White Cliffs of Dover

I have now been sent this 'White Cliffs of Dover' email joke from ten different people (all with impeccable anti-racist credentials i might add).

I thought it was rather funny as did my various groups of friends judging by the email traffic.

Forwarding on this email cost Tory councillor and prospective parliamentary candidate, Ellenor Bland, her job.

The Liberal Democrats have been first off the mark. Ed Davey, chair of campaigns and communications said: ‘Despite David Cameron’s best PR efforts, the Conservative party clearly continues to contain some deeply unpleasant elements.’ The Lib Dems have even reported the matter to the Commission for Racial Equality.

However, unless there is more to the email than this photo, i fail to see what is racist about this caption. Xenophobic possibly, but definitely not racist. And anyway, isn't the "piss off - we're full" now the government's official line, since we are not letting in the Romanians and the Bulgarians?

Being accused of racism is still a crime worse than death. But the word's meaning is broadening by the day.

In the UK, a racist used to be someone who insulted people with dark skins. It is now someone who insults people with thin skins. I