I can see exactly where Gary is coming from and if I majored in biology I would probably find the same definition. As my studies were more inclined to English and Economics I think I could find a different definition. No Economics books to hand, just a plain dictionary.

Race n. group of persons or animals or plants connected by common descent, posterity of (person); house, family, tribe, or nation regarded as common stock. (The Caucasian race); genus or species or breed or variety of animals or plants, any great division of living creatures (the human race); descent, kindred,; class of persons etc with some common feature (the race of poets, dandies etc)

That is the full definition available to me at the moment. I could have just picked out the 'connected by posterity', 'kindred', 'race of poets' and so on but I did not want to make the same mistake and latch on to just one definition.

As you can see both Gary and Brian are right. Let us just say that race is a very large word with multiple meanings.

Can I try to steer this back on course once again by saying the thread, started by me, was about a comment made by a polititian. Forget what race means. Forget the semantics of it all. Go right to the start of the thread and read it carefuly.

Robin Cook said "The British are not a race". I disagree. Simple. Look at the above definition. They may not be a race in biological or global terms but they are a race belonging to the same house or tribe. What is more the Government itself has just sent out a form to every household in Britain giving "British" as an answer to the question about cultural or ethnic, and by the same definition, racial, background.

Who do we believe? The home office (Census) or the foreign office (Robin Cook). Well, you know what us British say. Never trust a foreigner;-)

Cheers

Dave the Gnome. Trying to keep my thread on course but fighting a loosing battle.....