" Right Liberty " you mean. I have gotten alcoholically disabled with a few of them on several occasions and I know where of what I speak.

All I can say is you haven't seen some of the newer morris sides that are now knocking about. Wolf'shead and Vixen are downright scarey when they're going for it, not a white hankey in sight ( infact they even wear mirror shades when they dance indoors! ) . Wildhunt, in tatters and full masks are just plain 'full on' and just to nail down the 'englishness' of it all last year Prince Albert morris started dancing out and before you ask yes they are a sado / masochistic morris side and they do dance in rubber, studs, pvc etc. and they are named after the piercing.

Of course, encompassing all of the above, you have the world famous Hammersmith Morris. Bit of an in joke, sorry.

But I did see a morris side dancing on Monday, they were at Slough I think. They were up dancing just before all that "All you need is love" business. Didn't recognise the side though.

Anyway, do you think all those teenage boys you see Banghra dancing actually want to be there? Can't you just picture the arguments with their parents - boy wants to wear wannabe hip hop star outfit - mother says "you're putting the sarong on and dancing and that's the end of it! Now where have you put your fans, eh?" I'm sure not all of them hate it, but I bet more than a few were 'pushed' initially.

People like those Bullfrog ran into at he cricket match will always exist. It's not the colout of skin that matters to them, it is the fact that here is something not exactly the same as themselves. This is what they can't handle. If we were all beige, people like that would still find things to be bigots about, down to and including your brand of underwear.

Personally, I like being a mongral. And if you say you are english, you really can't be anything else. This country has always been busy being invaded, whether in war or peace. It's been going on for thousands of years and I think it's brilliant. I can go for the celtic wildness, the anglofied stiff upper lip, eat chinese food and kebabs, go belly dancing each week, bang my head to the metal bands I like, sing my heart out in choirs and sing - a - rounds, buy my material down a market which has colours from every where, whilst eating the best samosas any where or buy yams and goat curry, go on pagan pride marches and celebrate the spirit of life with people (literally) from all over the world, sing hymns in a church, go to a friend's siekh wedding AND ALL OF THIS WITHOUT EVEN LEAVING LONDON!

Yeah, I like being english. And the last couple of days was a good celebration of all of us never mind old Betty. Mind you, she don't 'arf know how to throw a party, eh?

TTFN M'Lady P.