Beats me why you're beating yourself up about it. I thought it was hilarious and wouldn't have batted an eyelid of putting it up myself.
The only disappointment I have is that it took me a few days to see what the fuss was about. I couldn't see Cameron in there, but when I did (the penny dropped) I roared with laughter!

It doesn't surprise me that it was only a Tory who called you a racist but there you go.Do people still listen to them?

I'm at a loss to ever hear of a Labour member doing a bit of racism, but I suppose it has happend somewhere, but I know of none. It doesn't compute, really.

Any chance of blacking up, Gideon?

Gary

Well said. The problem is that people claim to be offended by just about anything. Even when you try to be jovial or take the **** a bit, you get some loser pretending that they have been deeply distressed by your remarks.

McGrath's remarks were harmless and I'm sure your photo was just taking the ****. If voters don't like McGrath's comment, they can vote against Boris. If people don't like your blog, they can stop reading it. Society (and Boris Johnson for that matter) should turn round to these appeasement-seekers and tell them to get a life.

*end of rant*

The following quote jumped out of the page at me. It appears as if the first reaction was an attempt to gag the freedom of the press. Perhaps, not a good move.

"The Guardian was warned earlier in the day that it might face legal action from McGrath if it reported McGrath's remarks in an inappropriate way".

As you know I found the "David Cameron as a blacked-up minstrel" post amusing and failed to see what all the fuss was about. I am aware that I can post material without fear of censure from any boss. I like this freedom.

Bottom line, it comes down to the Tory we've changed our image we are no longer the racist party. Methinks I need a lot more convincing...

Well here in Old South Wales that bunch of linguistic terrorists The Welsh Nationalists are very proud and pleased to tell us English speakers to F**f O** back to Engerland, yet get hysterical when I suggest they should return to Aberystwyth

GW

I suspect the 'legal action' threat was simply designed to stop the Guardian from describing his remarks as 'racist'...

Someone should tell the Tories that there's actually some middle ground between being the Nasty Party and wimps.

The reason we live in a world where the thought police are never absent is you and your like . I am staggered that anyone took the Minstrel thing seriously really amazing ..
Boris has to do what he has to do , I daresay he did not like but "Boris stands by racist aide !" is what you would otherwise have been saying .

You cannot deny it.

I agree with you, Iain Dale, & seemingly the rest of the universe. A strange sensation...

You are aware of my relentless opposition to Boris & all he stands for. But this action did not call for a firing, resignation, or whatever.

I believe that those who pinned their hopes to him are being disappointed. Whilst I am theoretically glad about this, it's a shame to see London, which I regard as a great city with some top-class inhabitants, suffering.

"I'm at a loss to ever hear of a Labour member doing a bit of racism, but I suppose it has happend somewhere, but I know of none. It doesn't compute, really."

That's a bit naive.I remember a Labour Councillor being done for shouting racist abuse at a football match recently.Labour isn't immune-although I agree it's less likely.As for Johnson, I suspect he's ultra sensitive in the first few weeks of his term and I was surprised at the difference between the media headlines and what McGrath had actually said.

As for Bob's own crap storm.I remember seeing the pic having a grin and didn't get back online for a few weeks.Interestingly the bloggers who I respect,although disagree with, dismissed it, the tossers who I always knew were tossers were in a frenzy.Which just about summed up the situation .It's similar to the last few days for Tom Harris MP who had a post taken out of context by some Tory prat, although Tom received a lot of support from many Tories...

Oh dear, I do hope that conservativehome can prove this in court "Darcus Howe is a nasty, odious racist", failing that, it has enough in its coffers to pay damages for libel?

The problem is whats funny yesterday is racism tomorrow. I remember the Black and white mistrals on TV, I also remember a toy called the gollywog, last month while in the market their it was again a Gollywog now called a golly toy, racism by another name.

It was a silly thing to do but helps nobody because New Labours record of British jobs for British people, ah shit who cares anymore.

I don't agree Bob. he had to go. And it is not in any way with Polish plumbers or Slovakian fruit pickers who are mostly by inclination temporary visitors. The Windrush generation by contrast always intended to stay, braved huge animosity for generations and arguably still, and are in many cases parents, grandparents and great grandparents of black britons. Darcus Howe is of course a "devil's advocate" but the Ocker lad made a very very stupid response to the wind up.

We'll have to agree to disagree, Chris. I didn't doubt the inadvisability of his comment... what I disputed was Johnson's loyalty to someone who he did not think was making a racist statement, but had made a mistake.

On your reasoning, the Leader of Sandwell Council would have kicked my arse out of the door... (because despite what people say above, it was a mistake. I should have realised the picture would be taken out of context and used against me) but he had more sense and decency than that.

As you well know my main issue with your view of this matter - which I do not share - is the silly comparator with Polish plumbers. That don't work.

Chris, we can keep swapping comments on each other's blogs, but we are not going to persuade each other.

It doesn't matter whether it is comparable or not. Howe (not McGrath) made the stupid comment that elderly black residents might want to return to their homelands, and fortunately McGrath didn't say they should be forbidden to do so... he said if that is how they felt they should do.

Very few people, of which you, Boris Johnson and David Cameron are three, thought that was a racist comment.

I think they are wrong, and I think it's wrong because I think it, irrespective of Iain dale's world view. That's all.

But you would still have said " Boris backs racist adviser" ...wouldn't you.

We know where Chris Paul stands: "The Tories are evil scum and anything and everything they do is wrong." Unfortunately a lot of media luvvies go along with this line and would have carpeted Boris had he not sacked McGrath.

It would have been childish, the petulance of those whose favourite Big-I-Am lost in May, indeed the red K himself would have carped too (as he has been on everything else anyway) - the problem is it would have worked.

Ah Bob for more like you in the Labour Party, not these middle-class quasi-Thatcherites who have to spout about the eeevil Tories just to con themselves they're down with the proles.