A Proud Tradition? Nope! Looks like Will Straw's fallen prey to the same bollox notions of history & tradition as everyone else who sees no harm in this noxious practise yet feels the need to apologise for it. Regardless of HISTORY, and regardless of TRADITION (whatever THAT might be!) blacked-up morris is backwards reactive hobbyism with no more relevance to the vibrant culture of the UK than model railways have to our transport system. It's quirky, contrived and eccentric - a folksy pastime contrived in the 1960s from a long dead (and rightly so) bucolic custom carried out by less enlightened individuals in less enlightened times.

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Incidentally, the Royal Marines, SAS etc use black face make-up for disguise in night ops. Why aren't the 'right on' PCers calling this practice racist? I suspect its because Morris Dancers are seen as a softer target that the Armed Forces! Enjoy.

That has to be the worst, Paul.