TUNE into television to watch proceedings in the House of Commons and you see benches predominantly occupied by white, male MPs.
A few women are dotted here and there, some occupying front bench seats. Likewise a few dark faces.
Then walk out into the street – especially in a diverse city such as this – and take a look around.
Half the people you see will be female and a good number will be black or Asian.
Therein lies a problem because, if the House of Commons is to be truly representative, its MPs should reflect the communities which voted them into office. And that means we need more female and non-white MPs.
However, the path to achieving this is lined with problems.
Labour Party officials in Ladywood should not be lambasted for wanting to select a black or Asian woman to succeed Clare Short as their MP, but they are misguided.
The successful candidate should not simply be guided on the colour of their skin or their gender, but on how qualified they are for the job.
Of course, sex and ethnicity may be relevant when the party decides who best would represent voters – especially in a multi-cultural area such as Ladywood.
But such considerations should not exclude all others. To do so would be to risk selecting an otherwise unsuitable candidate.
Truth is, too few people from all our communities are excited by politics.
It is up to the parties to inspire us so we all want to become involved - whatever our background.