Not sure

It is always difficult to know the line between paranoia and fact

Can I venture into this subject as a European with an interest ?

I will not comment on the crutch of victimhood, it is not my place to answer that.

I believe there are certain people who play the race card because it is an easy option, the reason being it is so sensitive and almost unprovable that the benefit of the doubt is almost always given in favour of the complainer.

The question echos the Lennie Henry question "Is it cos Im black ?"

There is definitely something in the basic suggestion, though there's a lot of factors at work. A very interesting and necessary discussion. Will say more if time allows in the next day or so.

On the goings on at the top of the Met, have to say I've found Ghauffur's conduct of his business completely bizarre. I also think it is significant that it is Asian rather than African senior officers that seem to be lining up to sue the Met. Why that might be so is also a conversation for another time.

this is a delicate issue, its hard to define what constitutes playing the 'race card'. In my experience as a black man, it's almost expected that i play the 'race card' in certain situations.

To think that race plays no part in relationships/interactions would be naieve, however i will allow myself to become paranoid, it's a difficult balance to achieve. Even with the case of the asian officer, there is the overarching feeling fromt the newspapers that, 'Oh here we go again, another asian complaining because he couldn't do the job'.

Case in point........think the BPA have made a wrong move here....

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Mayor may launch inquiry into racism in Met | Politics | The Guardian

Mayor may launch inquiry into racism in Met

• Johnson's plan said to be at advanced stage
• Black officers to urge recruitment boycott

Vikram Dodd
The Guardian Monday October 6 2008

Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, is considering launching an inquiry into claims of racism at the Metropolitan police following allegations by ethnic minority officers that Scotland Yard is plagued by discrimination, the Guardian has learned.

Members of the Metropolitan Black Police Association are so angry they will begin a recruitment boycott of their force today, urging ethnic minority applicants not to join it because it is racist. They are considering advertising in newspapers as part of their campaign.

Johnson has been considering an investigation into race and the Met and plans for an inquiry are sufficiently advanced for his senior aides to have sounded out a potential chair for the inquiry.

Today, Johnson will attend his first meeting as the chairman of the Metropolitan police authority. Any inquiry into race will be unwelcome news for Scotland Yard, which is reeling after Sir Ian Blair, its commissioner, was ousted by Johnson following a series of controversies.

Among the most prominent of these was a row which led to the suspension of the Met's two most senior ethnic minority officers. Tarique Ghaffur, assistant commissioner, was suspended after he began to sue the force for racism and denounced Blair as a racist. One of his main advisers, Commander Ali Dizaei, was suspended over alleged misconduct and both officers are under investigation.

Despite Blair's resignation, the Metropolitan Black Police Association's chiefs believe discrimination is institutionalised in Scotland Yard's leadership.

In a statement, the association said: "The Metropolitan Black Police Association will, as of today, totally boycott all recruitment drives initiated by the Metropolitan police service to attract black and ethnic minority recruits and police staff.

"We will actively discourage (through our extensive community network) potential applicants from applying to join the Metropolitan police."

It said the force was plagued by "a hostile atmosphere where racism is allowed to spread and those who challenge it are either suspended, told to shut up or subtly held back in relation to career development".

Alfred John, chairman of the association, said the boycott was needed despite Blair's departure. "We're not going to stop because Ian Blair has gone. It is about the institutional racism that takes place in the organisation," he said.

The race row began in the summer after it emerged that Ghaffur was considering suing the force for racial and religious discrimination.

He formally issued employment tribunal proceedings, then held a press conference where he professed his love of policing and denounced Blair. The force and the Metropolitan police authority say that press conference led to the suspension from duty of Ghaffur, who was joint third in charge of the Met and part of its inner cabinet. His key adviser was Dizaei, who chairs the national Black Police Association and who was suspended over separate misconduct allegations, which he denies.

In 2003 black officers began a boycott which was only ended after the Home Office pressured the Met's leadership to reach a deal. The BPA's leaders say the force has made too little progress since the 1999 Macpherson report found British policing was institutionally racist.

Tonight, a BBC Panorama programme focuses on the police's record on race and finds continuing problems.

Mike Fuller, of Kent police, Britain's only black chief constable, says ethnic minority officers often have to work twice as hard to compete with their white peers.

The programme also surveyed BPA members and found that 72% claim to have experienced racism at work, 60% felt their career had been hindered by their race and 61% said things had stayed the same or got worse in recent years. One officer said: "I've been treated worse than my parents in the 1960s. It's all very well hidden, no racist words - you're just never good enough for promotion."

The programme also reports that an investigation is under way after two Asian transport police sergeants arrived for work at their station in Stockwell, south London, and found a Ku Klux Klan emblem and other racist abuse scraped into their lockers. Only other officers and police staff could have had access to the locker room.

If we recall the McPhearson Report "Institutional racism" and the shit we all see and at times are on the receiving end from the police I don't believe it's unreasonable to believe claims of racism from their own staff no matter how senior. The timing by Ghauffur is interesting, they haven't just gotten racist, they've been so for the all of his career. If black people are "overdoing" the race card, in the face of "white privilege" is this really a problem? If some folks have figured out how to exploit the bullshit window dressing "race relations legislation" then what of it?

The main problem I see in the U.K in particular is that Englishness essentially is very subtle and generally not often Direct, that is among white just as well when white meet black.

Being subtle a lot of Racism that is played out is never direct, therefore to counter it brings forth the Charge of "Having a Chip on your Shoulder". If as a Black Man or Woman you are generally not in the company of White, English (British) people then the manner in which they act would cause you to jump to the conculsion that it was Race rather than another element.

Generally race is factor about 30% of the time but which 30% ? This is what causes the confusion, for most of us.

There are a few of Us that use the Race card with is regretable, but compared to the everyday trials and tribulation the majority face on a Day to Day basis in many subtle ways Good luck to them.

A Classic example of everyday racism was working in Private Equity and having a fellow Consultant exclaim on recieving a Business Plan for funding say " Mr Babatunde" with a name like it cannot be that good a business, then nonchalently throw it aside. Of course this happens to C.V's everyday and many of us are unaware why despite our qualifications we were never called for an interview. Or even if you have a Scottish type surname, and were called forward for an intervew, wonder why you did not get passed 1st base.

So while it can be annoying if a fellow Black Man or Woman has called the Race card most time there is a 1/3 chance they were correct!