us from using politicians not
doing their duty as an excuse for everything. “We
have a moral compass missing. What’s happened to
the extended family, the sense of community and
the value of honesty? These are all traits I learned
from my own small village in Jamaica and were
passed to me by my parents which I, in turn, tried
to pass on to my own children.”
Sir Bill Morris and Rt. Hon Charles Kennedy MP at the 2 004
EMMA Awards. Photo courtesy of EMMA Awards.
There was, according to Sir Bill a temptation to take
the negative stance and go looking for those who
had ‘done the deed’ and take appropriate action but
that would ultimately solve very little. “You can
parade them in Trafalgar Square and get people to
throw a few stones but when you’ve taken that
approach have you made any real changes in an
organisation where you can now prevent another
Stephen Lawrence or Damilola Taylor? You will make
headlines with the naming and shaming but it’s far
There will be of course, more musings on Sir Bill’s
particular style and thoughts on leadership when the
autobiography lands. He has finally conceded that it
is under “very active consideration” but seems
rather bemused why a whole community would
be waiting for his memoirs to be released. “It’s not
an easy or difficult thing. It falls into the ‘so what?’
category. I don’t believe I have been extraordinary or
done anything really special. I feel I have been
bloody lucky and been in the right places at the
right time. A lot of people have not had my
opportunities and my privileges so what’s so special
about me that I should want to write a book but
that said, a lot has happened in my life. There are
experiences that are transferable – and it’s no bad
thing to give an account of how I spent my days
and let others do the judging.”
Parts 1 and 2 of our E lection Special can be found on pages 55
and 8 3 respectively.