Race is still an issue
Sir: I do not share Samir Shah’s flawed assumption that Britain is no longer a racist society (10 October). How many people of ethnic minorities are members of the current cabinet? How many vice-chancellors are non-whites? Would it be possible, in the current climate of religious prejudice, racial discrimination and Islamophobia, for a person of any ethnic minority group to become prime minister? Are ethnic minorities fairly represented in the house of lords and house of commons? Yes, Britain is more racially tolerant than it was ten years ago, but it still has a long way to go before it can break down social, cultural and racial barriers, and be unshackled from its centuries-old white supremacy and slavery mindset.
Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob
London NW2
Blameless bookies
Sir: I wonder why Ferdinand Mount asserts ‘There have always been jockeys who would take a deliberate tumble to oblige an insistent bookie’ (Diary, 10 October).
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