WHILE I THINK OF IT...

I visited a farmers' market yesterday.  Held on a monthly basis in a field behind a buzzing Surrey village centre, it was akin to being part of a time capsule.  Stalls neatly laid out selling all one could ask from such an undertaking.  From locally grown vegetables, home-cured meats to cheeses and fish, plus beer and candles, the market was heavily supported by villagers and visitors alike, many bringing their dogs with them.  It felt as if the epitome of Englishness had gathered for the morning.  From ladies dressed in expensive outdoor clothing to so-called designer attire, men sporting straw hats to those of a more rustic calling, it evoked memories of a more gentle age, certainly an England one would prefer to still be part of on a daily basis.  A neatly decorated caravan selling cream teas and other home-made delicacies round off the proceedings.  Tables and chairs full of the chattering classes taking tea with friends while dogs sat alongside without recourse to barking.  It was a very 'native' scene.  Not one ethnic face was spotted amongst the visitors, though a black Labrador appeared looking totally relaxed with its surroundings, but then it would do.  The canine world is not overly-populated with dogs of a black hue - lab or mongrel!

It was interesting, therefore, that an article in The Guardian caught my eye concerning a black female MP by the name of Dawn Butler - elected in 2015.  No, you wouldn't know she wasn't a native by her name.  There is a picture of a group of black women, all of whom have apparently been elected to serve their constituencies and more importantly, their constituents. Thankfully, it should be some time before they are likely to be representing the constituency in which I reside!  The sub-heading, placed above the sea of smiling, seemingly self-satisfied faces,  states:  MP says she 'won't be silenced' after posting on social media to celebrate ethnic diversity of her Westminster cohort.  The article is written by one Aletha Adu. The main thrust of this apparent excitement is that Ms, Miss, Mrs (delete as necessary) Butler has been reported to the police for 'showing off the melanin'.  Now, I have absolutely no idea as to what 'melanin' is when it's at home. Sadly, or more probably fortunately, I have not experienced the assumed pleasure garnered through the art of 'showing it off'!  I suspect I'd have to be 'ethnically inclined ' in order to perform that feat.  A reader responded to the lady's post on X by asking:  'Just imagine if a white MP celebrated the lack of melanin in a group photo..?'  The 'Butler' - and it's not a job I could see her applying for once she is hopefully relieved of her well-paid House of Commons seat - was elected to serve ALL constituents, not just the ethnic majority of Brent East.  This attitude does her no credit at all, though it comes as no surprise of course.  The ethnic shoulder chip is evident and such arrogance is displayed for all to see.  (Melanin, so I have just read, is a substance in the body that produces hair, eye and skin pigmentation - so now I know, having just looked it up!) 

How sad that standards have dropped so far and that those with 'racial agendas' can rise to such exalted heights.  Still, with mass diversity now playing out in such numbers in the once-hallowed corridors of Parliament, is it any wonder that 14.8 % of the voting public put their cross against the Reform Party?

As Lee Anderson, Reform's newly-elected MP for Ashfield pleaded, 'I want my country back'.  For a moment yesterday, in that quintessential Surrey village, I was back there, proud and relaxed to be part of an England I recall with warmth and fondness ...