Although I see both sides of this, I think we're looking through different glasses. There is no way an American, particularly a black American whose attitude we all totally understand, can bring his value judgements to bear on Britain. We have different cultures. I travel to countries with different cultures and I try hard not to judge them by my country's history. Only a few sea miles from britain is France, A Republic that, for many Brits, is like another planet,for others, like Paradise. America and race relations go hand in hand, for those of us over here, it's all more subtle.
One of my great regrets is that almost no black people are ever seen at folk events, nowhere near the number that would represent their small percentage of the population even.Culturally there is very little mix and I regret this. Amongst musicians colour has never been an issue, but i'd love to see more black faces in the audiences and at festivals.