Oh dear, oh dear.
This argument rears it's ugly head every couple of years, OR - whenever a social event drives the debate, al'la BLM. Whenever the discussion appears, the evidence tells us nothing much has changed since the last debate. So, do we think, in ten years time, the situation will have advanced? Likely not.
Now, to be fair, technology and politics means that there will continue to be massive change in the structure and compisition of our forces which will make comparisions difficult to apply. Let us assume that staffing issues will remain unchanged.
I absolutely believe that we should be attracting themost capable and apt for those roles available. However, societial studies tells us that some members have advantages, and receive very different messages to some others. Realistically, the recruitment messages says different things to different people. Simply, many BAME people (one more term I utterly hate, we are all people, human beings) live in the inner city. When I went to Cranwell in 1990, I went from a big city to rural Cranwell in one four our drive. I knew full well what I was going to, but some people would be overwhelmed by the massive cultural change from Peckham or similair areas to that sacred place. I joined with a large number of people who I swear had never met a black person in real life. Have we really advanced as a society, with our expectations?
Why are there so many people in NBA basketball, or a desire to get into Premier division football, or a desire to get into Rap? For to many of us, it's about your one route out, to the exclusion of realistic alternative routes. The COVID19 pandemic has shown us there are plenty of people making good progress at the highest levels in Medicine, but are being recognised by paying the price. There is no shortage of Teachers, in the inner city, TV presenters, journalists. We are all there. There are plenty of people of colour in the Army, and at sea, but not enough professionals. Do we really have to wait 20+ years for those people to advance to commission level to send out a possible message?
Politicians set quotas, the recruiters need to identify and encourage those who might overwise choose a career in entertainment journalism sport etc. Marcus Rashford is barely 21, and has shamed a forty plus PM who benefitted from the best education this country can provide. Is the message clear yet?