Yes, all of those are considerations - in fact Derek Laud

(black Big Brother contestant, and involved with the Tories somehow)

making exactly the same point about voting demographics - in that black and asian communities are not big reality tv show voters. However he went on to say that a Conservative MP, now a member of the Shadow Cabinet told him that it had been the Tories policy not to select black and asian candidates unless very sure of victory because their skin colour would count against them in elections. He then went on to wonder aloud whether the country has in fact become less racist in general as some would have us believe, or whether, as I have wondered on this board myself, whether it's just that those with racist views have become less eager to promote those views - the bigots never went away, they just learned to keep thier mouth shut.

Posted By: Arizona Bay, Jan 19, 09:57:08