"Do you genuinely believe that the people of London, Manchester and Liverpool are any more racist than anyone else?"
Have I suggested they are Dave?
Those are the three cities I have lived in and witnessed racism firsthand.
"it ill behoves you to criticise British tolerance from a less tolerant place."
Only when it comes to Travellers - as far as the ewelcoming of other ethnic groups are concerned Ireland is streets ahead of Britain.
If I were using that fact to defend racism, as is being done by Keith here, you might have a point, but I am not, so you don't.
All racism is evil and each country must take responsibility for its own and not hide behind that of others.
"The British are racist"
Please ton't descend to Keith's level of argument - I have not made such a claim - I have said that Britain is a deeply racist country and the links I have provided go some way to proving that I am not alone in tha belief - perhaps you would like to comment on them - Keith has yet to.
"In every pub window.......?"
As I said Dave, no idea. I can only guess that well over three quarters of the Travelling population have been affected by such discrimination, which is the only figure that counts as far as I'm concerned.
"There is no idiocy about Jack Straw, except yours Jim."
This is empty rhetoric which in no way addresses the fact that you have painted yourself into a corner - Either Straw, Keighley Cryer, Mohammed Shafiq, Ahmed an Alibhai-Brown are unpunished criminals or you are a liar - unless you can think of an alternative. Maybe you were safer claiming tyou didn't say it - don'tcha think?
"I am sorry that Jim dismissed you and implied that you were lying.
"
No I didn't, once again it is you distorting what I said, which was Sheila and Belle experienced it.
I have no doubt whatever that Goatfell has never seen the signs if he says so, but if he is using that fact to claim that they don't exist, it is he who is accusing me of lying.
I have grown more than a little tired of a bunch of people who have never been near a Traveller for any significant length of time (I'm sure if they had I would have known about it long before now) implying that I am lying or actually accusing me of doing so.
I saw what I saw, I was involved in the campaign I said I was involved in, and Travellers have directly occupied a major part of my life for over thirty years. As far as transcriing, indexing and archiving the material we collected from them, it still does, and will continue to do so for the rest of my life.
People can either take me at my word or G.F.T. as far as I'm concerned.
"You have been here much longer than he has, and I would trust your word over his any day."
Much like my predecessors living in Britain - doncha think.
Don't know whether it ever made it out of Liverpool, but we used to call the Uriah Heep soundalike you are indulging in 'suckholing' when I was young.
Jim Carroll