Define racism

A serious point. What, to you, is racism?

Is racism discriminating against someone because they are a different colour from you? Or a different nationality? Or something else?

I was listening to the radio on the way home from work, and there was an article about black football managers, or the lack of. Apparently, there is only one current manager of one of the 92 league clubs who is black. It is suggested by some that this is a race issue, that clubs may be discriminating against black people by not giving them the managers job.

I find this very hard to believe. My opinion is always that the best person for the job should get the job. Whether they are black, white, yellow, or whether they are male or female or whether they are gay or straight, whether they are Christian or Muslim, it's all totally irrelevant. I object to positive discrimination, where people are offered jobs because of their race. If you're the best person for the job, you deserve it. Ability to do the job is much more important than fulfilling quotas to ensure a certain percentage of your workforce is of a particular ethnic background or sexual orientation or religious belief.

There's another good reason why I do not believe that racism is a factor. Of the four top teams in the UK, all four have a foreign manager. Until recently, the England national team had a foreign manager. Of the 20 teams in the Premiership, 9 have foreign managers. Hardly racist. Is it?