Knowing the script

Subject: Knowing the script.

One of the complexities of the current uprising of black discontent in this country is on the one hand a call for black people to be treated the same as their white counterparts in business and yet on the other, to fast track them to gain some sort of parity and to square a statistical anomaly if promotion is deemed to be based on colour not ability.

The reason why people get promoted has never been solely down to ability. From time immemorial over and above talent there are preferences at work. The old school tie and  jobs for pals. the politics of gender to fulfill a gender quota, personality quirks which exclude someone in line for promotion who have the experience and the line skills but get passed over because their face doesn't fit. If we now muddy the waters further by introducing not only a gender preference but also race and ethnicity, why not religion or LGBT rights. The list could go on as we seek to create a politically correct utopia, balancing this against that, for ever referring promotion to the Human Resource Department for them to keep score on managements awareness.
As we seek to tie ourselves in a gordian knot it must be remembered there is always, the other side of the equation, the person who loses out, who's work pedigree fits him or her for the job but who, when the job becomes vacant is passed over for what is a political appointee rather than one based on ability. This trend to fit an ideological quota  is wrong, as of course was the case of racial stereotyping in the past.
But two wrongs don't make a right and generally speaking, people recognise talent in others,  if the talent is there then promotion is accepted but where tokenism pushes someone outside their attainment level, it only breeds discontent. If this is accentuated across the country instability raises its head in all kinds of ways and 'identity politics' begins to define our decisions. Groups form, racial, or religious allegiances  are created and prejudice becomes rife on all sides. 

Black Lives Matter instigated the banner flown at Burnley stating White Lives Matter.
The police are bruised by taunts of racism, using strong arm tactics to hold belligerent people down whilst at the same time expected to wade into a melee or wrestle a knife away from a terrorist in Reading and today, an immigrant in Glasgow.
We seem to have lost our sense of 'national purpose'. We don't seem to identify as a nation any longer. 'Gesture Politics, Affirmative Politics, Identity Politics, call it what you will, has taken over.
We have stopped seeing the nation as one but as groups each competing for attention and heaven help the police chief who hasn't read the very latest Politically Correct script.