The truth will out.

Following the 'revelation' by the Courier newspaper that a well known Tunbridge Wells' person was a 'racist' there has been no response on the letters page.  Of course, there may have been responses which have not been published.  Certainly the person castigated in the newspaper has not been granted a right of reply.

One of the issues mentioned by the paper as being an example of racism was a comment by the person 'outed' as a racist that white children were at risk from Asian men.

Low and behold what do we read today and have paraded across BBC News.  Follow the link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13957129

In particular may I draw your attention to this paragraph from the article:

Earlier this year, the former Home and Justice Secretary Jack Straw said that while offenders came from all backgrounds, there was a specific problem of young Pakistani men targeting white girls because they regarded them as "easy meat".

Now, I haven't noted Jack Straw being castigated as a racist, yet our local press had an hysterical outburst against the local resident who said much the same as Jack Straw.

As I have stated before, the problem of grooming is not confined to one ethnic group but, as the BBC said in a news item, the proportion of Asian men involved in grooming is higher than the proportion of Asian men in the UK population.

It is easy to stifle debate by using the epithet 'racist' against someone who raises serious  inconvenient issues.  Admittedly the resident 'liked' on Facebook a joke that I and I am sure many others would consider to be in very poor taste. However, 'ironic' comedians (Frankie Boyle springs to mind) utter jokes in appalling taste and are defended by the media.

The main issue though is not who perpetrates these vile activities but why it is permitted to happen.  Child protection legislation and statutory agencies have failed the children.  It is a scandal.  One can only hope that there has not been a reluctance to act for fear of being branded racist.  Unfortunately there are reports from Lancashire that this was indeed the case.