ON RACE RELATIONS

January 2009

We still allegedly have freedom of speech in this land so here goes.

If "Brit" is short for British then why doesn’t the Sun Newspaper apologise every time it prints the word Brit or The Brits are coming? Is the word “Brit” offensive? When the classic Sun Newspaper football clash headline said "The Scots are coming" was the word “Scot” offensive?

What about Ozzie? Kiwi? Pommie? Limey? What about our self-deprecating jokes about an Englishmen an Irishman and a Scotsman?

If a Pakistani called you "His Brit friend", would you feel offended? Would you demand an apology on National Television? Of course not.

If Brit is short for British and Scot is short for Scotsman then could it be that Paki is short for Pakistani?

Are we offended about the “Black Music Awards” or the “Black Police Officers Association”? Do we vent our angst at the notion of “The Brit Awards”?

So Prince Harry calls a mate "Our little Paki friend" and is forced to apologise two years later. This person was a mate of his for heavens sake! His mate probably referred to Harry in equally irreverent but jocular terms. And on the day this came to the fore, a British soldier died in Afghanistan and Doncaster Social Services were being looked into regarding the mysterious deaths of several children and yet Harry’s personal footage (which must have been stolen) apparently received far greater coverage in the news.

Del Trotter refers to "The Paki Shop" in one episode of Only Fools and Horses.  (Now apparently overdubbed for UK Gold with the offending word taken out, the episode when they build a nuclear fall out shelter). Should Sir David Jason now apologise? Should the writer John Sullivan apologise? Should the BBC apologise?

What about the fuzzywuzzies? "Dads Army" or what about "You stupid Kraut"?  Fawlty Towers. Both still being broadcast regularly with no overdub.

Where or when will this lunacy end? I am a BRIT, BRITISH, ENGLISH, POMMIE, LIMEY or whatever – I don’t care.