Council ranks term 'British' with 'negroes'

[chemical-licker]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10...minorities.html

Council ranks term 'British' with 'negroes' and bans it in case it upsets Scots, Welsh and minorities

The word ‘British’ can be as offensive as ‘negro’ and ‘half-caste’, according to a race relations body.

The publicly-funded organisation’s views have been adopted by Caerphilly council in South Wales for a leaflet advising staff on how to deal with the public.

In a section on what words or phrases not to use to avoid causing offence, the leaflet solemnly informs the council’s 9,000 workers: ‘The idea of “British” implies a false sense of unity – many Scots, Welsh and Irish resist being called British and the land denoted by the term contains a wide variety of cultures, languages and religions.’

Caerphilly, where council workers have been warned not to use the term 'British' for fear of offending ethnic minorities

The suggestion the word ‘British’ should be avoided appears alongside similar sections which warn that ‘half-caste’ implies ‘a person is not whole and so should be avoided’ and that ‘negro’ has ‘racist overtones and is linked with the slave trade’.

The man behind the advice is former Labour minister Ron Davies – who lost his Cabinet job in 1998 after what he described as a ‘moment of madness’, when he was robbed after meeting a man on Clapham Common, a well-known gay haunt.

He has been the head of Valleys Race Equality Council (Valrec) for five years. Valrec is funded by councils and the Commission for Racial Equality and it pays Mr Davies £27,000 a year.

Equalities Director Ron Davies (left), issued guidelines to council workers warning them not to use the term 'British' but Conservative MP David Davies (right) condemned the guidelines as 'political correctness gone mad'

He said: ‘It’s just for information, there’s no advice or instruction. Of this council’s employees, 3,900 describe themselves as white British, whereas 5,400 describe themselves as white Welsh.

‘So this information is very much in accordance with the way that people in Caerphilly identify themselves.

DM.has("poll"); But Tory MP David Davies, MP for Monmouth said: ‘There’s absolutely nothing offensive about describing people as British.

‘This is political correctness gone mad. Organisations like this are using public money to propagate their own narrow nationalistic ideas.

'Perhaps they should be replaced by a single body that promotes Britishness and encourages everyone in this country, whether black, Asian or white to unite and stand together under the British flag.’

Rugby legend Gareth Edwards, who won 53 caps for Wales and ten for the British Lions, said last night: ‘I’m very proud to be Welsh and if anybody asks me where I’m from, I’ll say Wales. But I’m also British – I’ve played for the British Lions and I’m very proud of that too.’

Less than one per cent of Caerphilly’s 170,000 residents are from ethnic minorities – and figures from the last census suggest only 15 per cent of the total identify themselves as Welsh.

Asked about the leaflet, entitled Equalities in the Delivery of Council Services, a council spokesman said: ‘We are committed to equality and we always try to ensure that everyone is treated equally, regardless of sex, race or religion.

‘However, we also recognise that political correctness can sometimes be taken too far and we try to strike the right balance.’

this is ridiculous

[GreyWeather]

Uh... British is the collective name for the United Kingdom.

Everyone knows that, when talking about the actual individual countries, you refer to the person as the country they're born in - Scot for a person born in Scotland, Welsh for a person born in Wales, Irish for one born in Ireland and English for one born in England. British is just when you lump all 3 and a bit (Northern Ireland) countries together.

People are idiots.

[Cleomenes]

Wow.

[Corp]

The stupid! It burns!!!!

[SilverCougar]

._.

[Sag!ttarius]

So what about Poms, can we still use it?

[Finsup22]

The stupid! It burns!!!!

Well said, absafreak'nloutly!

Thats dummer than renaming fish, sea kittens.

[ravergirl]

can we still call Australians Aussie???

[KyrusRose]

Wait.. wouldn't British = African American.. Not negro? I'm soo lost... People are idiots. *goes to call her BRITISH friends*

[Tiggs]

Y'know - I have a feeling that Ron Davies is about to lose his job. Again.

