Patrick Mercer, black bastards and the NHS

Patrick Mercer MP

I come late to the argument about the rights and wrongs of sacking Patrick Mercer. It was discussed at length last night on 18 Doughty Street, and Rachel from North London has written about it extensively. She knows Patrick Mercer, and her views are unequivocal:

David Cameron, you nasty, pursed-lips, spinning, sanctimonious little sneak. You washed your hands of a good man, who said something stupidly truthful - that in the army, everyone insults each other all the time. ''You ginger bastard! You fat bastard! You black bastard!''. It's not very nice, but it is how it is. (Rachel)

Rachel is a wonderful writer. She is about to become a literary grown-up with a “real” book as well as her outstanding blog. But for once, indeed for the first time, I strongly disagree with her.

One of the great joys of blogging is that one can write whatever one likes without some fussy editor making “helpful suggestions”. One of the great dangers of blogging is that one can write whatever one likes without some fussy editor making “helpful suggestions”.

There are more non-white staff in the NHS than in any other organisation in the country. Far more, as a percentage, than there are in the army and the police. And they have not been treated as fairly as they should have been. Sam Everington and others have campaigned tirelessly against the excesses of racial discrimination in health care, and yet it still goes on.

What has this to do with Patrick Mercer? I accept entirely that he is not a racist. That is not the point. He was a front bench spokesman, not a blogger. A front bench spokesman cannot afford to let slip any remark that could give a racist a foothold, that could be used to encourage racism. What ever goes on behind the scenes in the army, and we all know it is not kindergarten, the expression “black bastard” is not acceptable. It may be that the expression was not meant to give offence, and it may be that no offence was taken.

That is not the point.

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article (Playing the white man) about use of the sub-consultant non-career grade position of "staff-grade doctor" in which many foreign doctors are “parked”. I used the slang and racially offensive term that is frequently used within the NHS to describe this position. I did so deliberately, meaning to highlight the offence the term causes. I was misinterpreted and, unintentionally, caused offence.

I am but a mere blogger. Few people noticed. Had I been the opposition front bench spokesman on health care, there would have been a furore. Front bench spokesman are always in the public eye and cannot afford a slip of the tongue on sensitive issues.

I feel sorry for Patrick Mercer, but I am sure David Cameron took the correct action and I think that Rachel was over the top when she described him as a “nasty, pursed-lips, spinning, sanctimonious little sneak”