12 November 2009

What can we do to change the whiteness of Devon and Cornwall?

Gerald Warner wonders...
That pertinent question was posed by a student to actress Emma Thompson during her recent lecture entitled “All Africans Now”, delivered as part of her “cultural awareness campaign” at Exeter University.

The problem of the whiteness of Devon and Cornwall is certainly a challenging one. It seems strange that there should be pockets of pallid Caucasians still, in a country on the north-west fringe of Europe. Perhaps it is something to do with all that Devon cream they guzzle. Or more likely we are suffering the natural consequences of the Draconian restrictions on immigration so deplored by every Guardian reader.

Anyway, it is reassuring to know that La Thompson is on the case: it is a universal axiom that, if you want your cultural awareness raised – send for a luvvie. Stephen Fry is engaged on similar work and even commands his own unit of Thought Police, capable of being mobilised at a moment’s notice by a mere 140 characters on Twitter.