If the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Ian Blair's, understanding of "institutional racism" is to be accepted (Met chief accuses media of institutional racism), we are in serious trouble, since what he is referring to is the wholly natural tendency of human beings (whatever their race or ethnicity) to identify with, and thus take a particular interest in, those most like themselves, whereby race and ethnicity (obviously, I would have thought) play an important role.

For purely commercial reasons, the national media give priority to the interests of the majority, who, for the time being at least, are white. Or is Sir Ian saying that when non-whites identify with their own particular ethnic group that's fine, but when white people do the same, it's racism?

It seems to me that with the creation of a multi-racial and multi-cultural society, we embarked on a social experiment, the consequences of which - as with those of mass consumer society - we gave little or no thought to, and are now reluctant to face up to. Homo sapiens, indeed!