I agree with Tracey Dragonsfriend (what an excellent name!) there are too many do gooders around when it comes too racism OK it is awful and despicable but we should always remember that europeans are also disliked in third world countries and that there is obviously a natural tendency to be discerning and to dislike neighbours eg flemish/walloons, turkish/greeks, kurds/iraq, nomads/non nomads (berbers, samis, kurds),etc.

Why can't everybody be tolerant like the English?

But then on a lighter note the best Ladies morris team I ever saw was White Ladies Morris from Bristol. They were all young, beautiful and georgeous but then that was in 1977 at a Manchester Morris day of dance.

Morris dancing is seen in an oil painting of an idyllic country scene of the Ashburnham estate from 1700. Their dancing provided fertility in agriculture and weddings though no doubt this practice was severely frowned upon by puritans who have a lot to answer for in the way of 'witch hunting' out many old dances and traditions. A Sheffield Morris team used to always introduce their dance performance by saying that: "Morris dancing is an old tradition that will bring you good luck, fortune and fertility and if you don't like the fertility then you can spread it on the garden"