So unsurprisingly ukip pissed it last night. Well done Farage. Well done the media.

I disagree. It's all about intent isn't it? Whether the generalisation is actually an attempt to denigrate or not.

If a Boots in Croydon realises it's not selling much sun cream this summer, they can probably conclude that this is because higher black populations in the area are less likely to feel it's necessary. Generalisation about race, sure, but not "prejudice".

It is an intelligent piece of commentary, more useful than the facile claim that "BME people are far more likely to vote Labour". Some ethnic groups will generally be more likely to vote for Labour but others not, so it's worth looking at how sub-groups of BME voters act differently.

If Ken has made insensitive comments about jews before (maybe you could link me to an Andrew Gilligan piece about it) then they may be an ill-judged group to use in such an example, but one of the best ways to find out why a particular ethnic group votes a particular way is to look at examples where this tendency has changed.

Chinese people might be an interesting example because in the UK there are a significant number who are probably having more success in education, employment and business than they would have been when immigrants first arrived. But obviously they've come from an area with an, erm, 'strong left-wing tradition'.

"The fox has his den. The bee has his hive. The stoat, has, uh... his stoat-hole... but only man chooses to make his nest in an investment opportunity.” Stewart Lee

Oh it's partly the media's fault is it?.....Most of their coverage was negative...Telling us how to think...Loads of 'Ukip is racist'.

Still, you couldn't shut up about them.....You pretty much cemented my vote.

Well done Nick.

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

I disagree. The problem with generalisations/prejudice, as I see it, is that by treating everyone as if the stereotype applies to them, you make mistakes. If you don't give your black mate sun cream because you assume he wouldn't want/need any and he gets skin cancer, the stereotype has created an externality. But if Boots in Croydon lower how much they order every month to prevent a surplus, they're not only not causing any problems (since supply still meets demand) and they're actually saving money.

In this case, Ken Livingstone is highlighting the broadly improved position of jews financially, but is that really likely to cause any problems? He's not suggesting they be taxed more or anything, he's just trying to establish that financial status is what has the biggest effect upon voting intention rather than race. If you can explain why this claim might harm jewish people either individually or as a collective, I might be happy to say it's problematic, but i can't see it myself.

"The fox has his den. The bee has his hive. The stoat, has, uh... his stoat-hole... but only man chooses to make his nest in an investment opportunity.” Stewart Lee

So you voted for the regression of maternity rights then. You voted for full scale privatisation of the NHS.
Well done.

Na....You know what I voted for.....I was a tiny part of the collective two fingers to the EU federalists.

I want a decentralised EU.....For that to happen messages have to be sent.

Edited by Stirlingsays (26 May 2014 12.57pm)

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)