Abbot off-colour

The Diane Abbott storm in a an egg-cup (your report, 6 January) is a triumph of trivia over substance. This foolish woman merely displays the well-known political double persona; a suitable badge for MPs would be the snake’s forked tongue.

Far from apologising for her remarks, she should justify them by quoting examples of her “white divide and rule” claim. That principle is endemic in politics, regardless of colour or race.

Implicit in the charge is that divisiveness favours whites, but there is evidence of the opposite, driven by dogmatic political correctness – a distorted expression which should mean absolute fairness and equality. Ms Abbott herself represents this reverse bias: had she been white talking about blacks, then she would have been peremptorily sacked.

There is also no white counterpart to the Black Police Association: I wonder whether such an organisation has ever been proposed. If not, why not?

Robert Dow

Ormiston Road

Tranent