On the 13th January I wrote about Jack Straw's racist remarks which happened to coincide with a byelection in Oldham. On Tuesday Jack spoke about his comments. He regrets using the words "easy meat" when he said that some Pakistani men saw white girls in that light. In fact he was sorry for "the offence people feel I have caused". It sounds like he regrets the fact that others are foolish. I didn't write anything about his sexist comments but if he is highlighting that some people have sexist views then I am not sure why he has any regrets.
My point in January was that Jack was overtly racist. he won't apologise for this, so Jack can point out specific racial problems, say his comments are not racist, not apologise but regret how people misinterpret his remarks. It sound like he is the only person who has done nothing wrong. I will admit to not seeing that Jack said "most sexual offenders were white men", so I'll comment on it now. What is the point of telling us this information? It didn't make a headline and is hardly going to be repeated as a racial slur. His other comments, on the other hand, did have an effect but not for the better. The problem is not that other people may have unjustifiably taken offence at an imagined slight, but that Jack's words constituted a very real setback to race relations. He really needs to see that.
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