[Mattshark]

They say they never banned, they merely said be careful when using because the Welsh do not always like being associated with the rest of Britain.

[atom286]

The stupid! It burns!!!!

I vote BNP.

I recommend all you do before its to late.

[hetrodoxly]

No wonder the Welsh elected another 4 BNP councillors this year.

[stevewinn]

They say they never banned, they merely said be careful when using because the Welsh do not always like being associated with the rest of Britain.

Never heard that one before. and never come across it on my travels. how anyone could be against being called British. the greatest Union in the the History. The two plant pots are a disgrace to their Nation. Vote UKIP instead of BNP just a suggestion.

[secondhand]

They say they never banned, they merely said be careful when using because the Welsh do not always like being associated with the rest of Britain.

Or, how do you call a Welshman British?

Caerphilly

[chemical-licker]

They say they never banned, they merely said be careful when using because the Welsh do not always like being associated with the rest of Britain.

Edited November 12, 2008 by chemical-licker

[SRCivic98]

The stupid! It burns!!!!

no kidding. now I mean think about what the color black is in Spanish? English? meaning people from England, British from Britian, Scottish from Scotland or Scottish descent, Irish from Ireland, Yankee is what anyone from America is called across seas, but over here in the USA it means someone from the North and Redneck is supposedly someone from down south. I just ask people what their name is and call them that, forget catergories folks. Rasicm....PAH! More like studity.

[The Silver Thong]

I sure hope Canada doesn't follow suit and ban the term Canadian. I know some here wouldn't want to offend the Inuit or the first nations So does that mean now when I type Britain i have to do this (*ritian) lol or I have a friend and he's a "B" sshhhh he's british lol

[Bill Hill]

Equalities Director Ron Davies (left), issued guidelines to council workers warning them not to use the term 'British'

Ron Davies?

Oh this Ron Davies...

The former Secretary of State for Wales, Mr Ron Davies, who, in 1998, reported to the police that he had been robbed by a burly Rastafarian.

Is 'Burly Rastafarian' acceptable?

Oh yeah..now I remember...

"He stood down citing "an error of judgement" in agreeing to go for a meal with a man he had met while walking on Clapham Common in London, a well-known gay meeting place. He was mugged at knifepoint. The full details of the incident (which he famously called a "moment of madness" at the urging of the Tony Blair's Press Secretary Alastair Campbell) have never emerged."

wiki

[The One Who Is]

All these possibly-offended "British" people...

Live.

In.

Britain.

It's pretty much a freaking geographical term. This is like people from the Philippines not wanting to be referred to as "islanders."

[secondhand]

Live.

In.

Britain.

It's pretty much a freaking geographical term. This is like people from the Philippines not wanting to be referred to as "islanders."

I suggest a return to the old Iron Age tribal boundaries. I'm Durotriges, I believe. Those boody Atrebates, grrr....

edited spelling of boundaries

Edited November 12, 2008 by secondhand

[Splodgenessabounds]

I'm going to leave the UK and live in France. Yes you heard, FRANCE.

That's how annoyed I am with this bloody stupid country. If the Welsh don't like being referred to as British they can disband from Britain.

[Mattshark]

Never heard that one before. and never come across it on my travels. how anyone could be against being called British. the greatest Union in the the History. The two plant pots are a disgrace to their Nation. Vote UKIP instead of BNP just a suggestion.

I used to live in Bangor. They can be very like that. The have ever destroyed English owned house before in Anglesey.

UKIP are just as much a bunch of scum as the BNP.

[atom286]

Never heard that one before. and never come across it on my travels. how anyone could be against being called British. the greatest Union in the the History. The two plant pots are a disgrace to their Nation. Vote UKIP instead of BNP just a suggestion.

UKIP wont stand up for us,

Sure they'd take us out of Europe but there are part of the pc brigade too.

[SilverCougar]

Can I still say.. >.> Limey? =D